Cancer Treatment Options Forum - March 1st, 2011 - 3 Comments
Any breast cancer/chemo patients out there near the end or over treatment? I am not even half way through?
the chemo part and I have to admit…there are days that I get down. My cancer did not spread to lymph nodes but was well over 6 cn. and no clear markers could be found for lumpectomy so we started with chemo and will do mastectomy later if still no markers…question isn’t specific, just if you have any info to help, I would be most appreciative…one thing that drives me crazy is this damn port they put in me…I HATE IT! thnaks
I can appreciate very much how you are feeling, having cancer is no picnic and either is the chemo and/or radiation one must endure. My best advice is to turn to family & friends for support, that is very important. I joined a cancer support group and we meet once a week, I can tell you meeting and making friends with people who are in my shoes has been extremely helpful to me. You need to stay strong, and accept the help people will offer to you. Last summer/fall and this winter, while going through this process I thought it would never end, but it did. I recently finished my treatment. The port is temporary, it’s much easier that having needles stuck in your arms for blood work and/or treatments. Please feel free to email me if you need support or a new friend to talk to. I wish you all the best.
I kicked it’s sorry butt ten years ago. Chemo is no picnic. The port is temporary. It was put in so they don’t have to stick you with a needle every time. Unfortunately it does irritate and so does the adhesive on the covering. Ask your chemo nurse to gently wash the skin around the port site, apply Sween Cream and use Skin Prep before the bandage is put on. If they aren’t using it already ask for a Tegaderm dressing. This is a gas permeable cellophane type dressing. Your skin will be able to breathe ,and stay dry.
Tubes and IV Lines
Tubes and intravenous, or IV, lines allow liquid medicines, fluids, and even nourishment to flow into the body. See the sectionon treatment at home for more information on tubes and IV lines.
Intravenous (IV) lines are thin, flexible, plastic hoses that run from a bottle or bag of medicine into a tiny needle or intravenous catheter (a small flexible tube) placed in a vein in your body. Some patients may have a port (like a small drum) permanently placed in the chest or arm. Special needles are then put into the port. Some patients may have long-term tubes (catheters) that require no needles.
Some medicines are injected into the catheter. Other medicines and fluids are given slowly (infused). The speed (rate) of the infusion is set by a roller clamp on the tube, by a balloon that squeezes out the medicine, or by an electronic pump.
Tube feedings are liquid food that is given through a tube placed in the stomach or the small intestine. The tube may go in through the nose or the wall of the stomach.
Oxygen may be given through masks or little tubes placed just inside the nostrils called nasal cannula. Tubing connects the mask or cannula to the oxygen tank or oxygen concentrator.
An important difference between these types of tubes is that anything that goes in the IV line must be sterile (completely germ free) in order to avoid putting germs into the bloodstream and causing infections. IV equipment is used only once. It must be handled carefully to keep germs out of the body. After use, it is thrown out and replaced with new, sterile equipment fresh out of the package.
Tube feedings and oxygen tubes are kept clean, but do not have to be sterile. Tube feeding or oxygen equipment can be re-used as long as it is used by the same person. When tube feeding bags need cleaning, liquid soap and water are fine.
People getting chemo, antibiotics, hyperalimentation (hi-per-al-uh-men-TAY-shun, also called total parenteral nutrition, or TPN), tube feedings, and/or oxygen at home may be faced with many tubes and IV lines that they must learn to keep track of and use safely. At first it may seem confusing, but you can master taking care of many tubes or lines. A home health nurse will help you learn. Usually, chemo and blood products are given by a nurse who comes to your home. You and your family will be able to manage most other IV medicines. If you cannot, other plans will be made for you to get your treatment.
What the patient can do
IVs:
* Focus on only 1 set of lines at a time. If you get frustrated, just take a deep breath and start again.
* Color code each set of lines with colored tape. For example, red for chemo, green for antibiotics, etc. Keep a record of what you have marked. You may want to use blue tape on oxygen tubes to keep them clearly separate from the IV lines.
* For permanent IV sites (such as Hickman®, Port-a-Cath®, PasPort®, or Infusaport®):
Keep extra clamps handy at all times.
If a tube breaks and you notice blood leaking out, clamp the tube between your body and the leak and call your doctor right away.
Shower facing away from the shower head. If you have an electric pump, unplug it before showering or bathing to avoid an electrical hazard. Try to keep the dressing dry, but change it if it gets wet.
Watch for redness, swelling, pain, and tenderness at the site.
We had breast cancer Triple Negative Stage 2 B with three lymph nodes involved. The margins were not clear so our oncologist shrank the tumor with 12 weeks of two chemotherapy drugs. Originally the size was 4.78 cm. but it had tentacles like an octopus so we had no choice but getting a mastectomy.
Once the surgery was done we waited a time and continued Taxol treatments 12 weeks worth and then did 6.5 weeks of radiation and the last week was a booster to the chest wall.
Having TNBC options were not available to us so we did everything we were asked to do by our oncologist and they said we would have about an 82-85% survival rate for a five year period. The thing about TNBC is that it is pretty aggressive and usually returns within three years of diagnosis. If it does not show up then it is unlikely to later on.
The port is uncomfortable (our cat jumped on my wife’s chest the first week it was installed) so during the entire time it was a little tilted. Becky was so happy to be rid of hers too, but it beats getting your veins torn up and possibly burnt from chemotherapy.
The mastectomy was the easiest part of the treatment. Surgery was about 45 minutes with an overnight stay in the hospital. I learned a technique on how to empty her drain but this is after I almost pulled it out. Have somebody pinch the tube nearest your skin, and make sure it is there tightly so that nothing can move the tube. Then squeeze about six or seven inches down the tube. Once you have done that remove the pinch down to the new point, then pinch hard there with your right hand. Move the left hand along the tube to a new point and repeat that process until all liquid is in the drain. Measure it and dump. The drain was in about a week then we had it removed. For the actual pain my wife was on Percocet for about a day and when she went home she took Advil so it was not too bad.
It seems while you are going through treatment a very long process and in a way it is but one day it will all be over with. Radiation was the hardest part of our treatment because my wife is very light skinned and usually avoids sunning.
March will mark one year since Taxol treatments and ten months since radiation. Our oncologist says that it takes the amount of time you went through treatment to start feeling your new "normal".
Fatigue gradually goes away, my wife’s chemo-brain is getting better, and she is reaching out into the local cancer community. She is taking singing, writing, and yoga classes.
The fear I have that her cancer could return is very real to me, I try to not concentrate on it and instead we do fun things together. My wife began treatment on 7-08 and has not been able to work, she believes she could be ready sometimes next month, but in her field there are no jobs available, but at least she thinks her energy levels are good enough to re enter the job market.
My advice would be to focus on the part of the journey you are on, keeping your mind and body in the best condition for where you are at. Doing this you will concentrate on the moment and not worry too much about things you cannot control. (I am taking my own advice). Drink lots of water, eat good proteins, read positive books, be around people that are uplifting, enjoy family and friends, and walk.
I wish you the best, I do post in another forum for Triple Negative Breast Cancer Patients, it has good advice and some really friendly people there, so here is the link if you want to join us:
http://www.tnbcfoundation.org/ If you go there you can send me a message and I will reply, I am "scared" and my name is Dave.
Wishing you the best!