Well she agreed to Chemo

SMILES1001 · September 2008

hey Ladies, first how are you all doing?

My sister begain Chemo Yesterday yes I said it right she put a fight and said she hope she is not doing this for nothing... but at least she tried. she is on paclitaxel/carbonplatin. or something like that for 1 time week every Wednesday for 3 weeks off 1 week for a total of 6 cycles depending on her health. My sister said she felt so sick after but at least she is home and i must say she is fine her hair is still there but i hear she has 14 days before it starts going bye bye thats when all hell will break lose but for now she is on chemo, a full hysterectomy and just had a draining so her tummy is comfortable. Im excited hopefully all goes well hopefully she will be on a road to recovery. Im at work now but ill stop by her house to check on her but for now im a lil content now im just waiting for the outcome!

Thanks again Ladies and please update me on yourselves please you guys are like new friends!

saundra · September 2008

Common Chemo
This is what regimen we all started with. It takes 72 hours to hit you with the full force. This is what I learned on this site and by experience. I had to take a laxative for the first time in my life. I now start the first day. That initial constipation is a killer. To prevent mouth sores I take a L-lysine everyday and I have not had one. I don't know if I would have had I not done this. I take a Vit. B-6 everyday and an L-glutamine to decrease the numbness in hands and feet that sets in after a few doses. For the first two chemo treatments, I just slept and laid on the couch. I had little nausea because I took the anti nausea pills starting immediately after the infusion. Chemo did not ruin my appetite. I even eat spicey food. Everyone has different experiences. They give you a list of possible side effects and you may or may not have two or three of them. I developed an allergy after a the first three doses so I also have to take benedryl the first two or three days which handles the mild rash I get. The first three doses were the worst and I did have deep bone pain in my legs and I did take pain pills for that. Now I still have a little of it but I guess I have learned to tolerate it or else it is not as bad. The thing you can do for your sister is make sure she gets nutrition in some form regularly. Milkshakes with protein powder or fruit drinks.
Protein is important. Eggs tasted good to me. I am glad that prayers were answered and that she decided to take the chemo. I had lunch with a lady that was diagnosed with Stage III 18 years ago and has not had a recurrence. You just have to develop a fighting attitude and become a warrior.
((Hugs and prayers))) Saundra

SMILES1001 · September 2008

Saundra Thanks
I got to sister place at about 4ish and she was okay she did mention she is feeling nausea but other than she is ok she periodically checks in the mirror to see if her hair is there. She reacted pretty well to the chemo when they gave it to her in the hosp. But now she has a few hives across her chest because she says it itches. im gonna tell her to use benedryl next time. But my sister all in all was okay she even help me make her a meal which was just some pasta spahgetti but to see her help was cool. I left her home at about 6 sleeping im sure she will remain in that state for a while thats all she does is sleep but hopefullly her dreams are better than her reality. thanks Saundra for the info.

Oh i left the site up in her house hopefully she prose through so everyone say HELLO! just in case if she is reading this!

LOVE YA ROBIN!

kris43 · September 2008

so glad
To hear that she decided to do chemo. The word cancer itself is scary - but just keep letting Robin know that you are right there with her. Support is everything. Be sure she takes the meds - it's horrible - I HATE taking any thing - but you've got to do it. If you don't stay on top of the nausea, the pain, the constipation - it goes downhill fast. Not that you can't get it under control at a later time - but do it immediately and it's so worth it. Really.

Re: the hair issue. I've read this over and over and over - if you shave it off yourself (and a good friend did it for me) - it such a sense of control. What little control you have at any point in this journey. They also tell you to get fitted for your wig while you have hair so you can match styles and hair color if that is important. I was lucky and had a wonderful group of friends who hosted a "scarf party" for me - and I ended up with almost 100 scarves. I had something to wear with every single piece of clothing I owned - including pajama's. I never wore a wig - it just wasn't something I was comfortable with - but I've seen some great ones, plus a lot of women like to experiment with style & color. Let us know how it goes.

Keep the faith and if Robin is reading - we love ya too!! You have a wonderful sister - count your lucky stars. Take good care.
Kris

Dreamdove · September 2008

I've been thru that, too
It's been 16 months since my last chemo but it all sounds very familiar. The worst thing was the hair loss. I had it cut short and then when it started falling out I sat in the bathtub and shaved it. I didn't look too bad but I always wore a scarf. I found the small, silky-textured scarves the best. I didn't look good in hats but some women do. I had a wig but only wore it twice. It wasn't as comfortable as the scarves. I never got nausea but I had a metalic taste in my mouth. I could still eat but some days I was hungrier than other days. I didn't like the taste of water so I had to force myself to drink it. That is very, very important. To drink alot of liquids. Gingerale works great. Canada Dry makes the best Gingerale. I kept my life as normal as possible. I think that's the secret. Good luck with your sister.

BonnieR · September 2008

Praise the Lord
I echo the words of so many here and am glad she is doing chemo. This is the gold standard of chemo for ovarian cancer. For me I couldn't even stand the smell of food about two days after and it gave me lots of bone pain for a few days too. Sending lots of hugs n prayers for both of you. Bonnie

floridajo · September 2008

Smiles1001
I'm so happy to hear your sis finally started chemo. yes it is alot to go through,and sometimes the side effects are bad..but the trade off is even worse..she is way to young to throw in the towel. I am currecntly on my 3rd recurrence and I have found for me that my 1st line chemo (carbo/taxol)to be the toughest on me..the rest were simple and I have a good quality of life. I will keep your sis in prayer. It would be a good idea to start looking for wigs or hats before she losses her hair, and also cutting it. It shows that she has some control over this monster. Good luck~~~Joanne

mopar · September 2008

GLAD TO HEAR
So glad your sister is at least trying chemo. That, combined with good nutrition, good medical and moral support, some helpful supplements, etc., etc., gives her the best fighting chance. Of course there's much tied in to the whole picture, but as time goes on she'll get some great support and suggestions here for all the nasty side affects that she may or may not have.

Tell her to keep her chin up and find something to occupy her 'non-chemo' time that will keep her positive and hopeful. There's going to be some 'negative' moments - we all have them. But all in all, a postive attitude and hopeful outlook is very, very important. There are many ladies here who are prime examples of this - Bonnie is the first one that comes to my mind, as well as JoAnn, Keelie, etc. The list goes on!

Blessings to you, your sister and your whole family. Let us know how she is doing. And I hope she will decide to visit us herself.

(((HUGS)))
Monika

Well she agreed to Chemo

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