Day 43: July 29 -- my fourth and last AC chemo treatment! Not one part of me will miss it. I've never been so tired and un-Meghan-like in my life. Prior to my treatment, I met with an APRN who discussed what my last four treatments, called Taxol, will be like. She said I'll need to take 10 steroid pills before I arrive for my Taxol treatments. Maybe I'll bike to the Cancer Center that day?! Also, I won't need to get the Neulasta shot anymore because Taxol doesn't deplete your white blood cells as much as AC does. However, she said there is a round of five shots that follow Taxol. I don't remember my doctor telling me about that, so I'm going to give him a call about that! I can give the shots to myself, so at least I won't have to drive to the Cancer Center every day.
Day 44: Pretty tired and rather nauseous today. I've used all three anti nausea meds today! On a happy note, one of my best friends, Krista, stopped by to visit for a few minutes. She brought me a card, which she got signed by Andrew McMahon (a singer we both like who also went through chemo when he had leukemia several years ago). He signed it "from one survivor to another." That really made my day!
Day 45: I've been thinking about my Gram today. She passed away seven years ago today, from breast cancer. Even though I feel like garbage everyday lately, I'm so thankful I found my tumor when I did, and that I called my doctor right away. My doctors have been amazing, and I wish my Gram had seen the group of doctors I'm seeing.
Day 46: Mucus is disgusting! That is all.
Day 47-49: Still super tired and hoping to get lots of sleep this weekend so I can hopefully be functional next week. I'm getting pretty bored being in bed all the time. At first, I thought it was kind of awesome laying around reading or watching DVDs. But it's getting old!
Friday, August 9, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Cycle 3 of 4, AC chemo
Days 29-35: I went in Monday July 15 for my third round of AC chemo. My bloodwork came back great and my temperature was normal, but I had a bit of a tickle in my throat. It felt like typical summer allergies, so I didn't think much of it but mentioned it to my doctor anyway. By Thursday, the tickle developed into a lot more so I called in to the doctor's to see what I could do. Salt water gargle. It helped temporarily, but I'm terrible with gargling and ended up choking half the time! The coughing made me so tired, on top of already being super-tired from chemo, so I spent the week in bed, which has been the norm for chemo week anyway. No fever fortunately, but the cough is super annoying!
Days 36-42: Monday July 22, I called the doctor again. Sunday night I coughed so hard I threw up! My doctor called in a prescription for antibiotics, which he would prescribe for someone with bronchitis or pneumonia. He also said I could take Robitussin at night so I could get some sleep. I've still got the cough, but I feel like it's not as intense. I'm still exhausted though, and this is usually my week where I recover from the last chemo.
I'm scheduled for my fourth (and final!) AC chemo tomorrow July 29, but I'm not sure my body can handle it. Part of me wants to hurry up and get it done, and part of me wants a few more days to recover. Tomorrow, prior to chemo, I'm getting a chest X-ray, which should help determine if I'm ready for this next treatment. I might make the call to wait a few days. We'll see how I feel in the morning and what the doctor thinks. Thanks everyone for your prayers and positivity! I'm thrilled to be almost done with AC chemo, and I'm looking forward to the less-intense Taxol chemo that will follow.
Days 36-42: Monday July 22, I called the doctor again. Sunday night I coughed so hard I threw up! My doctor called in a prescription for antibiotics, which he would prescribe for someone with bronchitis or pneumonia. He also said I could take Robitussin at night so I could get some sleep. I've still got the cough, but I feel like it's not as intense. I'm still exhausted though, and this is usually my week where I recover from the last chemo.
I'm scheduled for my fourth (and final!) AC chemo tomorrow July 29, but I'm not sure my body can handle it. Part of me wants to hurry up and get it done, and part of me wants a few more days to recover. Tomorrow, prior to chemo, I'm getting a chest X-ray, which should help determine if I'm ready for this next treatment. I might make the call to wait a few days. We'll see how I feel in the morning and what the doctor thinks. Thanks everyone for your prayers and positivity! I'm thrilled to be almost done with AC chemo, and I'm looking forward to the less-intense Taxol chemo that will follow.
Cycle 2 complete!
Day 21: Another thing my doctors warned me about... mouth sores. I've been trying to stay ahead of this by using a new toothbrush every other week, switching to a natural toothpaste and alcohol free mouthwash. Still I think I feel something! Also, this week I felt a couple of spasms, likely from the Neulasta shot, but they were very brief and didn't warrant any Tylenol. At least I know my body is working hard making white blood cells!
Days 22-28: My "recovery week" went well once again! It's amazing how on Sunday night, all of a sudden, I feel the brain fog lift and I can do things again, like pick up my daughter -- who's getting heavy! Around Day 25 I had some bone pain. I probably could have dealt with it without meds, but I took a Percocet! I've been through enough! :-) I've been sleeping pretty well, with the exception of some night sweats. Also, false alarm on the mouth sores. Yay! Ready to start my third treatment of AC chemo.
Days 22-28: My "recovery week" went well once again! It's amazing how on Sunday night, all of a sudden, I feel the brain fog lift and I can do things again, like pick up my daughter -- who's getting heavy! Around Day 25 I had some bone pain. I probably could have dealt with it without meds, but I took a Percocet! I've been through enough! :-) I've been sleeping pretty well, with the exception of some night sweats. Also, false alarm on the mouth sores. Yay! Ready to start my third treatment of AC chemo.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Cycle 2 continued...
Day 17: I'm definitely shedding! I feel like it's still too early to cut off all my hair though. While I'm in the midst of my feeling-gross week, I don't really feel like adding a new hair style to the mix. I'm feeling more nauseous today, but the Zofran and Compazine are helping a bit. I feel pretty good as long as I'm lying down, though I'm propped up on a pile of pillows. I'm still no where near as queasy as I was during pregnancy.
Day 18: I've got the brain fog big time, and all I want to do / all I can do is sleep! If my first treatment was any indicator, I'll hopefully get some of my energy back by Saturday or Sunday. In the meantime, I'm so exhausted my teeth are pulsating! Eating has been a challenge the past couple days. I really can only stomach Cheerios, toast, and ginger ale. Even my beloved coffee is making me feel icky.
Day 19: I managed to eat part of a burger! My appetite seems to be slowly creeping back, and I feel like I'm craving anything with iron. My chemo plan allows for me to take a steroid on days 1 to 3 of treatment, and that definitely helps. Days 4 to 6 seem to be the hardest, energy-wise, and then day 7 I start to feel like a human again.
Day 20: Goodbye old friend! My hair was coming out in clumps today, so my husband offered to give me a military haircut. I thought it would be more traumatic, but I was just glad to have it finally happen. My head was feeling very sensitive and now it feels a whole lot better. It's just hair... it'll be back before I know it! My doctors said people usually lose their hair between days 12 and 17. Props to my hair for being so stubborn! I wore one of my wigs last night for a bit. It feels pretty natural. Then I slept with one of my husband's skiing hats... also comfy... so I'm going to invest in some more knit headwear for sleeping.
Day 18: I've got the brain fog big time, and all I want to do / all I can do is sleep! If my first treatment was any indicator, I'll hopefully get some of my energy back by Saturday or Sunday. In the meantime, I'm so exhausted my teeth are pulsating! Eating has been a challenge the past couple days. I really can only stomach Cheerios, toast, and ginger ale. Even my beloved coffee is making me feel icky.
Day 19: I managed to eat part of a burger! My appetite seems to be slowly creeping back, and I feel like I'm craving anything with iron. My chemo plan allows for me to take a steroid on days 1 to 3 of treatment, and that definitely helps. Days 4 to 6 seem to be the hardest, energy-wise, and then day 7 I start to feel like a human again.
Day 20: Goodbye old friend! My hair was coming out in clumps today, so my husband offered to give me a military haircut. I thought it would be more traumatic, but I was just glad to have it finally happen. My head was feeling very sensitive and now it feels a whole lot better. It's just hair... it'll be back before I know it! My doctors said people usually lose their hair between days 12 and 17. Props to my hair for being so stubborn! I wore one of my wigs last night for a bit. It feels pretty natural. Then I slept with one of my husband's skiing hats... also comfy... so I'm going to invest in some more knit headwear for sleeping.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Cycle 2
Day 15: Today I went for my second infusion of adriamycin and cytoxan. This time I went on my own since I had no trouble last time. I've gotten to know the chemo nurses pretty well. I found out one of them graduated from my college just a few years after me, so we had fun exchanging horror stories! Also, the chemo nurses (and some of the patients) take turns baking so I got to enjoy a delicious brownie and cup of coffee during my visit. I really thought I wouldn't like the infusion room. I was imagining people in there would be on their last leg and that it would just be depressing. But it's quite the opposite... lots of joking around and a general good feeling in there.
I started to feel tired and a little squeamish around 2pm (about three hours after my treatment) so I spent most the rest of the day in bed with my cozy kitty companion Chadwick. Nick got home from work around 6pm, but I was too tired to even get up for dinner, nor did my stomach crave any dinner foods. So he made me the eggos I was craving and then I went back to sleep.
Day 16: Back to the infusion room again! This time for my standard follow up shot of Neulasta, which helps produce white blood cells. I ran into a woman I had met once before at the Cancer Center and had a good talk with her. We were comparing symptoms and its always nice to talk to someone going through the same crazy situation. I had to laugh when I told her my tumor was the size of an orange. She said "Mine was the size of a grapefruit. I win!" Gotta keep that sense of humor!
I'm still waiting for my hair to fall out. Oddly enough, my nose hairs have fallen out! And I wouldn't mind not having to shave my legs for a while. It's really hard to tell if my head hair is thinning, because I shed like the dickens anyway! From what I've heard, it should start coming out in clumps any day now. Woot! And, gross! I'd really like for it to just happen already so I can mourn my hair and move on. Also, I really like my wigs!
Super tired and about to cozy up with the cat and do some relaxing. More to come!
I started to feel tired and a little squeamish around 2pm (about three hours after my treatment) so I spent most the rest of the day in bed with my cozy kitty companion Chadwick. Nick got home from work around 6pm, but I was too tired to even get up for dinner, nor did my stomach crave any dinner foods. So he made me the eggos I was craving and then I went back to sleep.
Day 16: Back to the infusion room again! This time for my standard follow up shot of Neulasta, which helps produce white blood cells. I ran into a woman I had met once before at the Cancer Center and had a good talk with her. We were comparing symptoms and its always nice to talk to someone going through the same crazy situation. I had to laugh when I told her my tumor was the size of an orange. She said "Mine was the size of a grapefruit. I win!" Gotta keep that sense of humor!
I'm still waiting for my hair to fall out. Oddly enough, my nose hairs have fallen out! And I wouldn't mind not having to shave my legs for a while. It's really hard to tell if my head hair is thinning, because I shed like the dickens anyway! From what I've heard, it should start coming out in clumps any day now. Woot! And, gross! I'd really like for it to just happen already so I can mourn my hair and move on. Also, I really like my wigs!
Super tired and about to cozy up with the cat and do some relaxing. More to come!
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Cycle 1, Week 2
Days 8-14: Happy to report I'm feeling pretty normal! The chemo fog has lifted and this past week I've felt like myself again. My hair should start to fall out any time now. Not super excited about that but I did pick out a few wigs that look like my normal hair. I was going to go different and go red but I didn't want to scare Alison!
I never did get the bone pain I was warned about when taking Neulasta. Yippee! Tomorrow I go for my second treatment of A/C chemo. My last A/C treatment is on July 29th, then I start Taxol. I'll be getting four treatments of Taxol, also biweekly, and if all goes according to schedule, I'll get my last treatment of that on September 23rd. During Taxol treatment, your hair can start to grow back, but you can start to lose your eyebrows and lashes. How your body differentiates between which type of hair you lose is beyond me, and my doctors, but apparently that's the way it usually plays out.
Thanks for all the love and prayers! :-)
I never did get the bone pain I was warned about when taking Neulasta. Yippee! Tomorrow I go for my second treatment of A/C chemo. My last A/C treatment is on July 29th, then I start Taxol. I'll be getting four treatments of Taxol, also biweekly, and if all goes according to schedule, I'll get my last treatment of that on September 23rd. During Taxol treatment, your hair can start to grow back, but you can start to lose your eyebrows and lashes. How your body differentiates between which type of hair you lose is beyond me, and my doctors, but apparently that's the way it usually plays out.
Thanks for all the love and prayers! :-)
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
More on cycle 1!
Day 6 finds me waking up drenched in sweat. Another chemo side effect... temporary menopause! Eww! It's Saturday and my husband and daughter have been out running errands while I couch it up in front of the tv. I'm still feeling sluggish and in a daze, but I notice no nausea at all. I'd much rather be tired than queasy, so I'm cool with this arrangement. My in-laws stopped by later that night to join us for delicious food from First & Last Tavern (my appetite is mostly back) and a game of Gloom... awesome card game that had to be explained to me ten times (chemo brain)!
Day 7: Today is "Meatfest"... an event organized by my husband and my uncle Bob featuring a smoked turkey and smoked "Boston Butt" <--- no thank you?! I learned it's actually a pork shoulder. Why call it a butt then? Anyway, I had some and it was amazing. Today I started to feel "the fog" lift and my body felt a little more energized. I went from noon to 9 pm without napping, which is a big deal for me since starting chemo.
Day 7: Today is "Meatfest"... an event organized by my husband and my uncle Bob featuring a smoked turkey and smoked "Boston Butt" <--- no thank you?! I learned it's actually a pork shoulder. Why call it a butt then? Anyway, I had some and it was amazing. Today I started to feel "the fog" lift and my body felt a little more energized. I went from noon to 9 pm without napping, which is a big deal for me since starting chemo.
Cycle 1 continues...
Day 3: Nausea is lighter than I anticipated. The killer is my total lack of energy! I found myself with the highest energy around 10/11am, and felt myself crashing fast by 3pm. At that point I snoozed until my husband came home around 6:30. We repeated our very basic dinner from the night before: plain chicken breast and half a baked potato. Actually quite delicious and probably just what my tired self needed.
Day 4: Today I went for a quick walk which helped my energy level a bit. Still very little nausea, but I'm feeling more like I'm in a fog (chemo brain?) and I'm needing extra rest. My in-laws continue to rock watching baby Alison while I get some extra sleep.
Day 5: Same deal today... minor nausea, totally no energy. I forgot to mention, Day 2 I went to the infusion room for a follow up shot of Nulasta, which will help my body create more white blood cells. Apparently this can cause bone pain since WBCs are made from your bone marrow. So it's likely I'll be feeling that some time in the next few days. When I went for my shot, my father-in-law joined me, so I showed him around the Cancer Center. It's a really nice place and I've had a great experience there so far!
Day 4: Today I went for a quick walk which helped my energy level a bit. Still very little nausea, but I'm feeling more like I'm in a fog (chemo brain?) and I'm needing extra rest. My in-laws continue to rock watching baby Alison while I get some extra sleep.
Day 5: Same deal today... minor nausea, totally no energy. I forgot to mention, Day 2 I went to the infusion room for a follow up shot of Nulasta, which will help my body create more white blood cells. Apparently this can cause bone pain since WBCs are made from your bone marrow. So it's likely I'll be feeling that some time in the next few days. When I went for my shot, my father-in-law joined me, so I showed him around the Cancer Center. It's a really nice place and I've had a great experience there so far!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Chemo Cycle 1 - A/C
My particular treatment begins with 4 biweekly treatments of two drugs: adriamycin and cytoxan.
Day 1: My sister accompanied me to the infusion room for my first treatment. We were there for about three hours. Most of the time was taken up by first giving me a steroid and then anti nausea meds. The adriamycin took about ten minutes, then the cytoxan dripped for about an hour. I actually felt totally normal while I was taking all this into my system! Around 4:00 that afternoon I was starting to feel wiped out and a bit nauseous, but I wasn't sure if that was just because everyone had been warning me constantly about how queasy I might get.
Day 2: I woke up feeling more in a fog, only a tad queasy, and pretty tired. Fortunately my in laws have been in town and have been a huge help in taking care of my seven-month old daughter, because I was feeling winded picking her up.
Day 1: My sister accompanied me to the infusion room for my first treatment. We were there for about three hours. Most of the time was taken up by first giving me a steroid and then anti nausea meds. The adriamycin took about ten minutes, then the cytoxan dripped for about an hour. I actually felt totally normal while I was taking all this into my system! Around 4:00 that afternoon I was starting to feel wiped out and a bit nauseous, but I wasn't sure if that was just because everyone had been warning me constantly about how queasy I might get.
Day 2: I woke up feeling more in a fog, only a tad queasy, and pretty tired. Fortunately my in laws have been in town and have been a huge help in taking care of my seven-month old daughter, because I was feeling winded picking her up.
The War in My Rack
March 29, 2012, I was diagnosed with breast cancer (stage 3, invasive ductal carcinoma in my right breast). From there, I underwent many more tests and received the good news that my left breast was cancer free. Despite that news, I made the decision to have both breasts removed so that I would never have to go through this again. My doctors agreed I made the best decision.
The tumor was completely removed, with a large margin of surrounding tissue, ensuring that the cancer did not spread to my chest wall. The less wonderful news was that cancerous cells had made their way into some of my lymph nodes. When that happens, the next step is chemotherapy followed by radiation, and hormone therapy. Oh, and blogging about it.
The tumor was completely removed, with a large margin of surrounding tissue, ensuring that the cancer did not spread to my chest wall. The less wonderful news was that cancerous cells had made their way into some of my lymph nodes. When that happens, the next step is chemotherapy followed by radiation, and hormone therapy. Oh, and blogging about it.
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