HI,everyone …Lisa you are such a beutifull girl on the photo here and i am sure you will be beutifull soon as that c…p is over…
Mumytumble you look gorgeous and really young for all that…welcome to the thread…
Erin i agree with your refusal to accept that we have given that deseas to ourselfs…cheears…
Pauline make most of it i do my house and washings now as well…
Sally i am glad that is over now your sons will be praud of their mum always…my hair is growing back i had to shave it twice now i will leave it-it is v thin…have few eyelashes left…my rads app is 14.10 …it is coming near to the end so after wedn will be only one left…hugs to all Christina
Hi Christina thanks for that , I wish i looked like my photo , I have also put on alot of weight which is not helping , try avoiding mirror at mo . Not looking forward to school run as not seen some of the othere moms for over 6 weeks and know I look so much differnet from last time they saw me …
Any way at least I will feel fit enough to do school run …
Glad you have been given your rads appointment I think it helps to be able to take some control and plan what is happening …
Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend
Lisa
Lisa i am going in on monday as i work as a TA. i am just going for the one days training as there will be no kids in. I havn’t seen some of th staff since i went on sick the last week in april. I am dreading seeing them, i have gained about a stone and have a wig, god knows what they will think, will be so nervous on monday morning but feel i need to make the effort instead of hiding away or it will be even worse when i do eventually go back. I know exactly how you feel, lets hope it’s not as bad as we fear.
Have a good weekend luv Pauline xxx
hi everyone
day 8 of tax no 5,feeling tierd and no taste, but aches were not as bad this time, but did start sunday rather than monday,nails abit tender and dry but still with me,
sally yes i seem to have some bum fluff in grey on my head, im convincing myself it is blond lol, holding on to afew eyelashes and am still putting mascara on, think its habit i dont go anywere without my make-up have bought some of thoses individual sticky on ones but havent tryed yet
sorry pressed wrong button ,hadent finised
lisa, glad you have abit of normality back, for the mo anyway
rachel you look so elegant on your picture
erin, hello you are right to keep a open mind with se,i was more sick on fec,but more tierd on tax but he ho last one 18th all being well, then rads,
take care all julie mx
Hollymeg - I work as a nurse and wore a wig throughout my tx. I stayed working and was lucky enough to get a wig that was identical to my own hair colour (real hair). Everyone thought I had my hair cut into a long bob! I mean I am close to my colleagues - see them all very regularly and not one of them twigged. I was stunned. I lost all my eyelashes and a lot of my eyebrows. I was always reasonably good with make-up but think i became professional. I used a brown or grey eyeliner (depending on eyeshadow) instead of black as that gives too harsh and obvious a line. I used a facial tanner (christian dior - balm not cream) and kept it all as natural as possible so as not to draw too much attention as i never used to wear any make-up to work before. I said to my brother that i couldn’t believe - bearing in mind its a female dominant profession - that nobody questioned my hair/appearance - he said that obviously people are not as pre-occupied with my appearance as I am (LOL)- best of luck on Monday. Walk with confidence it really helps. x
Julie i noticed my hair is coming back!!! its very fine at min, i too am convincing myself its blond but it’s probably grey or white. Glad to hear your feeling ok, cant believe i am still waiting for no 5. Does this mean you will have your last one in 2 weeks? oh my god i can’t believe we are talking about last ones, that is so good for you.
Sally hope you are doing ok like julie too.
Maxmarie, thanks for the advice. The difference with me is everyone knows what i have been through and although i havn’t seen some of them they still know i will be wearing a wig and looking at my none existant eyebrows etc. I think it must be easier if they don’t know. i know i will be ok they are all good friends.
Luv Pauline xxx
Hi,Julie m nice about bum fluff …
Hi ALl
Your all amazing, thank you for your welcoming comments.
Maxmari - you worked thru it all! Wow. My boss wouldn’t hear of it said the patients were an infection risk to me and to be honest I do have days when I am sooo tired I am grateful not to work! of course money is tight etc etc etc.
My hair is also coming back in patches, but also seem to be a dark grey (moan) however my eyelashes are so thin that i have just wasted 10 quid in boots on a new maximun volumn mascara - daft or what?! Eye brows are also on the way out. Ah well don’t getme started on the weight gain. having been determnd to lose the bugga and its coming back withput any effort wots so every lol. I am being careful but as Pualine says the ease imbibing the old vino at night is the cause not the steroids. I see it6 as a small hurdle to get over when all this cr*p is over. as for exercise well …
As a family we have taken up stunt kite flying to get all of us out into the fresh air. Luckily we can drive to the top of the blorenge (a sort of flat topped mountain in the black mountains S wales)
and I can managed a good 4 hours of exercise running after the kite every time it crashes - I can recommend it.
Thanks again ladies I’m now on high potency Vit B and VitC so hope it works. I send love to all of you beautiful ladies xxxx Rachel xxx
HI all
on day 9 now… feeling better at this stage than on the 1st but still tired. taste at last is coming back and can eat normal food now, actually had some pasta last night and ate it all and felt full…
Julie my aches started on the sunday too rather than the monday but havent taken painkillers since last wed… legs feel abit heavy and fingers are abit tender, nails going yellowy…its nice to be vertualy pill free now just anti-biotics and fluconozole thats only til tuesday.
ive got me pre rads appoitment 2 days after last chemo…hope there not expecting me to do much LOL
Lisa its so nice to hear that your starting to feel ‘normal’ again… i long for that day and it still seems along way off… youve done so well considering the bloody awful time you had of things and feel quite wimpy when i moan about my few SE…hope your enjoying your family again xxx
ive been more p****ed off since my eyelashes went…i look so piggy faced now have got some false ones im gonna try those when im not so narky as ive found my patience levels have dropped on this one… get fed up feeling crap and the most easiest of tasks being a struggle.i just get very fustrated as before all of this i was kick-boxing twice a week and today i got tired just ironing boys uniform for tomorrow i used to take care of my apperance but cant be ars*d anymore as i look like matt Lucas’s sister and dont see the point
sorry moan over just fed up today
hope everyones enjoying the weekind
Love Sally xx
Hang in there Sally. You have beautiful eyes, a fabulous personality and you DO only have one left. Be kind to yourself, let others do any jobs they can and you indulge yourself in something that will give you some pleasure…Plan a treat for when it is all over maybe? Research online for a place to go away for a few days? Call in favours if necessary…I am lucky in some ways i know as i adore playing bridge and spend hours online doing that - doesnt take any physical effort! Am sending u cyber hugs…Love C
Hi all,
Good to see the new names/faces, welcome to our very exclusive club, what a gorgeous lot we are! Hi Sally, your posts sound the way I’ve been feeling the last few days, am on Day 5 after 2nd Tax. No sickness this time thank goodness but I think it must be the extra meds for it which have totally knocked me out, am absolutely useless, total wreck but feel teeniest bit stronger today so onwards I go!
Have had to make very difficult decision not to go to a big family wedding in Scotland next Sat, my niece, all my family will be there (I’m the eldest of 6) but just the journey alone (we live in Plymouth) would have been too much (advised not to fly because of infection, timing would be when my immune system at its lowest apparently). Would have been great to see all my folks but there’s another wedding next year when all this crap is over hopefully.
Stay strong girls.
Dae x
hi as anyone had same prob had 3 fec now had one tax but does not seem to be working lump as got bigger and have got redness as i had b4 all this started feal all the 3 fec were waste of time as back to square one again spk to bc nurse got to wait for her to call onc got next tax tm dont no wat to do any advice be gd thanks x
So sorry Laurs no idea… but best of luck today
Hi all, i had 4 lots of taxotere and cyclophosphamide on a 21 day cycle. The side effects where not as bad as i was expecting, hair loss 2wks after starting, constipation with 1st dose and very tired, but no sickness at all i had very good anti sickness drugs.I had no sore mouth but every thing tasted awful until about 4 days before my next dose I did however end up in hospital 12 days after 1st dose with low neutrophils 0.5 had high temp 40 so put on iv antibiotics for 4 days, after that i had to give my self a neulasta injection 24hrs after each dose,and in hospital 3 days after final dose with the same problem high temp very shivery/ hot and cold, bloods checked showed my neutraphils where0.3 i developed a chest infection,had antibiotics for 17days it took that long to clear. It is now 2 mths since last chemo, still get tired and my nails have just started to discolour and become loose,(Wish somebody had told me about the dark nail varnish).After i had been told what SE i might get my biggest worry was the hair loss my scalp became very sensitive just touching or a slight breeze blowing it made it realy sore that was when i got it all shaved off, i thought it would bother me but when it came down to it it didnt, every body said i suited being bald. I started on herceptin just over a week ago so now have possible SE to come with , but touch wood they will be as easy to get through as with the taxotere.
julie x
OH Julie we all cant wait to finish this horrid jurney and it look like SE never end…about your nails coming yelow 2 months later…
Hi all
Have just been reading through all of the comments on the side effects of Fec/Taxotere. Have been to see the consultant today and was told I will be having Fec first followed by Taxotere My treatment starts Wednesday 16th September. I am absolutely terrified. Its all I am thinking about and am dreading the side effects. I would like to buy things in to help with the potential nasties, any advice? I had a grade 3 aggressive tumour, all my lymph nodes removed and had to have a wider local excision to remove further cancer cells. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.Thanks. Karen
Hi Karen,
I was wondering how you were getting on. I had the same regime as you 2 years ago and it is do-able, the anticipation is worse than the reality, you can do it. Not everyone gets all the side effects, I felt sick on my first cycle of FEC and had joint pain on my first cycle of Taxo, the rest of the time I was fine.
Drink lots of water, before, during and after the chemo. The E component of FEC gives you pink wee! If they offer an ice lolly take it, especially on Taxo. Antiseptic mouthwash is good as you can get a sore mouth. Maybe a heat pad if you get joint pain on the Taxo. Your taste buds might be effected, it’s a common side effect, I couldn’t drink tea for instance, it tasted metally. One thing I wish I’d done is massage my chemo arm more, the Epirubicin is harsh on the veins and I think that might have helped.
Remember for every SE there is a solution and chemo doesn’t last forever, it does go quickly once you’re doing it.
If I can help further just shout, take care
Veggie
Karen, sorry you had to join us but you picked the right thread on Tax anyway. If you have time start on page one and work through the treads, there is loads of valuable advice from ladies who are going through or been through what you are worried about. I am about to have 5th chemo this week, 2nd tax, (and i have been to work today, so life does go on). It is doable and as someone said its the antisipation that is worse but no one can stop you worrying, its only natural. Hope this thread gives you lots of hints and shopping tips to prepare for the SE that you only may get!
Take care luv pauline xxx
Hi,laura i havent had probs like yours…my lump was removed befor chemo…but i do understand your worry about lump getting bigger …do you have chemo befor surgery to shrink the lump first? Doc use combination of drugs to fight the CA maybe tax will work for you but again is not for me to say that,i hope you have some good news after seen the BC nurse…
Dear Karen is horrible expecting all SE you read about BUT you have to remmember not all SE will happened to you …everyone is different.so you may find things are easy for you than for other people…just take brath and promose yourself -that you can do it…