6 days after 3rd chemo and still feel like crap

survivorbc09

ksf56 said:

So sorry!
I remember all too well the stomach problems! I have acid reflux to start with so I'm already on meds but I was constantly nauseated. Zofran was the best of those but Ativan was a God send! As you and your stomach get tense everything gets worse so Ativan calms you down. I've had my gallbladder out years ago but remember that pain all too well also. It was nasty! I hope it's not that for you.

Chemo effects accumulate but they do subside afterwards. We're proof it can be done. We're all here for you!

Prayers and loads of hugs!
Karen

Sending you positive
Sending you positive thoughts and gentle hugs!


Jan

jnl

rallendorfer said:

Ativan worked much better
Ok, not perfect...but much better. I also tried the Activia yogurts for soothing my stomach and easing constipation and that worked. But I was so sick yesterday again with the stomach pain and the smells making me want to dry heave! Sandy, you were so right about it being compared to pregnancy. Yuck!

So here is my next plan of attack: Like Linda says, no matter how good my stomach feels the day of and day after chemo I am going to treat it with utmost care and not eat anything but soft bland food. I may be getting into trouble by feeling fine and eating the tacos and pizza kind of thing and sending my wounded stomach which is sedated with anti nausea drugs into cart wheels. Then when the meds wear off the real stomach starts to complain bitterly at its treatment. What do you girls think of that plan?

It was my birthday yesterday (56) and the boss's wife brought in a chocolate cake to send your saddle to Texas for! I almost enjoyed it twice...once on the way down and again on the way up. Any of the guys from the construction sites that could were invited in after work and several stopped in to have some cake too with their poor bald office manager. I wore a turban instead of a wig not suspecting anything. My site supervisor left me a huge bouquet of flowers when I came in. Oh I wish I didn't feel so sick, but I tried to keep a good face on it, then held my stomach all the way home.

Not only are you loved here,
Not only are you loved here, but, also at your work! I wish you weren't feeling so sick

Isn't there some kind of antinausea meds your onco can give you that might help? I hope so.


Feel better rallendorfer!

Hugs, Leeza

Alexis F

rallendorfer said:

Hi Sandy,
Are there any smells that can actually help? I have some fresh lavender out in the garden I am going to try. The only smell that I actually seem to like right now are roses. But, I wonder if mint would work? I gotta try. I know it sounds crazy, but this smell of vanilla is so strong, I don't know if it is on my clothes or wig or what, but I smell it all day long and feel so sick from it. I threw out the lotions and the soaps that had that in it! I will never look at a vanilla bean in the same light again....>:-(

How are you feeling now?
How are you feeling now? Any better? Just so sorry that chemo is hitting you like this. It just isn't fair!


Hugs, Lex

rallendorfer

Alexis F said:

How are you feeling now?
How are you feeling now? Any better? Just so sorry that chemo is hitting you like this. It just isn't fair!


Hugs, Lex

Lex, thanks for asking after me!
Stomach pain is gone now. 9 days of nausea! I am going to ask the Oncologist about it when I go for the next chemo a week from Friday. So I am grateful to feel better.

Love right back at ya!
Rebecca

survivorbc09

rallendorfer said:

Lex, thanks for asking after me!
Stomach pain is gone now. 9 days of nausea! I am going to ask the Oncologist about it when I go for the next chemo a week from Friday. So I am grateful to feel better.

Love right back at ya!
Rebecca

Just saw that you posted an
Just saw that you posted an update. Great that the stomach pain is gone, but, I don't know how you got through 9 days of nausea. I hope you can get something to help you Rebecca.


Hugs, Jan

DebbyM

jnl said:

Not only are you loved here,
Not only are you loved here, but, also at your work! I wish you weren't feeling so sick

Isn't there some kind of antinausea meds your onco can give you that might help? I hope so.


Feel better rallendorfer!

Hugs, Leeza

Belated birthday wishes and
Belated birthday wishes and hoping you are not so sick.

eihtak

Sorry for your discomfort...
So sorry your having a hard time. In the beginning I was so proud of how I was handeling the chemo, but then it caught up with me. I became so ill and malnurished I ended up in a nursing home hooked up to an IV nutrional supplement. I am praying this will not be the case, and rarely is. I learned to take periodic sips and bites throughout the day all day until I could handle a small meal again. Most smells bothered me also, I remember my sweet daughter-in-law bringing me an air freshener for my room that nearly did me in at the time. Something about a mild gardinia scent was soothing to me though????? I did come across a Lemon Ginger tea made by "yogi" found in most grocery stores that truely helped settle my stomach. Also, Zophran shots not pill form seemed to help quite a bit but again I was in a home so able to get it in shot form daily. When my husband was getting chemo a while back the Ativan worked wonders for him, but was not able to drive so took in the later afternoon or evening. You will surely be in our thoughts and prayers as you struggle through this.

DianeBC

eihtak said:

Sorry for your discomfort...
So sorry your having a hard time. In the beginning I was so proud of how I was handeling the chemo, but then it caught up with me. I became so ill and malnurished I ended up in a nursing home hooked up to an IV nutrional supplement. I am praying this will not be the case, and rarely is. I learned to take periodic sips and bites throughout the day all day until I could handle a small meal again. Most smells bothered me also, I remember my sweet daughter-in-law bringing me an air freshener for my room that nearly did me in at the time. Something about a mild gardinia scent was soothing to me though????? I did come across a Lemon Ginger tea made by "yogi" found in most grocery stores that truely helped settle my stomach. Also, Zophran shots not pill form seemed to help quite a bit but again I was in a home so able to get it in shot form daily. When my husband was getting chemo a while back the Ativan worked wonders for him, but was not able to drive so took in the later afternoon or evening. You will surely be in our thoughts and prayers as you struggle through this.

What a great place to work
What a great place to work and with such great people! Hoping your birthday was marvelous all day and night!


God bless you,


Diane

Kristin N

Rague said:

What do you mean by 'pain'?
The word 'pain' is so subjective and comes in different forms.

I did not experience any problems with this while on Taxol but was told it was a possibility (haven't seen anyone else mention it either) to develope gall bladder sludge or gall stones that cause pain (My PA tells me it is some of the worst pain she ever felt). I did develope Gall Bladder Sludge (yes that is a correct medical term) while on Taxol. Sometimes it will resolve itself but sometimes will go on to form gall stones (mine did). But (knock on wood) so far I've had no pain from them. Had been warned though for any upper abdominal pain to get to a Dr quickly. So far in the 2 1/2 yrs of Sludge then Stones, I've had no pain but scans have proven 'they're there'. I don't remember the whole medical explaination but very basically - the chemo is killing so many cells and the cell detritis overwhelms the gall bladder's ability to pass them on. I'm sure some one else has a more scientic explaination of the process.

It's worth asking your Drs about.

Along with loss of all taste and appetite, I lost all sense of smell on chemo. Taste came back first (and best), smell next but not as good (which wasn't great to begin with) next and appetite the last and least. I still have to remember to eat but I do most of the time. (Have to remember what I ate too, as Hubby questions me daily when he gets home. He is petrified of me becoming aneorxic as my Mom was.) It doesn't keep me from eating something I want (I love prime rib and the last time we went to Deadwood I ate 5 (yes 5) slices of it at Silverado all you can eat buffet - I'm a piggy LOL.).

Winyan - The Power Within

Susan

So sorry.. Hoping & praying
So sorry.. Hoping & praying that you will start feeling better on chemo.

Kylez

DianeBC said:

What a great place to work
What a great place to work and with such great people! Hoping your birthday was marvelous all day and night!


God bless you,


Diane

Just wondered how you are
Just wondered how you are doing and hoping that you're better. Post an update when you can.


Hugs, Kylez

Noel

rallendorfer said:

Hi Sandy,
Are there any smells that can actually help? I have some fresh lavender out in the garden I am going to try. The only smell that I actually seem to like right now are roses. But, I wonder if mint would work? I gotta try. I know it sounds crazy, but this smell of vanilla is so strong, I don't know if it is on my clothes or wig or what, but I smell it all day long and feel so sick from it. I threw out the lotions and the soaps that had that in it! I will never look at a vanilla bean in the same light again....>:-(

Happy birthday late and your
Happy birthday late and your job sounds like a wonderful place to work and they sure think a great deal of you!


Hoping you are feeling better!

Angie2U

rallendorfer said:

Hi Sandy,
Are there any smells that can actually help? I have some fresh lavender out in the garden I am going to try. The only smell that I actually seem to like right now are roses. But, I wonder if mint would work? I gotta try. I know it sounds crazy, but this smell of vanilla is so strong, I don't know if it is on my clothes or wig or what, but I smell it all day long and feel so sick from it. I threw out the lotions and the soaps that had that in it! I will never look at a vanilla bean in the same light again....>:-(

Ativan might help you. It
Ativan might help you. It looks like the other pink sisters suggested it too.

Keep posting!

rallendorfer

Thank you all for your kind support.
The nausea is gone now and I am so glad. But my next chemo is 1 week away and I am already anxious because of this last episode. What is going on here? I started that darned crying again. I don't know why this depression is coming back again.

NancyJac

rallendorfer said:

Ativan worked much better
Ok, not perfect...but much better. I also tried the Activia yogurts for soothing my stomach and easing constipation and that worked. But I was so sick yesterday again with the stomach pain and the smells making me want to dry heave! Sandy, you were so right about it being compared to pregnancy. Yuck!

So here is my next plan of attack: Like Linda says, no matter how good my stomach feels the day of and day after chemo I am going to treat it with utmost care and not eat anything but soft bland food. I may be getting into trouble by feeling fine and eating the tacos and pizza kind of thing and sending my wounded stomach which is sedated with anti nausea drugs into cart wheels. Then when the meds wear off the real stomach starts to complain bitterly at its treatment. What do you girls think of that plan?

It was my birthday yesterday (56) and the boss's wife brought in a chocolate cake to send your saddle to Texas for! I almost enjoyed it twice...once on the way down and again on the way up. Any of the guys from the construction sites that could were invited in after work and several stopped in to have some cake too with their poor bald office manager. I wore a turban instead of a wig not suspecting anything. My site supervisor left me a huge bouquet of flowers when I came in. Oh I wish I didn't feel so sick, but I tried to keep a good face on it, then held my stomach all the way home.

Dexmethasone
Ask your doc about dexmethasone. I took it starting the day before each chemo cycle and continued it through the second day after chemo. Never had any nausea throughout chemo. I did have about 2 days of severe abdominal cramps accompanied by diarrhea each cycle but no nausea or problems with smells.

salls41

rallendorfer said:

Thank you all for your kind support.
The nausea is gone now and I am so glad. But my next chemo is 1 week away and I am already anxious because of this last episode. What is going on here? I started that darned crying again. I don't know why this depression is coming back again.

Tired
You are tired... we cry when we are tired..look at babies, when they are tired, they cry. Listen to what your body is telling you. You might just need to cry yourself into a good sleep. Chemo side effects are cumulative, they will get stronger each treatment that is why it is important to let your doc or infusion center know what you experienced from the time before. Tell them your nausea is lasting longer..do you have meds for this? I lived with my nausea meds within reach at all times. A friend also gave me ginger from the health food store. It helped some as well. Depression is a side effect as well as a direct effect of what is going on right now. Ask for help with this if you feel it is more than you can manage on your own with meds. DO NOT try to be superwoman, you don't need to prove anything to anyone. You need to take care of yourself. If it means taking a leave from work, then do it. Your job now is fighting... thats what you need to focus on. There is a light at the end of the chemo tunnel, and right now I know you think thst light is a freight train but it really isn't, it is your hope.. hang in there and be good to you! (((Hugs)))

Noel

rallendorfer said:

Thank you all for your kind support.
The nausea is gone now and I am so glad. But my next chemo is 1 week away and I am already anxious because of this last episode. What is going on here? I started that darned crying again. I don't know why this depression is coming back again.

Good that the nausea is gone
Good that the nausea is gone for you! Talk to your doctor about these feelings you are having. They are very normal, but, maybe your doctor can give you something to calm you down some. I just hate reading that you are crying again..


Hugs, Noel

survivorbc09

rallendorfer said:

Thank you all for your kind support.
The nausea is gone now and I am so glad. But my next chemo is 1 week away and I am already anxious because of this last episode. What is going on here? I started that darned crying again. I don't know why this depression is coming back again.

Hopefully the rest of your
Hopefully the rest of your chemo will be much easier for you and you will feel better. Cry all you want, you are entitled to it. We all have and still do. We are here for you!

Post to let us know how you do on your next chemo,


Jan