Chemo here I go!

@kmakm

Thanks so much for asking Kate! I've been pretty good. Working every day and not feeling so bad at all - just tired by the time I come home so I've been skipping the discussion boards and heading for bed early while the rest of the clan clean up after dinner (gotta be some perks, right?). I've just logged in to 120 notification! Will look forward to catching up over the weekend.

I've just got that 'out of body' feeling most of the day - sort of like really bad jet lag and my daughter cooked fish for dinner last night which totally permeated the house but I only realised that when I was wide awake in the middle of the night smelling fish! Opening the window (and freezing but living) was my saviour. Also my teeth feel weird and my tongue feels 'coated' - all stuff other people have talked about. I'm also feeling every edge of my expanders this week - weird - my plastic surgeon said that the chemo wouldn't have any effect on those - maybe he's wrong - it's almost as if I'm very acutely aware of lots more bits of my body. Hypersensitive maybe? 

xxx

How are you feeling now Yvette? Doing OK? K xox

@Eastmum How great to have such an array of lovely things to look forward to. Take it easy tomorrow girl. K xox

@Eastmum - glad u enjoyed your show and are still feeling so well xox

Im pretty sure it was @AllyJay who said at the beginning of this thread that it’s all likened to childbirth. So many different doctors, different experiences, different regimes. I reckon you just have to have faith in your medical team that they’re doing the right thing for you. If you have any doubts, ask all the questions and go for another opinion. 

So it’s the day after the first day. Was a bit tired and nauseous last night but really not too bad - and we did go to a show that finished at 11pm so fair enough I guess. Had a great sleep, woke up fine this morning and popped my 8mg of Dex then successfully spent the day at work and got neulastasized at 2.30. Did the grocery shopping and now about to make meatballs for dinner. Not expecting this to be as smooth sailing over the whole 8 weeks but enjoying the energy and hair while I still have it! 

Thanks @tigerbeth so far so good!! And the show was great - although I think I nodded off for 5 mins. Hahahahaha

@Zoffiel I’m really hoping he doesn’t suggest a picc line. I have one really good vein in my right arm and as long as that holds up for the 4 rounds of AC he said he’ll alternate arms for the taxol even though I’ve had a full axillary clearance on the left side. I think they can use smaller veins for taxol than for AC. 

@kmakm we have a big year with my brother’s wedding in August, my son’s bar mitzvah in September and a two week trip to Japan booked for December. I think he’s hoping I can just get all the treatment out of the way quicker if it all works out that way. Xxxx

@kmakm @Finch isn’t in it either. It so varied from Dex doses to everything in between. My oncologist is off to the big cancer conference in Vienna next week or the week after so will be interesting to see what she comes back with. 

@"Kiwi Angel" So peculiar! Because we had the same chemo and I didn't go to hospital! I am fascinated by how widely treatments can vary.

As far as I know, I've never had Neulasta unless it's in the pre-med's and I'm not aware of it.  If it's what you get with problematic blood cell counts, I definitely haven't had it.

@kezmusc & @kmakm I got told by my oncologist and the nurses where it get chemo - that in their experience with my chemo everyone ends up in hospital if they don’t have it. I’m just went with the flow as I trust their judgement and apart from the bone pain and which I can control more now I just go with it. 

@Sister I had read some good things about Strataderm here and mentioned it to my breastcare nurse. She gave me some samples and I really liked it.

Yesterday when I saw the nurse at the plastic surgeon, she gave me instructions on caring for my incisions, and said Bio Oil or Vitamin E cream. I went to the chemist and my very good pharmacist said those were fine but they were quite old fashioned and that there were better scar products now. He didn't have any Strataderm in stock and recommended Giovene. Like Strataderm you don't massage it in but smear it on top. So I'm massaging, applying the Giovene and then the micropore tape. Fingers crossed!