Well, these last few weeks have been a bit mental haven’t they? What a bunch of rascals we are eh?
Can’t believe what you’ve had to put up with again T, sounds like your first FEC all over again - with additional piggy pain thrown in for ‘good’ measure!
Had quite a nice day yesterday and feeling kinda human today, but know the SEs are just around the corner waiting to kick in. Can feel my muscles getting a bit achey, but so far no sign of the dreaded breeze block belly - could be to do with the fact that I’m only taking ondancetron and none of the other anti sickness.
Off to write some jolly Christmas cards now, which are so dreadful I’m ashamed to send them…still, better than nothing.
Keep shinning like the stars you are,
Lotsalove to all
Loo
xxx
How are you Trumpet, hope it’s not swine flu!!! How unfair!!!
I went in for 4th FEC today, after bursting into tears as I walked through the door…can’t bear to be there…it’s completely phycological as SE’s weren’t too bad last time either. I’m on anti-biotics for an abcess on my tooth, which nurses said was fine!! But when they did my bloods they were too low to do chemo today!!! So have scheduled for next Tuesday!! Which really mess’s up Christmas plans and Visitors for new year. I guess I shouldn’t have been so confident with my planning!! Set myself up to fail!! Really cheesed off with the whole thing to be honest!!
Interesting what you say about 4 lots being enough!!! Why do they put us through 6 lots then??? torture…mentally especially.
What are the reasons for bloods being low?? Or is it just one of those things?? ONC is going to give me Neulasta injection to do next week, he said hubby can do it for me!! (yeah right!)
Arghhhhh! I’m really so annoyed to be put back a week, when I could have been sitting here now with no4 under my belt!!
Ooooo that’s harsh Sarah, sorry to hear it, but playing devil’s advocate, it is better to defer than to put yourself through something which isn’t going to do you any good. I have to say it was my worst nightmare that this would happen to me, and do really feel for you. Also, having to shelve my own christmas plans cos I was in hospital makes me empathise all the more with you. Hope that you manage to get a good week in this week as you build yourself up for Tuesday - and you never know the SEs may be kind to you - here’s hoping.
Trumpet, bet you’re delighted you don’t need to be swamped any more -guess you’ll be partying once the oink, oink fever (or whatever it is) has gone?
Had my acupuncture just now so nicely chilled - installed at my folks and just waiting for all hell to break loose!!!
Hi girls,
Sarah, sorry to hear your news, hope you are ok Trumpet, glad most of us seem to be on the up at the moment.
Well it is snowing here in Surrey and cos I am not going anywhere I love it!!! Wouldn’t it be lovely to have a white Christmas. Can’t remember the last one.
Can anyone tell me if a really sore mouth, like you’ve bitten your cheek 100 times and is spotty is oral thrush and if so what is the best thing for it? OMG it is so painful and driving me mad. All the other aches are miniscule and my fingertips aren’t so sensitive but I have red blotches on my hands which are a bit itchy in places and my skin is very dry. My antibiotics finish today and hopefully my sensitive stomach will improve. I can’t wait to stop taking all these tablets, some of them are huge and just won’t go down.
REally must go and write the xmas cards, is it too late for second class post does anyone know??
Love to you all, keep smiling,
Jane xx
Thanks for the well wishes! Yes, i am growing a snout as we speak, armed with tamiflu and a duvet, but really compared to chemo side effects its a nice break!
Sarah, it must be so annoying to get all prepared and then turned away that’s awful. I mentioned i previous posts i took that stupidly expensive ‘lifemel’ honey all the way through and my bloods were always good, i didn’t need any injections or anything. Think they were 6.2 at the last one, not that i understand any of that!
I agree that it’s the psychlogical thing that is really hard about it all! I was turning into a bit of a fruitcake having strange reactions to anything that reminded me of the whole hospital and treatment thing. I just can’t belive it is all over, it’s not quite sunk in… normal life, not grouped into 3 weeks! It’s going to be amazing and for all of us soon too.
Back to work for me on Monday, if i don’t catch another strange disease for the last two weeks of my show and then a holiday and radiotherapy. That’s another thing to experience!
Well, hope everyone is thinking positively about the good bits and making the most of them.
Trumpet - congrats for getting through your chemo still entertaining the masses - what a relief for you - must feel lile a lottery win, except for the dreaded pig getting hold of you ruining your celebration!
Loocie - hope all the lamposts round your parents are safe and you are not in deep tax sh*te this week.
Jane dry skin may be a se of chemo/tax!!! My onc gave me vitamin B6 (prescription version)and it has helped.
Have you got difflam mouthwash? - ask doc - if thrush then there is a drug - or nystatin emulsion to take.
Sarah - The bloods low is the neuts not recovering naturally during 3rd week (part of bone marrow/white cells that fight infections) and if you have the chemo then they will go lower and could be dangererously low - esecially if you get an infection - the neulast is great - one injection and the neuts are replenished even though the chemo then attacks them - mine were really high on Mon after injection last Thurs. I was put back a week after first and second chemo’s - know what a disappointment it is - I am a whole regime behind now lol last one on 20th of Jan instead of 5th!!!
I am a bit of an ‘expert’ as I have had the full set of SE’s on both FEC and TAX so far = except the aches and pains - which i can only put down to the Bowen therapy which has helped my skeletal/muscular sytstem enormously.
Saw Dr Dish my onc tonight and because I have had such a nightmare with first TAX he had 3 choices for me: (He says all my se’s were normal but extreme and that i am supersensitive - he is going to increase period of time on steroids so that i come down slower. May help with the madness).
Change to sister drug TAXOL which is not quite so nasty
Have weekly chemo injections- smaller doses!
Keep having taxotare but reduce the dose slightly
Have opted for no 3 as I want to get away for the weekend 15th Jan next one due on 30th so hopefully ok by 15th.
Feel like I am starting to crawl out of the pit of despair now and will try to do SOMETHING tomorrow.
the four cycles of chemo being enough for me really only applies to my sets of potential benefits so I think it’s different for everyone! I took my onc’s advice. I know what you mean about hating going to the ward - just being there made me feel nauseous.
I am sooooo glad I am not doing Tax, it sounds horrendous with everything you are all going through. I hoe you all continue to cope with things in the best way you can.
Loocie, I was reminded about your ‘licking a lamppost phrase’ this week. I have been taking everything I can find and which is allowed to help me through the hot sweats, which so far includes: anti-depressant vanlofaxine, sage tablets, zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6 tablets, starflower oil, oil of evening primrose oil, acupuncture, and to cap it all, I’m sticking magnets down my knickers. Honestly, I think I’m so desperate I’m falling for all the quackery that is out there,
The magnet thing is something called a ladycare magnet which I read about on some of the other threads - some people swear by them. Anyway, as Loocie says, I’ll even lick a lamp post if that’s what it takes.
So last night I had the first good nights sleep in 5 weeks, the hot flushes haven’t gone away (I’m having one now just sitting here typing this) but they seem to be more manageable or I’m just getting used to them. Don’t know if it’s due to any of the above so called cures or just coincidence or because I took a large slug of night nurse before going to bed last night lol.
My GP won’t give me sleeping tablets as he says I’ll get a dependancy problem. Now I’ve got to work out whether anything’s doing any good, I haven’t told the OH about the magnet yet but sure he’s going to laugh his socks off as I also wear it in bed at night, so he’s going to spot sometime soon.
Oh we can but laugh. I’ll laugh more when this cold goes, never seen so much gunge come out of a nose.
Still feeling really annoyed this morning that I never made it to no4 yesterday. Although I am pleased that they have a cut off point, wouldn’t want to get poorly unnecessarily!! Especially as my youngest has a horrendous cold this morning (typical start to Christmas holidays!)
Also I’ve been taking the Maunka honey…£20 for a small pot…not sure that was money well spent!!
I’m so tempted to give up after 4, I really hate going to the chemo sessions, although all the nurses and my onc are really nice. The way it is making me feel is not good!!
I’m also not sure if I should be going out and about this week now… if my bloods are low then i’ll be prone to catching something…but then I was out all last week and I didn’t!! Oooh!..this is just so confusing!! My white blood cell count was 3 and needed to be at least 3.5 to proceed!
I really need to snap out of this stoppy mood, before all my family fall out with me!! Plus, I have a lovely purple hand where the nurse pulled the needle out of me…ouch!!
Gemjunkie…do you do your neulasta yourself or get another to do it??
My husband did it - was really easy - just squeeze a lump of fat around tummy - look away - and he jabs it in - job done.
On last two FECS i was on granocyte injections for six days from ay 5 and they were awful as you had to mix up the compound before doing - very complicated - old chemo unit did not have license for neulast - i just could not stick the needle in myself - if you’re worried will nurse come round - or you go into surgery/hospital?
Lyn x
Hmmm magnets in your pants, now that sounds interesting - if that’s the right word? Must google it to see what it’s all about!!! Fascinating the range of subjects we get onto isn’t it?
It’s getting kind of exciting now what with people finishing their chemo. Hopefully those that are still on their journey can take some strength from those that made it through? It is pants, and exhausting, and debillitating, and undignified. Ultimately though it is do-able and will have a massively, positive impact on our futures :0
i’m now day 5 of second Tax and am doing ok - touch wood! Got some knee pain and am weary but at the moment, that’s about it. Just taking things really easy as I want to be able to play next week, so focussing on building myself up. My mouth is a touch furry but nothing like last time, and my belly is much more comfortable…long may it last, purleeeeeze!
Like Lynn says Sarah, the injection is quite straight forward and will be well worth it
Hello everyone, just writing to say I hope you all have a good Christmas and Happy New Year. Those who are finishing, well done, us lot coming behind, chin up, if the others can do it so can we.
It’s going to be about April when mine finish. SE’s have abated since Tues, mouth still a little rough, I found blackcurrent/liquorice sweets ( Asda) help with nasty taste
Off to Cornwall tomorrow as far as we can get from chemo great.
Take care, thinking of you all
Love Kath
Had my second FEC this morning - so far not feeling too bad - but there’s still time! Has anyone been brave enough to use their ‘bad arm’ yet for chemo? My veins are so much better on that side.
So 2 down 4 to go - not looking forward to last 3 of Tax, but hay ho we need to get on with it.
Hi girls,
Had a few bad days with this oral thrush, OMG it is sooooo painful. Have tried the chemist and now the doctors and waiting for the Nystatin oral suspension to kick in. I have not cried so much since the chemo started. sobbed in front of the neighbours, the doctor, on the telephone, on the computer, watching tv!!! What a wuss. I’ve going from hot flushes to shivering fits where I am so cold I go to bed almost fully clothed. And its freezing outside, we have about 4" of snow and more due. Thank goodness I have nowhere much to go.
I didn’t know we could have anything put in our ‘bad’ arm , wonder what happens if you have a double mx with any nodes removed? What happens then?
Hope you girls are all ok,
Love Jane xx
Hope you are all ok and not suffering too much. Have been in hospital since Wednesday, was admitted with neutropenic sepsis. High temp so rang chemo ward, they told me to go up to the hospital had a blood test
blood count was non existant (and that was with tum injections) Put on antibiotics then had to have blood transfusion! I thought tax was going to be hard but I didnt realise it was going to be this bad. Got to go back in on Monday to the chemo ward for more blod tests not happy with my last lot of blood results. So fed up. Have got 2 more tax to go and if I thought this was going to happen again I would give up. Take care all.
Love karen xxx
Looks like your having the same problems as me with Tax. I managed to escape my wee hospital side room last week…wondering if there’s anything at all we can do to help our poor blood to recover more quickly! I don’t fancy a repeat of my hospital stay after each round of tax either!! Talk about bored stiff…and I didn’t even feel unwell, which made it more unbearable!
I have my blood tests on Wednesday morning, prior to my next round of chemo on Thursday…fingers crossed my neuts are up 'cause I really don’t want any delays…my chemo doesn’t finish until the start of Feb as it is!
I’m still dead jealous of the lucky ladies who are finished after number 5 & those who are heading towards their last one…This’ll be 6 of 8 for me…only 2 more after this one!! WooHoo!! Can’t wait for it to be over!
Jane, a friend of mine had a double mx & has to have everything in her feet/thigh!
Not my idea of fun…had to have blood taken from my feet when I was in hospital last week…bleedin Doctor made a right mess of my good arm attempting to put in a venflow (tried 5 times then I refused to let her near me again!)…it was such a weird feeling, like someone was trying to give me a dead leg!!
Hi girls,
Hayz glad you are back and Karen sorry to hear you have been in hospital too. I wonder if the antibiotics I was given to take after 5 days helped with my bloods (even if they did give me that horrible thrush). Because of them I don’t have to have a blood test halfway through like I did with FEC.
The oral suspension has at last kicked in today thank goodness. I can actually eat something other than lukewarm soup!!!
Don’t fancy having the needles in my feet or thigh, do hope my veins hold out for my 2 remaining cocktails.
Take care girls, only 4 more sleeps til Christmas!!! Scarey!!
Love Jane xx
I too had to have blood taken from my foot, never again! It was so painfull and I have a high pain threshold! I dont know if it was the doctor who did it but its not an experience I want again. I have to see the consultant (Mr Happy - not) on the 29th December I am going to beg and plead for something to prevent this happening again. I dont know if they can give me something but, if there is, I want it! I hope you are feeling much better now and you are able to enjoy christmas. My last chemo will be on the 21st January. My next one is on New Years Eve depending on bloods etc. Im hoping I am able to have a bit of a break before I start radiotherapy but not sure if you do or not.
Hope you keep well Hazel. Take care of yourself.
Love karen xx
Hi girls,
Hope you are all feeling ok.
Karen, we seem to be on a par here, my next TAX is on new years eve and then around the 21st Jan. My ONC told me I would get a 4 to 6 week break to build up before starting Rads. I have to see him on the 30th to discuss Rads.
I hope I never have to have anything in my foot, doesn’t sound like fun. Sooo hoping my veins hold out for last two chemos.
Good luck anyone still having treatment this week and hope everyone else keeps well.
Love to you all,
Jane xx