Breast Cancer

LorettaB said:

Hi, LisaBob,

You are going through exactly what I went through...here are a few things to expect.

The Adriamycin/Cytoxin gave me nausea. The meds I received helped tremendously. So don't worry about feeling sick because there are some great drugs out there that take away the nausea. Adriamycin is red in color; some people have called it the "red juice"...after your treatment, you will notice that your urine is pink/red...many people suggest drinking lots of water the day before and on the day of treatment. Each treatment of A/C lasts about 2 hours.

The next phase is Taxol. This phase of my chemo was much harder than I imagined. Most of what I heard was that the A/C was the tough part...for me it was the Taxol. The bone and joint pain was intense. Also add the fact that I had to have Nuelasta and Procrit shots after A/C and Taxol treatments. This intensifies the bone pain. My first Taxol treatment took 4 and a half hours...they have to watch you closely with the first treatment to see if you have an allergic reaction. The next treatments are about 3 to 3 and a half hours. Taxol has numbed my fingertips and my feet...I have been told that this will subside within several months after the last treatment.

You will probably be told that you will lose your hair. It will start to come out approx. 2 to 3 weeks after your first A/C treatment. It will come out rapidly after that. You may want to get a wig in advance or think about cute hats and scarves. I did the cute hat thing...my wig was just too itchy and uncomfortable. The good news...no more shaving your legs or underarms for awhile! My legs have never felt this smooth before!

You mentioned that you will have treatments every 2 weeks. You are probably also going to have Nuelasta shots the day after treatment, especially with the A/C. Nuelasta helps rebuild white blood cells rapidly so you can stay on the more frequent chemo schedule.

Also, your oncologist may suggest you have a port implanted. This allows easy access for the chemo. If you don't have great veins, a port is a lifesaver. Mine is implanted right by my collar bone.

My last treatment of Taxol is July 7th. I thought it would never come, but it does. And you will get through it, too.
You didn't mention if you are having radiation...with most lumpectomies, radiation is also a part of the treatment. Radiation is everyday, except weekends, for 5 to 6 weeks. I have been told by my radiation oncologist that you do not do chemo and radiation at the same time. So after my last Taxol treatment, I wait 3 glorious weeks and then onto radiation.

I hope this helps you. And there are so many people involved with this discussion group who are such a great support. Keep us all updated on your progress.

LorettaB

LorettaB said:

Dear Aunt Jo,

I am happy your sister has you. One of the most important things to have during this period is a support system and your finding information for her will make a huge difference.

I don't have children so I can't be of much help there. But I can tell you about some of the relief periods I did have.

Usuallly, about 5 days after A/C treatments, I was feeling pretty good. If you count day 1 as chemo day, it was day 3 that I had no energy and then gradually over the next 2 days, I would recover. But the nausea is very managable. I took Emend. You take one right before chemo, then one on day 2, one on day 3. It worked the best for me. I would eat small, more frequent meals. And one thing you will hear repeatedly is that chemo reactions vary from person to person. So your sister's experience could be similar in some ways, not in others. Now the Taxol treatments have been extremely difficult for me. The muscle and bone pain has been unbearable at times. The tingling and numbness in my hands and feet seem to get worse as treatments go by. Most people have told me that Taxol is cummulative. So it gets harder to recover after each treatment and this has been very true for me. It's hard to walk sometimes, it's hard to type, it's hard to button buttons and put jewelry on. But I am told this will subside over a peroid of months after treatment ends. After I finish Taxol (last one July 7th!!!), I have a 3 week vacation from any treatment and then start radiation. It will be 6 weeks, everyday, no weekends. I have heard you get tired. I have heard some people blister badly and some don't. My radiation oncologist said the cremes they give you today help prevent that from happening.

One of the responses to your first inquiry recommended Dr. Susan Love's "The Breast Book"...a great source of info. I immediatly went out and bought it when someone suggested it. Also, there is a member of the breast cancer group who responds often...if you ever see "hummingbyrd", reply to her. She is a great source of extensive info and compassion. And she has children so she may be able to help your sister where I can't.

Fear and sadness are such a big part of reacting to this disease. But they can be overcome with the knowlege that there are millions of survivors out there. Breast Cancer is no longer a death sentence. Certainly, it changed my life. Sometimes I now look at my life's path like the stairs at Hogworts in the Harry Potter movies. Just as I was going up one set of stairs, all of a sudden, the stairs shifted, and I am on a completely different course. But faith and support of loved ones have gotten me through this as well as CSN. So many people here have inspired me to continue.

Also, tell your sister to question her doctors continuously. They are members of your survival team but they don't know everything. If I hadn't questioned the second surgery I had, my surgeon would have gone by what my oncologist had said instead of what I felt in my deepest center, and taken all my lymph nodes out instead of an additional 5 which were all negative. So my decision was wise. I have a decreased chance of developing lymphedema because I followed the deepest feeling about my health care.

I sure hope this has helped. The fact that you are a cancer survivor will certainly help your sister...you will inspire her. Keep us posted and prayers are coming your way!

LorettaB

AuntJo said:

LorettaB, I thank you for your response even though it was not meant for me...my sister was just diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer...I am a vulvar cancer survivor but caught it early enough to avoid chemo...I have no insight to chemo and I want to be prepared to help my sister...she has 3 young children and has no idea of what to expect other than hair loss. All the doctors tell her is she will feel terrible for 6-9 months...is there some period of relief between treatments? She has a mental picture of not being able to be a mom or wife for the better part of a year...please help with your insight, I would like to ease some of her fears and sadness. Hugs, Aunt Jo