[fauxgypsy]

Christina,
I recently finished 6 months of THC and am now on herceptin and Femara. I have always had my treatments in a recliner. Not too uncomfortable. What I have seen on this board is that while there are some similarities, everyone's response is somewhat different. I am self employed which helped because carboplatin knocked me down for several days. I tottered around like a little old lady for three or four days. I just went with the flow and did what I could. My husband called it carboflatten. Only had it once every four weeks, with the taxol and herceptin. I had them alone for two weeks and then a week off. I did not want to take the nausea meds, I didn't think I was sick enough and my insurance would not pay for the whole prescription for zofran, so I called myself saving it for when it got really bad. (my stepfather died of lung cancer, a year and a half ago and I know bad when I see it, he was so sick) When I talked with my doctor he prescribed Emend as well . It is great. Take the nausea meds , particularly with the carbo. They helped me with the way food tasted as well, particularly the Emend. After the first treatment nothing tasted or smelled right. I really didn't need them after the taxol and herceptin. The premeds I had were standard, I think, tylenol, bendryl, decadron, aloxi, zantac or pepcid and after I changed oncologist, ativan. The benedryl put me down for the count. By bedtime, though, I was wired. I tried sleeping pills, nothing seemed to work so finally I just learned to ride it out. It is a great time to catch up on your email, houskeeping, etc. When it wore off, I would nap and be better by the next evening. I decided once that I would get them to lower my dose of decadron and I payed for it.

I drank Danactive yogurt that is supposed to boost your immune system several times a week and I did not have many problems with dairrhea. My white blood count did not get low enough to need Neulasta ( I think from what I have seen it depends on your insurance whether you get that or not). I did have to have arinesp or procrit for my red cells (one oncologist used one , the other used another.) But my counts did not drop enough to prevent me from having chemo. My platelets got really low once but they picked back up. The whole experiece was not as bad as I had thought it would be, sort of like having the flu once a month and a small virus the other two weeks, Weak and achy. I am on herceptin and Femara now and I just had a mastectomy in August but so far I am having no side effects from them. I haven't completely gotten back to normal but I am regaining my stamina. I have started physical therapy because of the mastectomy, I have an impinged nerve. I think it helped that I always did as much as I could, not to the point of exhausting myself, but to keep my strength. I continued to do faux finishes up until the middle of June, worked in my studio, yard, garden (using gloves), always listening to my body and resting when I needed to. We canned bushels of tomatoes and made salsa, put corn and peas in the freezer.
They used to think that if you were on chemo you shouldn't do anything and then they figured out that that was why people were getting weak and losing muscle mass. When I was first diagnosed ( supposedly stage 4) the doctor suggested I should go on disability. I sat around and moped for a few days. I was getting depressed just thinking about it. Then I decided that I was going to keep my life, stage four or not. I started scheduling work again, again using common sense.

My hair and eyebrows, which never left completely started growing back even before Chemo had ended. Eyelahes are a little slower. It has been way too hot here for a wig so I just put on a hat or a do rag, McCalls has a pattern and they look really cool in a fun print. I occasionally put on eyebrows and eyeliner, but vanity is not my strong suit so a lot of times I didn't bother. If you need makeup, look up the Look Good , Feel Better program in your area. You should start with all new makeup when you start chemo. Sunscreen was important because with the carboplaten, the sun made me itch. I found a no-ad one that was 45 spf, made for babies. It was really good.
I guess what I am saying is that your life can go on. Only you will know what you can and can't do. But don't make it the focus of your life, keep the things that give you joy and a life outside this cancer. Stay as active as you can and learn as much as you can. Eat as healthy a diet as you can. I neither lost or gained weight during chemo and that is what you need to aim for. This is great place for you to be. ANd remember-
In the world of destiny, there are no statistics!

Leslie