Choices

Sadiej

Ha ha Marla love your attitude! Always bringing a smile to my face. :) Thank you for the clarification on the Compazine!

So here's my chemo rundown, which like I told you sounds a lot different than yours. If they think I need liquids (yes Marla, I am seriously working on it) they'll start with that and then go to:

#1 Palonosetron (ALOXI) used to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by cancer drug treatment (chemotherapy).

#2 DexAMETHasone (DECADRON) relieves inflammation (swelling, heat, redness, and pain) 

#3 NaCl 0.9% Sodium chloride nanoparticles – more commonly known as salt – are toxic to cancer cells and offer the potential for therapies that have fewer negative side effects than current treatments.

#4 Gemcitabine (GEMZAR) Called an antimetabolite. It kills cancer cells and other rapidly growing cells.

#5 CARBOplatin (PARAPLATIN). Platinum-containing compounds. It works by stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells.

So like I said I don't think that I am doing any of your chemo drugs. After chemo I am given two anti-nausea drugs, one that I cannot take because I've already had the anti-nausea drug in my chemo which will last for 3 days, afterwards I can take it, and the other I can take every 6 hours if needed including the day of chemo. Funny after all that I still get nausea and diarrhea LOL.

I'm starting to get headaches everyday but I think it's probably more stress than anything. They're definitely not as bad as yours, just a mild pressure like somebody has my head in a vice. It's another reason I was asking about the cooling cap. I'm definitely going to be hopping on Amazon to check that out. It would be good to have on hand in case my headaches get worse. Again I'm hoping that my brain MRI doesn't show anything new. My last one was in the back of my head deep into the Pareto lobe. I still wish chemo was as easy as that gamma knife surgery. Like I said worst case was I slept for a day and a half but after that I woke up and I felt fine.

So that's my rundown of my treatment. I find it very interesting that each of us has the same diagnosis but each of us are treated differently. And I'm still not sure about that mastectomy thing. I hope she doesn't ask me in my next meeting with her on the 11th.

Signing off for now girls. Like Marla said Positive Mental Attitude!

Pat

claoh

Wow, I don't recognize any of the names for drugs fighting cancer in your list Pat. I believe my regimen was more in line with Marla's. It was interesting to read that salt was toxic to cancer. I'd love to put more salt in diet, but then would have more trouble with high blood pressure which seems to be elevated more than before right now.

I did go to the hospice site you provided. There was also a "professional" page that I found interesting - from the hospice providers perspective. Thanks.

What are your thoughts on the mastectomy (pros & cons) - not wanting the operation in general, wondering if it will prevent future occurrences, recuperating time?

Sadiej

Morning ladies!

Claoh, I did find a site they gave me a little bit more information about mastectomies:

https://www.verywellhealth.com/types-of-mastectomy-breast-surgery-3157281

I still need to check out what the Merck manuals say about mastectomies. It looks like regardless of how I feel I am definitely going to have to have a radical mastectomy because of the spread into the lymph nodes and the size of the tumors in my breast. (No decision here). The curious thing was the article said that they may take the muscle in the chest wall which reminds me of Karen and wondering if they would take it or if they would just leave it for now. That is one question I will have to ask my oncologist when I see her on the 11th. Thinking out loud, I'm also wondering what happens after they take that muscle? Obviously muscles play an important part in being able to function and move so I'm still trying to figure all that out. But then again it could be a moot question if they don't touch it lol. Anyway it looks like with this 3-4 hour surgery there will be one or two days in the hospital followed by 4 weeks of recovery. I assume I am going to have to get drains. Obviously I'm not getting reconstructive surgery cuz I'm too old for that now. So getting prepared for this I've starting to put together what I call my "list of happiness" which consists of things that I would like to do that would make me happy (such as seeing the horses). That way given any day that I feel like I am in a funk I can refer to my list and pick something out. My husband is very supportive of this idea so this should help in case I need it. But you have to admit 4 weeks is a long time! :)

Marla, I hope you're feeling all right. I picked up my ice cap on Amazon last night. I should see it in about a week. I can't believe the number of ice caps they have! I just picked out a simple one for around $20. Like I said I don't get headaches like you but it may help in the future. I still have not lost my hair yet but it could be because of the treatments I am getting that seem to be pretty easy on my system.

So last night's dinner that I had brought me to a discovery that seems to work for me. I was in one of my "rebellious" moods and decided that I wanted pizza and hot buffalo wings. I knew that was going to affect me but I didn't really care. I ate a bunch of celery before I ate dinner to help put something in my stomach. Then I splurged! Sure enough a half hour later I was sick to my gut and had really bad acid reflux. Stupid chemo! My husband grabbed a Sucralfate for me and some Gatorade. (The sucralfate helps with acid reflux). It wasn't until I drank the Gatorade that everything started settling down. It was amazing how quickly that worked! So I have made Gatorade my go-to when my stomach gets sick. Who would have known? :) I know they say that ginger ale helps settle the stomach but I really think that Gatorade seems to settle it much faster. Just me lol. Of course I am not going to get pizza and wings all the time now that I found Gatorade works. But it sure was good while I was eating it haha.

So it looks like next week is going to be another busy week for me with appointments of one kind or another every single day. I also have chemo Tuesday. I think I am going to take my new found friend (Gatorade) to chemo with me to see how it affects the usual nausea that I get. I know that it's not a cure-all, but hey, might as well try it on everything right? I also see my palliative care doctor during my treatment. I see him once a month and let him know how I am doing. Marla, have you found someone for palliative care yet?

Okay, that's it for me right now. May y'all have a blessed day! Find happiness in the day! Hugs

Pat

claoh

Thanks for info, lots of decisions! Smiled when read you had a "rebellious" mood for pizza and wings. Must be on top of your "list of happiness" : ) That is also a wonderful idea for both you and your husband. I keep saying how I marvel at your resilience! Warrior!!!

Sadiej

Well this is pretty cool.. check out ACS Reach to Recovery website. They connect you with different volunteers depending upon what your needs are. Let me know if you need the link. They also have an app for the site.

Claoh you give me too much credit LOL.

Pat

Sadiej

Hi gals

This was posted by Vicky Sam in May of 2012 and I thought it would be a good idea to bring it forward and repost it here for anyone that's trying to understand the abbreviations:

*Abbreviations* for all our Newbies

Vicki Sam May 31, 2012

 AC - one of the five most common types of chemo given to women with BC. It's probably the MOST common drug combination given to women with node-negative (hasn't spread to your lymph nodes) cancer. AC includes two drugs: doxorubicin (Adriamycin), and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan).

AI - aromatase inhibitors

ADH - A benign (not cancer) condition in which there are more cells than normal in the lining of breast ducts and the cells look abnormal under a microscope. Having atypical ductal hyperplasia increases the risk of breast cancer. Also called ADH and atypical ductal breast hyperplasia. involvement

AKA - also known as

ALH - Atypical Lobular Hyperlasia - cells in the lobules that look different from normal cells, but aren't cancer and more cells than there should be.

AND - axillary node dissection

AWS - Axillary Web Syndrome; associated with Cording as a result of surgery/rads. Requires management by specialists in PT/ LE and myofascial release.

B9 (Not Cancer)

BC- Breast Cancer Bi-Lat (bilateral, Mastectomy of both breast)

BIRADS - Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System score. This indicates the radiologist's opinion of the absence or likelihood of breast cancer.

BM(x) - Bilateral Mastectomy BS - breast specialist/surgeon BTW - by the way... Bump - written to edit a thread up in the listings so someone can find it.

BWT - But what the.......!

CC - capsular contraction

CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) = a side effect of Adriamycin, Herceptin, Avastin and some other chemo drugs but it is not a common side effect. CHF occurs in <1% and 3-4% and 5-10% from Adriamycin, Avastin and Herceptin respectively. (Heart failure doesn't mean that your heart has stopped working, or has "failed." Heart failure means that the heart is not pumping blood through your body as well as it should.)

CMF (Cyclophosphamide Methotrexate Fluorouraci) - a commonly used regimen of breast cancer chemotherapy that combines three anti-cancer agents

CT scan - computerized tornography, used to image the structures of the body, especially head, neck or trunk. DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)

DD ~ Dose dense

Dear Daughter DH ~ Dear Husband

DIEP - deep inferior epigastric perforator: autologous (own tissue) transfer. a refined version of the TRAM flap

DIL - Daughter-in-law DP ~ Dear partner DS ~ Dear Son

Dx (Diagnosis)

DW~ Dear Wife

ER (Estrogen Receptive) estrogen receptor positive+ or negative-

FEC (flourouracil/epirubicin/cyclophosphamide) - combo that many Canadians, Brits and Aussies receive with one of the taxanes to follow

FIL ~ Father in law

FNA - fine needle aspiration

FWIW - for what it's worth

GCM - Glucosamine Chondroitin w/MSM (for relief of joint pain)

HER2 + or -, whether your tumor overexpresses the HER2 protein or not HT (Anti-hormone Therapy)

HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy)

Hx - history

IBC (Inflamatory Breast Cancer)

IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

IDK - I don't know (something we all said first time diagnosed)

ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)

IMF, infra-mammary fold, the crease/fold under the breast

IM(H)O - in my (humble) opinion (with or without the ‘humble')

KWIM......."know what I mean".

LAVH - laparoscropic assisted vaginal hysterectomy - a surgical procedure using a laparoscope to guide the removal of the uterus and/or Fallopian tubes and ovaries through the vagina (birth canal

LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)

LD flap - Latissimus Dorsi Flap

LE ~ Lymphedema Lump (Lumpectomy)

Lt ~ Left Mast (Mastectomy)

Med Onc (MO) - medical oncologist

Mets (Metastasis)

Mil ~ Mother in law

MLD - manual lymph drainage

Mojo ~ Sex , or lack of MPBC -

Metaplastic Breast Cancer (not to be confused with metastatic breast cancer) - an aggresive rare form of breast cancer. See thread of the same name under "Just Diagnosed"

MRSA - Methcillin-resistant Staphyloccus Aureua, a bacterium that causes an infection that is hard to treat and the bane of women who have had surgery, expecially for breast reconstruction (worth googling for more information)

MX - Mastectomy

NAC - A skin-sparing mastectomy will be performed with preservation of the nipple-areolar complex (NAC).

NB = Navelbine Navelbine is an anti-cancer ("antineoplastic" or "cytotoxic") chemotherapy drug

NED (No evidence of Disease

NP - Nurse practitioner

NSM - nipple sparing masectomy

ODAAT ~ One day at a time Omph (or Ooph) ~

ONC ~ Oncologist path=pathology

PBM - prophylactic bilateral mastectomy

PCP - Primary Care Physician

PE - pleural effusion or pulmonary embolism (an example of when you need to chedk with your medical team)

PET scan - Positron Emission Tornography, used to image metabolically active cells, such as cancer cells.

PET-CT scan - a combination of PET and CT which superimposes the matebolically active cells that ‘light up' on the bodily structures so that the radiologist is reading a single image.

PFC = Perfluorinated compounds - suspected carcinogen. {Comment removed}

PICC - peripherally inserted central catheter. When used (occasionally) for chemo, it is sometimes known as an "arm port". More often used for IV antibiotics such as may be required for MRSA and other serious bacterial infections.

PILC - pleomorphic invasive lobular carcinoma

PM - private message

PPI = proton pump inhibitor (the mechanism of action of drugs like Nexium, Prilosec, Protonix, etc.

PR (Progesterone Receptive) progesterone receptor positive+ or negative-

PS ~ Plastic Surgeon

QOL - quality of life

RADS - Radiation; Radiotherapy Rad onc(

RO - Radiation oncologist

RS - Recurrent Score

ROFLOL - rolling on floor laughing out loud Rt ~

Right SE ~ Side Effects

SNB - sentinel node biopsy

SOB - short of breath

SOH - sense of humor

SX can be used as an abbreviation for 'surgery', or 'symptoms'. http://www.globalrph.com/abbrev_rst.htm

SP - status post

TAH-BSO - Total Abdominal Hysterectomy - Bilateral Salingo Oopherectomu (uterus, cervix, tubes and ovaries removed)

TCH - taxotere, carboplatin, herceptin

TE - temporary expanders or tissue expanders

TIA - thanks in advance

TM = tumor markers

TN (Triple Negative) In regards to negative status for ER/PR and Her2neu status

TMI-Too much information

TRAM flap - Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous flap

TX - treatment

WNL= Within normal limits

Additional info (thanks Leaf) to consider: There can be multiple meanings for some abbreviations in medicine. For example, PE is also an abbreviation for pulmonary embolism. (Tamoxifen users are at increased risk for pulmonary embolism.) One acquaintence with a congenital heart defect (CHD) didn't believe me when I told her that CHD is more commonly an abbreviation for coronary heart disease. In medical notes, you often have to look at the context. With some abbreviations, it can be difficult. Hope this helps! Vicki Sam

claoh

Can't say enough praise about the hospice group. Two have called me this morning to make sure we are set for the storm possibly coming our way. Checking if I have enough meds, staying put or leaving, just a bunch of questions. It seemed very difficult to get in but, once in, the system is phenomenal.

Yes, if we lose power because of the storm, I'll get back as soon as possible. I don't think it's supposed to make landfall until Wednesday and we are in the center of the state so most likely some wind and a lot of needed rain.

Sadiej

Looks like Idalia is going to be tracking up through the big bend area in Florida. That will put it right in the middle between you and my daughter Heather. I will continue to pray for peace and safety for you. If it does go there it's going to really mess up the oyster beds so if you like oysters... :)

Don't forget to stock up on water!

I am so glad hospice is working out for you Claoh! I think it is absolutely wonderful how they are watching out for you ahead of the storm! I did have a question though that I forgot to ask you, if you need prescription pain medications later on is that something they would do or is that something that you're palliative care doctor would do? Just curious.

Tomorrow is my chemo day and I am assuming that Marla will be feeling better and should probably be on the boards tomorrow. I'm not sure if I will be or not because tomorrow is a very long day. Obviously I will try to get back on the boards as soon as I'm feeling a little bit better. Can't wait to try that Gatorade trick!

So after I got all excited about that Reach to Recover website and signed up for it I noticed that I seem to be an odd duck in the pond in that group. Trying to find someone that has had triple negative and a mastectomy or double mastectomy plus risk of recurrences and the operation into a pec muscle pretty much all hit brick walls yesterday. I am so glad we have this board here and that we found each other to be able to talk about things which concern us. The R2R site is absolutely great for anyone else who isn't dealing with triple negative. I hope that our readers get a chance to check that out.

Speaking of a readers, is there anyone out there who can give us some insight into mastectomies, double mastectomies etc with or without reconstruction?

I figured it was worth a shot to ask.

Marla, I miss you and your sunshine! I can't wait to hear from you again and hope that you're doing a lot better.

That's pretty much it for me right now. I'll talk to you girls later and again, be blessed and stay safe!

Pat

marlakeeth

Well good afternoon, I am feeling a bit better on day 5 after the second chemo last week.

Sadiej what flavor of Gatorade are you drinking, It all sounds yucky to me.

I took a shower today, absolutely exhausted me, shaking and breathing hard for a few minutes. I have been taking inhalations of peppermint and will try some ginger chews later today and see how they help the nausea. Sorry to hear that the R2R is more general than specific, but I found some good info anyway. I was on live chat so I could ask her questions at the time. I have to find out when she is live so I can ask stuff again.

Take care everyone with the weather and all of its problems. Hold yourself up by your bootstraps! Talk soon

marlakeeth

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1708308#Comment_1708308

Good morning, Nice to see you here and yes I am getting a/c and cytoxin. Have you tried an ice cap for migraine headaches? I got mine from Amazon and it works pretty well. If you don't have it which is fine, an ice pack to the neck and another one across your forehead or top of your head. Ice works wonders. lay down in a dark quiet room and rest. Hope that this helps. I Had my second a/c treatment yesterday and by the afternoon, a headache was coming on. I was also told that Zofran, usually given pre-infusion for nausea has side effects of headaches and diarrhea. You might ask about that. I take oral Compazine which works much better! Give it a try and let me know how it works!

claoh

Yes, they will give me the prescription drugs that I need. In fact I have a box in the refrigerator that is sealed but has beginner samples of the drugs that they may need at night until they can get more when the pharmacy opens.

Today a hospice Chaplin visited us and although he is there for me, he is also there for my husband for emotional guidance and help, especially during bereavement. They will keep in contact with him for 13 months.

We are getting a lot of duplicate messages all of a sudden. : ) Or is it just my computer?

Pat, we'll be thinking of you during chemo tomorrow. Look forward to seeing you in a day or two.

Sadiej

I saw the duplicate messages too and just backed out. Way too confusing for my simple head LOL. I'm glad that they have a supply on hand for meds in case you need them. And I'm also very VERY happy to hear that you have a chaplain who can also help your husband. My husband is still going through the grieving process AKA denial anger etc. My palliative care doctor spoke with him a couple sessions ago to try to help him cope with his emotions. I really think that he's angry with God and the devil and everybody else in between (except me). It is rough on our "better halves" and I pray through it all that they find peace in the end. I know he is not giving up the fight. In all honesty I'm not really sure how I feel. I'm definitely not mad at God if that helps LOL. Like I said I might find more hope after I get my pet scans and brain MRI done mid September. This is going to be quite a story for whoever reads this down the road. But until that happens we still have each other and we're still alive and there are beautiful things in our lives that we can focus on. Like you said Claoh, you have a wonderful family who loves you very much. And of course you have us crazy girls LOL! 😁

Marla I drink Lime- cucumber Gatorade. I don't like sweet and it has a little bit of tart with it.

Sadiej

Claoh did you make it through the storm okay? Are you getting spin-ups? I assume your power is out cuz I don't see you on boards.

Feeling philosophical. Idalia was not a choice. Whether or not I get a mastectomy or lumpectomy is not a choice for me. Each of us in our lives have events thrown at us where we do not have the privilege of choosing. I know I've said before that it didn't make sense to have a mastectomy if I had a chance of recurrence in the chest wall. But in that light I also needed to realize that that was one less place that it could possibly recur and therefore my only choice is the mastectomy. Going forward, there are definitely advantages as far as I'm concerned in a mastectomy. I always hated bras so by doing this I can escape those confining things and still have a perfectly normal life. Whether it does or does not recur in the chest wall or anywhere else in my body is something I cannot control and therefore it is something that I don't need to worry over. It is what it is. All I know is that I'm going forward with my life and love it to its fullest for as long as I can.

Marla I hope you're feeling better. I'm a little concerned about you. I can tell you that my crazy experiment with Gatorade actually did work lol. The day of chemo I had drank 16 oz of water, 16 oz strawberry yogurt protein shake, and two Gatorades prior to my chemo. I drank one more Gatorade during my chemo and on the way home I had another Gatorade and water. I did get nauseous but this time it was only for the day of chemo. I have not had to take any of my nausea medicine since. I'm keeping myself as hydrated as I possibly can between the protein shakes, the Gatorade and water. Granted I am TIRED. It seems like every time I turn around I keep nodding off but that's okay. I'll take that over the days of recovery that I was doing prior to my little experiment. And my next chemo I'm going to try this again to make sure it's not just a fluke. All in all though I came through this treatment practically unscathed. The only thing that seemed a little weird and maybe it was because of the electrolytes, was the chemo seemed a little more intense than normal. It could be too that they increased my dosage on the one that they had dropped before but I kind of doubt it because they said once they drop it they won't raise it up again. Like I said I need to repeat the experiment to see if I get the same results as I did this time. I know I'm happy with these results. Of course I still get the chemo headache but that's okay too cuz mine is not anywhere near as bad as yours and Karen's. I still really think it's just stress. I have that pet scan coming up September 9th and I'm a little curious just to see what happens. I will know on the 11th when I meet with my oncologist.

My meeting with my palliative care doctor kind of went South quickly lol. He happened to come in when I was on my very last dosage of chemo and by then I was pretty loopy. I think I spent more time laughing and goofing off with my husband and him and his new assistant. Man that was a buzz! I was way too loopy to ask him all the questions I wanted to - not that I would have remembered them at that point lol. I'll have to make sure that if I meet with him during treatment again it happens EARLY in the session instead of at the end. :-)

That's it for me right now ladies. Y'all stay safe. Miss hearing you gals on the boards.

Pat

marlakeeth

Good morning Ladies!

Well, it has taken me a week to recover pretty much from the 2nd dose of chemo and I wonder what the next two cycles will bring, I had nausea for 6 days after chemo. Dr. prescribed Reglan for nausea and that seemed to help. My mind feels much sharper today than the prior days. I also found eating some Ginger Chews helps a good deal with nausea. It seems that there are not that many prescription drugs that help continuously. But you have to "like", (I use this term lightly) ginger to chew the chews. I purchase them from Amazon, of course, and they have always helped my nausea before my life with chemo. As far as my energy goes, it doesn't. I get very short of breath, another medical abbreviation (SOB) just walking up and down my driveway one. Granted it is about 200 feet, but then my hands, arms and legs start to shake. Relieved by resting 5 -10 minutes. Is this part of the fatigue other than general tiredness? I wonder. Other than the extremely hot weather we have, 100 degrees plus, watching your weather and trying to say prayers for you all, not much is new. My husband and neighbor have been gems so far. One more note about the nausea, seems like if I get hungry, the nausea zooms in. I keep eating small meals and stuff every two hours or so. Hope this is helpful information, I wish you ladies well and am on the lookout for you guys

Has anyone heard from Karen?

claoh

Hi Gals! Glad you're both better after last chemo treatments.

Pat, sounds like you are doing fantastic on the liquid consumption : ) Hope it works as well the second time. Also glad you are at peace with the mastectomy.

We are all blessed with supportive family and friends. That means so much.

No new news on this end. The storm passed us by without any issues. Got some much needed rain, but not as much as some thunderstorms we've had in past. We did see a five foot allagator crawl out of our retention pond about 3 houses down, and my friend a block away said he went through her back yard. Figure he ended up at a large pond in that area.

I did get 4 calls from hospice to check all was in order at our home; 2 before and 2 after. Can't give the organization enough praise for their oversight.

Did have a contractor come for a new, enlarged shower in the master bath. Like his quote and hope to start at the end of September. The first one I contacted was also very good, but couldn't start for 7 months. The sooner the better I believe.

No, I have not heard anything from Karen, but this is the only way I think I would. Haven't checked to see if she's on another board. Do hope she finds a support group and doesn't feel she's on her own.

marlakeeth

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1708461#Comment_1708461

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1708461#Comment_1708461

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1708433#Comment_1708433

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1708308#Comment_1708308

Good morning, Nice to see you here and yes I am getting a/c and cytoxin. Have you tried an ice cap for migraine headaches? I got mine from Amazon and it works pretty well. If you don't have it which is fine, an ice pack to the neck and another one across your forehead or top of your head. Ice works wonders. lay down in a dark quiet room and rest. Hope that this helps. I Had my second a/c treatment yesterday and by the afternoon, a headache was coming on. I was also told that Zofran, usually given pre-infusion for nausea has side effects of headaches and diarrhea. You might ask about that. I take oral Compazine which works much better! Give it a try and let me know how it works!

thelazyaranch4

Hi all,

I hope everyone is doing well!! I just wanted to give a quick update. My mri and scans came back clear, whoooo!! Huge relief!! I have been so busy since with appointments. My surgery is scheduled for Wednesday!! The plan after that is radiation again and xeloda for 6 months. I’ll know more after my second opinion and pathology report after surgery. I’ll do my best to check in and see how everyone is doing!

hugs to all💕

claoh

Hey Karen, glad to see you again. We all keep you in our thoughts and prayers. So, the surgery is to remove the tumor behind the pectoral muscle? How extensive will that be? Glad everything else came back clear!! We do hope to see you as soon as possible after surgery next week.

thelazyaranch4

Thank u all for your thoughts and prayers! You are all in mine as well💕

I am not sure how extensive the surgery will be. It is to remove the tumor on the pectoral, yes. Hopefully it won’t be too bad!! I’ll keep you all posted as soon as I am able.

hugs to all💕

Sadiej

Morning ladies!

Well it looks like we have one of those rare times that we are not running to appointments etc. What a nice break for all of us!

Claoh, I am so impressed with your Hospice! They seem to be extremely well organized and I'm really glad they checked in with you both before and after the storm. I'm not sure about a 5-ft alligator climbing through my backyard LOL. Do you have fencing around your property?

Marla, I feel for you. This chemo is really rough on you and I totally get it. My last chemo was like that. I guess that's why I advocated for myself so hard this time. I didn't want to damage my body anymore than it was, granted, but I also had major issues with the effects of that chemo and didn't want to deal with that either. The fatigue and extreme fatigue are all part of the chemo. Be careful in that heat. Chemo and heat don't get along too well. Make sure you get liquids in you and try to find something similar to Gatorade because it sounds like you need some electrolytes in there too. As far as eating is I think you're doing great. Small meals are definitely the ticket. I was a huge fan of angel hair pasta with vegetables and scrambled egg in them on my last chemo. The angel hair pasta seem to be easy on my tummy and I would drink a coke with it to help settle it all down. Of course I can't get away with that this time since I need to make sure that I am actually getting the nutrients I need according to my nutritionist. But when you're sick like that even angel hair pasta is a good idea. My husband made a lot of trips to the Chinese takeout place LOL. The lady there called it "healthy noodle" which was actually vegetable mai fun (sp.?) and would add a couple scrambled eggs to it for me.

So I have done six treatments so far. I feel really blessed to have a helper come in from Area Agency on Aging a couple times a week, especially after chemo. She is wonderful! She makes sure she has my meals in me and my protein shakes and when she's not taking care of me she helps out around the house trying to keep the chaos down to a dull roar LOL. It really helps my husband get a caretaker's break. I can't say enough about checking it out for your area to see what they can do to help you. Also found out they have a program for medication so that I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for some of mine.

Karen I will continue to keep you in my prayers. I am waiting to hear wonderful news from you. I am so grateful that you're MRI and scans came back clear! It does my heart good to hear things like that. I pray for wisdom for the doctors and an easy recovery for you.

All right ladies that's it for me for the day unless I think of something else LOL. Y'all have a blessed day and I'll talk to you later. Hugs.