Tomorrow will be my last chemo.... can't wait. It has been a while since I posted so let me catch you up...
Treatments 2-4 of AC had the same side effects as the first one. No surprises.
Treatments 5-8 are/were Taxol. Much different side effects than AC. Hair still gone, but no nausea. I can tell you though, these side effects are not fun... About 2 days after receiving this treatment, all of my nerves start to fire off and my muscles and joints really start to hurt... The first time I received the Taxol on Monday, the effects started Wednesday and were gone Saturday, but the more that I have the longer they last.... the dr prescribed me something to help with the nerves. It helps some but needless to say, I am very glad this is the last one. I find it helps if you can take some kind of pain meds and just sleep away those days. Also, discuss all the side effects with your dr... they understand and have ideas on how to curb them.
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Chemo #1, Day 8
It's been a week since my first chemo and for the most part, I have been pretty pleased with the side effects. I am starting to notice some joint pain in my knees, back and groin area. I believe this is from the Nuelasta injection.
I have ran into the chemo constipation and have been taking Senokot S for it. That seems to be working pretty well and no stomach cramping for me. I have been noticing that the nausea is a little more but only in the morning... if I take a nausea pill in the morning, I am good all day. Thats really it... nothing more. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Chemo #1, Day 2 and 3
Day 2 and so far so good... Had to go in for my Nuelasta injection. I was given a choice of my arm or my stomach. I asked the nurse which one would hurt less and she said that people have told her that in the stomach. I tried it in the stomach... I am a 200 lb woman with a nice roll of fat and I felt nothing. Thank goodness.... Beyond that, it was an uneventful day. Ate normally, did some running around. No nausea meds today.
Day 3.... started off good. Ate breakfast and did some running around. Had a late lunch at Del Taco and got a little more stomach troubles later in the evening. Not sure if it is related to the food or the chemo, but I did take a nausea med just to make sure. Oh and yes... still peeing orangish.
Day 3.... started off good. Ate breakfast and did some running around. Had a late lunch at Del Taco and got a little more stomach troubles later in the evening. Not sure if it is related to the food or the chemo, but I did take a nausea med just to make sure. Oh and yes... still peeing orangish.
Friday, September 18, 2015
Chemo #1, Day 1
Today was my first chemo infusion. For the most part it was pretty easy and painless. I was a little worried since my port was still tender, but they were able to use it and the needle poke wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Best part is that they do the blood from the port also so no more arm sticks that I know of.
This chemo cocktail wasn't as long as my husband's was for his colon cancer a few years ago. This one was a bag of nausea meds dripped through the IV. When that was completed, they pushed in the IV a small vial of Adavant and then the A (Adriamycin) part of the AC was pushed into the IV very slowly. It is a little scary that this drug is red and there was 2 vials of it. Oh and by the way, you will pee red for a few times after getting that drug. Then they hung the C (Cytoxan) part of the AC. That drips for about an hour and you are all done. Only about 2 hours.
I left and went home for a while, then went to drop off prescriptions at Walmart, had dinner and then picked back up the prescriptions. So far I am doing pretty good... It is now 5 hours later and I am a little tired but thats it. Really hope it stays that way.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Work and Port Placement
Well it is my first week back to work and I have appointment 4 out of 5 days. Tuesday is my port placement, Wednesday is the stress test with the cardiologist, Thursday is the plastic surgeon and Friday is my first day of chemo.
Today was my port placement. The procedure itself wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The took me in the back and then put in an IV for the "happy juice". This is just to take the edge off. Once in the room, they do an ultrasound to check the neck vein. Then he does some local anesthesia that feels like a bee sting. After that he put in the tube to the vein first and then placed the port in the chest. Stitched it up and closed it up and then I was sent back to the room to wait for an hour just to make sure everything was alright.
I can tell you that although the procedure was easy, it is not too fun after the local wears off. I am having more of an issue with the neck area than the chest area. That may be because the chest is still numb from the mastectomy.... not sure but it is so bad that I am hitting the pain meds.... lots of ice and you have to keep stretching it but man it hurts. I sure hope it gets better tonight because I have that stress test tomorrow.
Today was my port placement. The procedure itself wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The took me in the back and then put in an IV for the "happy juice". This is just to take the edge off. Once in the room, they do an ultrasound to check the neck vein. Then he does some local anesthesia that feels like a bee sting. After that he put in the tube to the vein first and then placed the port in the chest. Stitched it up and closed it up and then I was sent back to the room to wait for an hour just to make sure everything was alright.
I can tell you that although the procedure was easy, it is not too fun after the local wears off. I am having more of an issue with the neck area than the chest area. That may be because the chest is still numb from the mastectomy.... not sure but it is so bad that I am hitting the pain meds.... lots of ice and you have to keep stretching it but man it hurts. I sure hope it gets better tonight because I have that stress test tomorrow.
Leave of Absence
It has been a very busy time off. After the surgery, I met with the breast surgeon who told me the pathology report came back as everything clear on the right side but the left side had a 2 tumors. The largest one was 8.5 cm and the other was almost 2 cm. They removed the node pad with 11 nodes and 9 of them had cancer. The pathologist staged it as a 3A. The breast surgeon said that means chemo and radiation.
I saw the plastic surgeon and they started the fills. The first time they did the fills, the assistant completed it. She was only able to get one done. The next week, the dr only filled the one that was missed.
I saw the oncologist to discuss the chemo. We will be doing 4 doses AC (Adriamycin and Cyclophosphamide) every other week. When that is complete we will be doing 4 doses of Taxol again every other week. The day after each chemo, I will go back to the chemo center to have a Neulasta shot to help with the white blood count. The oncologist also said that this chemo is hard on the heart so I have to be cleared by the cardiologist. I will also need to have a port-a-cath put into my chest... JOY JOY
Same day I saw the oncologist, I met with the radiologist. He said that I will be receiving 6 1/2 weeks of radiology but not until the chemo is complete. I don't have to meet with him again until December.
Now off to the cardiologist for an echo-cardiogram. Probably something they should have done prior to surgery since it would have been a better read without the tissue expanders. The cardiologist released me for chemo but wants to do a stress test. That will be next Wednesday.
Finally got a call from the place that puts in the ports and my appointment is Tuesday. Not looking forward to it.
Well we will see what next week holds. It will be my first week back at work.
I saw the plastic surgeon and they started the fills. The first time they did the fills, the assistant completed it. She was only able to get one done. The next week, the dr only filled the one that was missed.
I saw the oncologist to discuss the chemo. We will be doing 4 doses AC (Adriamycin and Cyclophosphamide) every other week. When that is complete we will be doing 4 doses of Taxol again every other week. The day after each chemo, I will go back to the chemo center to have a Neulasta shot to help with the white blood count. The oncologist also said that this chemo is hard on the heart so I have to be cleared by the cardiologist. I will also need to have a port-a-cath put into my chest... JOY JOY
Same day I saw the oncologist, I met with the radiologist. He said that I will be receiving 6 1/2 weeks of radiology but not until the chemo is complete. I don't have to meet with him again until December.
Now off to the cardiologist for an echo-cardiogram. Probably something they should have done prior to surgery since it would have been a better read without the tissue expanders. The cardiologist released me for chemo but wants to do a stress test. That will be next Wednesday.
Finally got a call from the place that puts in the ports and my appointment is Tuesday. Not looking forward to it.
Well we will see what next week holds. It will be my first week back at work.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Surgery Day is Finally Here
Well the day is finally here. I finally get this stuff out of me and find out just how far it is. We take off for the hospital and wait to be called back. Surgery is suppose to start at noon and the plastic surgeon says I should be able to go home afterwards.
I am finally called back by the nurse to get prepped. I explained to her what happened with my other procedure and the IV so she immediately wrapped my hand and arm in a warming blanket while she took all the other information and vitals. She checked my hand, found a good vein and got the IV in the first time.... thank goodness. Next they call my husband back to sit with me while we wait... Not very long after that though the anesthesiologist showed up to discuss what she was going to do and shortly after that the surgeon was there. One last trip to the restroom and the anesthesiologist gave me something because I don't even remember being wheeled into the surgery room. I am sure that was so they could shoot the dye into the nipple on my right breast so that they could do the sentinel node biopsy.
The next thing I remember is vaguely waking up. I remember hearing my husband asking for juice cause he was light headed... silly guy didn't eat the whole day and here it was 5:30 pm or so... I remember thinking that I can't breathe... every time I did, it hurt. I remember the nurse keep asking me if I was ready to go home and that if I was going to go home I needed to start getting dressed. Well I tried... she helped me up to go to the bathroom and it hurt so bad that there was no way I was going home at that point. Back to the bed I went and the next thing I remember was actually being in the hospital bed in the room. The doctor really didn't want me to stay in the hospital and I now know that if the PACU nurse would have given me a few more hours, I would have been OK to go home. I had a wonderful nurse and MA that took care of me overnight and I left the next morning.
The plastic surgeon came in the morning I was in the hospital looked at the incisions... that was the first time I actually saw what it all looked like, but there was lots of gauze over it. To my surprise, I was just fine with it.... and I headed home.
Here are some pictures of what to expect the day after surgery... These pictures are GRAPHIC... Please be aware of this if you choose to open these links. These links will open in another window, so please make sure to close that window when done.
Mastectomy Scars Day After Surgery
Mastectomy drains
More Mastectomy drains
I am finally called back by the nurse to get prepped. I explained to her what happened with my other procedure and the IV so she immediately wrapped my hand and arm in a warming blanket while she took all the other information and vitals. She checked my hand, found a good vein and got the IV in the first time.... thank goodness. Next they call my husband back to sit with me while we wait... Not very long after that though the anesthesiologist showed up to discuss what she was going to do and shortly after that the surgeon was there. One last trip to the restroom and the anesthesiologist gave me something because I don't even remember being wheeled into the surgery room. I am sure that was so they could shoot the dye into the nipple on my right breast so that they could do the sentinel node biopsy.
The next thing I remember is vaguely waking up. I remember hearing my husband asking for juice cause he was light headed... silly guy didn't eat the whole day and here it was 5:30 pm or so... I remember thinking that I can't breathe... every time I did, it hurt. I remember the nurse keep asking me if I was ready to go home and that if I was going to go home I needed to start getting dressed. Well I tried... she helped me up to go to the bathroom and it hurt so bad that there was no way I was going home at that point. Back to the bed I went and the next thing I remember was actually being in the hospital bed in the room. The doctor really didn't want me to stay in the hospital and I now know that if the PACU nurse would have given me a few more hours, I would have been OK to go home. I had a wonderful nurse and MA that took care of me overnight and I left the next morning.
The plastic surgeon came in the morning I was in the hospital looked at the incisions... that was the first time I actually saw what it all looked like, but there was lots of gauze over it. To my surprise, I was just fine with it.... and I headed home.
Here are some pictures of what to expect the day after surgery... These pictures are GRAPHIC... Please be aware of this if you choose to open these links. These links will open in another window, so please make sure to close that window when done.
Mastectomy Scars Day After Surgery
Mastectomy drains
More Mastectomy drains
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