Thanks Hazle, Lulu helps knowing that Iām not odd! Like you Lulu, it is always the week before the next dose that they go into overdrive. I did invest in some nearly clear sunglasses which help when out of doors, although I feel a bit Dame Edna in them.
I have to confess, that my eyelashes are one of my favourite parts of my body and am more gutted about loosing them than any other hair (although surprisingly I was a bit upset when the bits I wax to within an inch of their lives started to goā¦bit disturbing after all these years of being hairy). I no longer have any bottom lashes - not eyelashes on my bottom, butā¦well you know what I mean! And, those on the top lid are really sparse, might need to get the ol falsies out when I re-emerge towards the end of next week. 'Nother learning curve!
I love the thought of your eyebrows being trifid like Hazel, and like you donāt want mine to vanish completely. I understand you can get eyebrow powder now which gives a far more natural lookā¦might look some out, on the other hand I may adopt a completely naked look and go without anything! How scary would that be for peopleā¦ LOL would love to see their faces.
Running away now to finish paking my bag. Off to my folks for a week, providing they chemo me tomorrow. Hope my bloods and my PICC line donāt conspire against me.
Keep well and perky folks, will be back soooooooooooooooooooon
xxx
Hello again girls,
Just had to add that I just had a vision of ladies running around with bottom lashes (on their bums) licking lampsts. Sorry but it made me giggle!!!
Keep it up ladies,
Jane xxx
Well, I just said hello again because I typed out a long post pressed submit and the rotten thing has disappeared. Why does this keep hapening to me??? Iām sure Iām not doing anything wrong (much).
So lets try again, how are you all, I am certainly feeling better today about the same as this day last time. Nausea more or less gone, foggy head back (probably something to do with missing messages). The carpet fitters moved in again last night. Same horrible colour as last time.
Has anybody had any strange marks come up on their skin. I have an oval come up on my right elbow about an inch away from where they take my blood. Its about an 3cms across and the outside is slightly darker than the inside. No itching or pain, just a big blob. Any ideas??
Ses and Linbin, I asked my chemo buddy how long the nurse took yo give me my concoction last week. She thought about 40 mins probably the same as the first time and said she wasnāt in a hurry to put it in. Maybe I was looking for an excuse to why I felt sicker!!
My sister āhas a friend who is a nurseā who reckons the second dose is the worst and the third is easier. I donāt know what her experience is in this but I hope she is right. Something to look forward to for the third timers. Not that I have really had much to complain about.
Hope you are all having a reasonable weekend, good luck to Loocie for tomorrow and anyone who back for more this week, love to you all,
Jane
just thought Iād pop in and say hi. Hope youāre all doing better than me, Iām on day 5 and feeling absolutely yuk. Not sure this is really all worth it, think Iād rather take my chances with the cancer recurring. However, I do remember thinking exactly the same thing this time last cycle, so who knows?
got one side effect stacking up on top of another and just waiting for another infection to kick in - got spots on my tonsils now and a sore throat - think Iām getting paranoid!
Sorry to be miserable - canāt even type straight now. Got my look good feel better session on Tues which I should be looking forward to except Iāve still got all my hair including eyelashes so I think theyāll think Iām a bit of a fraud! Still, I am going bald on top a bit though, so perhaps I can show them that!
Keep those SEs at bay and good luck to all hitting the cocktail this week.
Hi, i am having chemo before surgery and have now had 4x EC and 2x docetaxel. 2 more docetaxel to go. I think that with each cycle there has been a point were i have thought, no, cant do more of this. I think though because i still have the tumour it helps to see that the chemo is actually doing something. I admit i wish it was shrinking more but who knows when they remove it, it may just be a tumour of dead cancer. I think its important to try and keep in mind that yes the chemo is making me feel awful, but its killing the cancer and for me certainly thats got to be worth it. I hope everyones side effects are starting to disappear now, or will do soon, i am feeling slightly better today, pains are approaching but armed with codeine this cycle, not needed it yet though.
take care
anna
I really sympathise as I have had the same side effects, yukiness and thoughts as you. I am also day 5, nausea mostly better but I then I get the revolting throat (twice out of 3 times) - looks like I have a load of dandruff at the back of my throat!!, difficult to swallow and lumpy. Iām pretty sure itās thrush and the fluconazole does work - bit better today.
I have also been saying to my OH about thinking of not having any more and taking my chances. I think though I probably said that last time and then when day 10 ish comes I start forgetting, and then itās back again for the next lot. I feel like a manic depressive at the moment, swinging from despair to a high - itās weird and not like me at all.
I know what you all mean about the bottom eyelashes - put a bit of make-up on today for the first time in 5 days. Couldnāt really find any bottom eyelashes but decided to go ahead anyway and ended up smearing mascara under my eye which just made me look like I was dressing up for Halloween or some freak from the Munstersā¦ well it scared me! LOL
Just wondered if you are down for the look good thing at the Breast Haven in Fulham on Tuesday, i am ment to be going but not sure whether i want to . Tend to want to try and forget all about the stuff for two weeks as much as i can!
Donāt know if i have mentioned this stuff to everyone, but have been taking LifeMel Honey since the start of chemo and absolutely fingers crossed bloods have been fine and two weeks after chemo have been fine. It is really stupidly priced at Ā£38 pound for a small jar, but a jar has lasted a month and i think itās great stuff!
Anyway, back to coronation street and hopefully normality for two weeks!!
Good luck to everyone this week, keep going!!! xxxx
Not been on the thread for a while as busy with children last week who were off for half term.
Sorry to hear that a few of you have not been doing very well with side effects and hope you all feel better soon.
I go for my second Epi on Friday and wondering how I will feel. The first one was Ok apart from feeling really cold all evening because of the cold cap and then I just had some slight nausea and lack of energy. Getting ready for more side effects this time!!
Sorry, just had to come on here and rant - not having a good day - just discovered I have broken a tooth - split it completely around a root canal filling. It probably means the tooth will have to come out, which is something you canāt do while on chemo due to risk of infection. Not sure what to do now, waiting for the chemo nurses to come up with a cunning plan.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!
Why canāt anything go right?
I think I might be getting my sense of humour back - about bl*dy time too, just wonder what else can go wrong?
Iām off to the LGFG workshop at Southampton General, so not in London. I know what you mean about not wanting anything to do with the chemo/cancer on your good days. Iām going because itās the last chance before Christmas and Iām looking forward to the little goody bag Iām promised Iāll get.
After I had neutropenia last cycle I took manuka honey and aloe vera gel (totally disgusting stuff, the gel, not the honey) and my neutrophils went from 0.8 to 6 in 5 days - pretty amazing. Not sure if it was anything to do with the honey etc. but Iām sure it canāt hurt. Iām not taking it while the chemo is doing its nasty thing to my cells just in case it interferes with things but will start again at the end of this week. Iām on granocyte injections now so probably wonāt have the problem again, but worth bearing in mind for those who think they might need it.
Hi Helen, just to say that i am due to have 2 teeth out on the 30th november and the docs seem fine with that. It was supposed to come out at the beginning of chemo as pre chemo i had an infection, but due to rubbish local hospital its coming out just before my 8th cycle. They have said that they will give me an injection of antibiotics before extraction, then oral antibiotics to take home. I think at this stage i would be tempted to wait till after chemo anyway but will see what oncologist thinks is best.
good luck
anna
I just read you post about oral thrush. Iām a Respiratory Nurse as well as having BC. A lot of my patients get oral thrush, dur to inhaled steroids. I always recommend pineapple, as its supposed to help. I think it can be in any form, either juice, fresh or tinned.
It may be worth giving in a go, if its not contra-indicated with other meds!
Trumpet - I am really pleased to have read your post on LifeMel. I had read up about it and my sister got me some just before chemo started. I rang my hospital to see if it was ok to take but they said that I should not take it as they thought one or two of the herbal plants that the bees are fed with would interact with FEC. I was fed up a) because it is so pricey but b) and more importantly it claims that if you take it 5 days prior to next chemo it boosts your immune system and white cells etc. I am quite happy to take that risk but felt put off by their advice. Might ring them again as surely it would be ok in between cycles? Anyway I was really interested to read that you take it - my neutrophils were only just ok last time to have chemo, so am expecting them to be even lower this time.
Julia - thanks for the advice re pineapple. I think itās getting better now, but will have it ready for next time.
Helen - I was going to say āanother kick in the teethā it must certainly feel like thatā¦ good god girl what are you doing to yourself?? Bad enough having no hair, but toothless too!! Probably not your best look.
And Anna too!! We certainly wouldnāt have needed to dress up for Halloween!
Lynn x
Just caught up with a week of posts - such a lot gone on. The yucky nausea returned big time las Sunday and lasted until Friday. I have 3 ranges of nausea
1 Alchohol poisoning level - really want to puke but cant - unbearable.
2 Hangover level - debilitating but bearable - just.
3 Morning sickness - or all day - feels better whn you eat carbs - then comes back again - bearable and can function.
So nausea cleared by day 11 and have had a bit of a life since then.
I have not had so much mouth problems this time - no ulcers or thrush but still dry mouth.
Had a scream with the granocyte injections; got the first one all ready - squeezed the flab on my tummy - and just could not inflict myself to injection - so poor OH had to do it - he was shaking - managed to get first one in ok. The next few not so easy - he cocked up one night and changed to the thin needle too early and ended up bending it - I was ecstatic and proclaimed - āthats good I wont have it tonightā - next night i decided to stop watching as he injected and kept thinking it was goin in and he had not squeezed the bloody syringeā¦ one night he went in too shallow and the skin started to bubble so had to re-position - wish we had arranged for nurse to come inā¦I did get some shooting pains in lower back - above cocyx! and swollen feet and ankles, headaches - but bearable - nausea is what gets me down.
Oh and the hot sweats ------ FEC definately brings these on.
So now i am on a high feeing nearly normal and a week to go before number 3!!! Bring the bugger on!!!
Hope those who are swamping this week cope with it better. Have visons of all these toothless - hairless zombie ladies - hope my teeth hold out.
the Bowen treatment is really helping - so relaxing but aso invigorating.
Keep your chins up - most of us are halfway through - or nearly in my case - and the end is getting nearer - Lynb xxxxxxx hugs xxxxxx
OMG Lyn, I canāt believe you are going through that with your injections! I have to have the granocyte injections too, but the district nurse comes every day and does them for me. I said I would have a go at doing them myself but not till I felt like my brain was operating again - I might have a go if the nurse will show me what to do this morning. There is no way my OH would do it - he hates needles etc. and I wouldnāt trust him within an inch of my veins with something sharp! I donāt seem to have many SEs from the injections although yesterday my chest and shoulders really hurt. It might have been indigestion, the injections or a heart attack as far as I could tell- quite honestly Iāve given up trying to work out what is going on.
Donāt you get peeved when people say ā well, arenāt you looking goodā as though youāve just come back from a holiday in Spain! Even my GP said it to me yesterday although he did admit I probably wasnāt feeling too good. Itās that healthy epi glow and the steroids making my face fat - evens out the wrinkles I suppose. Dread to think what Iāll look like by the end of it all - bald spot on the top of my head, toothless grin, haggard wrinkly faceā¦
Feeling like I might be rejoining the human race this morning - at least donāt feel sick today, just the indigestion and yukky mouth now.
Off to the dentist later to see what can be done. If itās not one thing itās another, I keep wondering whatās next in line.
Iād just like to proudly announce that I successfully stuck a needle in my stomach this morning! Did my first granocycte injection to myself today, under the supervision of the district nurse. It didnāt really hurt - the squeezing in of the solution hurt more than pushing the needle in, but really no big deal. It was far more complicated sorting out the actual injection - adding one vial to another, changing needles, drawing it off etc. I did practice on a tangerine before hand, though.
I feel I need a badge to say Iāve achieved something. Like when kids go to the dentist without making a fuss.
Itās the little things which keep us happy isnāt it?
Gold star! Iām not sure I could manage it. Gosh its neverending this torture eh???
I had my final FEC (hooray) last week and am just getting ready to go see my dad and sister in Wales. Be nice to get away for a bit and get a change of scenery. Iām not sleeping too well at the moment. Too many things going on in my mind.
I have been a little down as I had my herceptin result back and it was positive - means more needles and more treatment. I realise now that itās for my own benefit, but whenever I see the consultant I always get a knock back. Is anyone else having to have herceptin?
Also, anyone started Docetaxel (Taxotere) yet? My veins are killing me and just wondered if it gets any easier?
hi everyone,
Helen well done with the injection, hope things are getting better for you.
Reemiechick i am currently on docetaxel and its very different to the EC. I have had 2 cycles of it and found the 1st one the worst by far. This 2nd one wasnt too bad though and very doable. Id say the side effects are more intense but i felt mainly back to normal by day 6. hope it goes well for you.
anna
helps knowing that Iām not odd! Like you Lulu, it is always the week before the next dose that they go into overdrive. I did invest in some nearly clear sunglasses which help when out of doors, although I feel a bit Dame Edna in them.