Starting chemo

twillits

Hi,
I am new to this. I will be starting chemo treatments next week. I go in tomorrow to have the port put in. Of course all I am feeling right now is scared, scared, scared. It
has been such a journey this past month, I can't believe it.
I have so many questions, and don't know where to begin.
Guess all I am looking for is for advice to get thru this port surgery, and chemo treatments.
Does it get better? Does it get easier?
Thanks for any help!
Tracey

poopergirl14052

welcome Tracey
I am sorry you have to go through this. What kinkd of chemo will you get? This is a scasrey time for you and we are here for you. I am having a port in the next few weeks. I hear they are wonderful,,no more veins. Chemo is tolerable,bone pain,fategue,nausea. With new drugs you should never vomit. Take a little bag to chemo,,water,snack,,blankie.i-pod,book. Best of luck and keep us posted..val

doctorc

hello tracey, my wife
hello tracey, my wife started her chemo nov 23, 11. her regimen was carb0/taxol, once every 21 days. tolerated all very well. be sure and get these anti nausea meds: zofran, or ondansetron, then her sis who is a nurse suggested kytril also. the zofran is the bomb, works well. she had debulking surgery feb 23, recoveering good. will restart chemo in a week or so to knock out the rest of this mess!!!!!!! best to you. keep strong.

twillits

doctorc said:

hello tracey, my wife
hello tracey, my wife started her chemo nov 23, 11. her regimen was carb0/taxol, once every 21 days. tolerated all very well. be sure and get these anti nausea meds: zofran, or ondansetron, then her sis who is a nurse suggested kytril also. the zofran is the bomb, works well. she had debulking surgery feb 23, recoveering good. will restart chemo in a week or so to knock out the rest of this mess!!!!!!! best to you. keep strong.

Hi,
Thank you! I will ask
Hi,
Thank you! I will ask about those drugs for sure. That is what I am going to be on as well. Did she lose her hair? Did she get mouth sores? What stage was she? Sorry for all the questions....Any other advice would be great!
Tracey

mom2greatkids

Hi Tracey,
I had my surgery
Hi Tracey,

I had my surgery in May '11. I began chemo in late June '11. Overall I handled it extremely well. Nausea and some vomiting after 3rd and 6th treatments. Body aches, fatigue. For the most part though I did what I wanted to do, just at a slower pace. After the 4th treatment my platelet counts began dropping. I once had to take platelets as they dropped to 10. I am now on Avastin for one year, every 21 days. It causes body aches, runny nose, and sometimes a bloody nose. I had Carbo/Taxol for 6 rounds, and Avaistin with the last 5 rounds.

I found the chemo nurses to be wonderful. I usually slept as the Benadryl made me so drowsy. I sat and cried before my first treatment started. Hopefully someone will be with you. I was alone, but the nurses created such a calming environment. I had to go to the treatments alone, as my husband died in '10 and my kids are both grown (early 20's). But I made it. I also made friends at the treatments. I have met some very wonderful people during this battle.

Many suggested I take a blanket with me. (they actually provided them). Most people get cold during chemo. NO, not me, I had hot flashes. LOL! At the clinic we each had our own tv, with remote and headsets. However, no wifi.

Take care. I'll be praying for you. Is there such a thing as a virtual hug? If so here it is: HUG!!

Carla

doctorc

twillits said:

Hi,
Thank you! I will ask
Hi,
Thank you! I will ask about those drugs for sure. That is what I am going to be on as well. Did she lose her hair? Did she get mouth sores? What stage was she? Sorry for all the questions....Any other advice would be great!
Tracey

she did lose her hair.
she did lose her hair. actually i cut it for her, ha. it was getting kinda "ratty" as she called it, ha. oh well as she said its just hair, rite? chemo caused some neuropothy in her legs, yes, and mouth sores, but not bad. they can give you some mouthwash to help. she was stage 3c. no mets any organs. hers is called muscinous adenocarcenoma,, have not found source yet. did lose weight, 50 lbs, but her labs are all great. keeping a positive attitude and our church and familys support have really been helpful..i am a music leader in our church. oncologist says we will restart chemo in a week or so to clean up the remaining. look up Joshua 1,9 , tracey. Be strong and take courage. we are praying for you.

doctorc

mom2greatkids said:

Hi Tracey,
I had my surgery
Hi Tracey,

I had my surgery in May '11. I began chemo in late June '11. Overall I handled it extremely well. Nausea and some vomiting after 3rd and 6th treatments. Body aches, fatigue. For the most part though I did what I wanted to do, just at a slower pace. After the 4th treatment my platelet counts began dropping. I once had to take platelets as they dropped to 10. I am now on Avastin for one year, every 21 days. It causes body aches, runny nose, and sometimes a bloody nose. I had Carbo/Taxol for 6 rounds, and Avaistin with the last 5 rounds.

I found the chemo nurses to be wonderful. I usually slept as the Benadryl made me so drowsy. I sat and cried before my first treatment started. Hopefully someone will be with you. I was alone, but the nurses created such a calming environment. I had to go to the treatments alone, as my husband died in '10 and my kids are both grown (early 20's). But I made it. I also made friends at the treatments. I have met some very wonderful people during this battle.

Many suggested I take a blanket with me. (they actually provided them). Most people get cold during chemo. NO, not me, I had hot flashes. LOL! At the clinic we each had our own tv, with remote and headsets. However, no wifi.

Take care. I'll be praying for you. Is there such a thing as a virtual hug? If so here it is: HUG!!

Carla

hi carla, dave here. my wife
hi carla, dave here. my wife is doctorc, you must b in remission taking avastin, congrats and praise God! wish you well.

meekow

New to this also
I had surgery Jan 26, 2012. I had my first chemo treatment February 29th. My next one is next week. I will be going every third week. My husband went with me so it made the time go quicker. The nurses, social workers and volunteers were always around and explained everything. I brought magazines, puzzles and a blanket with me. They also had them there. I received 5 bags of pre-treatment before I received the cancer drugs. They were for nausea, itch and indigestion. I did not get sick, just very tired. The first 3 days after chemo were my really slow days. I just layed around and watched TV or slept. I also have 2 medications I can take for nausea to prevent getting sick. I am still tired but each day is getting better. My mouth got a little sore, almost like you ate something to hot and burnt it. I rinsed it with salt, baking soda and warm water. Seemed to help. As of yesterday I noticed my hair was starting to come out. They told me I would loose my hair after the 2nd treatment. I am shedding more then my Golden Retreiver. I did go to the hair shop at my hospital and they gave me a wig. They provide wigs, hats and scarves for their cancer patients. Needless to say I will be getting my hair cut very short real soon. I was scared also but just think of the chemo as killing all of those cancer cells. Each treatment is 1 treatment closer to getting better. I will keep you in my thoughts.

whiterose

Hello
Hi! As someone told me, welcome to the club that no one wants to join! It's normal to be scared, but the chemo wasn't too bad for me. They gave me "pre-meds", in my case they were 4 drugs that kept me from getting too many side effects. Pretty effective too. I had a little nausea, there's a pill your doctor can prescribe if it gets too bad. Read the thread on this board "What's in Your Personal Chemo Kits" for some tips about what to bring to your treatment. I had carbo/taxol once a week for three weeks, then one week off. You'll probably have to have someone take you home because the Benadryl they give you makes you sleepy. Usually on chemo days I went home and slept for hours. Also, expect to wake up at odd hours and not be able to go back to sleep. Insomnia is one of the side effects. I lost my appetite almost completely, however, stock up on things that you're craving and can stomach and eat those. I think I ate port wine cheese spread on crackers for a month straight! It was the only thing I was interested in eating, and it was better than nothing. Good luck, and don't be afraid to post here if you have any questions.....

twillits

meekow said:

New to this also
I had surgery Jan 26, 2012. I had my first chemo treatment February 29th. My next one is next week. I will be going every third week. My husband went with me so it made the time go quicker. The nurses, social workers and volunteers were always around and explained everything. I brought magazines, puzzles and a blanket with me. They also had them there. I received 5 bags of pre-treatment before I received the cancer drugs. They were for nausea, itch and indigestion. I did not get sick, just very tired. The first 3 days after chemo were my really slow days. I just layed around and watched TV or slept. I also have 2 medications I can take for nausea to prevent getting sick. I am still tired but each day is getting better. My mouth got a little sore, almost like you ate something to hot and burnt it. I rinsed it with salt, baking soda and warm water. Seemed to help. As of yesterday I noticed my hair was starting to come out. They told me I would loose my hair after the 2nd treatment. I am shedding more then my Golden Retreiver. I did go to the hair shop at my hospital and they gave me a wig. They provide wigs, hats and scarves for their cancer patients. Needless to say I will be getting my hair cut very short real soon. I was scared also but just think of the chemo as killing all of those cancer cells. Each treatment is 1 treatment closer to getting better. I will keep you in my thoughts.

Meekow,
Hi, thank you for
Meekow,
Hi, thank you for the answers. Do you have a port? I get mine in tomorrow. Is that scary? I am nervous about that. Just the thought of having that sticking out, and being visible.
My biggest fear is also losing my hair. It is such a big part of me, and losing it will also be a big sign for everyone else to know I am sick.
What type of surgery did you have? What stage are you? I am stage III, and surgeon got most of it, and couldn't get the splatters, so hopefully, no, not hopefully, it will be killed off by chemo. I am optimistic.
Thanks for listening!
twillits

twillits

mom2greatkids said:

Hi Tracey,
I had my surgery
Hi Tracey,

I had my surgery in May '11. I began chemo in late June '11. Overall I handled it extremely well. Nausea and some vomiting after 3rd and 6th treatments. Body aches, fatigue. For the most part though I did what I wanted to do, just at a slower pace. After the 4th treatment my platelet counts began dropping. I once had to take platelets as they dropped to 10. I am now on Avastin for one year, every 21 days. It causes body aches, runny nose, and sometimes a bloody nose. I had Carbo/Taxol for 6 rounds, and Avaistin with the last 5 rounds.

I found the chemo nurses to be wonderful. I usually slept as the Benadryl made me so drowsy. I sat and cried before my first treatment started. Hopefully someone will be with you. I was alone, but the nurses created such a calming environment. I had to go to the treatments alone, as my husband died in '10 and my kids are both grown (early 20's). But I made it. I also made friends at the treatments. I have met some very wonderful people during this battle.

Many suggested I take a blanket with me. (they actually provided them). Most people get cold during chemo. NO, not me, I had hot flashes. LOL! At the clinic we each had our own tv, with remote and headsets. However, no wifi.

Take care. I'll be praying for you. Is there such a thing as a virtual hug? If so here it is: HUG!!

Carla

Hi Carla,
Thanks for the
Hi Carla,
Thanks for the hug....I felt it, and appreciated it:)
Are you done with all your treatments now? And cancer free??

mom2greatkids

doctorc said:

hi carla, dave here. my wife
hi carla, dave here. my wife is doctorc, you must b in remission taking avastin, congrats and praise God! wish you well.

hi Dave, I am in remission.
hi Dave, I am in remission. CT and Petscan in December were clean. CA-125 in December was 7.5. I will be having a CT this month so, as usual, I'm kinda nervous about that! I was stage 3c. Hope your wife does well.

Carla

mom2greatkids

doctorc said:

hi carla, dave here. my wife
hi carla, dave here. my wife is doctorc, you must b in remission taking avastin, congrats and praise God! wish you well.

hi Dave, I am in remission.
hi Dave, I am in remission. CT and Petscan in December were clean. CA-125 in December was 7.5. I will be having a CT this month so, as usual, I'm kinda nervous about that! I was stage 3c. Hope your wife does well.

Carla

mom2greatkids

twillits said:

Hi Carla,
Thanks for the
Hi Carla,
Thanks for the hug....I felt it, and appreciated it:)
Are you done with all your treatments now? And cancer free??

I will be on Avaistan alone
I will be on Avaistan alone for maintenance for a year. I should complete that in November. Dr. said in December that I am in complete remission!! You can do it!!

carolenk

whiterose said:

Hello
Hi! As someone told me, welcome to the club that no one wants to join! It's normal to be scared, but the chemo wasn't too bad for me. They gave me "pre-meds", in my case they were 4 drugs that kept me from getting too many side effects. Pretty effective too. I had a little nausea, there's a pill your doctor can prescribe if it gets too bad. Read the thread on this board "What's in Your Personal Chemo Kits" for some tips about what to bring to your treatment. I had carbo/taxol once a week for three weeks, then one week off. You'll probably have to have someone take you home because the Benadryl they give you makes you sleepy. Usually on chemo days I went home and slept for hours. Also, expect to wake up at odd hours and not be able to go back to sleep. Insomnia is one of the side effects. I lost my appetite almost completely, however, stock up on things that you're craving and can stomach and eat those. I think I ate port wine cheese spread on crackers for a month straight! It was the only thing I was interested in eating, and it was better than nothing. Good luck, and don't be afraid to post here if you have any questions.....

What to expect
I think that it might get worse before it gets better--depending how chemo goes for you. The hair usually falls out about 2 weeks after the first taxol treatment. My wig was so cute, I got a lot of comments on how nice my hair looked. No one guessed I was wearing a wig.

Eventually, it does get better. Best wishes to you.

AnneBehymer

Welcome to our world
We have all felt the way you are feeling right I remember when I first started the walk I was asking the same questions. Those questions are so hard to anwers but the port thing will be easy had my done and they put it in and later that night I had my first chemo. How your first chemo will go I can't tell you because everyone is different and I wont tell you my story because mine was a really bad start but getting chemo after that first time did get better. Does it get easier again everyones different but what I do tell you is rely on the stragth of these ladies they have walked me through alot of dark hours. It is going to be scary because we don't know what all of this holds for us it is a new walk in our life. I will be praying for you and come back often so we can lift you up in the scary times, the bad times, and in the good times there will be some good times and you will find that your are stronger than you ever thought.

Love, Hugs, and Prayers
Anne

Gottalovelife

The port
The port is great for getting chemo instead of the veins, have to keep it in for a year after chemo is done, I didn't know that till I finished my chemo. It didn't hurt getting it put in but there are some days that the skin feels really tight around it and it is not attractive either, it does stick out more than I thought it would. Still i am thankful I had it put in and I think you will too. As far as chemo goes just try to keep fluids in you I got dehydrated the first 2 times and had to go to the hospital and get fluids. They told me it doesn't matter about eating just try to keep fluids in you, Popsicles work great when you can't eat and I got like a metal taste in my mouth and found jolly rangers helped with that. As far as nausea they would give me emend before chemo and then finally after the second treatment we figured out what worked for me and that was compazine, zofran and then I put a patch on and left it on for five days and all that worked great. The worst for me was the taste in my mouth so I couldn't eat or drink much the two weeks after chemo and I would be tired and then the week before going back for chemo I would start feeling good and could eat and drink again. Its mostly scary right now because of the unknown, but the nurses are wonderful in chemo and I was very fortunate that my husband, daughter or sister in law would go with me and that helped pass the time. Stay strong and I will keep you in my prayers and it does get easier in time. I finished chemo in Oct. 2011 and hair is slowly growing back, and I can honestly say when I started losing my hair it wasn't as devasting as I thought it would be, but I am getting anxious now for it all to grow back.

Hugs and Prayers
Cindy

lovesanimals

Gottalovelife said:

The port
The port is great for getting chemo instead of the veins, have to keep it in for a year after chemo is done, I didn't know that till I finished my chemo. It didn't hurt getting it put in but there are some days that the skin feels really tight around it and it is not attractive either, it does stick out more than I thought it would. Still i am thankful I had it put in and I think you will too. As far as chemo goes just try to keep fluids in you I got dehydrated the first 2 times and had to go to the hospital and get fluids. They told me it doesn't matter about eating just try to keep fluids in you, Popsicles work great when you can't eat and I got like a metal taste in my mouth and found jolly rangers helped with that. As far as nausea they would give me emend before chemo and then finally after the second treatment we figured out what worked for me and that was compazine, zofran and then I put a patch on and left it on for five days and all that worked great. The worst for me was the taste in my mouth so I couldn't eat or drink much the two weeks after chemo and I would be tired and then the week before going back for chemo I would start feeling good and could eat and drink again. Its mostly scary right now because of the unknown, but the nurses are wonderful in chemo and I was very fortunate that my husband, daughter or sister in law would go with me and that helped pass the time. Stay strong and I will keep you in my prayers and it does get easier in time. I finished chemo in Oct. 2011 and hair is slowly growing back, and I can honestly say when I started losing my hair it wasn't as devasting as I thought it would be, but I am getting anxious now for it all to grow back.

Hugs and Prayers
Cindy

Hi Tracey
I can truly understand your fears and questions. I am so glad I got the port for my chemo (which I finished almost a year ago). Getting the port put in was a fairly quick job and virtually pain-free for me. The port itself does stick out quite a bit on me, but I'm very skinny. I just avoid wearing low-cut tops, and I'm fine with that. My hair started falling out about three weeks after my first chemo session, but I was prepared with several cute hats and scarves. By the way, my hair started growing back about five weeks after my last chemo session ended.

I think the other women on this board have given you lots of good information about what to expect from the chemo itself. Please keep us posted on your progress.

Take care,
Kelly

kikz

lovesanimals said:

Hi Tracey
I can truly understand your fears and questions. I am so glad I got the port for my chemo (which I finished almost a year ago). Getting the port put in was a fairly quick job and virtually pain-free for me. The port itself does stick out quite a bit on me, but I'm very skinny. I just avoid wearing low-cut tops, and I'm fine with that. My hair started falling out about three weeks after my first chemo session, but I was prepared with several cute hats and scarves. By the way, my hair started growing back about five weeks after my last chemo session ended.

I think the other women on this board have given you lots of good information about what to expect from the chemo itself. Please keep us posted on your progress.

Take care,
Kelly

Welcome
to a group of the most courageous, informative, kind and humorous ladies you will ever meet. When I found this site I was at a low place and I sobbed with gratitude as I typed my first post. These women have helped me get through some rough times and have been there for the good times as well. Many times they have helped me put things in perspective. It is easy to blow things out of proportion when you have this disease. Sometimes everything is just so d*mn scary.

I had a port for part of my post-surgery chemo. My veins were pretty well shot after the pre-surgery chemo. It worked well except it was in my abdomen and when I had chemo I had to lay down for the whole 4 to 5 hours. I couldn't get up to go to the restroom which was usually the hardest part of the ordeal.

I began losing my hair 13 days after my first infusion. This was not a big deal for me. I just wanted to live and being bald didn't bother me. I told my surgeon I didn't care if I was bald the rest of my life as long as I could live. It was actuallly a freeing experience. No bad hair days for awhile!

Wishing you the best as you begin your journey. We are here to help you along the way.

Karen

twillits

kikz said:

Welcome
to a group of the most courageous, informative, kind and humorous ladies you will ever meet. When I found this site I was at a low place and I sobbed with gratitude as I typed my first post. These women have helped me get through some rough times and have been there for the good times as well. Many times they have helped me put things in perspective. It is easy to blow things out of proportion when you have this disease. Sometimes everything is just so d*mn scary.

I had a port for part of my post-surgery chemo. My veins were pretty well shot after the pre-surgery chemo. It worked well except it was in my abdomen and when I had chemo I had to lay down for the whole 4 to 5 hours. I couldn't get up to go to the restroom which was usually the hardest part of the ordeal.

I began losing my hair 13 days after my first infusion. This was not a big deal for me. I just wanted to live and being bald didn't bother me. I told my surgeon I didn't care if I was bald the rest of my life as long as I could live. It was actuallly a freeing experience. No bad hair days for awhile!

Wishing you the best as you begin your journey. We are here to help you along the way.

Karen

Hi Karen,
Thank you! Made
Hi Karen,
Thank you! Made it thru the port surgery. It was very fast, and I was back home after 4 hours. One more step down!!
Next week another big step with the beginning of chemo. I have heard and read so many stories about it, it makes me very nervous.
How are you doing now?
Thanks again for your advice.
Tracey

kikz

twillits said:

Hi Karen,
Thank you! Made
Hi Karen,
Thank you! Made it thru the port surgery. It was very fast, and I was back home after 4 hours. One more step down!!
Next week another big step with the beginning of chemo. I have heard and read so many stories about it, it makes me very nervous.
How are you doing now?
Thanks again for your advice.
Tracey

I am doing
very well. I had my last chemo on 9/16/2010. The time seems to have flown by. It's almost like 2011 didn't happen. I don't mean that in any bad way it's just when I talk about my treatment I start to say "last year" but it was year before last. I have felt good since I recuperated from chemo. No major health issues, in fact no real health issues at all. I feel very blessed and just want to continue to feel good and enjoy life.

Treatment was difficult. I ended up in the ER four times and was hospitalized twice. I was in the hospital when my oncologist decided I would not get the very last infusion. I was so happy as were all my friends and family. I got a chance to get healthy while in the hospital so I started my remission feeling great.

I am thankful for each day. Don't get me wrong, I am not a pollyanna; I have my blue moments but for the most part I am happy. I am still trying to figure out what to do with my time since I am no longer working. I don't have any real hobbies and most of my friends are still working. But that is not a big deal.

Karen