Feeling Better After First Round of Chemo

Well...I have finished my first round of chemo and I finally feel like I am getting back to "normal."  The first four days were absolutely terrible.  I felt like I had major food poisoning.  Ugh!  I finally had to get pills called, Emend, in order for me to function.  I am hoping that the worst is behind me and that the treatments get better.  I had the standard Carbo/Taxol combo for my first treatment.  My oncologist is going to have me do Avastin for the last 5 rounds of chemo.  Have any of you been given Avastin?  I am still holding onto the notion that I will be a lucky one on the hair issue...ha ha ha...kidding.  Really...Friday will be day 14 and I hear that is about the time it will all fall out.  I have gotten used to being almost bald since I buzzed my hair a month ago.  Anyway, I want to thank you ALL for being so supportive, encouraging, and sending your prayers.  God bless!  

[girlygirl28]

I am new to the site, but was recently just diagnosed. I will have to start chemo here soon. How long after your surg did you have to start?
I thank you for sharing your experience, helps someone like me out. Many blessings to you!! Have a wonderful blessed night!

[mariebean]

I'm glad to hear you have recovered!  I just finished my first round on Aug. 5th, it still amazes me how similar our situations are.  I'm curious, do you know why your doctor is having you do Avastin?  

[Jan214]

I am so glad you are "settling" in with your cancer.  That is what it amounts to.  Learning how to live with it.  Get some great hats.  Even if you don't think you will look good in hats  that is probably not true.  I looked horrible in hats with hair, but bald I look stunning, even if I do say so myself!!!! LOL  There are a lot of benefits like no shaving, no blades, no nicks, no shampoo, conditioner, expensive hair products, or stylists.  You will save a bundle!!!!  

I am glad you aren't too sick now.  How is the emend working for you?  I was so sick on Gemzar that I was going to try it with this Topotecan but haven't needed it thank God.  Does it work well.  I found that phenergan suppositories work really well for me, but they make me sleepy.  They work way better and faster then regular phenergan.

There are a lot of women on here who have been on and are currently on Avastin, and if they don't come along, I will write to them and give them a little nudge.

I am sorry that I haven't talked to you since you started coming on, but between chemo every week and there being so many people on here it is hard to keep up or write to new people the way I would like to.

Good luck and I hope it continues to go at least okay for you,
Jan

[justscore]

Glad you are feeling better!  Keep fighting!

[Sherrygail]

Glad you are back among the living.  I know nothing about avastin.  My chemo experiences have been carbo/taxol. Nine the first round and possible three this time. As for your hair,  I lost mine about five days after the 2nd chemo.  I have two wigs from that first loss, but this time I ordered hats and hairpieces which should arrive this week.  My oncs both assure me that as long as we are willing to fight, there will be new meds to help us.   Hang in there........Sherry

[Mags711]

I am glad to hear you are feeling well.  I had eight rounds of carbo/taxol last year.  I usually felt rotten for the first five days.  On the sixth day, I always had a massage, which helped move the chemo out of me.  I wasn't hungry, maybe slightly nasueos until the sixth day and on that day I ate whatever sounded good.  Continue to give yourself lots of latitude, take it easy when you can and enjoy the quiet time.  I am glad you have found your peace.  I think that is half the mental battle.  

Hope those with avastin experience respond.  I never like to capitalize the cancer or any of the cancer drugs!  I don't like to give them such importance!
Maggie

[jlock]

I'm glad your recovering from your chemo.  I felt pretty much the same way..bad for the 1st 4-5 days with gradual improvement.  My hair waited for about 19 days and then came out...like you I then had it shaved off.  While I thought I was prepared for it,it still didn't prepare me for when it actually happenned to me.  I think it's got to do with finally looking as sick as we really are.  Hang in there,you have a great atitude and will make it through this.  Sending healing prayers your way~~~~Joanne

[ILoveMyWifeForever]

Glad to hear you are getting over some of the side-effects of your first round of carbo/taxol.  My wife just finished off her last carbo/taxol/avastin treatment for her first recurrence.  Her CA-125 is back down to 4, and she'll be getting a PET scan tomorrow to see if all the cancer is gone again.

You may already know this, but Emend is a 3-dose drug that works best when dose 1 is taken right before the chemo infusion and then the remaining 2 doses are taken on the morning of days 2 and 3.  My wife took Emend and was also given Aloxi with her infusion, and the combination really helped reduce the nausea symptoms.

She did still have "body aches" and fatigue side-effects which are fairly common.  She took B6 and claritin (generic), and her last several rounds she tried L-glutamine to reduce the aches and it seems to have helped her a bit.  You might talk with your doctor about these ideas if you aren't already taking them.

Speaking of avastin . . . everyone is different, but my wife had almost no extra side effects from the addition of avastin to carbo/taxol.  It has caused some nasal dryness and a small amount of nasal bleeding, and she also sometimes has a bit of a dry cough, but that's about it for side-effects of avastin for her.  Other folks on this forum have reported other issues.

My wife and I have a 4-part prayer that we prayed when she was receiving her infusions, and we'll pray this for you as well . . .

* Pray that she will be healthy enough (blood counts, etc.) to receive the next infusion
* Pray that the infusion will go smoothly (no reactions)
* Pray that the side-effects will be minimal
* Pray that the treatment will be effective in eliminating the cancer

[yrrek]

Yae, you have one down and now also you kind of know what to expect.  Good Job.  I did not have to have avastin.  When my hair fell out it was more creepier than I thought, but it is good that yours is already short, it also hurt, kind of like a intense chill all over my head.  It fell out exactly 14 days out of first treatment.  I had a CT scan on Mon, bloodwork last Fri.  and will see my Onc. on Fri. for the news, hopefully all good.  I am glad to hear you are feeling better.  Kerry

[gma718]

Glad to hear you got through your first treatment.I will send positve thoughts and prayers your way...Keep fighting!!! Gia:)