My appt is other side of Hamps in Basingstoke. Thanks for the tips on porridge, I have gone out and bought the single simple variety pack as I think these taste better than normal stuff.
I too hate the thought of being sick so I have got my ginger ale, biscuits and am taking some fizzy drinks with me when I have treatment. I have got also got the spare bed ready in case I find myself being wide awake in the middle of the night and don’t want to disturb OH.
Hope all goes well with your Rads tomorrow. Keep us updated.
Best of luck Anne and look forward to hearing how you get on.
Hi Babs and Anne,
Good luck to you both Thursday - l was told to eat light on the day of chemo. I was ok with a sandwich at lunchtime (my chemo was usually at 4pm)and when I got home I had a piece or two of toast. Take all the tabs you are given if you do feel nauseous. We are all so different with the side effects but just a couple of tips:-
Use the mouthwashes or and salt/bicarb mouthwash - for the furry tongue and to help prevent thrush.
Take last lot steroids not much later than 3pm - otherwise you will be awake all night!
Ondansetron (usually given for nausea, with dexamethasone and 1 other) can be very constipating, so you may need laxatives.
Lorazepam - anti-anxiety tab and also good for anti nausea taken an hour or so before chemo is good for keeping you calm.
Omeprazole/Lansoprazole - good for indigestion
Eating little and often - bland foods to start with like toast, Jacket potato etc
Drink++
Like Jane said the time does actually go quite quickly and it will be over before you know it. Good luck to you both. Don’t be worried to share anything - I think we’ve heard it all on here!! LOL
Lynn x
Well, I’m a week from tax number 3 & feel back to normal already! All I had this time was a few days where I needed to Nana Nap a lot & then my 1 night with scary palpatations & a raging temp just like last time(I think that’s the neulasta working tho)…managed to sleep it off, but went to my GP in the morning to get my bloods checked & my neuts & wbc were fab!!
Hope I’m not speaking too soon, but I hope my last one is as easy as this one has been so far! I’m not sure if it’s a coincidence or not, but I’ve pretty much cut all dairy from my diet from this one. I’m a big Milk drinker & love buttery toast!!..but I thought I’d give the no dairy a try & I feel a whole lot better for it. I have to admit to the odd little bit of birthday cake tho & I had a kitkat yesterday! LOL…It’ll take a wee bit of time to have absolutely no dairy at all, but what I’m having is very minimal.I’ve been filling myself up with loads of fruit & veg, so hopefully I’ll shift the FEC weight quickly! :o)
I went to see the Breast Surgeon today (aka the Bad News Man!)…was fine in the waiting room but when he called my name my heart sunk! Walking into his room brought back all the horrible memories of biopsies & results & bad news & more bad news! He actualy offered to see me in the consulting room next door! LOL!
We discussed the types of recon & as before he recommended the tummy tuck boob job. He’s referred me to the Plastic Surgeons, so hopefully I’ll get on the waiting list soon!
The thing that freaked me out a bit was that he said he’d see me in July (my 1st BC anniversary!) and he would examine me & arrange a mammogram. I asked what other tests/scans I would have & he said none!! Aargh!! Scary!! I thought I would get something after rads never mind in 6 months time…but no…nothing!! He said that research shows that scans show up a lot of red herrings & therefore causes undue stress. And that if the cancer was to reappear there would be symptoms & scans don’t in general change the treatment, as they wouldn’t pick it up significally sooner!
I’m glad I’ve been referred for councilling 'cause I think it’s going to be difficult going back to ‘normal life’ after treatment is over. I need to figure out how to get on with my life without constantly worrying about my prognosis!..I need that trip to CP!! :o)
Anyway, I’m off to pick up the kids & dissapear into the madness of Homework, football training & swimming lessons!
Hope everyone is well & your Side Effects are minimal!
Hi all - been trying to have a cancer free few days, which has been quite nice, although my bloomin eyes are driving me nuts and are a constant reminder that life is still pretty heavily seated in chemotherapy land.
Like you H, I asked about scans and follow up etc, and was told the same thing. Bit scary init to suddenly be left to our own devices?
Pretty incredible to see how many people are nearing the end of their chemo, and new folk reading our posts as they begin their experience of chemo. Tis a mad place ladies, and as you can probably gather is so different for everyone. Just hang in there as it will be tough, but you will come out the other side of it in the end.
Going to try five minutes on my bike now to see whether I can start building myself up. Can’t really do too much stretching about til my PICC line comes out on Tuesday, but can get the old, stale legs a moving
Once again thank you for all your support. I really don’t think I could have faced it without you all.
I have just got home after spending 4 hours in chemo what with waiting for a spare chair and then waiting for the tablets. Nurse had a spot of bother finding a straight vein so I felt a bit like a pin cushion. However I’m so glad to get the 1st one over with and I am now loaded up with lots of anti-sickness, steroid tablets and injections to help immune system which I have to inject on Monday for 7 days. Fortunately its only a small needle and I think I will be okay once I’ve done the 1st one.
Loocie, how did you get on with your bike? Hope your withdrawal symptoms soon go.
Lynn, thanks for the food and medication tips, I will make a note just in case.
Good luck to all whatever stage you are at.
Lots of love Babs xx
Hi Ladies,
I should like now to apply to join the official end of swampy club.
YaaaaaaaY!!! Or is it too soon do I have to wait for the jolly SE’s to finish??
Well done girls for having your first, you will soon be finished now.
Sat at the hosp yesterday for 3 1/4 hours waiting to see the Onc. Only 2 docs working and when finally seen was told they were too busy to discuss rads with me so still don’t know what is happening there and was told to start tamoxifen in 2 weeks and read the leaflet!!! Was that my last visit with the Onc - great??? All my questions totally unanswered. Now I have to wait for a letter to come from the rads dept. Had to rush back and just arrived at school in time for parents evening and options.
Absolutely k*******d but still took 4 hours to get to sleep and that was with a sleeping tablet. Giving up on them as they don’t seem to work anymore.
Hayz seems amazing to be talking about recon I am growing my tummy
especially for that day…well thats my story and I am sticking
to it! In fact if I get my second surgery I shall need enough for 2!!! Does that mean I can talk about cheese straws again? Haven’t had one for ages!! What happened to licking lamposts too do we all have to do that when we finish???
Love to you all, keep smiling,
Jane xx
Yay Jane - another member of the good riddance chemo/swampy club, the club is growing in size, hooray!
Hayz - Wish I had your willpower re dairy. I am trying really hard with dairy/fat/sugar but sometimes I get so hungry that I look around for a quick snack and a biscuit always seems to beckon me. I look at my raw veg and think mmmm raw carrot or biscuit - it’s not a difficult decision! Really have got to have a long hard talk to my willpower!
Loocie - hope those bloomin eyes get better soon, it’s taking too long.
Went to Look Good Feel Better yesterday - great fun and lots of lovely make-up to bring home. Have already told Loocie and Hazel but the bit I was most looking forward to was getting eyebrows. But my worst fear was realised when the make-up artist brushed them in and instead of looking natural (which I was hoping) I looked like Fanny Craddock OMG I was horrified and had to rush to the loo and wipe them off!!
Went for my Rads planning today - although it turned out not to be planning just asking questions and signing a consent form. I think the ulteria (spelling?) motive was to get me involved in yet another trial. Because the Marsden is a leading oncology hospital they are always involved in trials - and rightly so to improve treatments and care etc. This is the fourth survey/trial I have been asked to do. So far I have done two out of 3 and now they want me to be involved in a trial with radiotherapy. I will have to read the info over the weekend and come to a decision. I think I would rather just have the treatment rather than make any more decisions which seem to be fairly constant throughout this process!! It’s a bit of a scary thought being part of a trial because you either get the standard treatment or two others (still radiotherapy but targeted differently) and of course the benefits or risks are probably not known until around 10 years on.
Like Hazel and Loocie - the chemo lot aren’t bothered about any follow up scans but the reg for radiotherapy mentioned a bone scan after radiotherapy.
Off to try some yoga tomorrow at the local cancer trust - like you Loocie, need to get my legs moving. I feel stale generally!!
Hope the side effects for Babs and Anne are minimal.
Lynn xx
Twinkletoes I also sat in chemo unit today for four hours as no spare chairs.
My appt was at 2, eventually got seen at 3.45, but hey ho, it’s now been done and only have 1 more to go.
I don’t know where the time has gone.
Three more weeks and hopefully I will have had my last chemo. Bit scary though as you say being sent away with no scans or blood tests. My oncologist said " we could scan you, then 4 weeks later you could have another tumour" Thanks for that, very reassuring!!!
Wel first one over and the chemo unit was great, All done in just over an hour (Debbie/Babs, can’t of been nice having delays).
Felt ok last night till about 8.00 so took anti sickness pill Ondansetron and 45 mins later was throwing my insides up (yeuck!!).
Managed to get through night with no more sickness but felt very nauseous all night and still do a little this morning. Need to take another Ondansetron this morning and 2 steriod tablets. Someone advised taking steriods with a bannana so gonna try that. Also I know I need to drink lots of fluids but worried that with feeling like this it will just glug around in my stomach and make me feel even more sick.
Appreciate any suggestions / hints.
Also when you talk about day 1 of cycle is day one the first day of chemo and would it be the next day? Am trying to keep a diary of symptoms.
Did the chemo nurses/onc not explain that you have to take the anti sickness meds BEFORE you start to feel sick? Poor You!
You’re best to take them as prescribed whether you feel icky or not. I always had my FEC at 2pm & usually had something to eat when I got home around 3:30 so I could take mine. Unfortunately, the annoying nausea isn’t something many of us escape (or can do anything about), but you shouldn’t have to be physically sick!
You just have to be gentle with yourself & find out what does & does’t work. Lynn (Linbin)& I had a terrible time with fluids with FEC & could barely manage any at times. I found making up lots of different flavoured fruit jelly worked for me, as did some home made soups…along with heinz tomato! Remember it isn’t just juice & water that counts as fluids. The only drink I managed throughout my side effects was a little skimmed milk. Everything else made me feel ill just tasting it!
I got a horrible furry tongue a day or 2 after each FEC, which soon eased up with be slurping wee bits of jelly off a spoon frequently!
Day 1 is the day after Chemo, so you’re on day one now!
Good Luck with your side effects…remember…they won’t last forever!
…and if your meds don’t seem to be working please call your chemo unit & they’ll change them for you. There are loads of different meds out there & it’s just about finding out what works for you!
My recommendation to you about tamoxifen is - don’t bother reading the leaflet - it’ll scare you silly! Mine is still sitting in the packet - putting off the moment of starting the awful stuff as long as possible. I have a feeling when I get discharged from rads next week my onc will crack the whip and I’ll have to start then. Not looking forward to it in the least.
One good thing, I think the hot flushes are improving, at least they are not as fierce or as frequent. This could be because it’s only 5deg outside, I don’t have the heating on, don’t wear a coat or jumper on and don’t have a duvet on the bed anymore - lol, wonder what’ll happen when the weather warms up!
I’ve cut down on food and still putting on weight - I think it’s cause I’m now menopausal and developing that extra spare tyre around my middle (to go with the one that was always there). And I’m not doing exercise or swimming due to rads. Has anyone ever tried hypnotherapy? I wonder if it might help me to get over the fact I have no willpower and tend to eat everything in sight. Obviously this problem has got to be solved for me to get into any sort of wedding dress by November - any tips gratefully received.
Glad you’re all coming through your final chemical cocktails. Soon we’ll have to move to another thread - life after breast cancer - now that’s scary, that the time has gone so fast since we started in Sept.
Oh and I asked why some people have 3 weeks and some 5 of 6 for rads and was told the amount of radiation received is standard and it’s the way it’s split into fractions that varies - depending on your age, health and fitness. So if you’re young and healthy it’s 3 weeks (with more severe and sudden side effects), if older and in ill health, anything up to 6 weeks. Plus a couple more maybe if you have to have the nodes zapped too. And it varies decpending on hospital and oncologist - they all have their preferences.
I’m getting a sunburnt boob, but not really a problem otherwise.
Have just tried to add a comment and went back to read details from you all as my memory is not that good and now I can’t find comment. Any ideas as to get back to it. So I’m sorry if my comments get entered twice. I’m too old for this computer business lol.
Anyway, Jane, I too was physically sick last night but as I felt reasonable okay before hand, I put it down to the fact that I ate an orange and I think the acid kicked in. However like you it was only the once and although I felt a little bit ill throughout the night I did get some sleep. Today started with me feeling whoosy and a bit sicky and I had to force breakfast down but once the Dom and Ond and Dex tablets kicked in I am now feeling a little better.
Regarding drinks, I am having different types of fruit teas with a spot of sugar and they seem okay but it is hard to suddenly have to drink so much.
Hazel, I am going to try your tip on fruit jellies as they sound yummy.
Helen I found it interesting to read your details on times of Rads and I must admit I’m not looking forward to them as I fall into the category of older woman, but does anyone know why we have to have Rads as well as Chemo?
as far as I understand we have to have rads to zap any cancer cells which might have been left in the breast following surgery, and particularly after a lumpectomy where not everything is removed. I had a lumpectomy and was told categorically that not having rads was not an option. Chemo, however, was an option as my nodes were clear. I think chemo is given to ensure that any cancer cells which might have escaped from the breast are caught and zapped before they can do any damage in any other organ in the body. Chemo is also given to reduce the size of a tumour prior to surgery.
I might be wrong - anyone know anything different?
Rads is easy after chemo, honestly, it doesn’t make me fill ill at all, I was tired a few days ago but am fine now, and my boob gets a little redder and more sensitive every day but not as bad as surgery! And it’s only a few weeks as opposed to a few months!
I’ve just signed up for the Shock Absorber women only triathlon for July 3rd this year.
I’ve never done one of these before, and I loathe running, so I must be totally insane. I thought I needed a bit of a challenge to aim for to get fit and lose weight again, and I think this will certainly be a challenge!
I’ll be looking for sponsorship for BCC and also for Jane Scarth House, a charity in my town which provides help and free therapy for all cancer patients.
Anyone out there feel like joining me for this challenge?
7 months to get myself off the sofa and transform myself into an elite athlete - yeah right!
Thank you for your advice, when they injected by chemo so said she had also put some steriods / anti sickness through as well so was told not to take the ondement till the evening. I must admit I was eating ginger biscuits/and nibbling on some crystallised ginger ( i think this was probably too much). Do you take your dom at same time as ond or do you wait to see how you feel? I took my dom at 8.00 along with the steriods but still felt icky so took ond at about 10.00. Still feel a little off but not too bad, just managed to have some scrabbled egg on toast. Does the nausea go on right through till next cocktail, do other se’s kick in on later days??
As you can guess I hate feeling yeuck and just want to wake up and feel ok, can cope with tired as am not working at moment and as am 54 all family grown up and flew the nest so duvet days no trouble for me.
Thanks for advice on rads, Helen, I guess I shall just have to wait and see like everyone else.
Well done on signing up for Triathlon in July, best of luck. I have thought about doing fun runs but must admit I just want to get treatment over and done with first.
Still feeling queasy even though am taking all tablets prescribed. I think I might ask if there is anything else they can give me next time to help. Hopefully sickness will clear up soon.
Anne.
Forgot to ask have you been given injections to take from Monday. I have to take them for 7 days as they say this helps with immune system.
Anyone else had to take these and did you have any SE’s.
Babs xx
