lost

bob13440 said:

eating

Lorraine is still not eating well. She tries and does eat a little , but her appetite is not there. Did any of you ladies experience this?

Even though I was trying to stay away from sugar, I mostly lived of ENSURE. I lost my appetite, plus I had a bowel obstruction that basically disrupted my eating through the entire treatment time. I forced myself to have 8, 8 oz per day bottles to get the nutrition I needed and avoid losing too much weight.

I will give her ensure and add protein powder to make sure she is getting enough nutrition. My blood counts were never too low to stop treatment, but I did have to get a shot of Neulasta once a month to promote growth of white cells.

Hugs and blessing!

bob13440 said:

eating

Lorraine is still not eating well. She tries and does eat a little , but her appetite is not there. Did any of you ladies experience this?

I didn't eat much for quite awhile.  I had smoothies made of low fat vanilla yogurt, flash frozen strawberries and blueberries (because they were so clean), orange juice, coconut water and bananas.  I sipped on them though out the morning for energy, calories and protein plus potassium.  The doctors felt they were a decent source of nutrition.  Every thing was organic.  Soups, potatoes, whatever sounds good to her.  Nibbling on and off all day is fine.  Make sure she stays hydrated, the appetite might not come back for awhile, now it is about getting calories in, building up strength for chemo.  The doctors wanted me to put weight on going into it and these days still want me to keep weight on for my most recent rounds of treatment.

She can do this.  Just take it a day at a time.  Hugs to both of you.

bob13440 said:

all great and helpful tips,

all great and helpful tips, thank you. She ate the most since surgery today. You're all awesome!

Hopefully, Lorraine is continuing to regain her appetite and is in less pain now. Have you received word regarding the results of her pathology report yet? I made sure that I got copies of both the operative report and the pathology report which helped me understand how serious my situation was and to decide to get another opinion regarding adjuvant treatment. Ultimately, I got three opinions because I realized my diagnosis was a life changer and life threatening. I studied my reports and did everything I could, i.e., from researching medical terms to reading professional research papers , to understand this disease that is now part of my genetic make up. Knowledge is power, without it you can't know how much you need it in order to advocate for the best treatment possible. Believe me, you will need to advocate for Lorraine time and time again, even though there is a standard of care most of us receive. For example, the newly diagnosed with metastatic uterine papillary serous carcinoma  (UPSC) receive 6 cycles of Carboplatin/Taxol whether or not these drugs will prove to be effective for them. Hopefully, these drugs will work fine.

 Cathy

bob13440 said:

today

Staples removed today, spoke with a counselor. Port being put in next Monday, chemo the following week. I sure hope she gets stronger soon, she's still very tired. Have a good night ladies!

Bob, please remind her she just had MAJOR SURGERY and that while the body is healing itself it is very exhausting.  Chemo, while doable, is exhausting too.  I think it will be hard for you to watch someone you love struggle, but that support is exactly what she (we all) need(ed).  

It is a process and it can be difficult but there are many of us here cheering you both on. 

bob13440 said:

port

Port goes in tomorrow, i have been reading that there is some discomfort for a few days? Guess we were expecting this procedure to be one of the easiest parts of this, maybe not. My baby is still very weak, minimal bowel movements and gets out of breath quickly. Just expected more progress since surgery was almost 3 weeks ago. Also losing weight still. A week away from her first chemo treatment, need her stronger!

I was sedated when they put it in and felt okay for a couple of hours, then it got painful for a couple of days.  My shoulder ached!  I took Aleve for the pain.  After a couple of days I was just sore.  I got used to it pretty quickly too.  Had my first chemo a couple of days after I got it.  My lab work is still done via a vein and the technicians use pediatric needles on me for this to save my veins.  I am so glad I have my port, tomorrow is my 19th treatment.  

Ps make sure you take a pillow again, she'll need it for incision and possibly the seat belt although to be honest - I still don't let the seat belt cross my port to this day.  

Another step forward for both of you.  Sending hugs and prayers.  

bob13440 said:

Hi ladies

Lorraine is less than a week awy from her first chemo treatment, the port is in and she's slowly getting stronger. Her latest concern is this "chemo brain" that she's heard about. Did any of you experience this, and if so, did it go away? Thanks. Will keep evryone updated.

It is real and I continue to have it.  It came on very slowly, in my case I sometimes have to search for a word and sometimes I am slower at multitasking than I used to be.  My husband made up an excel spreadsheet for me to keep track of my medicines and when I take them.  I don't need that anymore.  i have noticed (this is wierd) that I take longer with certain tasks than I used too; like saddling up a horse.  Only people who know me really well notice - people at work don't.  In my family we joke a lot and chemo brain gave us some opportunities for good laughs.  

BTW my doctors gave me information on it and recommended playing games like Luminosity, Words With Friends a few times a day.  I did and I think it helped.

bob13440 said:

Hi ladies

Lorraine is less than a week awy from her first chemo treatment, the port is in and she's slowly getting stronger. Her latest concern is this "chemo brain" that she's heard about. Did any of you experience this, and if so, did it go away? Thanks. Will keep evryone updated.

But I also use old age excuse too! :-) it all depends on my mood.  I was watching PBS one weekend and it was talking abou breast cancer survivors 20 years later that still have chemo brain.  Not good news but you learn to live with it.  Hopefully the.side effects will be minimal. Praying for you both.trish 

bob13440 said:

mixed opinions here, I guess

mixed opinions here, I guess it just depends... Lorraine is resting up and trying to get as strong as possible before Tuesady. Her ribs hurt a lot, wondering if she pulled something while vomiting last week... little concerned. Appetite is slowly getting better, still wish she'd eat more. Trying to get her to eat more protein (solids).  Thanks for all the prayers and wishes, ladies.Fingers crossed for a successful first round Tuesday. You have all been very helpful to us getting to this point!

Bob, you sound so much like my husband! He was so worried about me and was constantly trying to get me to eat more, especially protein. Whatever Lorraine eats, know she is doing it for you. Eating more than toast or a light soup was almost impossible for me. Keeping hydrated and using as little painkiller as possible will help her get on the road to recovery and she will gradually recover her appetite. For me, painkillers were the main cause of my nausea and loss of appetite. It was a balancing act to try and keep the various aches and pains at bay while trying to develope an appetite! Best wishes to you both, Sandy