Hi Everyone, Thought I'd post a quick update. I had my third chemo today and have a lovely rosy flush all across my chest and upper arms, looks kinda like a sunburn. I've been taking the SNRI anti-depressant Efexor (Venlafaxine) since my last chemo 3 weeks ago and it has helped ever so much with both the hot flushes and chemo-fatigue. I'm only having one or two hot flushes at night and barely notice any during the day. Big improvement. And everyone at work is amazed that I'm able to work 7 hour days, which I firmly credit to the Efexor. I've also been taking the L-Glutamine 30g per day for days 2-5 and it has helped amazingly in ameliorating the peripheral neuropathy. I didn't notice much change over days 2-7, but the difference at the end of the cycle, days 14-21 was fantastic. My hands and feet feel like hands and feet!!! That's my update - thanks everyone for being so supportive! Beccnat ... View more

Hi Louisa & Butterfly! I'm doing well  I'm working again when I can, up to five hours per day. I really missed my job and colleagues while recovering from surgery. The numb fingers are a bit of a problem though, as 90% of my time is spent on the computer! I still type faster than most of my workmates, but that will probably change as the peripheral neuropathy worsens after each chemo session. I did miss one day of work last week with neutropenia; my neutrophil count went down to .300, but my onco said I was probably safe going to work with a mask, as I don't work with the public and have a fairly isolated workstation. yah! Reconciled now to the fact I will have to leave my home and family for 5-1/2 weeks for my radiation treatments in Brisbane. I should be able to come home on a couple of weekends though. But that isn't until May, so I'll save that worry until later Beccnat ... View more

Louisa, Excruciating pain doesn't sound good. What is your onco doing to help you manage the pain? Beccnat ... View more

Louisa, Good luck for tomorrow and congratulations on getting the degree! I understand exactly how you were feeling when you wrote about everything going so well, then this cancer thing lobs in on you. I'm in the middle of a master's thesis. I had my first abstract accepted for presentation at a conference and was busy researching and writing the article when I got my diagnosis. Brain promptly went on holiday from presentation to overdrive on researching this cervical cancer thing. Never did finish the article and eventually didn't even get to attend the conference as I was recovering from my second surgery. I put uni on hold as soon as I was diagnosed because I knew it was a lost cause for semester 2 at least. But I've enrolled for semester 1 - now I just need to stop obsessing about cancer and get back to real life! Much, much easier said than done! Were you planning more study that is now on hold? Beccnat ... View more

Hi Everyone, I too, have been thinking about Louisa and wondering how it went. I'm on Day 15, Cycle 1 of my chemo regime. I'm feeling really good! Haven't had much nausea, no vomiting, but seriously serious constipation for the first week - better now! Am tired often! I got a number 2 buzzcut last week and dyed my hair purple on Monday! But today I'm moulting and it's half gone  I have my new wig, which looks fabulous, but I'll probably only wear it at work to make everyone less uncomfortable (this is me projecting onto others - they assure me it's no big deal as far as they are concerned!) My worst side effect has been chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in my feet, legs and hands. So much so that there is talk of reducing my dosage, which I CANNOT agree to. But I've done a bunch of research and have come up with a plan on how to manage and alleviate the symptoms without compromising the curative intent of my treatment. I see my oncologist on Friday, armed with my plan and scholarly journal articles and solid evidence-based practice to back it up. Will let everyone know how it goes. I've read two excellent books this week, both of which were in my public library: Armstrong-Coster, Angela (2004) Living and dying with cancer. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.  Looks at the experiences of 12 people as they pass through four stages of living with cancer and "shows how the experience of the disease and even the way it develops is affected by the social context of the people involved, as well as their own physical and psychological characteristics". I couldn't put it down. Schneider, Stephen H (2005) The patient from hell. Da Capo Press: Cambridge, Mass.  Illustrates how one man diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma advocated for individualised and sometimes untested treatment using his research and rhetorical skills. Some of his pushiness resulted in improved treatments for many additional patients. This guy IS me - I bow to the powers of research! Couldn't put this one down either.  I started back at work on Monday, only to have a very low WBC yesterday. So I took today off and probably tomorrow to be on the safe side. Think I'll get a surgical mask, because I really need to work as much as possible. That aside, everything is going great! Next chemo on Wednesday next week. Cheers,  Beccnat ... View more

Louisa, I may sound all cheerful about chemo now, but when I first started this journey four months ago, I was absolutely petrified of surgery, general anaesthetic, chemo, radiation and everything else. After I got through the first surgery and survived the nausea, vomiting and pain, plus the devastating diagnosis of very invasive cancer, I figured I can survive anything! The only thing I can control in this situation is how I choose to react. And I am choosing to be positive and not dwell on the awfulness of it all. Easy to say, more difficult to achieve. I have some seriously down moments! The fear of treatment and side effects is sometimes much worse than the treatment itself. I hope you will feel much better once your treatment has actually started and you see how your body reacts. Beccnat ... View more

Hi Butterfly, I had to take Dexamethasone last night and again this morning. They didn't warn me that I would be wired as all get out! Finally managed to get to sleep at 3am last night. The chemo itself was pretty straight forward. Six hours in a recliner! Got to watch the American football on ESPN which was a hoot. I had my whole family come to watch, as the chemo nurse had explained that it would be a really quiet day and it would be good for my younger kids to see what was going on, before their imaginations created all sorts of tortuous procedures. Came home and promptly fell into a deep sleep. Just woke up at midnight for a snack after eating very little all day! Beccnat ... View more

Hi everyone,My long wait is finally over and I start chemo tomorrow, just in time for Christmas!I had a port-a-cath installed just under my collarbone today and the family is now joking that I'll be able to dock with the MIR spacestation!I'll be receiving Paxlitaxel IV over 3 hours, followed by Carboplatin IV over 1 hours, preceded and followed by a number of anti-emetic, antihistamine and hydrating fluids. Whole process will take around 6 hours I'm told.I had a tour of the chemo centre yesterday - I'll have my own flat screen tv and wireless internet access! Don't think I'll take the laptop tomorrow though, because it's going to be very quiet and the chemo nurses have promised to play dress-ups with the entire wig and turban library with me!I'm just feeling very blessed that this unit has opened (in February 2008) only 1km from the university where I work and I won't have to trek 3-1/2 hours every 3 weeks for my treatment. I just really, ferverently hoping that I respond well to the chemo and can start back at work part-time at least. They need me and I need the money!Hope everyone has a very joyous holiday season! It's starting to feel like Christmas here; the temperature hit 31° and it feels like there ... View more

Hi Louisa, I asked my onco about the loss of bone mineral density thing and his approach is to test at six months after the start of chemo, because then I will qualify for a free bone density scan. I'm thinking "How will I know if I've lost any bone mass if I don't have a baseline to measure it against?" It was the same when I request my hormone levels to be tested. Beccnat ... View more

Hi Louisa, Some quick links to SSRI information: SSRI antidepressants and how they are different to other antidepressants:  http://www.australianprescriber.com/magazine/22/5/106/8/ Here is a basic introduction to hot flashes and SSRIs: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E5DE1F3AF930A15756C0A9669C8B63 SSRIs for hot flashes seem to be effective at half the dose prescribed for depression, and have a much better "adverse effect profile" (what ever that means - but it sounds good!) SSRIs are also being used to alleviate fatigue during chemotherapy with good results. On the down side, SSRIs have been linked to loss of bone-mineral density, which only compounds the effects of bone loss from chemotherapy and early menopause. Beccnat ... View more