Just found out I have to have chemo and am scared to death!!!

juanita76 said:

Susie 1st of all my sincere
Susie 1st of all my sincere symphaty on the passing of ur mother. My mother has been my greatest supporter through all this and i couldnt imagine going through breast cancer without her. but the anticipation of chemo is the worst than the actually chemo its not a piece of cake but very doable with all the medications for the side effects i did 7 rounds and tomorrow is my last one so excited about that. by the time u know u will be done with it stay strong will say a prayer for u susie

Sincere sympathy in the loss
Sincere sympathy in the loss of your mother. Chemo is a scary word as well as cancer. My experience was devastating in the beginning, but sounds like you have and plan and chemo is very doable. My motto was "Face it, Fight it and forget it"

Annette 11 said:

You can do this!
Welcome, hope you find comfort here. I am so sorry about your Mom, that must be so hard for you.
I had 4 rounds of T/C chemo and I was also so scared. I thought,they are going to put these poison chemicals in me after I have eaten so healthy and always took care of my health. I thought I would never be the same. When I was done with chem 4 months ago I felt proud, I Did It!! YOu will too. As others said it is very doable, of course no picnic but doable. Try to stay healthy so you don't miss a chemo. The 4 sessions go by fast at least for me they did. Good luck and wishing you well.

Annette

you will get though it!
First of all so sorry about the loss of your mom. That is so hard especially given that you are dealing with cancer at the same time.

Second about the chemo - I'm finishing up 3 months of Taxol and so far side effects have really been minimal. The main side effect has been weight gain (15 pounds) as I;ve been on steriods and eating constantly. But no vomiting, no nausea, some sleep disturbances but managed with Ativan which they will probably give you a prescription for.

You will get through the chemo one day at a time and one day soon you will look back and it will be behind you, not in front of you.

Blessings,
Laura

Just another stop on your journey
Susie,

my condolences, loosing a parent is one of the hardest things in life. When I lost
my mom it was like I lost my past. She was the keeper of all my stories and memories.

As for chemo, remember it is only temporary. I made a big mark on my calendar when
I would have my last chemo and let the countdown begin.

In most cases the expectations are far worse than the reality. Of course there are always
exceptions. Find something that makes you feel good and cling to it through chemo. For
me it was walking. Towards the end my walks got shorter but it was a good day when
I got my walk in. You'll get past this and we will celebrate the day you will graduate from
this part of your journey.

Hugs,
Ayse

I so understand your fear
I was only scheduled for radiation after a lumpectomy, until it was determined that I was triple negative, so I had to also do chemo. I did 4 rounds of Taxotere/Cytoxan and 2 rounds of Taxol/Cytoxan when my ankles swelled and am only 7 treatments away from completing 33 rads.
Chemo wasn't fun, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd imagine. Each cycle brought new side effects and I did lose my hair but it is now growing back nicely (almost 10 weeks out of chemo). I didn't lose any fingernails, but several separated so I needed to pay attention to my hands and wear gloves.
Call your center so you know what to bring. Some provide stuff, mine didn't so I brought blanket, books, notebook and snacks. Treatments take between 3.5 and 6.5 hours. My hubby stayed with me for my first one. After I discovered that the pre-meds caused me to sleep, I arranged for him to drop me off and pick me up instead of watching me sleep. I drank plenty of water and tried to think of the infusion as medicine, instead of poison, that I was flushing out to every cell.
Also, be sure to know who to call if you have side effects. My onc said the only things he couldn't treat are those that he doesn't know about.
I am so sorry for the loss of your mother. My mother died 6 years ago and it still saddens me.
Best of luck to you. You'll do it, most of us on this board have, and while we may not have wanted to do chemo, it was our best option at living a long life.
Hugs,
JoAnn

cavediver said:

so sorry for your loss of
so sorry for your loss of your Mom. I understand how hard this is for you now, but you can do it! I was also very scared at first...but then you just do whatever it takes to beat the beast and get back to your life. We all are different and may have different side effects. The trick is to talk to your drs and nurses......with meds they can control many of the side effects. Even so, some side effects like hair loss etc may occur, but that will all be a memory some day and you will be back to your life. Drink plenty of fluids, hydration is extremely important during chemo. and be sure to talk to your drs and nurses about any concerns.........this is doable...maybe not pleasant...but doable. We are all here to help you with positive thoughts, cyber hugs, and support. Hugs

Very sorry that you lost
Very sorry that you lost your Mom. I didn't go thru chemo, but, want to wish you good luck with it.


Hugs, Debby

So sorry to hear about your mom......
I took Zofran for nausea and it worked wonders for me. From that moment on, I ever experieced any nausea (that is what I was most afraid of).

Mostly, I would sleep the rest of the day after I had my chemo. As a matter of fact, I slept most of that year asleep.

On Taxotere I did lose my big toenail but it is grown back out now. Has some ridges in it and I expect them to go away with time.

I took magazines to chemo to read but they had a t.v. in there so I mostly just watched t.v while getting my chemo. Helped to keep my mind off the chemo.

The chemo nurses are great and will answer any of your questions.

Good luck with your treatment.
Love and Light,
Vicki

cahjah75 said:

Susie
for me it was the fear of the unknown. I'm so sorry for the loss of your mom. Having bc is bad enough and I too was unprepared when the onc said I needed chemo. The wonderful ladies on this board help me immensely. I did not have any nausea but did prepare ahead of time in case I did. I filled anti nausea meds, had the right foods and drinks. I used Biotene toothpaste & mouthwash. I drank lots of water and I used plastic silver wear. Never had metal taste in mouth. I had 6 rounds every three weeks of Taxotere/Cytoxan with a Neulasta shot the following day. 2 days later I had the aches and slept most of the weekend away. I lost my hair about 14 days after 1st treatment. I had to take Dexamethasone the night before and for 2 days after. I was given anti nausea drugs, Benadryl and saline before the drugs. I almost forgot since I have bad veins I had a purple power port placed and all my treatments went through it. I had the port removed just after starting rads. It is doable. Take a deep breath and post often with any questions. Wishing you the best.
{{hugs}} Char

Hey Susie
You can do this. I know your scared. We all were. It's the unknown. I did AC 4 rounds 12 rounds Taxol 35 rads and Herceptin treatments last year. For me, it was not as horrible as I thought it was going to be. Be prepared, ask your doctor for antinausea meds. I took 3 different kinds of nausea meds while on AC. One med was called Emend. This is I was told one of the best antinausea meds you can get. Its only 3 pills. I never got sick. This does not mean that you may still feel tired and run down a bit for a few days. Then again you may feel just fine. Everyone is different. Whatever happens its doable. I know the other big thing is the hair. Some of us it comes out about day 14 after the start of chemo. Sometimes in chunks, sometimes it just thins. Mine came out in big chunks so I shaved it off, cryed my eyes out and moved on. Good place to buy cute hats and scarfs www.headcovers.com again, just keep positive and keep moving forward.
Good Luck Hugs
Kathy ~

did u ask about the penguin
did u ask about the penguin cold caps ??? i was on your same regime and it worked for me. i am 5 weeks out of chemo and still have my hair..cseear@greenville.k12.sc.us