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 Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:42 am
I looked up the two chemicals they are giving me, Taxotere and Cytoxan.
Taxotere kills the cells' ability to divide, thus slowing growth. However, it cannot target only the cancer cells, so other cell growth will also slow, so that I will have a lowered red blood cell count as well as white blood cells. This means the possibility of anemia or infection.
Cytoxan, interestingly, is derived from mustard gas (shudder). This chemical kills the cells outright, and one of its slightly possible serious side effects is leukemia. neutral
Both of these peak in their effect about 9 to 10 days after infusion, and are finished with the effect in 21 days, which is why I will be receiving treatments every three weeks. However, before each treatment, certain tests will be given, primarily blood tests. If there is a problem (say with red blood cell count - RBC) then treatment may be delayed until that problem is resolved.
I will be taking a folic acid vitamin supplement, and must be careful not to get cuts or bruises.
Concluding, treatment is two-pronged, aimed at killing existing cancer cells and aimed at crippling their ability to increase in number.
I imagine that if these treatments to do not accomplish all that is hoped, the mastectomy will still take place, and after recovery, further chemotherapy may begin, using different chemicals.
If it weren't me undergoing all this, I'd be stimulated to learn a lot more about chemotherapy and other chemicals used. Interesting stuff.
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Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 9:58 am
Thoughts about the white blood cell problem.
The chemotherapy kills all fast growing cells, which are blood cells. However, hair follicles grow fast too, being fed by blood cells, which is why your hair falls out.
There is concern about white blood cells since it is not a good thing to get an infection (even just a broken nail that goes through to the flesh) and not have enough white blood cells to fight that infection. During chemotherapy, one must remain strong, healthy and well fed.
So, the day after the chemo treatment, I am given an injection of Neulasta, a drug that causes the increase of white blood cell production. Well, that happens primarily in the bone marrow of the pelvis and sternum, which is where the terrible pain came from a day or two after that shot last time. It's all those new white blood cells blasting through those bones into the blood vessels.
So, one of the oncologists gave me a recipe to prevent that pain. It's odd, but so far is working. You take one Claritin every 24 hours, and one Percocet every 6 hours along with 3 or so Ibuprofen every 6 hours. This combination, for unknown reasons (the Claritin in particular) stops the pain, or at least cuts it way down. I have yet to see, but should know within 24 hours. I started the Claritin the evening after the chemo, and the pain pills the next morning. I have kept up faithfully, remembering that pain last time. Crossing my fingers, but so far so good. biggrin
EDIT: It worked! Almost no pain. However, the pain lasted longer this time, no doubt due to the fact that this is the second chemo treatment. I'm sure it will last longer next time and the last time... I surely will not forget to take that "milkshake".
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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 10:35 pm
I helped a neighbor a bit while she was going through chemo, 18 years ago. She went in to the delivery room with me when I had my youngest, since a c-section was one of the only surgeries she'd not seen. No one had much hope she'd make it through her Hodgkin's disease. 2 very large tumors should have killed her, but it didn't. The docs gave her a 20% chance of survival. She's still cancer free after the radiation and chemo. I'm glad the milkshake worked. I saw what she went through. Keep strong, and your chin up. You can do it.
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Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 11:46 am
pd2care I helped a neighbor a bit while she was going through chemo, 18 years ago. She went in to the delivery room with me when I had my youngest, since a c-section was one of the only surgeries she'd not seen. No one had much hope she'd make it through her Hodgkin's disease. 2 very large tumors should have killed her, but it didn't. The docs gave her a 20% chance of survival. She's still cancer free after the radiation and chemo. I'm glad the milkshake worked. I saw what she went through. Keep strong, and your chin up. You can do it. Bless you. biggrin We do have one member here who had Hodgekin's, and I believe overcame it when he was quite young. I know little about it, but I shall look it up. Sounds much worse than breast cancer.
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Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 12:10 pm
It was almost 20 years ago, so I'm not sure just how bad it is, but I know the only treatment options for her were chemo and radiation. They couldn't remove the tumors, or part of them, like withe B.C. and skin cancer.
I'm just wondering if that'd be a treatment if my skin cancer went into my skull. I'd not look forward to it, but if it keeps it from going to my brain, I'm all for it. I'm still incredibly paranoid about mine. I wish I wasn't.
You are not paranoid. You are scared, as are all of us with cancer. Nothin to be ashamed of.
heart
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 12:04 am
I'm not paranoid because my mother survived the same BC I have. I am scared, but not too much.
If I were worried about my brain, I would REALLY be scared, I have to admit. But today is a different day from 20 years ago, and they have so many different treatments, I would be comforted to know that.
I hope you are too.
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 9:52 am
I am comforted that treatments are much better than 20 years ago. But, it's still the brain. If it's gone in there, I'd like to know before I start showing signs, but I guess it's still too early to see, even with the scans.
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Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 2:54 pm
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Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 10:14 pm
I really hope I don't have to go there, but if I do, I know where to come. Thank you for the info. I'm gonna sort through it.
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 3:21 pm
Well I'm supposed to start Gemzar via IV tomorrow. (3 weeks on, 1 week off for 6 months) I really hope my hair doesn't fall out, how vain of me. @_@ My parents are expecting me to go back to work once I'm healed from the surgery and we see how I react to the chemo, but I just don't know how I'm going to manage that with the fatigue. I always got cut a lot at work, plus I have to handle leaking meat and it's just.. a dirty job. So I don't know what to do. ._.
Sorry x__x This probably isn't the thread for this but. I'm just a ball of nerves.
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 11:02 pm
der kuchen Well I'm supposed to start Gemzar via IV tomorrow. (3 weeks on, 1 week off for 6 months) I really hope my hair doesn't fall out, how vain of me. @_@ My parents are expecting me to go back to work once I'm healed from the surgery and we see how I react to the chemo, but I just don't know how I'm going to manage that with the fatigue. I always got cut a lot at work, plus I have to handle leaking meat and it's just.. a dirty job. So I don't know what to do. ._.
Sorry x__x This probably isn't the thread for this but. I'm just a ball of nerves.
No, it's fine, sweetie. I just found out my co-worker is on chemo for possible ovarian cancer. She's working. She's tired, but it keeps her from wallowing. She also still goes to the gym every day. But everyone's different. Try to work, until you know what the chemo's doing to you and how it affects you. The juice won't make you sick, but customers may, so maybe just working in the back (deli, right?) would be best, but you can cross that bridge when you get to it.
As for your hair....start looking for a wig now, and get one really close to you own hair. There are many places where you can get a wig made with real human hair, and they look totally natural. My mom had one, as well as my friend who went bald with her chemo. Only those closest to them knew their hair wasn't theirs. And Pam got her hair back in much better condition than before. It's a better color, richer, thicker, and more lustrous. She earned every single strand! Just stop by here periodically and check in, or whatever, and know we're thinking about you!
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Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 5:32 am
der kuchen Well I'm supposed to start Gemzar via IV tomorrow. (3 weeks on, 1 week off for 6 months) I really hope my hair doesn't fall out, how vain of me. @_@ My parents are expecting me to go back to work once I'm healed from the surgery and we see how I react to the chemo, but I just don't know how I'm going to manage that with the fatigue. I always got cut a lot at work, plus I have to handle leaking meat and it's just.. a dirty job. So I don't know what to do. ._.
Sorry x__x This probably isn't the thread for this but. I'm just a ball of nerves. It's fine. Maybe you should take a little more time off after the surgery just to get your mental health and physical health back to the same level? The chemo...it takes alot of energy out of you....I would take a couple weeks off before I went back to work. And don't worry about the right thread, it's good to get this stuff off your chest!
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Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 10:15 am
Thanks so much everybody!! Yesterday went well, they said my tumor marker went from 6000 to 300, so that's good right? I really don't know what that means but my mom said she was happy about it. But my blood levels were low so I had to get this shot to make bone marrow make more red blood cells. It really burned when it went it so that stunk. They told me to go on a diet high in iron so I'll have to give my mommy a shopping list, haha.
My doctors said they could write me a prescription for a wig if my hair ended up falling out, so I think I'll start looking at them just in case. I did also talk to them about the job thing, and they said it would probably be better for me to get a new one since the Gemzar is supposed to really screw up the white blood cells and the plasma.
The Gemzar went over well so far, it didn't hurt going in or anything. I guess we'll have to wait until the next couple visits to see if I have any reactions to it. Though while I was having it, I think I *imagined* a metallic-y taste in my mouth. I'm not sure, how weird of me. I also asked the nurses about ports and they gave me a packet about it, I thought it would be good to ask just in case. They said only if my veins harden so I hope that doesn't happen. They showed me how it gets put in and I'm just not keen on getting sliced up again just yet, y'know?
Thanks so much again everyone, you're all in mine and my family's prayers. <3
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Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 7:43 pm
der kuchen Thanks so much everybody!! Yesterday went well, they said my tumor marker went from 6000 to 300, so that's good right? I really don't know what that means but my mom said she was happy about it. But my blood levels were low so I had to get this shot to make bone marrow make more red blood cells. It really burned when it went it so that stunk. They told me to go on a diet high in iron so I'll have to give my mommy a shopping list, haha.
My doctors said they could write me a prescription for a wig if my hair ended up falling out, so I think I'll start looking at them just in case. I did also talk to them about the job thing, and they said it would probably be better for me to get a new one since the Gemzar is supposed to really screw up the white blood cells and the plasma.
The Gemzar went over well so far, it didn't hurt going in or anything. I guess we'll have to wait until the next couple visits to see if I have any reactions to it. Though while I was having it, I think I *imagined* a metallic-y taste in my mouth. I'm not sure, how weird of me. I also asked the nurses about ports and they gave me a packet about it, I thought it would be good to ask just in case. They said only if my veins harden so I hope that doesn't happen. They showed me how it gets put in and I'm just not keen on getting sliced up again just yet, y'know?
Thanks so much again everyone, you're all in mine and my family's prayers. <3
The metallic taste you got could have been a side affect. You didn't imagine it. Some chemo meds give you a flavor, even when you have nothing in your mouth. It's weird, but does happen.
I hope you don't have to get shunts, but if you do, you don't have to get stuck time and time again....they just open a shunt, put in the meds, close the shunt, you're done. Right? smile
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Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:05 am
Guys!! I only have... three chemo appointments left! Finally after six months I'm almost done. crying I'm so happy! I can't wait for my hair to start growing back. heart
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