1st chemo treatment on Tues

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  • stayingstrongfortoday
    stayingstrongfortoday Member Posts: 116
    #22
    butterflylvr said:

    Hi,
    Just popping in to wish you luck next week. Looks like the gals got all the bases convered and I don't need to add in my two cents. Just remember to let your MO know of all the side effects you experience. Gargle with salt water during the first 48 hours of chemo, it helps to prevent mouth sores. I always found out too that the only two liquids that tasted good to me were water and chocolste milk. My tongue felt thick and all liquids tasted thick like gravy and any beverage with sugar was just plain yucky...

    You will do fine my dear, as you can see we have all pulled through this and are now on the other side. Good Luck Tuesday and while your sitting there in that infustion chair think of all of us here rooting you on.

    Hugs,
    Lorrie

    Hi
    I usually bring my laptop or ipod and maybe a book or magazine. Depending on what you get you might get sleepy and then a nap is great. I am not sure how your area will be set up but you can usually talk to others getting chemo too but sometimes I don't like that so I pop in the music and pretend I am at the beach :) I was very scared my first time and that is normal but I found I felt good and was tired a few days later but nothing overwhelming. For me it was manageable and I hope it is for you too!! IF you do have access to a lap top take it with you and journal the experience that might help you and we can all comment on it!!:) Blessings to you.
  • CAchick
    CAchick Member Posts: 277
    #23
    missrenee said:

    You're gonna do great!
    So glad you really like your MO--that is so important. Here are a few things I usually brought:

    Water--a lot of it, book, magazines, puzzles, snacks (believe it or not some do get hungry--I even ate lunch during most treatments), fleece throw in case you get chilly (some facilities have these but I liked my own). Most of the time, we in the infusion room got into conversations just like at the beauty shop. The time went by really fast. My husband came to every treatment as well. Even though I brought things to do, I hardly ever used them.

    Best of luck to you. I know how scary that first treatment is, but I can tell you from my experience--all my fears were totally unwarranted. I did fine, felt fine, had no reactions to the meds during the infusion process. And, my side effects for the few days after were what I would consider pretty minimal--diarrhea/constipation combo, food tasting bad, bone and joint aches from the Neulasta. I had 6 treatments of TAC. This place is a wealth of information. Come here often with questions or problems. There is always someone who can help.

    Hugs, Renee

    Chemo survivor
    Hi, I had chemo w/ Taxotere and Cytoxan. I was also scared on the first treatment. Everyone has given you wonderful advice here! I would not let my hubby go with me, either...didn't want him sitting there staring at me...I drove myself home. Ate some crackers on the way home, to ward off nausea.
    You can do this! My only other advice is: if you start to feel real different in any way while infusing, hit your nurse button. Just to check it out...
    And also, get as much rest as possible during your chemo time period.
    BEST WISHES!
  • Alexis F
    Alexis F Member Posts: 3,598
    #24
    LoveBabyJesus said:

    You'll be OK.
    I felt nervous the first time too. This board helped me so much.

    I am going to keep it simple: DRINK a lot of water everyday. It helps. Secondly, eat small portions, several times a day (5-6 times). It helps as well - at least for the first couple of days after treatment. If you feel any side effect(s), alert your Dr. right away. They will tell you it's fine, and will take the anxiety away, therefore, you won't feel sick to your stomach (I find I get sick when I am anxious, but you may be different). Finally- and maybe should have mentioned first- keep your faith alive. You will do great.

    Many people will help you go through this here, including myself. I am still undergoing treatment. Just started taxol last Friday. So far I've experienced bone and joint pains.

    Keep us posted, please.

    Good luck and God bless you.

    Good luck on Tuesday!
    Hugs,
    Good luck on Tuesday!


    Hugs, Lex
  • Kylez
    Kylez Member Posts: 3,761 Member
    #25
    rhamilton1012 said:

    Thank you...
    All so much for your advice and support. My husband is coming with me too and I'm sure he will keep me company, but he is going to do some studying too (he's a helicopter pilot). We will be there thru lunch so I'll make sure to bring snacks. I think the idea of a daily "symptom" journal is a great idea, that way I know what to expect and when the 2nd time around.

    And yes, Ender, I am only 30 and the don't plan on giving me Neulasta unless I need it. Thank you for the info about Neupogen ~ I will def talk to my MO about that.

    Again, thank you all so much. You ladies are the best!!!

    Just want to make sure that
    Just want to make sure that you know that I will be thinking about you and praying your chemo goes well for you. Be sure and let us know.


    Hugs, Kylez
  • Alexis F
    Alexis F Member Posts: 3,598
    #26
    ender said:

    Hi there!
    You and I are on
    Hi there!

    You and I are on the exact same treatment plan. And from what you tell me about child rearing concerns, it sounds like you are young. So I can relate.

    I did an egg harvest before chemo (Im 29), and today I just had my second round of Taxotere/Cytoxan today. I feel so much better mentally than the first time. As you, I was anxious before the first treatment because I did not know what to expect. "I know I will get some side effects, but not all, so which ones will I get??" In the end nothing too bad happened to me. One thing that I would like to say is that I was persistent about not getting the Neulasta shot "just in case my white counts drop too much". That ended up being a very good call. My whites did drop and a week after my first round I got three shots (for three consecutive days) of Neupogen (cousin drug of Neulasta). After the third shot I suffered great bone pain. I was screaming out loud when the "attacks" hit. It was a pulsating pain in my spine and chest cage. Luckily, I was able to treat it well with Vicodin. Today my MO said that Neulasta would be even worse for me. This is because the pain hits when your whites are already plenty but the bone is still asked to produce more. And right when you have had chemo, your whites are still pretty OK. As Neulasta is given the day after chemo, it would be bad for me. Importantly for you is that my MO said that I reacted to strongly, or well, to the Neupogen because I am young. So the chemo affects me more (more side effects), but other drugs also affect me more. A younger body is better at saying "what are you doing to me??" For my second cycle my MO will give me only two shots of Neupogen and start them one day earlier, on day 6 instead of 7, because my whites dropped so quickly but also responded so well to the Neuopgen. As I get the impression you are also quite young, you might want to address the whole Neulasta/Neupogen issue with your MO.

    In terms of "what to bring to treatment", I ecco what others have said. I bring snacks, drinks and books, computer etc, but end up not using much of it. My husband comes along and we talk most of the time.

    I hope this was useful.

    Eva

    Good luck and drink lots and
    Good luck and drink lots and lots of water!


    Lex
  • Megan M
    Megan M Member Posts: 3,000
    #27
    ssmith37 said:

    Good luck to you. You will
    Good luck to you. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

    Stephanie

    Wishing you good luck! Like
    Wishing you good luck! Like the other sisters wrote, focus on the finish line where we will all be celebrating with you.


    Hugs, Megan
  • LoveBabyJesus
    LoveBabyJesus Member Posts: 1,679 Member
    #28
    Just wanted to wish you Good
    Just wanted to wish you Good Luck today! You'll do great. Please let us know how everything goes. Remember to drink, drink, drink....
  • Noel
    Noel Member Posts: 3,095 Member
    #29
    LoveBabyJesus said:

    Just wanted to wish you Good
    Just wanted to wish you Good Luck today! You'll do great. Please let us know how everything goes. Remember to drink, drink, drink....

    Hoping today goes well for
    Hoping today goes well for you and you can post to let us know how your first chemo goes.


    Praying for you!
  • butterflylvr
    butterflylvr Member Posts: 944
    #30
    Noel said:

    Hoping today goes well for
    Hoping today goes well for you and you can post to let us know how your first chemo goes.


    Praying for you!

    Thinking about you today and
    Thinking about you today and wondering how you're doing.

    Hugs,
    Lorrie
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #31
    CAchick said:

    Chemo survivor
    Hi, I had chemo w/ Taxotere and Cytoxan. I was also scared on the first treatment. Everyone has given you wonderful advice here! I would not let my hubby go with me, either...didn't want him sitting there staring at me...I drove myself home. Ate some crackers on the way home, to ward off nausea.
    You can do this! My only other advice is: if you start to feel real different in any way while infusing, hit your nurse button. Just to check it out...
    And also, get as much rest as possible during your chemo time period.
    BEST WISHES!

    Hoping today and your first
    Hoping today and your first chemo went well for you.


    Hugs, Leeza

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