Starting chemo on Tues. March 10th.

Ro10 said:

Annabella

So glad the first chemo was tolerable.  Glad you kept ahead of your nausea.  Hope the bone pain was not too bad from your Neulasta shot.  Hang in there and take it a day at a time.  Glad you have a patient and supportive husband.   The shakiness will get better after the decadron is stopped.   Make sure you keep ahead of the constipation, too.  In peace and caring.

Do heed what Ro said.  I learned the hard way to be proactive and treat for  constipation before it had time to happen.  I had hoped taking a stool softener routinely would be enough.  it wasn't.

Annabelle, I was still in a daze before I started chemo and my incredible daughter made an appt. for me with a woman who has a shop and only deals with alopecia and chemo patients.  I ended up with a couple of very, very cute wigs and most people never knew I had lost my hair.  i had my hair cut very short the week befor chemo. But when it started to fall out in earnest (within2-3 weeks) I just had my husband shave it off.  Good luck!  We're here for you!  

i had decadron before, after,  and in an IV during my first chemo and other than some face flushing and a little trouble sleeping, had no side effects from the decadron.  I had about 3-4 days of bone pain starting about day 4 after chemo, but that subsided and the rest of each cycle went fine.  Most people did not realize I was going thru chemo unless I said something.  Everyone is different, but they can do so much more for us now than even just a few years ago.  Take care of you! - Helen 

Annabella Rose said:

Thank you Helen, today was

Thank you Helen, today was the day after my shot and 2 days after the chemo. It's also the first day without the Decadron.

I woke up with some queasy ness and aching pain in my pelvic bone area. I tried 2 extra strength tylonal but that didn't work so latter I took 2 Advil but that hasen't felt much better.  It's not horrible pain but enough to make me uncomfortable. I called my nurse and she said that's normal to have bone pain for a couple of days after that shot. So I guess it makes me feel better knowing it won't last much longer.

I bought a wig the day before chemo started and a scarf so I'd be ready when my hair starts to fall out. I didn't know how I'd be feeling this first week after chemo.

Thank you for your encouraging words! 

My bone pain was pretty severe just from the chemo.  The first weekend after chemo was the worst.  I had prescription strength Ibuprofen and that didn't really do anything.  Don't be afraid to ask for something a little stronger.  I didn't at first but once I did they gave me Oxycodone.  What a relief!  I took it about every 6-8 hours the first 5 days or so and then only at bed time after that as needed.  If I kept busy and moving during the day after the first week I felt better but sleeping at night could get a little uncomfortable.

Losing my hair wasn't so bad for me.  It started falling out just before my second chemo.  My hairdresser is a good friend that owns her own salon.  I went at the end of her day when no one else was there and had it shaved the day after my second chemo as it was falling out in gobs.  My mom, sister and a few nieces were there and we had a little tea party with some fancy cupcakes so it would be fun instead of traumatic.  It was actually kind of nice not to have to deal with styling my hair during chemo. Once less thing to do was great.  I wore hats and scarves unless I was going somewhere that I didn't want to deal with the questions and then I wore my wig.  It's a really cute one I actually got for free from our local Gathering Place.  It looked so much like my own hair that no one ever thought any differently.

Debi

UPSC 3A - chemo finished 10/29/14

Annabella Rose said:

Thank you Debi for your

Thank you Debi for your post.

today is 3 days since my first chemo and I feel like I hit a brick wall!

I feel bone pain, nausous and extremely week. I'm scared if it's the M.S. thats causing the fatique. Do you know if it's normal to feel so week in one day. Yesterday I felt pain and nausaus but today I wok up so week. I had to go for my blood test this morning and It was so hard because I was so week to get dressed and go out, but I did. After ward my husband had a doctors appointment so waited for him in the car which was about an hour. Do you think that was too much being out after the third day from chemo? 

I'm resting now. I came right to bed. My husband gave me 2 Tylenol and a anti naousae pill to dissolve under my tongue. But it's the extreme fatique that's scaring me right now.

Weakness and fatigue hit me hard at about days 3 and 4 after Taxal/Carbo  lasted for a few days and then gradually went away.  I felt like i was on a roller coaster.  Hang in there, it will get better.( I still can't walk through Walmart with out sittingn down.  Lou Ann

Lou Ann M said:

Tired

Weakness and fatigue hit me hard at about days 3 and 4 after Taxal/Carbo  lasted for a few days and then gradually went away.  I felt like i was on a roller coaster.  Hang in there, it will get better.( I still can't walk through Walmart with out sittingn down.  Lou Ann

Your side effects seem par for the course,  unfortunately, but I understand your concern about the complications of MS.  Someone on this board at one time recommended Claritin as being helpful for the bone pain (not Claritin D).  You might want to ask your oncologist about this.  I think those oncology folks anticipate callls from their patients, so do not hesitate to call and report anything you're concerned about.  It is always helpful to know they're looking out for you with remedies and reassurance.  Watch for fevers and stay hydrated as best you can. 

You will learn what to expect as each cycle progresses.  I knew when I'd be down and I knew when I'd be up again.  But it really took a while for me to understand it all.  Hope this passes soon for you.  It can be frightening.

Suzanne

Annabella Rose said:

Hi Mn!

I had no problem with the first chemo day. About 2 days later it's been hard. Mouth sores, heavy fatique, bone pain, nausuus, and today a optical migraine. The migraine may be from the weather change.

The nausea is handled pretty well with the sufran. I really was hoping I'd see an improvement in side effects by now at day 7.

I am feeling discouraged at this point. I don't know if I can finish any more rounds with out some kind of break from all this nastieness. 

Did your chemo side effects last this long?

I still have my hair but at this point the sickness and bone pain has taken oven the thought of losing my hair. I have a lot of trouble having an appetite, but it actually feels a bit better after I eat something.

I wish you well on you next round. It sounds like you are managing well! One day at a time, I guess is the trick

 

I had the mouth sores for a very short time in about my second round of chemo.  My doctor gave me a rinse for my mouth and that helped with the pain, and the sores only lasted a few days.  He also prescribed a drug called Emend that I took for two days before each round of chemo and then I continued it on the first day of chemo.  I never was nauseous at all because I had taken that drug.  You might want to ask your doctor if you can take that.  I know you have other medical conditions that might prevent you from being able to take some drugs.  I did have the loss of appetite at one point, but I just forced myself to eat. I lost my hair at about 11 or 12 days after chemo.  I had just gotten a wig free from my cancer center (provided by the local Rotary Club) so I didn't have to walk around bald.  My husband went bald at 21, so we made a good pair.  I jokingly sent a picture out to my stepkids in an e-mail with a comment about how if you're married long enough, you begin to look alike.  About halfway thru my 6 rounds of carboplatin and taxol, I got very short of breath when I walked and I got pasty-looking.  I was given a blood transfusion for that.  Just make up your mind that you can and will get through this--it's probably only for a few months and it could make a huge difference in your future.  It's such a feeling of accomplishment when you make it all the way through!