Chemo

I have had surgery to remove a quarter size tumor in my right breast. I have had 4AC and 1T(taxol) so far. I have 3 more scheduled. With the first 4 treatments I had neuropathy of hands and feet--horrible pain. That let up a little and I had the 5th chemo---taxol. It is highly toxic my Doctor explained so they give a bag of benadryl before the chemo. I am a diabetic -type II. THe chemo attacked my hands and feet but also the bones in my legs and the muscles and different parts of my body. I could not work on the 3rd day and was laid up all weekend. My toes are numb and the pain in my body--I still take vicadin for pain---but as I am diabetic and there is so much pain---I put a call into my Doctor office today and am waiting for her to get back with me. I am a highly allergic person plus the diabetes--I am very afraid of the chemo and do not want to take it anymore. I cannot see being crippled and in pain the rest of my life--just to take chemo. Has anyone else had this problem and opted not to do any more chemo? I feel they got all the cancer. It had spread to one lymph gland and was starting in another. I would appreciate hearing what others have done. I have a friend who went through the same chemo, radiation--did just fine 5 years ago but we are not the same. She never had the problems I do.

I am a 45 year old female and I had a 2cm size tumor only on the right side of the left breast with a 1cm tumor in the sentinel node. The doctors felt my chances of complete remission were excellant since it was an early detection situation. The surrounding tissue was negative for cancer cells after the lumpectomy. I had 4 cycles on AC despite my heart condition, some nausea and complete hair loss were the extent of my dicomfort. I then had 4 cycles of taxotere. I experienced some numbness in my hands and feet, but continued to work 40 hours a week. At the end all looked great. CA Markers were normal and my CT Scan and mamogram after 33 radiation treatments came back normal. That was in January 04. I completed my chemo and RT on day before Thanksgiving 03. In April 04, my CA Markers started to climb again. I had a PetScan. The results showed 2 new tumors in the lymph nodes located between my heart and lung inside the rib cage behind my left breast. These were not there before. The cancer is back. I have now had 11 weeks of Xeloda and Navelbeine to no avail and have just completed 1 cylce of Taxol and Carbo12. I know we are all different. I have been lucky not to have bad side effects or allergic reactions. I am not diabetic. I have been able to continue to work 40 hours a week. BUT my cancer has been chemo resistant to every treatment I've had and I moved up from a stage 2B to stage 4. I am considered incurable. Please don't give up. I haven't. Keep working with your doctor to find an answer. Don't risk the odds, because your friend is different and you are different. Hang in there. I will pray for you. A nurse friend who has cancer told Attitude is 90%, medicine is 10%. Together you get 100%. Find something to occupy your mind and keep thinking positive thoughts. Good Luck.
teejay

Hi Galine:
I also had 4 rounds of A/c and 4 of taxol every two weeks. I had a lot of bone pain I also had to do the shots for white count. I had neuropathy in hands and feet. I hurt so bad I had to quit my job or they would have fired me, for calling in. I finished that chemo last Nov 27th. All the feeling came back in my hands and feet it took a long time I actually just started feeling like my feet were normal in Sept. I know the treatments are hard. I am now on another round my BC spread to the liver. I will do what ever it takes to beat this the best I can. I am not ready to give up. I know it is hard for other people to tell you what you should do, just try to hang in there. I have met some wonderful people on here, that email me and we compare treatments or just talk about how we feel that has been my greatest comfort, meeting people that know what it feels like. It's okay to have a pity party day I do at least once a week and even have a good cry sometimes then I feel better and move on. It's hard to talk about your feelings with people that don't really know what it feels like. I don't mean to ramble you just sound a little like me when I was going through all the bone pain.

Julia

I just wanted to thank you for you reply. It really does help to talk to someone. I was so sure I did not have cancer and then shocked and then sure they got it all and wonder why I am going throught all this. I finished my last chemo today. I have a mamogram appt, surgeon appt, oncology appt, radiologist appt. All short appts thank goodness so I can keep working so far. I have too The doctor told me today the radiation I go for every day will make me extremely tired. Now--I have kept up my energy with this shot the day after chemo--stimulate my white blood cells and it did work--I did not get extremely tired. Now I worry about doing radiation--trying to do it overy my lunch hour---but I cannot be so tired I cannot go to work. What did you experience with it?
I pray for you. I cannot imagine what you are going through --for it to comeback to you. You
were doing so good. That is what my doctor says--that it is so devious--can spread some else and be a different cancer. I am so sorry.
I went to a health seminar--it was about what we are putting into our bodies. I want to build my body back up and quit doing all these things. SO much is in our foods, our water supplies--all the vitamins and minerals have been depleted out of most everything. I am going with a group out of Colorad---called Natures Sunshine. They make a drink--that is the strongest --filled with antioxidants--it is
a flower from Taiwan mixed with blueberries, rasberries,grapes. Concentrated and an ounce is mixed to make a drink each day. Well--any way I am going to try to take good vitamins, change my water supply, exercise, and try to eat right and get my diabetis back under control. Lot of meditation and prayer. My best wishes to you---God Bless you. Galine

Hi--just wanted to thank you for your message--it meant a lot to me. It certainly does help to people who are taking or have taken the same medicines. I am so sorry it it back and worse. I will pray for you also --I think he is our only real strength but my family has been so good to help. I am 61 years of age. I work every day and my company has been so good about the time off. I lost my Mother last year and I think that has been the hardest thing of my life. I lost my younger brother in a car accident - he was 39 yrs old in 1990 and my Dad got bone cancer the died two years after my brother. Then at my job I see people losing their jobs, wondering how they are going to survive and pay their bills and their family problems---Oh--it is so heart breaking---then I
know someone out there always has it worse. And
the people on both sides being killed all over the world. Mary said to pray every day for peace in the world---I think we had better for there seems to be no answer but GOD to save the world. Well--I rambled on. I finished chemo today. I have a lot of appts--mammo,surgeon,etc--set up radiation that the doctor said will make me very tried. I have to go to work every day--I was going to try to do it over my lunch(radiation). One thing--I went to a health seminar last month--the chemicals in our foods, the vitamins and minerals being taken out, the fluride and other run offs being in the field being in our food and water. I am going to start the vitamin and other products from a company out of Colorado called Natures Sunshine. One on the products is a drink make out of a flower from Taiwan with blueberries,rasberries,grapes,etc. Mix an ounce with water every day. It has the most antidoxants?? In the world. I am taking their vitamins, exercise, and try to eat right. Detoxifying these chemicals, meditation ,yoga, prayer. I want to live a better life and turn
to God and be healthy and strong and give to others and live as God would want me to live - not as I want to live--right up to the end--and go in my sleep. And I hope GOD GIVES YOU MANY,MANY GOOD YEARS. GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU.

I am so glad to hear you toughed it out and finished your chemo treatments. No one can know how difficult it is unless they are in your shoes. I will pray that all was successful and your test results come back negative for any more cancer. I am still fighting the fight. My cancer has now gone chemo resistant for the fourth time and my cancer markers doubled. I had a CT scan the day before Thanksgiving in hopes that it is a false increase and that the two new tumors are shrinking. The last time this happened the tumors had doubled in size. The location prevents any additional radiation treatments or surgery to remove them. They are locate in the lymph nodes between my heart and left lung inside the chest cavity. As for the radiation, I continued to work fulltime as I am doing now. You have some specific rights under the American with Disabilities Act regarding your employment. They refer to reasonable accomodation for your treatment while working. Check into this. The radiation made me a little fatigued, like having been out in the sun all day. Just make sure you get plenty of quality rest and sleep at night. Also, drink lots of fluids, use aloe vera gel (available at WalMart)on the radiated areas and eat lots of protein and vegetables. I will continue to pray for you, but I think you will find this easier than your chemo treatments. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is NOT a train. Good Luck. Tracee

Hi,
Do not give up taking the taxol...I had adrimycin and cyclophosphemide, I am taking taxol at present...the first two did not really make me sick, I slept a lot but this one taxol nearly killed my feet after two days intaking it my feet was stuff and sore...but this will not stop me from receiving the others I am taking the second dose on 05-02-01. So you hang on and take yours...prayer beats all.