Chemo, round 4, very tough morning - need reassurance

Erin · 04-23-2007, 11:29 AM

Hello Ladies,
I need a little advice this morning. This is day 6 after my 4th round and while I felt like sh*t yesterday, it was manageable. Today I feel as if I am dying. First thing this am I was barely able to get out of bed to the bathroom without passing out. I was diizzy, and so weak I could not stand. Couldn't make it down the stairs by myself. I am a bit better now, I can get from one place to another slowly, and don't feel in any immediate danger of passing out. But this is freaking me out. It this "normal" for chemo, or something to worry about? My RBC and WBC were low prior to the last round so I am sure they are really low now. When do you just tough it out and when do you worry something is really wrong?? ....well, something wrong beside BC! I do have a call in to my onc, but have not heard back from him yet. Any advice?

Becky · 04-23-2007, 11:40 AM

This is very normal for chemo (especially when on a taxane). Although I did 4 AC followed by 4 taxol, I found the fourth round the absolute worst and then my 2nd and 3rd taxol were bad too. I fainted dead away in the bathroom after round 2 of taxol. Thank goodness my husband was there or else I would have front veneers or dentures for sure.

Be careful (especially since you have 2 more rounds to go) on stairs and in the bathroom during the first few days in the next rounds. The worse should be over with this round. If your counts go down too much, you can get some neupogen shots to help.

Eat well but be careful of raw fruits and veggies if your counts are way too low. Ask your onc to test you now!

My thoughts are with you. You are 2/3rds done with the worst part!! Yea.

Rendi69CA · 04-23-2007, 11:54 AM

Erin I hope you have someone around to help you. I am going to start chemo again on May 2. I was on chemo 10 years ago and I was in the hospital. I can't tell you much but have someone around you to help. By the way...I love your picture. It is so Beautiful. xoxox

Rendi

KellyA · 04-23-2007, 12:14 PM

Hi Erin,

I hope you are resting and feeling a little better. I felt very much like you when I had my treatments, especially with the AC. It was weird because I didn't get horribly sick, but after every one I would feel like I had literally been hit by a truck and had very wobbly knees and could hardly stand. I have a tendency to faint anyways (low blood pressure), but I had to almost "skoot" from place to place on my behind because I was so light-headed. Any exposure to heat just made it a sure thing. Please be careful and rest as much as you can. I pray that you will perk up very soon.

Love, Kelly

mts · 04-23-2007, 12:52 PM

I had a little bell on my night table. I would ring it whenever I had to get up or when I felt like I might pass out. I never passed out, but at least I knew my hubby would be there asap. Time does not move fast while you are on chemo.
I answered the door once when I was feeling more like a turd and less like caca and I fell on the way to the door. I just fell. Did not pass out, nothing to trip over... just fell. I felt so incompetent! It was the chemo. Interestingly, my skin never looked better though. Seems like the chemo had a "facial effect" on me. I did not have one visible pore, no redness... perfect. So there was one little good thing. In the end, the chemo was not easy but it was do-able. Try to eat- I know this is difficult to do whilst on chemo, but at least some crackers with a pasteurized cheese or something to keep up your strength. Try to "graze" if you can't eat much in one sitting. The combination of low blood counts, lack of food, empty stomach and the chemo itself are enough to knock anyone off their feet. Also, I am sure that constipation is an issue- but that will pass (no pun intented). I was dizzy, week, starving, constipated and nauseated all at the same time... I can certainly sympathize with your fears !

Hang in there, you CAN do it. Especially if you were active before and this makes you feel 125 yrs old. Just think of the chemo doing its thing and of you coming out of this phase with a squeeky clean, cancer free body!

Warmly,

MTS (Maria)

MJo · 04-23-2007, 01:16 PM

I never got to the point of passing out -- but I always felt like I was walking in my sleep on A/C. Yes it is normal to feel like Sh*t. Low red counts will make you feel out of breath and too tired to walk from the sofa to the coffee table.
I think it's good that you are calling your oncologist for feedback. I was on the phone a lot to my oncologist's nurse during A/C. I remember telling her "I don't think I can do this any more." She said "We'll get you through." And I did get through chemo. So will you. You really will get through this.

As we say, chemo is no walk in the park. Referring to side effects, a survivor friend of mine describes chemo as "the gift that keeps on giving."

Take care and please don't expect too much of yourself. If there is ever a time to be very very very good to yourself, this is it.

Melinda · 04-23-2007, 01:29 PM

Erin,
I am sending you positive energy to help you thru this round. We started this almost at the same time, you are a round ahead of me. I know your last round was "not a piece of cake" but you made it. Now this one and you are 2/3 of the way home. Come on girl, you can do this.
I would call you ONC to ask abaout your blood counts and see if there is something that you could do to help with the weakness etc. Keep a watch on your temprature. Keep trying to drink water or maybe something with added electrolytes. We are the TCH newbies, and with the support of all of these wonderful sisters, we are going to show them that we are warriors just like them.
Keep the faith!
Melinda

janet11 · 04-23-2007, 01:47 PM

Call your doctor. Are you on pills for high blood pressure? I was, and I had similar symptoms. It turns out that my bp had dropped WAY low. I went into my onc and they sent me for an emergency MUGA scan (which was fine).

So I had to go to my PCP doc. I've worked out with him that I check my bp twice daily and only take a pill now when I need it. So now, I'm only taking 1 pill each month, not one each day!!! And I'm not feeling like I'm going to pass out.

Believe me, before chemo, I NEEDED those pills daily. And now, I'm only on Herceptin, but I've only taken 4 BP pills since Dec 11, 2006 (*grin*).

Good luck finding out what's causing your problem!!!!

Erin · 04-23-2007, 02:21 PM

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and comments. I was starting to feel better but I had already called the onc and that sets a whole chain of events in motion.

Onc sent me to urgent care to check out my blood pressure, which was low, and went lower when standing. My heart rate climbed quite a bit each time I stood as well, so they are thinking I am a little dehydrated. Promised to keep drinking like a horse, so they let me go without an IV. I had been having a little problem with diarrehea over the last 24hours...but I guess it was more draining than I though.

Any truth to the rumor that the 4th round is the worst? That is something I have been hearing...hope it is true!

Thanks again for the support :-)

StephN · 04-23-2007, 03:08 PM

... the time when I passed out COLD at the breakfast table on my hubby's birthday on a Sunday. I was fighting mets and was getting both red and white blood cell support shots. But, the trial doses were high and needed reducing.

I awoke with the firemen trying to rouse me in my living room. I had really gone out for the time it took for my hubby to realize I was out cold, call the 911 and for the aid car to arrive. In the emergency, I was given an IV for hydration, they ran some quick labs and sent me to radiology for a brain CT to check for mets or seizure evidence.

The CT was clean (I was fearing brain mets!), and the labs showed a very low white count. SO low that the docs on duty decided to send me home rather than have me spend the night on the 7th floor with the other cancer patients! Like I was more at risk for getting a bad bug there, then going home to the bugs my body was used to. I was glad to be released with proviso that I get another blood test the next day at the cancer center. That test showed a marked increase in my white count as the neupogen drug just needed that much time to get back on track.

There were other times that I did feel dizzy and light headed, so that is NOT unusual and you are not alone on that. I am so happy you were able to go home. A lower blood pressure and increased heart rate plagued me all during my chemos. They are physiological side effects of your body trying to stay oxygenated while the red count is lowered. This also shall pass!

suzan w · 04-23-2007, 03:25 PM

So sorry that you are feeling crummy. I had a terrible time with A/C...every side effect in the book and then some. After the second infusion I developed a high fever and couldn't move. Ended up in the ER. Long story...bad ER (NOT the hospital where I was being treated...I am a ferry ride away from my doc and hospital and, of course it was in the middle of the night...Halloween eve...me, bald...looking like sh*%...scared one little girl there half to death! funny now, not at the time!)They sent me home after 4 hours of doing nothing. I went to my reg doctor the next AM and she was horrified that they had done nothing. She put me on heavy duty antibiotics and I skipped my next chemo. I was ready to call the chemo quits after that but did 2 more rounds, each one getting sicker and sicker. Eventually called it quits after 4 rounds...instead of 6. Looking back on it, I think I went into chemo with a slight infection of some sort that just got worse and worse. I am glad that I did the chemo, and have no doubt that I did the right thing by cutting it short. Hope you are feeling better and just know that some day you will look back on all of this and say, "Phew, what a long strange trip it's been...!!!"

Jean · 04-23-2007, 05:02 PM

Hi Erin,

Glad that your onc responded and you have everything under control once again. In regards to the rumor of the 4th being the worst....I found for me
that the 3rd trt. was the worst mid-way through....I was a bit concerned
about the 4th treatment. Turned out that it was not any worse than #3. As a matter of fact the 3rd was the hardest for me. The treatment is accumulative in nature and your wbc / rbc can take a nose dive.. I did have to have the shots for this.

Take a deep breath your rounding the bend and almost at the finish line. I realize it seems that this will never end - but it will. Wishing you the best.

Hugs,
jean

caya · 04-23-2007, 08:55 PM

Hi Erin

In Canada alot of us do - FEC ( 3 rounds), then Taxotere ( 3 rounds). I had my second of the 3 Taxotere last Thursday, and yesterday - Sunday, I was very dizzy, beyond exhaustion, very out of it. Hit me out of nowhere, I was so weak - it was me, my couch and the TV. I was also a bit nervous, but today I am much better, partly due I think to drinking more, although I am practically gagging on the liquid as my tastebuds are GONE, everything I can taste, especially water, is disgusting.

It's not easy, but we will get through it. My last chemo is May 10th (yippee!!), then my onc. wants me to have a month's break, have another MUGA and start Herceptin on June 7th.

Hope you feel better soon.

Caya

LisaElder1972 · 04-24-2007, 04:05 AM

So sorry that you are having a rough time.I had 4 DD AC and 4 DD Taxotere and I passed out on Halloween twice.Once on the concrete and again in a wheelchair once I got to the ER.My knee was cut bad and such a big chunk of it was gone that they couldn't even sew it up.I fell again on the same knee,opposite side 2 weeks ago,I am gonna need a new knee soon lol.I know the chemo just made me so weak I had to have someone with me 24/7.You will be done pretty soon and you will slowly get stronger.

Lisa