Ladies going through chemo - how are you doing? Or those just starting or curious

TeddyandBears_Mom said:

Delay

Hey Lou Ann,

Sorry for the low counts and anemia. But, so happy about a chemo free Christmas and Birthday for you! I say that is a silver lining for sure.

I'm praying that your scans come back with great results. Please let us know what you find out!

Love and Hugs,

Cindi

Thank you for the feedback. I am truly grateful for your support and wisdom.

I will go to the radiologist appointment on Wednesday. I still need to list out my questions. :-)

This chemo round was different than the last two. And, it really played with my emotional strength or lack thereof. I'll post the "impacts" in a separate thread. I'm feeling stronger today and am hopeful that the worst is over for this time.

Love and Hugs,

Cindi

Lou Ann M said:

Chemo + work

While I was working, I had chemo on Wednesdays and would go to work on Thursday and Friday's rest up on Saturday and Sundays.  I went back on Monday.  I was always pretty tired on Monday, but it did work.  Now that I am retired, I honestly don't know how I did it.  Hugs and prayers, Lou Ann

There are a lot of women that are able to continue working.  Based on my reaction to chemo, I would not have been able to do so.  Many women can tolerate the side effects much better than I do. And, many don't have the severity either. So, here's to hoping, praying and wishing you fall into the last category!  :-)

I'm sending you lots of positive vibes for an easier impact.

I was able to walk my little guys tonight. Woo Hoo!

Love and Hugs,

Cindi

Editgrl said:

Thought I'd chime in

Thought I'd chime in here.  Here's the thing...  everybody reacts to chemo differently.  Heck, I just recently made contact with someone whose identical twin was diagnosed shortly after her own treatment was complete.  Same diagnosis, same chemo, totally different reactions.  I have had a relatively easy time of it during chemo.  I have had no overwhelming fatigue, no nausea only occasional slight queasiness, no food aversions, a healthy appetite.  I have had stomach pains which are not pleasant but tolerable, constipation which is now manageable, and very slight numbness now in my fingertips and toes.  The first go round for me was the worst as far as being kind of tired on days 3 and 4 after chemo, but not so much that I couldn't get off the bed.  Mostly more tired in the late afternoon and evening, though early on, I did take a few naps on days 3 & 4.  Weirdly, the last couple of times I seem to be having fewer side effects.  Or maybe I just know what they are and they don't bother me as much as they did the first time around.   I would say be prepared for the worst, but don't assume that is how it will affect you.  I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I continue to be fortunate after my sixth and final this Friday.

Here's hoping that your side effects will be minimal.

Chris

Well tomorrow is my first treatment of chemo and a bit uneasy but I will take whatever it takes to get through it to continue living.  I have two more treatments to follow on Wednesday and Thursday.  I will let you know how it goes for me.  Tomorrow I also get my port put in before treatment.  I have a total of 5 more (3 day treatments) after that with 2 week rest periods between each treatment.  

TeddyandBears_Mom said:

chemo impacts - round 5

As I stated earlier, this one was different than rounds 3 and 4.

What was better was much less bone and joint pain. I had some but it truly was (and is) minimal.

My legs still hurt like before but not as intense.

What was worse was very heavy fatigue and stomach aches. The fatigue hit as usual half way through day 2 post chemo. And I was unable to do much of anything until today. (Today is day 7 post chemo day.) I spent 5 days sleeping. I would get up in the morning and sit on the porch for an hour then on the couch until dinner time.  I could barely get food on the plates and sit and eat before I was back on the couch again until bedtime. This cycle of doing nothing really  wore on me emotionally. By yesterday my level of crankiness was beyond any I have had to deal with. I did not even take a shower for 3 days. (I know YUCK!) I skipped 2 days walking my boys and decided to try on that 5th day. OMG - I thought I was going to die by the time we got home. And, it was only a 10 minute walk! They say walking helps with the fatigue. Well, I felt sicker than I can begin to describe after that attempt!  My breathing has been more labored too. I guess that goes along with the fatigue.

Stomach issues were harder this time than before. My appetite was non-existent and even when I was hungry, I didn't feel like eating. I had severe cramps, sharp pains and nausea. The pills didn't give much relief. Normally they take care of that fairly well. I lost 6 pounds in 4 days. Eating seemed to make me hurt more. I never had diarhea or constipation. But, I had that upset feeling for days. And I knew when I ate I was going to hurt more. I did force the issue of eating something every day. And drinking too. But, it was very hard to do. Days 3,4,5 were the hardest for dealing with the stomach issues. Day 6 was much better and today is almost back to a normal level of being able to eat with little pain afterwards.

I had a lot of random sharp pains throughout my body this time. I always get some of that but it seemed to be more of it. Might be my imagination though since I felt so crappy with the other things.

My fingers and hands in general hurt more. I have had limited strength and my fingertips are numb.

Sooo.... I woke up today feeling much better. It is amazing the difference. I still have low energy but not fatigue. I have managed to stay awake and it is after 1:00. And, I even loaded the dishwasher. :-)

My attitude is much better as well. Thank goodness that is behind me!

I debated on posting this because I don't want to scare newbies. But, decided knowledge is helpful and the fact that I came out the other side of the crappy days ready to face the next challenge would be worth noting.  I'll say it again... I'm amazed at the strength we all find when we need it the most.

And... I only have ONE MORE TO GO!

Finally, the support I received from many of you was more appreciated than I can begin to express. Your encouragement and reminders of the temporary nature of this beast, the words of wisdom on why our bodies fail us and the love in your words helped boost my emotional well being. I'm forever grateful.

Love and Hugs to All from your Chemosabe partner,

Cindi

Thank you for posting this!!!  I have gone through all these things and it makes me feel like I'm not alone AND more importantly, if you can get through it, I can too.  You give so much hope when you say you're better today and you had days where you barely had the strength to take your pups outside.  I feel like that with Spunky.  I can barely make it to the door when he scratches to go outside, much less take him outside to play.

And, ONLY ONE MORE TO GO!!!  We should have "end-of-chemo" virtual parties!!  I plan to have one the second week of February!!!

Love,

Eldri

TeddyandBears_Mom said:

chemo impacts - round 5

As I stated earlier, this one was different than rounds 3 and 4.

What was better was much less bone and joint pain. I had some but it truly was (and is) minimal.

My legs still hurt like before but not as intense.

What was worse was very heavy fatigue and stomach aches. The fatigue hit as usual half way through day 2 post chemo. And I was unable to do much of anything until today. (Today is day 7 post chemo day.) I spent 5 days sleeping. I would get up in the morning and sit on the porch for an hour then on the couch until dinner time.  I could barely get food on the plates and sit and eat before I was back on the couch again until bedtime. This cycle of doing nothing really  wore on me emotionally. By yesterday my level of crankiness was beyond any I have had to deal with. I did not even take a shower for 3 days. (I know YUCK!) I skipped 2 days walking my boys and decided to try on that 5th day. OMG - I thought I was going to die by the time we got home. And, it was only a 10 minute walk! They say walking helps with the fatigue. Well, I felt sicker than I can begin to describe after that attempt!  My breathing has been more labored too. I guess that goes along with the fatigue.

Stomach issues were harder this time than before. My appetite was non-existent and even when I was hungry, I didn't feel like eating. I had severe cramps, sharp pains and nausea. The pills didn't give much relief. Normally they take care of that fairly well. I lost 6 pounds in 4 days. Eating seemed to make me hurt more. I never had diarhea or constipation. But, I had that upset feeling for days. And I knew when I ate I was going to hurt more. I did force the issue of eating something every day. And drinking too. But, it was very hard to do. Days 3,4,5 were the hardest for dealing with the stomach issues. Day 6 was much better and today is almost back to a normal level of being able to eat with little pain afterwards.

I had a lot of random sharp pains throughout my body this time. I always get some of that but it seemed to be more of it. Might be my imagination though since I felt so crappy with the other things.

My fingers and hands in general hurt more. I have had limited strength and my fingertips are numb.

Sooo.... I woke up today feeling much better. It is amazing the difference. I still have low energy but not fatigue. I have managed to stay awake and it is after 1:00. And, I even loaded the dishwasher. :-)

My attitude is much better as well. Thank goodness that is behind me!

I debated on posting this because I don't want to scare newbies. But, decided knowledge is helpful and the fact that I came out the other side of the crappy days ready to face the next challenge would be worth noting.  I'll say it again... I'm amazed at the strength we all find when we need it the most.

And... I only have ONE MORE TO GO!

Finally, the support I received from many of you was more appreciated than I can begin to express. Your encouragement and reminders of the temporary nature of this beast, the words of wisdom on why our bodies fail us and the love in your words helped boost my emotional well being. I'm forever grateful.

Love and Hugs to All from your Chemosabe partner,

Cindi

The honest info. is what helps newbies the most to make informed decisions. Knowing what to expect makes for a less frightening journey. Reading  your and others  unsugarcoated  stories  doable is what I think most people will think.Reading about the reality probably won't stop anyone from doing treatment. I am convinced that  the 2 in a million that refuse the said treatment  has had this mind set  of refusal years before cancer knocked their door, So  please ladies  like Cindy , please post the good,bad and the ugly.

Wish I could keep  the rough days out of your path but it is part and parcel of and you are strong and determined, I wish you and all NED.

Nuff love ,Moli

Well first day of application of chemo done and it didn't go too bad.   The name of the drugs I am given are Ifosfamide and Paclitaxel (taxol/Ifex).   Port placement ran into some problems.   I got to run my appointment for second application is this morning.   I will write more later the evening about how second day went and my port problem.   

Jerri 

I posted in another thread, but I also wanted to post here since we are documenting our chemo experiences in one place.  I had my 6th and final infusion today.  While I am glad that this phase is over, I'd also like to say that it was a much easier experience than I anticipated. No delays in treatment, no Neulasta, no major reactions or side effects.

I am sure that the fact that I did not lose my appetite nor have any food aversions was a major factor in being able to keep my blood counts up and head off most of the fatigue.  I also took a few supplements, L-Glutamine, Vitamin D3, B12, B6, probiotics and Claritin to help head off some side effects.  Pro active Miralax and stool softener worked for the constipation.  And lots of liquid, of course.

Right now, I have some mild numbness in my fingertips and toe tips.  My doctor said that once the steroids wear off, I may experience more of that.  Guess we'll wait and see.

As I move forward, I am in the process of getting a second opinion regarding radiation from the UC Davis Med Center here in Sacramento, a Comprehensive Cancer Center.  And I am getting a referral to a nutritionist if I do decide to go that route.

But right now, I am enjoying the end chemo.  This might be the second best Christmas gift ever.  The absolute best would be the gift of NED, but I think I will have to wait til next year for that!

Thanks to all of the ladies here on the board for their advice/experiences, even those who no longer frequent the board. 

You all rock!

Cindy, it's your turn next!!!

Chris

The tiredness hit me days 4 and 5.  Kind of just took it easy and watched TV those days.  Got my Neulasta shot on Friday and those effects were some pain in my thumb joints and uppper part of my thighs.  Still not sleeping well in the nights.  I think that would be caused by the steroid pills??? Hopefully they will wear off and can get a good nights sleep. 

I just want to thank all of you for give me a heads up on what to expect. 

Love and hugs to all of you.

Jerri

unknown said:

Joint/muscle pain today!

Whee, isn't this fun!  I woke up last night with restless legs, twinges of pain.  Today, it seems the areas in my body that had booboos before are targeted now.  My right knee (arthritis) is sore, I get twinges of pain in my abdomen, my healed fractured wrist hurts, and my calf's where I get leg cramps are sore, with intermittant pain shooting.  At least the heart burn is better today.  I keep walking around the house as much as I can, but I didn't sleep much last night, don't appear to be on a sleepy schedule again tonight.  I am drinking fluids to help maybe flush the chemo from my system.  I read my calendar and today I was suppose to have fatigue and loss of appitite, it wasn't until tomorrow that the joint pain was suppose to start.  Guess my bodies an overachiever, darn it.  Oh and I have tingling slightly numb fingertips today too, ahead of schedule.  Wishing ME a better day tomorrow, and of course wishing all who read this a better day too.  Nancy

I hope your days ahead of this round of chemo get much better.  It is tough, but doable as you are and will continue to discover.

The random sharp pains are just too strange for words, aren't they?!

Neuropothy has gotten worse for me after Chemo #5.  Hands, Feet and Legs hurt. And, seems to be worse at night.  However, it isn't excrutiating pain. Just bothersome and I can't stand up more than about 20 minutes or so at a time.  I fully expect this to go away once I'm done.

Thinking of you and hope you are on the mend for this time around!

Love and Hugs,

Cindi