The past few days were rough for me. I developed a burning, itchy rash on my arm. Plus I have anemia. This caused me to feel like I was run over by a truck. I had to go to the doctor to get a shot yesterday. The doctor wasn’t sure what the rash was, but he thought it could be shingles. So I’m taking meds for shingles and an antibiotic just in case it’s not shingles.
I spent all of yesterday in bed…I feel a lot better today…two more shots for anemia this weekend…hopefully I’ll be back to normal soon.
And this is why I don’t think I’d have the guts to choose that kind of treatment. I’m more afraid of being sick than dying. I so hope that you start feeling better soon.
Just look at the bright side of life – due to chemobrain you may not recall just how poorly you felt. :smack:
Hang in there!
I sort of know how you feel. I’m still getting over MRSA, and also experienced the total exhaustion/run over by a truck feeling.
I hope you start to feel better soon. {{{hugs}}}
Hope this is of your liking:
Feel better 
~~~~~~~~~~~Gail~~~~~~~~~~~
^ Those are vibes and positive thoughts for you. Hope you feel better.
Hang in there, Gail.
Hang in there, Gail. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad. I had an allergic reaction on my first treatment and developed hives the size of half-dollars that itched so bad it hurt. It never happened again.
When you look back on this five years from now, you’ll say, “that really sucked, but I’M ALIVE!”
Some chemo drugs do cause itchy rashes as an allergic reaction (this happen to a loved one who was on carboplatin), so if the rash doesn’t get any better might want to ask your doc about that possibility.
Hope you feel better soon. 
Keep in mind that different kinds of chemo have different side effects - and affect individuals in different ways.
I have witnessed how one person will have a pretty easy time of things on Drug A, while Drug A will cause some nasty side effect for another person that requires them to stop the treatment - but then that perosn who couldn’t tolerate Drug A may go on to find that Drug B works like a charm.
There are fortunately a lot of different options nowadays both for treatments and for controlling the side effects of treatments.
((((((((Gail)))))))))))
It’s pretty crappy, I know. I cannot WAIT for mine to be over. Have you looked for a local support group in your area? I found one locally, the Pink Ribbon Ladies, and they’re a great bunch of gals who have been there, done that. The last meeting I was only there for an hour because the Neulasta was giving me fits, but everyone understood and said to do as much as I could and not to worry.
We have a tea party next month and I’m really looking forward to it. There’s still a bit of a little girl in me who likes dressing up and sipping tea out of a china cup and eating sandwiches with the crusts cut off.
Talk to your doctor about your symptoms. He may be able to give you something to help. The days of suffering from the side effects of chemo are gone!
Everyone is saying “Hang in there !” and I’ll say it too!
I’ll also add “I believe in you!”
I have never met you and probably never will, but I admire your courage, resolve and determination.
You have my empathy, I have never had cancer but was a child burn victem, and went through many painfull yrs recovering.
The hard part is feeling that no one understands what it is like , so I second the idea of finding/joining a support group.
You are in my thoughts, and what ever strength this gives you, remember I, believe in your strengths (even if you can’t find it sometimes), and everyone else on this board just wants you to get better, and go through as little bad stuff as possible!
Hugs!
FML
Gail, positive thoughts from Australia. You will do well.
Hang in there! I’m sending positive vibes your way!
And I’m going to take this opportunity to promote my favourite sport, and to advertise a little for some of the amazing women I’ve met at the various festivals around Montreal over the past couple years.
One of the reasons why the sport of Dragon Boating has become so popular over the past few years is because of teams made up of breast cancer survivors (although it is more accurate to say that some of them aren’t yet survivors… many paddlers are currently undergoing treatment!) These women are amazing; they paddle harder than any of us, fund-raise, give each other lots of love and support, and generally kick more ass than you’d ever expect from a bunch of 50+ women! The women I know fall in love with the sport, but also get so much out of working together to accomplish a goal, in spite of the illness that has affected them all. It is a great way to keep physically and mentally healthy, and an amazing resource for dealing with the emotions of cancer, and dragon boat racing seems to improve the lives of breast cancer survivors.
Since so many people are suggesting support groups, I just wanted to go one further and suggest a dragon boating support group! Get support and keep fit in one go!
Good luck to all you ladies who have/have had to deal with this; we’ve come a long way with treatment, and I hope that soon we will never lose anyone to breast cancer again!
(No, I am not a breast cancer survivor; I paddle on a corporate mixed and a community female team!)
I’m also posting to include my signature. This site provides free mammograms to women, and they’re trying to reach 10 million clicks this month so their sponsor will fund 100 more free mammograms. You can even set up an e-mail daily reminder.
Thanks all, the rash is hurting less and two shots later, my blood count is up…a little.
I coach the Dragons of Hope, the Thunder Bay, Ontario, breast cancer survivor team. They are my heros.
Gail, that sounds awful. You will be in my thoughts, and I hope you feel better soon, the better to continue the rest of the fight.
Many positive thoughts headed your way.
Positive healing thoughts coming your way from Orlando. If religious, prayers will be sent.
Cool! I am so in love with this sport - it’s fun to meet others involved with it! My teams never travel (beyond 2 hours from Montreal), but if ever you choose to compete in the Montreal area, let me know, and we can have a paddling Dope-fest!
{{{Gail}}}