awww caro sorry you had a horrible time yesterday… hope your starting to feel a wee bit better… i know my last few have been horrendous and really painful in my veins and face but hoping final one will be ok… fingers crossed your last one wont be as bad as this time.
sal you must be so pleased to be finished, and jayney will be finished too and recovering as wee speak… cant wait to get mine over and done with on thursday… think my bloods were ok as the chemo police havent phoned to tell me otherwise like last time.
hi, so sorry to hear you are having a rotten time of it Caro, nearly there though!
Im all wide awake from the steroids for tomorrows 7th and 2nd to last chemo. I hate the steroid feeling but guess they are necessary.
could do with a good nights sleep before tomorrow.
I only go on the day of chemo for bloods, i wonder why hospitals are so different?
I have my list of things to mention to oncologist as usual, the most worrying being my heart doin somesaults in my chest on saturday, whilst being stressed cooking dinner, im sure it is just anxiety!
best of luck to everyone, hope it goes well
take care
anna
hi anna they said a day or two before for my bloods but if i go the day before i have to go first thing in the morning… and i really dont do mornings and my bloods are crap whether its the day before or two days before… so just stick with later on 2 days before and if they are really really low they phone me.
i dont get steroids the day before chemo only on the day and for the next 3 days.
good luck for tomorrow anna, def speak to onc about the heart palpitations, hope its nothing serious.
Im lucky enough my bloods are done an hour before chemo, and the steroids they give before hand for the docetaxel, to stop chances of a reaction.
The palpatations scared me saturday, my pulse was irregular during palpations, so for about 30 secs, i called my other half and he couldnt feel it missing beats, i rechecked and it felt regular again.
if it had stayed irregular i would have gone to a&e but i thought they would just say it was anxiety. I will mention it when i go though, and stress how scarey it was. I had no chest pain either which is a plus.
I will be glad when this is all over and i can get these rotten drugs out of my system, im sure they are the course of my anxiety.
Good luck on Thursday, but im sure i will be back online to wish that nearer the time
anna
Well done Sal for crossing finishing line! Caro, rest up honi, hope you are feeling a bit better. Hang on in there, you are one strong lady, you can do one more! Lulu, good luck for tomorow - last one yay, and Anna you are not far behind - rooting for you all.
Had last one Mon and it’s a really strange feeling. Just waiting for the TAX bus to stop, usually tomorrow for me :(. Got 2 of those jabs next week so that will be hell, but I reckon by next Sat I will start to feel a bit more human again. Like you Sal, the last 2 seem to have hit me hard and really slowed me down. Have been so focused on getting to end of chemo and now I’m here, getting all worked up about the surgery! Yes you are right Lulu, 4 days does seem a long time for node clearance, but they are happy to keep me there whilst drains are in. Pre-op assessment on 14th Dec so will find out a bit more. Sal, had 2nd herceptin and have 16 to go!!! 16 more times of getting a cannula in! I must say though that TAX is a lot kinder on the veins and mine seem to be recovering nicely. Had my last 4 chemos in on underside of wrist, to give hand a break which has helped. Will it hold out for another 16??? Who knows. Maybe a port-a-cath is the answer. How are your veins Sal, my Herceptin buddy???
Becky, hope you are doin ok and recovering nicely.
Hi to the rest of your loverrrrrllllyy ladies, keep chuggin, we’re getting there.
LOL
xxx
Hi girls just a quick one as im doing this update from my hospital bed! Have been in 2 nights so far…my chemo made my white blood count go too low and i was so sick…cudnt even keep water down! So im stuck in here till my bloods go back up!
Missing my little girls like crazy and they cant even visit! so much for celebrating my last chemo eh?
caro/jayeny hope your doin ok after your last lot??
lulu good luck for your last one?
al/reemie/anna/she/becks thinkin of you all hope your ok. will be back on when im home xxxxxxx
sal so sorry to hear you have been unwell… hope your feeling much better soon and can get back home to your family.
i got my final chemo today but only just… neuts were 1.05 and feeling really shattered and sicky when i got back from hosp after 3 agonising attempts to cannulate and get blood… my veins were pure rubbish and look like iv been beaten up now… and currently have steroid induced insomnia as you can see as it nearly 3am… what fun! LOL.
Hi,Lulu you done so well i wish you less Se with the last one -must say your hair looks great the color is good mine is horrid grey …on the top you can see my scalp…my last rads on tuesd…good luck with yours Christina
hey girls…
sal! you poor thing! hope you get better and get home quick to your girls. bloody chemo, at least it was your last hun.
lulu and jayney, Wey HeY!!! last one! but always an anticlimax when you feel like poo, i’m so proud of you all tho. the strength on this forum never ceases to amaze me.
me and my beach balls are doing ok, it’s uncomfortable but a breeze compared to chemo!
love to you all… xxxxx
Sorry Sal you are having a stay at the NHS hotel! At least you won’t have to go through it again, hope you will soon be out and recovering nicely and back with your lovely girls.
Like Lulu, I am still in swamp land - horrid!!! Hate it! But hoping by this time next week I will have turned the corner!
Becky, glad you and the beach balls are doing well and progressing well.
Caro, glad you are feeling brighter - only one more to go honi - you can do it!!!
Lulu - well done honi - rest up now and take care of that arm!
Al/Reemie/Anna and anyone else - hope you’re doing ok???
Couldn’t have gone through my chemo journey without you lovely girls! Thank you for getting me through it!
xxx
kris my hair is actually really grey too when you see it up close… just looks really dark in that pic… dont care im just happy to have hair again LOL… im hoping when it starts to grow in properly and the chemo has grown out of that it will go back to dark.
jayney hope your not feeling too swamp monstery over the weekend.
becky i know what you mean by anti climax as everybody keeps saying oh youll be feeling better now… no i wont iv just had chemo you nutters!! lol but im planning on being back in normal lululand for christmas.
i couldnt have gotten through this without all your support and encouragement too girls… its been a crappy journey but have met some fab people who have enriched my life.
Hi all just wanted to say I keep Reading your wonderful posts . I’ve had third tac three to go. Took longer to get over this time but hey ho. Sick of wig and my lack of surgical knowledge. With a risk reducing mastectomy do they always take the nipple??? I will have recon at some point and they will take my baby pouch to make a new boob but I want the other sorting as well wont they scoop out and put an implant in?? Sal are you going to the clothes show?? I have put eleven pounds on has anyone else put on weight??? Love to all Helen
Helen, sorry can’t help you with your surgical question, I had lumpectomy, but I’m sure these lovely ladies will be able to. Regarding weight, last time I looked (a while ago) I had put on 6lbs and am refusing to weigh myself again - it will depress me! I am blaming the steroids and lack of exercise/energy. I walk the dog everyday, but as for vicorise exercise, that is out of the question at the mo. Are you half way through now?
Lulu - still in swamp land and expect to be for the rest of this week! Anything less is a bonus!
xx
Helen, they don’t always take the nipple, esp if it’s preventative. I guess it depends on your risk factor, because leaving the nipple behind will increase the risk of recurrence as the nipple is composed of breast tissue. I had preventative bilateral mastectomies and had nipples and everything removed, but that’s because my bc may be genetic and therefore there’s a very high risk of recurrence. Speak to your surgeon. Don’t talk about weight gain! I, like Jayney, have decided to bury my head in the sand and haven’t weighed myself since dx, whereas I used to weigh myself every day! I have definitely put weight on though, as I occasionally measure my waist (increase of 1 inch) and thighs (increase of half an inch). I’ll worry about dieting/exercising in the new year!
Jayney, hope you’ve turned the corner hon and are feeling less swampy.
I’m feeling ok, apart from being quite breathless at times, which I hate. Spent ages making mince pies yesterday and ended up burning most of them In future will be buying ready made.
xxxxxxx
Well third swamping done and dusted!! Starting to come out the other side now, Still cant believe got to do it all again! If one more person says well your half way now I may scream!!!
As for weight gain - scales in the bin till next year - I think ive gained at least a stone I cant stop eating but everyone keeps telling me I look better for it… think its off to the shops for new jeans.
Hope everyone is okay i’m seeing ONC tommorow bit nervous but not sure why as dont think they can tell me anything else. Am going to talk about genetic testing though does anyone know what this entails??
Janey, meant to message you when you mentioned portacath, I have one fitted and its been brilliant dont have any problems with the actual administartion of chemo! They put it in because my viens were crap before I started so with chemo then having herceptin too thought it was better option. Procedure was a bit uncomfortable and arm a bit tender for a few days but apart from that dont know its there.
So pleased some of you have now finished chemo it certainly spurs me on. If we can get through chemo anything else will be a breeze!!
Well back to boring daytime TV for me while kids at nursery
Nicki
Thanks for comments re portacath. Have finished my chemo now and have 16 herceptins to go, so I think I will give in at some stage and have one fitted. Have asked if it could be done at same time when nodes are being removed on 18th Dec, but this is not possible. Also my hospital does not fit them, they maintain them, but ONC is happy for me to have one if I want, but think my veins aren’t bad and “have seen a lot worse after 8 chemos”.
Best of luck
x
Sally is outta hospital…yey!! Im feeling really well and cannot take the smile off my face…back with my girlies where I belong !!!
Thank you for all your messages off support…kept me going as they have since this whole nightmare started!! Like a few of the girls have said I couldnt have gotten through this so far without you all keeping me going! Its strange how people you havent met can mean so much and keep you sane! Big hugs everyone xx
Lulu how you feeling now? Have you come through it now or still suffering SE’s ?? Hope your doing ok and can start enjoying the end of chemo x
Caro how you doing? I was impressed at you making mince pies…then smiled when I read you burnt them (sorry) Im rubbish at baking…theres a reason why they are sold in the shops…cos of people like me who just arent put on this earth to bake!!!
Becky how are you getting on? Are you up and about and managing to do much or are you pretty limited? Your one step ahead of me so Im keen to know !!! Hope your recovering well mate x
Jayney / Al hows the post chemo? Hope your not suffering too much girls!
Helen good to hear from you! Getting through that chemo too! Im like you Ive got lots of questions about masectomys now! Am going in on 1st Dec to find out when Ill have mine…dont think I can have immediate recon…so many questions !! Wud have my op tomorrow if I could…just wanna get it all over and done with!! Oh and this is the only year Ive not got tickets for the clothes show…just didnt know how I was gonna be…ha still dont now !!
Am I the only one of you lot that has lost weight??? You all keep saying how much you’ve put on…Im skin and bones !! My last 3 chemos made me sick for 2 weeks after…seriously I had to exist on dry bread and not much else so the weight has dropped off me…everyone keeps saying I need fattening up…oh and Christmas is on the way…its gonna be tough but if Ive got to fatten up Ive got to fatten up eh ha ha
Nicki how did you get on with the onc? I hate going to see mine…always makes me nervous and always come back feeling down!! Are you over the chemo yet ?
yay - glad you are out Sal and feeling ok??? What a relief that chemo is over!
Doin ok, still in swamp land this week, roll on the weekend when I will hopefully turn a corner. The last 2 seemed to have knocked me for 6. Feel a bit wiped out. Let us know how your appt goes on 1st.
I am blaming the steroids for the weight gain and not having the energy to exercise. Refuse to weigh myself as it will only depress me! Roll on next year when I can start swmimming again. At this rate, I may be only able to manage a couple of lengths!
Caro - sorry the mince pies didn’t turn out well, I may make some next week if I can muster up the energy!
Hi to the rest of you loverly ladies. For those of you still being swamped, hang on in there …
In future will be buying ready made.