Starting My Chemo ;/

bkelli2000 said:

I know how you feel my first

I know how you feel my first round of chemo was 3 weeks ago. The port hurt so bad for 2 days they minimize the pain when they explain the procedure. It itches and it creeps me out to much to scratch it.  I am new at this too but I thought I would tell you my worst side affect was costipation it was absolutley horrible. unbearable !! I would suggest you get a stool softner asap just in case. I wont get into the gruesome things that happened to me for something that can be easily prevented. I  had a few other issues but the chemo was not as bad as I thought. I hope you take the chemo ok and your white blood cells stay up that is when my pain staarted. I did not know about the condoms noone told me that. I wish you much luck.....Kelli

Hi Kelly,

Thank you for your advice   I'm aleady grossed out about touching the port but on the good news is that I purchased a different sports bra that doesn't rub against it as much.  That other bra was just horrible!

I don't know what to expect about chemo but I just know I have to go through with all this in order to get to the positive side.

Good luck with your treatments too

Thank you again

telecomjd said:

Having Just Finished...

Having just finished chemo on Friday, and working through my (hopefully) last round of side effects now, here are a couple of tips that I found helpful:

• Hydrate constantly.  Mix it up with water, Powerade, Crystal Light, coconut water or whatever.  But push those toxins out.
• Stool softener.  It's disgusting, but it's better than feeling like you're going to pass out every time you have to go to the bathroom.
• Satin pillowcases.  They're comfy on your head and less abrasive when hair starts coming out (if that happens to you).
• Sleeping caps.  Same reason.  They keep your head warm and seem to reduce friction.  Plus, they catch hair so you don't need to vacuum your pillow every morning.
• Warm socks.  I have been wearing socks throughout my treatment to protect my feet.  I opt for SmartWool.  I only take them off to shower.  I have no idea if they helped, but I did not have neuropathy issues.  (It also helped that I take daily walks and continue to workout a bit, methinks).
• Eyebrow/lash gel.  Someone recommended a gel from Brian Joseph's website to me.  I purchased some, and it appears to have slowed down the process of losing my eyelashes and eyebrows.  Again, I have no idea if it actually worked or not.  But, it seemed okay for me.
• Yogurt.  I've been eating yogurt daily to replenish gut bacteria killed off by the chemo.
• Cereal.  I also consume high-in-iron cereal to combat anemia.
• Non-alcoholic beer.  This lets me pretend that I am having a drink without inducing any guilt.  Some European brands are pretty decent.  And, why drink a nice glass of wine or quality beer if you can't taste it right anyway?

Again, who knows what actually was effective and what was not.  I have skated through this pretty healthy, and I hope you will, too.  Just remember that you will be better prepared for round two -- you'll know your side effects, and you'll have all of the tools on hand to combat them.

Fingers crossed for a successful treatment...

M

Thank you Telecomjd for all your advice. 

I hope I'm as lucky as you and skate through with minimun bumps..  So far so good but day one after treatment.  Little dizzy and lots of heart burn even with meds and tums. 

Got to run.  Have to do injection in 15 minutes :0

SIROD said:

Ranting..."Dog Ear", EMLA Cream and ....

Sometimes, we have to rant and I only wish back when I had been diagnosed (1994) with breast cancer there had been a place like this discussion board.   Books were available and magazine articles both scholarly and contemporary but the internet was a few years away for me.  I did attend a local support group until it went defunct.  I finally when online and found a place  but when you posed a question, it took weeks to have a reply and mostly there was no replies.      Then suddenly, this discussion board became very active.  Did I have questions and I did receive some replies, YES!  

 

Prior to my mastectomy, I had a "minor abdominal hernia surgery" that developed into a staph infection that nearly cost me my life.   I had two surgeries to rectify the problems.  The last one was left open to heal from the inside out.  I had to clean it and pack it with gauze 3 times a day.  I finally took the bandages off on my 2nd round of treatment of chemotherapy four months after the surgery.   

 

I had been badly burned 17 years prior and had scars from the waist down, now add 4 abdominal surgery and a mastectomy with lymph node dissection.  Looking at myself took a lot of courage that first time.   I kept asking myself how I had fallen so far into hell.  

 

What really bothered me is the "dog ear" that was left near the arm pit.  If your unfamiliar with "dog ear" your lucky.  It's extra skin left behind in case one might want reconstruction in the future.  I was about to have the "dog ear" removed when my first recurrence happened.  A tumor in the armpit that I insist be removed by having a 2nd lymph node dissection on level 2 nodes and some where taking on level 3.  Only now 18 1/2 years later have I developed lymphedema.  I must say that I never wore a sleeve and did fly some very long flights.  Why now, I ask?  No time limit on the condition, can happen right away or years later.  One of the perks!  

 

I had a port put in on the 22nd.  It is a pawerport and I don't like it anymore than I did the one I had in 1994/95.  It will allow contrast dye, blood draws and infusions and since I'm a "Hard Stick" (no veins, one arm) I know it's a blessing.  It is tender still to touch and in no time, it will toughen up.  I use EMLA cream to put on it before I go for anything.  Cream needs to be apply 1 hour before infusion.  I avoid pain if I can prevent it.  

 

It was 18 1/2 years on Saturday that I knew I had breast cancer, I could see the dimpling and feel the lump.  I made all kinds of excuses before bringing myself to have the mammogram.   I had postponed the mammo while going through the staph infection.  I went, they saw, the doc called and within a week, my breast was gone, within a month I was doing chemo treatments.

 

My then oncologist "forgot to order radiation".   On March 17, 1995, I began Tamoxifen.  I have only been treated with hormonal drug therapies.  After the first recurrence, within a year the discovery of 2 rib lesions were found.   I was NEAD (no evidence of active disease) until 2008.  Finally in February 2013, I'm really out of hormonal drug therapies.  

 

I'm with you ladies, Sun Whitey and Blazintrails in the chemo joint.  Learning all over again.  

 

 Best to all of us in treatment.  

 

Doris

 

Wow have you have been through a lot Doris and God Bless you for all your journey's My heart and prayers go out to you for all yosur strength and courage.

I hope I'm as strong as you.

Hi Linda,

So far my blood pressure went Very low and they hooked me up to more liquids which brought me back up to 100/70.  Today I'm sore but ok.  I just feel acky.  Hopefully this will pass and that is all to expect would be nice.