Babs, no not offered any injections. Not sure why.
I am same with nausea, struggling to eat much don’t fancy anything when stomach feels icky. I have heard a drug called Emend is good for nausea but its expensive and they might not want to give it. Gonna do like you and ask for something else next time.
Can anyone advise how long nausea can last??
Anne xx
Twinkle
not much you can do about the queasyness if you have taken all the drugs. I started feeling sick in the car on the way home from hospital on my chemo days and it never really went away for 6 days although I never actually vomited. It’s the worst of the side effects. I found nothing really helped except eating stodge.
I had granocyte injections from day 3-10 of all but my first two cycles in order to keep my blood count up. I had the district nurses come to do the first five then plucked up the courage to inject myself - it wasn’t too bad, didn’t hurt at first but on the last cycle ended up with little bruises all over my belly from each jab - due to blood clotting problems from chemo I think. I was quite proud of myself for having done this. I practiced on an orange first.
I had no side effects except for the last two days when I had the most bizarre pain in my hips and coccyx - very hard to describe, just very achy. Also on about day 3 I had slight aches in my collar bones. Very odd and nothing too bad, I just took a paracetamol when at their worst and that solved the problem.
hope you feel better soon
Helen.
Hi All,
Anne and Babs - Well done number 1 over. I know we all have different side effects but a lot of us on here did feel very nauseous like yourselves with FEC and this is roughly what I did (although the nausea for me went on for around 11 days) - for most it’s less than that.
For the first cycle I took my tabs at 2am when I started feeling sick but for cycle 2 and 3 I took
Ondansetron and steroids together around 6am - nibbling some banana with it.
Emend at 10am (I’ll explain about that later) and steroids - always have something to eat with the steroids, maybe half a banana or some toast.
Domperidone at midday (although domperidone didn’t work well for me.
Steroids again at 2-3pm
Ondansetron between 6-8pm
I also found Lorazepam prior to having chemo (too keep my adrenalin down) was good. I took this around 1-2 hours before chemo. It also acts as an anti-sickness too.
I found Emend through this site - it is not often offered but I have a bit of a phobia of vomiting so I asked for it. I found the Emend stopped me from vomiting but didn’t really help the nausea. The first tablet is taken 1 hour before chemo, 1 the next day and 1 the following day.
My tablets were also changed on each cycle but I always had Ondansetron and steroids - Like Hayz said you can ask for different ones. The steroids can tweak up your stomach so you need to eat with them.
Like Hayz said - we both struggled with fluids. I could only drink diluted squash, I just sipped at it all the time, don’t need to drink all at once. I was told to drink around 2 litres, I managed 1 litre in 24hours and was ok.
I think Helen has covered the reason for Rads, but I was also told yesterday that it is also to help prevent re-occurence. I was originally told I would be having 3 weeks but I think I will be having the same as Lynb ie 15 to the general area and 5 boosters (targeted) ie 4 weeks.
The injections in the stomach are to help boost the white cells after chemo - I didn’t get it on FEC but did with Tax. Some of the girls here had daily ones and some of us on Tax had the once only one taken 24 hours after chemo (the once only one was called Neulasta) and it helps against neutropoenia.
Sorry for the long post - but I found when I started that it helped having all the info I could get, so I hope it does help you both!
Good luck with the s/e’s
Lynn x
Thanks for this Lynn. It is really helpful getting all this advice, I really appreciate it.
Am not feeling too bad at moment, I am coping with the nausea, just don’t want to actually vomit (yeuck).
I have been given some ginger beer but not sure if I should be drinking it flat?? Any ideas.
Thanks again, will keep in touch.
Anne
Hi ladies,
Well done on having your first chemo, I’d like to say that if you have got this far without being sick you are over that part. Certainly in may case. I think that I may have been one of the luckiest here for SE’s. My nausea probably only lastest for 4 - 5 days. Only sick once after no. 2 and 3. Never had to have any injections although I am only day 2 of no.6 so don’t want to count my chickens yet. I did get a fuzzy head for about a week on FEC and just sat and watched easy programmes like Poirot and Miss Marple!!! I too have children of an independent age 14 and 21. Don’t know how you girls cope with young children. Just be kind to yourselves, don’t do too much and listen to your body.
I am not going to look too much into the Tamoxifen, leaflet or other postings, just want to take it and make my own mind up.
Hope you all have a reasonable weekend, keep smiling.
Love to you all,
Jane xx
Anne
I think you should try any fluids, even just to sip it and see if you like it. Strangely I couldn’t drink anything with ginger in it (and I like ginger!!). I think I must of worked through 15-20 different types of drinks and struggled with all of them. I would say avoid the acidic ones though, but try anything. The things that Hayz mentioned are good, oh and soup because it’s a food and fluid. My OH made soup on the first cycle, then I made batches when I felt better and put them in the freezer.
Lynn x
Hey All
Hope you are all well!
Anne, my nausea lasted sometimes to day 11, but I know some ladies had less…hopefully yours will only last a few days! It wasn’t always full on nausea, more a horrible feeling/taste at the back of my throat…always helped by eating as much stodge as I could fit in my mouth!! LOL…if you read back you’ll see we all survived on a diet of cinnamon loaf, toast, muffins, pancakes, scones, fruit bread, biscuits…etc!..hence the extra stone in weight I now have to shift! :o)
The Domperidone didn’t work for me…it actually gave me really bad sickness & left me on the loo for hours the morning after my first FEC! So they switched me to Prochlorperazine which I took religiously with every meal until the nausea subsided and seemed to do it’s job…well…I was never sick throughout the rest of my FEC experience! The other steroid I had was Granisetron (along with Dex) I also had this increased from once a day for 3 days to twice a day & that also helped me to feel a little better. Oh, and remember to stay on top of your bowels (so to speak!). It’s easy to not realise you haven’t been for a few days & that really doesn’t help the nausea either. I took a laxative along with my meds the night I had chemo from my 2nd cycle onwards.
Well…another lovely BC side effect has struck me down!
I awoke this morning with what appears to be a baby elephants leg attached where my right arm & hand should be!! ‘Jeeeeez Mum…Check out your HUUUUUGE ARM!!! hahahahahahahahaha!! Chunkeeeee fingers…Noah…Ava…come and see Mums MAAASSSIIIIVVEE arm’ …Thanks Aaron! My ever loving and clearly concerned 10 year old! PMSL…I did have a giggle…albeit thru tears…when I checked it out in the mirror! It is impressive…a bit like having cankles, but on my arms instead of legs ;o)…oh well!..I’m still breathing!
I think I may need to discuss Lymphodema with my BC nurse on Monday!
Oh & I think I might need to try & condition myself NOT to shove my right arm under the pillow & then sleep on it at night! I don’t think helping the guy move 280kg’s of artificial grass up our drive & into the garden was a good idea either. Oh well, it’s done now. Chances are I was gonna get it at some point, so why not now…just get it over with!
Well, I’m of with my massive arm to finish tidying the house. Unfortunately it didn’t appear this morning with a cleaner…or any sympathy from the family!
That’s what I get for feeling so well! I only had 4 days of se’s with my last Tax…I needed something to slap me in the face!!
Hope you all have a fab weekend
Hxx
Oh bugger, that sounds miserable! What a shock! You always sound so cheerful though! You are fab, if you were round the corner i’d come and do your hoovering (and i don’t even do my own!) xx
Hi all
Helen thanks for the details on granocyte. They just gave me a leaflet and a brief description and sent us home to cope. So OH is prepared to have a go at least with the mixing of it if not with the actual injection. I will get the paracetamol ready. What did you use to practice with on the orange?
Anne, my nausea is a bit easier today although I did vomit again last night 2 out of 2 aint bad eh? I took natural senna for the toilet problem and that seems to have worked which is a relief.
I went for a drive with hubby today but find it difficult to leave home for long periods at moment. I think its the security of having everything to hand around me. I too am having problems with drinks and find ginger ale makes the back of my throat sore along with anything gassy. Although ginger biscuits do seem to help if I nibble them like a hamster LOL. Finding most food difficult to face at moment but might try baked potato tonight with a few beans.
Hayz, I might just ask for the Prochlorperazine as the Dom. tablet doesn’t seem to be helping me much either.
Hope you soon get your Lymphoedema sorted, it must be scary. Thank heavens for your children’s sense of humour.
Hope you all have a relaxing weekend.
Babs xx
Hayz - what are you doing to yourself?? And helping to move 280kg of grass too!! I would stick to just using that arm to lift a nice glass of red wine LOL.
Seriously though, hope it improves over the weekend.
Anne and Babs - Your’re doing well. Babs I don’t think I even managed to get out of bed on day 2 of my first cycle let alone go for a drive - well done!
Lynn x
hazel and twinkle
granisetron isnt a steriod its an antiemetic (anti-sickness) as well and is given specifically for chemo sickness… its similar to ondansetron which is often used for chemo patients too, but is very strong and is very effective and long lasting so you may only need to take 1 a day… it can cause constipation so its not recommended long term, but def worth giving it a go… i just stopped my dom and took the gran for the last few chemos.
i think its the only anti-sickness drug that is for chemo only… so its very targetted.
hope your all feeling a bit better soon… and looking forward to seeing you on thur hazel.
Lxx
Hayz, so sorry about the arm, really hope it sorts itself out and goes down again without too much trouble. Get everyone else to lift stuff, you should be taking it easy.
Twinkle, I can’t believe they have just sent you home to do the injections on yourself. The chemo nurses rang and arranged for the district nurses to come and do mine, and though I intended to do my own, for the first five days of the cycle the first time, I was so zonked out and feeling sick that I didn’t feel I had the brain to put the injection together out of all the powders/needles/bottles etc to get it right.
I used one of the syringes after the nurse had injected me to practise on the orange. Do you have the packs where you have to assemble the injection itself and change needles? The first injection will be a bit of a trial and error unless you go to your GP practice and get the practice nurse to do it. Good luck, it’s not difficult really, and after the first one you’ll have the confidence to just get on with it.
Good luck
Helen.
Hey Lulu
Yeh…chemo brain! DOH!..Granistetron isn’t a steroid!..what I meant to say was that I took them at the same time as my steroids when I was having FEC and they increased my dose to help with my nausea!
Me & my huge arm will see Ya on Thursday! Looking forward to it xx
Hi Helen, yes they just gave me the complete kit along with needle disposal but I think I will ask a friend who was a nurse to come along for the 1st one and then take it from there. I guess it’s always the unknown that makes things seem worse.
Hayz & Lulu, I’m making notes of all these alternative anti-sickness things and hopefully hospital will give me something better next time. However have managed to keep more food down so far today.
Lynn, thanks for your comment about staying in bed, I think I am trying to get over se’s too quickly as I was thinking of going back to work for a bit on Monday but perhaps I am being too optimistic. I should just relax more but can’t get interested in much on tele. or in reading so am getting bored. I seem to spend time waiting for next tablet and bed time.
Still it can only get better eh. Am sending OH to get some anti-sickness band tomorrow to see if they will help.
Babs xx
Hi all - I never thought I’d look back at the FEC days with fondness (if that’s the right word!!) of any description, but they were far better for me than Tax, and they were bad enough.
Babs, I did some work during FEC and found that the best way to manage it was to have a week off during chemo week, then had a recovery / build up week, then on week three I’d go into work. Don’t forget you have to be a bit precious over your immune system, so working when that is suppressed isn’t such a great idea, even if you feel physically up to it.
Can’t belive you’ve gone down the lymphodema road H, poor thing, fancy getting that so close to the end of you chemo!
Managed to do 15 mins on my bike this morning, and some stretching, although my PICC line doesn’t come out until Tuesday so have to be a bit careful with arm swinging til then. Was lovely to shift myself and not feel too pooped at the end of it! Even went on to do some ironing. You never know, I may even take wiggy into the park next week for a treat!
Can’t belive it is still light out and it’s nearly half past four 
Wooo hoooo, bring on the springtime!
I spent a ‘lovely’ half an hour experimenting with drawn on eyebrows this morning - amazing how much fun a girl can have on her own. Concluded that I’d stick with the subtle look for now. Hideous!!! Probably not helped with having watery eyes still, so couldn’t really see what I was doing - LOL
Love to all you hunnies - and good luck to the new FECers, keep strong - but if you’re feeling horrid you’d be amazed at what a difference 24 hours can make, so no matter how dreadful you’re feeling now, it will soon pass.
xxx
Loocie,
Oh no, I thought the tax part was supposed to be easier. After my first FEC Thursday seem to be coping with the nausea now. Appetite seems to be getting better, just had a lovely sunday lunch cooked by OH, even did his own yorkshire puddings. Probs with constipation though 
not been yet, took senakot last night but has’nt touched it, have bought some majool dates but not sure how to take them, waiting for advice from other thread.
Take care
Anne
Hey Anne
Glad your starting to feel better. Sunday lunch already!..good for you!
I’m finding tax much easier than FEC at the moment. Everyones different though. Poor Loocies not had the best of times with her last one!
I used to eat a couple of madjool dates with a wee cuppa tea when I was on FEC. Not sure I could eat them now tho…my mind associates them with the red stuff making me feel ill!! I used to love the lovely toffee flavour too!
Hxx
Hi Ladies
Loocie, I think I will take your advice ref work as although I now feel quite ok it might be a bit early to go back to work. By the 3rd week are immune levels generally back to normal? Hope you’re not overdoing it on your bike rides, do you watch tele whilst cycling or do you have one of those video screen types? Wrap up warm when in park as weather is forecast to get colder.
Hayz. Hope your arm is better today. Tell us what nurses suggest for you.
Anne, glad you managed Sunday lunch, I had a tin of big soup so food is getting tastier now. What are madjool dates?. I also take senna tablets and they do tend to take a day or 2 to work but I might try drinking prune juice as it seems to help according to mother in law.
By the way is it me or does anyone else think of Father Ted when we say FEC and go shouting it around the house. LOL
Love to all and hope you have a good week,
Babs xx
PS
Just had ex nurse friend come around the help with 1st injection and I couldn’t feel it at al yippeel so she is going to watch me do it tomorrow, such a relief.
Also just had minor SE where my right neck gland swelled up, I phoned Dr’s and am waiting a call but it has gone back down again now Wierd or what !!!
xx
LOL Babs, yup I think of Father Ted. I think it’s appropriately called FEC, cos it is FEC**g horrible!!! So pleased you and Anne have managed food
Had a day at the local day hospice today. They are running an eight week course called ‘Cancer, the next step’, which is all about the transition from patient back to ‘normality’. We’ve had two weeks so far and although not all of the people on it (13) have had breast cancer, the majority have. It’s like being amongst you guys and is really enjoyable. Whether it will be therapeutic remains to be seen, but is lovely having a real life version of you lovely lot to banter with. Had some reiki healing today which was lovely, but felt a real moron when I burst into tears at the end of it. Fortunately this happened to one of the others too and isn’t an unusual reaction so was reassured by that. Now I feel quite invigorated
The other reason for enjoying today is that today is week three of my chemo cycle…and instead of sitting in the chemo suite waiting to be swamped, I was out playing. Hurrah, hurrah Will be even better tomoz when the ol PICC line comes out. The message that this bit of the nightmare is over, is finally getting through.
Hugs to you all, hope you’re SEs aren’t too miserable?
Lotsalove Loo
xxx