I start my chemo next week...

susie09

pinkpalette said:

Hi Lorrie, thank you for the advise...
I really appreciate your thoughts more than you know. I want to drink plenty of water, but I have wondered....can I drink green tea with ginger. I love it and I heard that I shouldn't drink it during chemo because ginger and green tea are both antioxidants and will counteract the chemo. I love green tea - coffee not so much. I want to do all the right things, so I can feel my best, so to speak. Also, vitamins and vitamin rich foods....avoid them or no, there is so much I need to know.

My husband will accompany me to my first chemo. I am so grateful. I am pretty much alone in this and he's been supportive. I have a pink beach bag packed up with goodies - prayer shawl from church, water/tea jug, pink neck pillow, puzzle book, etc. I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be. The sooner I start, the sooner I'll be done, right.

This board is a lifesaver for me. You have given me so much info and your kindness makes my heart want to burst.

Hugs,
Debbie

You can do it Debbie! The
You can do it Debbie! The pink sisters here will support you and help you however we can. I wish I had advice for chemo, but, I didn't take it. Good luck to you!


♠♣ Love, Susie ♠♣

Ritzy

LoveBabyJesus said:

Welcome!
And so sorry you found us, but we are here to support each other. This community helped me a lot!

I started like you. I was super scared! What drugs are you getting? I got AC/Taxol. I can give you a few tips that helped me: drink a LOT of water everyday, regardless; try eating very small portions of foods a few times a day (I did 6 times a day) - these must include fiber (e.g. fruits, beans for iron, dark-colored veggies like beets, kale, spinach, etc.); make sure to ask for stool softeners (I had serious issues with this),and take them; take all your nausea meds, even if you don't feel sick; sleep when tired; take walks and work your body, even at home; and call your Dr. if you notice any side effects.

Hair: like our pink sister says (above), day 14 it starts falling out, but everyone is different. Have a wig ready before this happens. You can wash your scalp with baby shampoo - I do, or something very mild. If you go outside, always wear sun-screen (on scalp and body parts exposed). I think it's best to cut it really short to be prepared. I didn't, and it drove me crazy. I wanted it all out!

I think you will do great. The fear of the unknown is worse.

BTW, if you are getting AC, be sure to chew on ice during the infusion. I did it and didn't get one sore. I have other friends who have done this too and didn't get a sore. Biotene helps too! always brush your teeth with biotene, because it has no alcohol and it's gentle with your mouth while doing its job. The mouth wash (Biotene) is also great!

We're here if you need us! Please keep us posted.

God bless you.

Praying your first chemo
Praying your first chemo went smoothly for you.


Sue

Alexis F

pinkpalette said:

WOW! I am humbled by all your love and support...
I am sooooo heartwarmed by all of your kindness and help. I really can't believe the outpouring of info for me, from each of you. It is entirely helpful for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you. God bless you - everyone!

Love and gratitude,
Debbie

p.s. I am going to print this thread and take it with me on Monday and be reminded of your support.

God bless you too!
I hope your first chemo went well Debbie. Post to let your pink sisters know how you are doing. I pray they all go smoothly for you!

Hugs,

Lex

DebbyM

Rague said:

We're all different -
so there is no way that any one of us can tell you that 'something' will happen with you - we can only tell you with any certainty what we went through.

I did 4 dd A/C 2 weeks apart first. For me, A/C was not bad at all. Hair on top of head all fell out but not all on rest of body - about 1/2 of it did. I never had any nausea with it though I did take all my anti-nausea pills. (I was told that if you had no morning sickness then you probably won't have a big problem with nausea - I had no morning sickness at all with either Son.) The most inconvient 'problem wa that my nose and eyes ran like there was a spigot turned on. 2 days after infusion, I'd be a bit tired for 2 days but resting/napping took care of that. I lost all sense of taste and appetite. Never had any pain from the Neulasta shots either - just went to sleep 2 hours after injection - almost to the minute - for 2 hours after them. 2 weeks after last A/C I had surgery and then 3 weeks after it I started 12 weekly Taxol.

Taxol was nasty - was completely and utterly EXHAUSTED for the whole 12 weeks of it. Again though was never nauseaous with it either - I even quit tasking the anti-nausea meds 1/2 way through it. Rest of hair fell out. Could not get rested or sleep without Ambien. It was also different in that on A/C I'd stayed awake and read/watched TV/did puzzles - with Taxol though as soon as they started the IV Benadryl I'd go 'nightly night' til about 20 minutes before infusion ended so I got a bed for all of them instead of a recliner.

My temperature dropped quite a bit for it's new normal during that time - it still isn't back up to 'normal'.

Drink lots of water!

Different facilities are different. Mine gave you warmed blankets (it was winter time and I'm always cold anyway) They had crackers, fruit, soup, juice, tea, cocoa, etc. for you.

I also took myself to all infusions as I did not want Hubby or Son to have to sit there and watch me be 'poisoned' also it was a lot easier for me to relax by myself than if i'd had to be talking to them. The nurses had their cell number so if there had been any reason that they were needed or I needed to be taken home they could call.

Know i'm forgetting 'stuff' but that's about all I can think of now.

Susan

Good luck to you!
Good luck to you!

SueRelays

Alexis F said:

God bless you too!
I hope your first chemo went well Debbie. Post to let your pink sisters know how you are doing. I pray they all go smoothly for you!

Hugs,

Lex

I am having my first chemo
I am having my first chemo Friday, so THANK YOU ALL also for the information!!
I've been through it before, but not like this. I wore a pack for 5 days before radiation and then almost the end. Totally different than the prescribed treatment with breast cancer. I will be taking TCH...taxotere, carboplatin and herceptin.
I did go to a naturopath oncologist to help prescribe the correct doses of supplements to help ease me through this. I've always taken supplements, but who knew if I was taking the right amount or the right ones. I found it helpful to have someone who knew how things interacted with chemo to help me. One thing she mentioned, was to be sure to take 400 IU's of Vit E to offset the neuropathy from the carboplatin. Also, she mentioned the reason for the ice chips like many of you said....no one told me the first time WHY I should be sucking on those ice chips...so I didn't!! Anyway, I'm trying to do EVERYTHING I can think of to "sail" through this, like many of you have!!
Good luck to you and all the others that so willingly share their stories!!!

And like a woman said yesterday that she is having tattooed on her arm when this is all over....THIS TOO SHALL PASS!!!

Kristin N

Cinkal said:

The thought of chemo is
The thought of chemo is scary. I will be finishing my last round of chemo on the 7th of July. My treatment plan was 4 A/C followed by 4 Taxol every two weeks. It has not been nearly as bad as I anticipated it would be.
I have been fortunate to have little side effects. The A/C was rougher for me than the Taxol. I know everyone responds a little differently.
As everyone is saying, drink plenty of water. With the A/C, I felt a little queasy , but the anti-nausea medicine took care of it. Take the medicine the moment you start feeling a little nauseous and you should be fine.
I take food to snack on during the treatments. I have also had my husband go down to the cafeteria and get me lunch if my treatment falls during that time.
I am fortunate to have a private room so I usually watch T.V. and take a little nap until treatment is over.
As the ladies said, your hair will start falling out about two weeks after your first treatment. On my way home from my second treatment, I grabbed some strands of hair and hair came out. Instead of waiting for it all to fall out, I had my husband shave my head. I have a wig I have wore several times. I prefer scarves and bandanas. Losing your hair is not fun, but it is part of getting rid of this ugly cancer.
I would advise you to listen to your body. When you are tired, rest. I keep a "chemo" journal. I write down my symptoms, how I feel each day, etc. This helped me notice a pattern of my "bad" days. With A/C my bad days were around day 5 and 6. I was still able to do things, I just needed more rest on those days. With Taxol my worst symptom is bone pain, which seems to happen around day 5.
Good luck on your fist treatment!

Good luck!
♥ Kristin ♥

Good luck!

♥ Kristin ♥

susie09

SueRelays said:

I am having my first chemo
I am having my first chemo Friday, so THANK YOU ALL also for the information!!
I've been through it before, but not like this. I wore a pack for 5 days before radiation and then almost the end. Totally different than the prescribed treatment with breast cancer. I will be taking TCH...taxotere, carboplatin and herceptin.
I did go to a naturopath oncologist to help prescribe the correct doses of supplements to help ease me through this. I've always taken supplements, but who knew if I was taking the right amount or the right ones. I found it helpful to have someone who knew how things interacted with chemo to help me. One thing she mentioned, was to be sure to take 400 IU's of Vit E to offset the neuropathy from the carboplatin. Also, she mentioned the reason for the ice chips like many of you said....no one told me the first time WHY I should be sucking on those ice chips...so I didn't!! Anyway, I'm trying to do EVERYTHING I can think of to "sail" through this, like many of you have!!
Good luck to you and all the others that so willingly share their stories!!!

And like a woman said yesterday that she is having tattooed on her arm when this is all over....THIS TOO SHALL PASS!!!

Praying that chemo will go
Praying that chemo will go smoothly for you Debbie and you Sue Relays!

♠♣ Love, Susie ♠♣