Once you are "over the hill", does it only get better? Question about chemo side effects

ender

Hi everyone,

Today I feel like I "am back", on day 6 of my first chemo cycle. I even worked out for 20 minutes. The weekend felt like a flu, with skin breakout and itchy tingling scalp. My question is, once you start feeling better does it just keep getting better until the next round of chemo? I understand that the hair part wont "get better" and I will likely loose my hair in a week or so, but what about the other side effects such as possible mouth sores, diareea etc?

Eva

laughs_a_lot

Chemo SE's
For me I feel like I have morning sickness. It seems to have lessened since last Tuesday (my chemo day) however it still rears it's ugly head. I was ambitious for 2 days (the steroids in the anti-nausea meds), then I had major fatigue for 2 days. That seems to have let up a bit. I don't have pain from the Neulasta shot and I think it is because I am taking Allegra. Most of those who have had pain have tried Claratin. They tend to do the same thing as they are both allergy medicines.

I had heard that exercise assists in reducing the nausea. I thought it was just a line rather than reality. However, there may be some validity to this claim. This is why I think it may be true. It had rained a lot here which delayed me getting my asparagus bed in at the family farm. I had started with my "morning sickness" at about 11:00 am. I knew that today would be my only chance to work on the asparagus bed for another week. So I asked my husband to help me with it because I would have been at the farm for 8 hours otherwise. I felt sick on the way to the farm (15 minute drive) and had a milkshake to calm my stomach. Once at the farm we were shoveling wet soil into a wheelbarrow then moving it about 50 feet and dumping it into the asparagus bed. (Some heavy duty work). It took us about 3 hours to get it done. (Both of us creaky and slow) but I didn't notice any nausea again until I got back in the car to go home.

It sounds like you and I get chemo about the same day as I just began too. I have heard that the effects can be worse on the 4th treatment of the same chemical as it tends to have a cumulative effect. This might be true for at least some of us. I am sure the others will chime in.

ms.sunshine

laughs_a_lot said:

Chemo SE's
For me I feel like I have morning sickness. It seems to have lessened since last Tuesday (my chemo day) however it still rears it's ugly head. I was ambitious for 2 days (the steroids in the anti-nausea meds), then I had major fatigue for 2 days. That seems to have let up a bit. I don't have pain from the Neulasta shot and I think it is because I am taking Allegra. Most of those who have had pain have tried Claratin. They tend to do the same thing as they are both allergy medicines.

I had heard that exercise assists in reducing the nausea. I thought it was just a line rather than reality. However, there may be some validity to this claim. This is why I think it may be true. It had rained a lot here which delayed me getting my asparagus bed in at the family farm. I had started with my "morning sickness" at about 11:00 am. I knew that today would be my only chance to work on the asparagus bed for another week. So I asked my husband to help me with it because I would have been at the farm for 8 hours otherwise. I felt sick on the way to the farm (15 minute drive) and had a milkshake to calm my stomach. Once at the farm we were shoveling wet soil into a wheelbarrow then moving it about 50 feet and dumping it into the asparagus bed. (Some heavy duty work). It took us about 3 hours to get it done. (Both of us creaky and slow) but I didn't notice any nausea again until I got back in the car to go home.

It sounds like you and I get chemo about the same day as I just began too. I have heard that the effects can be worse on the 4th treatment of the same chemical as it tends to have a cumulative effect. This might be true for at least some of us. I am sure the others will chime in.

It got better for me
Your body is torn down by the chemo. Once the chemo has run its course, and out of the body then your body will start to repair itself. You will get better, until the next round of chemo enters the body, then the cycle starts over again.

It is amazing how quickly the body can heal and recover.

TraciInLA

For me, yes
Hi, Eva -

For me, yes, the major side effects (the gastrointestinal circus and fatigue) peaked on Days 3 and 4, then got less and less until the next chemo round. The 1st week after chemo was pretty much a lost cause, the 2nd was better -- by the 3rd, I felt much closer to normal, just in time to do it all over again!

Traci

butterflylvr

TraciInLA said:

For me, yes
Hi, Eva -

For me, yes, the major side effects (the gastrointestinal circus and fatigue) peaked on Days 3 and 4, then got less and less until the next chemo round. The 1st week after chemo was pretty much a lost cause, the 2nd was better -- by the 3rd, I felt much closer to normal, just in time to do it all over again!

Traci

Eva,
My worst days were 1-3 and each day after that it improved. Once your cell counts rebound your energy level gets back to normal. I went every three weeks for my treatments and by week 2, I was back to normal and week 3 was fantastic. So yes my dear, it does get better.

Regarding mouth sores, my tongue got kinda funky. It felt swollen and the taste buds were shot. I gargled with salt water through my whole first week and this prevented me from getting other mouth sores. But certain foods I stayed away from because I just didn't like the taste anymore. Liquids almost tasted like drinking gravy (real thick). Water and chocolate milk was my salvation.

Hang in there...
Hugs,
Lorrie

jessiesmom1

Chemo Side Effects
Hi Eva,

I must say the subject line of your post re:Over the Hill got my attention (lol).

I had 4 rounds of A/C every 2 weeks (a 14 day cycle) then 12 rounds of Taxotere once a week (a 7 day cycle). During the A/C rounds I would have to say that I felt the worst on about Day 3 and by Day 12 I was feeling pretty good. The Taxotere was very hard on me. I really did not feel at all "normal" until the morning of the next infusion (Day 7). I started losing my hair on precisely Day 10 of my 1st round of A/C. Despite being given the notorious "red devil" Adriamycin I did not get any mouth sores. Guess those smoothies my husband made and I slurped while that was being put through my port worked. The vomiting and diarrhea never really subsided for me. Most people do not have the extensive side effects that I did with the Taxotere. Whatever chemo cocktail you are being given I hope that it treats you gently. Good luck. IRENE

ender

jessiesmom1 said:

Chemo Side Effects
Hi Eva,

I must say the subject line of your post re:Over the Hill got my attention (lol).

I had 4 rounds of A/C every 2 weeks (a 14 day cycle) then 12 rounds of Taxotere once a week (a 7 day cycle). During the A/C rounds I would have to say that I felt the worst on about Day 3 and by Day 12 I was feeling pretty good. The Taxotere was very hard on me. I really did not feel at all "normal" until the morning of the next infusion (Day 7). I started losing my hair on precisely Day 10 of my 1st round of A/C. Despite being given the notorious "red devil" Adriamycin I did not get any mouth sores. Guess those smoothies my husband made and I slurped while that was being put through my port worked. The vomiting and diarrhea never really subsided for me. Most people do not have the extensive side effects that I did with the Taxotere. Whatever chemo cocktail you are being given I hope that it treats you gently. Good luck. IRENE

Thanks for your replies,
Thanks for your replies, guys!

Im happy to hear that it all gets better each day once you are over your point!

Eva

mamolady

mouth sores
A dear friend suggested drinking a jamba juice during chemo to prevent mouth sores. I did and I never had mouth sores. Ice chips also work I heard any thing really cold or frozen.

ender

mamolady said:

mouth sores
A dear friend suggested drinking a jamba juice during chemo to prevent mouth sores. I did and I never had mouth sores. Ice chips also work I heard any thing really cold or frozen.

Good tip, thank you! I had
Good tip, thank you! I had some "honest kids" (Im 5 years old inside) last time. Not sure that it was ice cold though.

Eva

cahjah75

Eva
for me I was back to feeling better after sleeping the weekend away after Neulasta shot. I was probably a bit more fatigued by the 6th chemo treatment but I just made sure I got enough sleep and ate well. I didn't feel like exercising, ate because of the Dex and thus gained 30#. Take care of yourself.
{{hugs}} Char

Rague

We're all different and Chemo is different
Had different reaction with the different Chemos. With A/C, I was tired for 2 days starting 2 days after infusion then back to feeling decent until 2 days after the next infusion. Actually that 'tired' wasn't that bad - resting did help and never kept me from doing anything I wanted to do. Taxol was totally different though - I was utterly and completely exhausted the entire 12 weeks of it (had weekly infusions). No amount of resting helped at all and basically I spent all the time on couch or bed. The 'good thing was that it started reversing the effects 1 week after last infusion - which happened to be the day I started Rads - just kept getting better from then on.

Susan

ender

Rague said:

We're all different and Chemo is different
Had different reaction with the different Chemos. With A/C, I was tired for 2 days starting 2 days after infusion then back to feeling decent until 2 days after the next infusion. Actually that 'tired' wasn't that bad - resting did help and never kept me from doing anything I wanted to do. Taxol was totally different though - I was utterly and completely exhausted the entire 12 weeks of it (had weekly infusions). No amount of resting helped at all and basically I spent all the time on couch or bed. The 'good thing was that it started reversing the effects 1 week after last infusion - which happened to be the day I started Rads - just kept getting better from then on.

Susan

Thanks for sharing guys!
Eva

Thanks for sharing guys!

Eva

zoey72

chemo side effects
I found that by day 4-5 after chemo you begin to have normal periods of the day. Until then you are weak, fatigued and suffer major hot flashes. The GI roller coaster is terrible. But you do continue to recover until your next chemo tx 3 weeks later. You actually feel great and like yourself. So it does get better! My scalp is very tender still after the second chemo treatment. When does that get better?

Rague

zoey72 said:

chemo side effects
I found that by day 4-5 after chemo you begin to have normal periods of the day. Until then you are weak, fatigued and suffer major hot flashes. The GI roller coaster is terrible. But you do continue to recover until your next chemo tx 3 weeks later. You actually feel great and like yourself. So it does get better! My scalp is very tender still after the second chemo treatment. When does that get better?

Not everyone has the same DX, TX or schedule with it or experiences what you did/are experiencing. For me, the 4 DD A/C was every 2 weeks and not really bad at all but the 12 Taxol was weekly and VERY bad. Many other's - it's just the opposite with how they react to the drugs. We are each unique and there is no "You will - - - - -." - there is a "I experienced such-n-such" or "You might esperience such-n-such". BUT not "You will experience such-n-such."

Susan

ender

Rague said:

Not everyone has the same DX, TX or schedule with it or experiences what you did/are experiencing. For me, the 4 DD A/C was every 2 weeks and not really bad at all but the 12 Taxol was weekly and VERY bad. Many other's - it's just the opposite with how they react to the drugs. We are each unique and there is no "You will - - - - -." - there is a "I experienced such-n-such" or "You might esperience such-n-such". BUT not "You will experience such-n-such."

Susan

Thanks guys!
Just hearing
Thanks guys!

Just hearing what others experienced makes me feel good. It gives me an idea of what I could expect.

Sorry to hear about your tender scalp, Zoey. Still waiting for my hair to fall. I pull it everyday to check. My scalp itched like crazy for my first 5 days post chemo. Now its much better but the hair is still there.

Eva

dbhadra

ender said:

Thanks guys!
Just hearing
Thanks guys!

Just hearing what others experienced makes me feel good. It gives me an idea of what I could expect.

Sorry to hear about your tender scalp, Zoey. Still waiting for my hair to fall. I pull it everyday to check. My scalp itched like crazy for my first 5 days post chemo. Now its much better but the hair is still there.

Eva

for me,
I seem to feel Ok chemo days 1-2, then worse days 3-6 and then slowly better.

Popsicles have been helping prevent mouth sores, and Claritin helps prevent pain from Neulasta.

Hang in there! you will get through it!

Laura

ender

dbhadra said:

for me,
I seem to feel Ok chemo days 1-2, then worse days 3-6 and then slowly better.

Popsicles have been helping prevent mouth sores, and Claritin helps prevent pain from Neulasta.

Hang in there! you will get through it!

Laura

Thanks Laura!
You and I seem
Thanks Laura!

You and I seem to be alike then! Days 3-6 were the worst for me too! I tried claritin for the pain. Initially, it did not help. Today the nurse told me to stick with it, that it helps over time. Now I am 7 hours from my last Vicodin. Maybe it is getting better. However, today my whole ribcage seemed to pulsate during my "attacks", in addition to my spine. I admit it freaks me out. Maybe it will be better next time, when I just get the one Neulasta shot instead of three Neuprogen shots.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience!

Eva