Anyone due to start chemo April 14??

Going through breast cancer treatment Chemotherapy monthly threads
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Hello Ladies,

 

I attended the radiology appointment today (on my own Rosie14) I could not ask my daughter to attend because of her work commitments and she, bless her attends every chemo session with me. plus she had been running up and down to the hospital over the weekend to see me and bring in my injection for the bone marrow problem at 11pm. (Don’t ask me why the hospital could not sort it out, different depts I guess.)

I was told the oncologist had referred me a little early, the registrar was younger than my daughter she is 25 but looks 15 !!! The appointment was a bit of a waste of time in my opinion it seems my McMillan Nurse will contact them, UCLH when my chemo is finished, then we will have a planning meeting (I thought that was what today was going to be, I was armed with dates for a possible holiday at the end of the chemo). My eldest daughter, grandson and her partrner have booked a holiday in Devon for a week and have kindly invited me to join them if I am well enough, I am sure it would do me a world of good, a change of outlook, I love London but the sea air would be great. 

 

Nellie, I know what you mean about the pain its been abdominal pain, chest pain and joint pain for me the chest pain and abdo pain only started with the start of TAX, I am not one to complain to the doctors but had two babies with no pain relief but this feels worse. Nails still stripy but intact the almond oil sems to be doing the trick. The hair is still thining but not too bad the comb over and hairspray still doing the job.

 

I must say I am feeling much better on day 8 of 1st TAX I am very tired, but this to be expected but most of the other symptoms seem to be improving, long may it last…I might even be able to go into the office for a few hours tomorrow or Friday, we will see.

 

X C

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Hi ladies, had my onc pre chemo assessment and feel of boob and chest etc! Must admit to now feeling very deflated, during my examination he said my lump had shrunk and was now just a ““thickening” and was going to plan, but I now have a new enlarged lymph node appeared in the last 2 weeks! This is after my sentinel lymph node biopsy at the beginning came back clear, I am now really worried as why this has happened on chemo, onc didn’t seem over concerned and said he would send me back to see my breast surgeon to see what’s going on, he did mention it could be a reaction to the Tax and I did ask if it was horrible news he was giving but he said no not at all- so now feel like I have taken a step backwards now! Anyway chemo tomorrow, good luck to you all facing the same this week, quite agree with you all saying how intolerant you are with people etc, yes I feel the same, I could poke some people in the eye at some comments particularly " you are so brave” as if we have a bloody choice!! Wildpurl and Rosie, I too get very stressed about blood results and wait anxiously for the phone to ring to summon me to hospital and yes it gets worse each time!
Nellie and cassie hope things are improving now?
Jj, what a good idea to compile a help sheet, well done for getting it started.

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Thanks Rosie, and good luck for your chemo too!! Hope we get some sleep tonight !!x

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Thankyou Wildpurl. , I think you start to feel quite positive as chemo goes on and then it throws you when you hear something you were not expecting!! Good luck for Friday too! X

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Hi all. Lots to catch up on I promise to read more fully later. Been busy three days Monday went to cancer coffee am really nice ladies then found maggies in charing cross and found haven in fulham as had a course there wed. Tuesday counselling and chemo and we actually had lunch out before no taste and sore mouth. Yesterday reflexology at cancer place from Monday bliss then raced to haven for acre inventing image talk. Fun group of ladies then rushed to meet oh dinner and play at local theatre which was rubbish no intermission or we would have left laughed about it sfter

Sleep still a pain crash 9 or 10 awake 12 then crash again awake 4 then doze.

So far apart from real wobbles managed to fall over graze knee like a five year old on wait for Friday se kick in like last tax hoping won’t be as bad with fec out of system.

Cassie so sorry to hear about you. Not good hope you have lots of support around you.

Re haven I know only a few locations in uk but in case anyone is in retested they have haven at home DVDs and CDs. Www.thehaven.org.uk. Might be of use to some of you. Cassie I’m booked on an into day. 8 July if you feel up to a treck across town or 22 July or 5 or 19 august. NB postponed from April when I literally could not get out of bed !!!

Best to all going to try to catch more. Zzzzz

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Hi to everyone

I only come on every couple of weeks mainly cos I am still frightened of what I’m going to read as I am a bit of an ostrich and don’t want to know too much about the bad things. I had my third chemo on Friday and was actually sick for the first time so not great but I took the extra sickness tabs that I have been given and was ok on the weekend. Still feeling a bit yucky but managed to run coffee morning yesterday as usual so can’t be too bad. Does anyone have a really sore arm/veins where the Fec goes in. I could hardly straighten mine yesterday and it is very tender all the way up from my wrist but especially aroung the elbow joint.

My breast cancer clinic nurse phoned me on monday as I was worried that the site of the lumpectomy (12 weeks since surgery) was still lumpy and hard. The surgeon had said it takes a few months to go. The nurse told me it is still early days and that it can take up to 18months to all be reabsorbed and healed internally. This was very reassuring as I had convinced myself that they had missed the tumour and it was growing still.

Does anyone else feel that the chemo is almost like a seperate illness and almost nothing to do with having breast cancer. I think because I was unaware of my lump and didn’t feel ill and that luckily they got the lump and it hadn’t affected my lymph nodes that I don’t feel as though I have or have had cancer most of the time. The preventative treatment feels overwhelming at times and I keep having to remind myself that I am lucky to be able to get such thourough treatment just don’t feel all that lucky!!! Sorry for the self pity maybe its the medication.

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Morning everyone, Also like you rolicarpit had hardly any sleep!! Drinking tea and eating biscuits in the middle of the night! Good luck with your last chemo this afternoon- fingers crossed there will be no dramas!
Everyone else with chemo today and tomorrow a smooth ride for you I hope , Rosie good luck with yours today!
Just walked dogs , ready to Hoover up and have done some digging, gardening and watering and it’s still only 9.00 a.m! Oh the joys of steroids!!

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Hi Sheba! Yes I too get a sore arm after chemo and usually two or three weeks afterwards too, sometimes it hurts to even rub moisturiser into it! And yes I agree that chemo seems to be a seperate illness, as I too didn’t feel ill in before it started!
And I think we are all entitled to feel self pity , it’s an awful time with many worries and anxieties, I find this forum a great source of information and support from a lovely group of ladies, welcome and good luck!

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Hi sheba56

Yes my arms were very sore also after 3rd FEC to the extent I ended up phoning the helpline as I was convinced my veins had broken. I was reassured that it’s perfectly normal and that the FEC is particularly harsh on veins … I think it’s the epirubicin that is worse. I’ve now had 2 TAX and although my arms are still a bit tender they are much better… I think it lasted about 10 days for me … Some ladies have said that something like voltarol gel or just moisturing your arms can help … It will get better

Lisa

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Hi Guys!! Thanks for your advice re: tax. I am on day three and feeling much better than i have done with fec. Much less tired. Managing with naps,rather than long periods of bedrest. Finding myself waiting for se’s like with first fec… Did anyone use antihistamines for aches/pains?? Have read alot about them being helpful. Am hoping pains will be minimal as i have my brother visiting who i haven’t seen for about 5 years and i want to make the most of this weekend.
hope everyone is doing well. Am finding myself thinking about surgery phase now, how about you??? xx

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Haven’t managed to post for a couple of days, been out enjoying last days of freedom before TAX on Friday. After all the kerfuffle with the health centre about getting my bloods done it was fine and actually very productive in that there were two other women there with breast cancer-and I guess I was pretty visible with my bald head. We exchanged phone nos. and the district nurse agreed to offer my phone number to the other women she knew of. In addition, the day before I met someone at a funeral who said she knew of 5 women recently diagnosed so again I said I was happy for her to pass on my contact details. So maybe we will be able to set up an informal support network.

JJ. i love your idea of a booklet with tips on treatment. I made a similar suggestion quite recently although I was thinking initially more of collating all the ideas that had come up on the various threads and maybe setting up a separate thread with sub threads on particular issues eg sore mouth. You seem to have thought it out more. Anyway I would love to help you with this. I have never used Facebook though, so can you tell me what to do?

Damn, battery running out on I-pad , will have to respond to other posts later.

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Hi everyone, had chemo 5 today, had a trainee nurse today to insert cannula and took half an hour to get the vein , tried 3 veins two of which swelled up like a balloon and then trained nurse took over for last attempt, but by then my hand had swollen up like a balloon and quite puffy.
Rachel I have heard about taking antihistimene for bone pain and asked chemo nurse today and she did
say it can help, so I am going to give it a try!!
Rosie, you have had a long day, hope you sleep well tonight, at least the nurses were on top of your reaction today too and enjoy your dinner, much nicer when someone else cooks it for you!
Booksandwine sounds like you have been busy, hope all goes well for your next few days!

Tij, I was also not given emend On my Tax, I felt queasy for one day, but found it was kept under control by clylizine and I also had some ondestron left over from Fec, so took a days supply of those too and wasn’t too bad. So hope you don’t feel too bad.
Jackie thankyou for your best wishes, hope you are feeling relatively well now?
Rolicarpit, hope you got on ok? Last chemo yay!!!
Jos, hope you get some sleep tonight too,bloody steroids are good for bursts of energy but crap for keeping us awake all night, glad you can have some good times with your lovely daughter planned, she must bring you so much joy at that age!
Hope everyone else is coping well, and all the best for Tax tomorrow Joan, will be thinking of you, and everyone else, am sorry if I missed any lovely ladies!!
Nellie and cassie, hope all is well? And Louise hope your FECing wasn’t too bad and you don’t suffer as much this time, all the best! X

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Jackie … When did you start taking the flucozole ?

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Hi Rosie - in hospital with neutropenia. :frowning:

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Oh Jackie, sorry to hear that? hope they get on top of it quickly and you can come home, thinking of you.
Wildpurl and all other ladies facing chemo today thinking of you too- it doesn’t get any easier does it.
I also have a very red face and neck! I did manage it have a good nights sleep amazingly given my state of mind! I did take a cyclizine anti sick pill and found it does make me sleepy so maybe that helped! All the best time you all x

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Jackie, so sorry you finished up in hospital. I hope they get it sorted quickly. I had to go in as well soon after my first TAX with neutropenia fever and and infection which turned out to be oral thrush but was out in 24 Hours. It did lay me out for several days afterwards though so you will need to take it easy. Good luck. I was interested that they gave you flucolozole as a per give this time, my oncologist didn’t prescribe this. I had been given an antiseptic mouth mouth Chlorhexidine Gluconate to take alongside the difflam and my mouth didn’t ulcerated as with FEC but whether that was TAX, medication or sucking ice poles during the treatment I don’t know. Re painkillers, don’t try to be brave, take whatever you can. Just take your temp before paracetamol. I have been prescribed codeine this time which can be taken alongside paracetamol because it works in different ways. Some ladies have been prescribed Tramadol which is stronger. They’re both mild opiates. You can also take ibuprofen, again because the ingredients are different. I am wondering about trying Voltoral gel this time because the pains were mainly in my legs, but obviously not alongside ibuprofen. Finally I take antihistamines for asthma and it is does to be accepted that they can help. Hope you are out of hospital soon and make a swift recovery.
Nellie. Sorry you also finished up in hospital. I don’t think you should feel at all embarrassed at calling an ambulance, this is serious stuff. It’s awful that you had to put up with the pains for the rest of the week with only paracetamol which barely takes the edge off. I wonder if they had kept you in longer you could have continued with the morphine.

Cassie, commiserations too on your hospitalisation but pleased that you are now starting to feel better. Hope they manage to get your thyroid issue sorted out soon. You don’t need additional worries. What a shame the radiology appointment was a waste of time. I have been sent one fore. My last chemo so hope I do t have the same experience. Have any other ladies had theirs booked and at what stage in chemo. I must admit I will be relieved to get an accurate picture so that I know whether I am facing a mastectomy or lumpectomy.

Good luck today Wildpurl. I wish I was your chemo twin in other ways than just date. I envy you your energy. I think it’s quite common to start wondering about whether one wants to continue in the same way with work after all this is over. It’s so rare, isn’t it, to have time out enforced on you and to be able to reflect. But as others have said, this is probably not the time to make decisions.

Jos, glad you are feeling better. Loved the joke.

Re people comments esp cancer-lite. Yes, they are irritating but I try to remember that they are trying to be reassuring. I sometimes respond by saying, yes, if you have to go to the cancer supermarket, this is the. One to choose.i would pre feroeople to say something than just ignore the issue.

Rosie, Rolicarpet, Lovewine, Louise, -and anyone I have missed who had chemo In The last few days, hope it is not too awful, the pains are not too bad and don’t last too long and you manage to get some sleep.

Apologies if I’ve missed anyone, must fit in a bath before the fitter arrives at 8.45, then off for TAX 5. With I confess some trepidation.

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Joan, all the best for chemo today! X

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Sorry to hear you have been admitted Jackie, I hope the hospital get you back on your feet soon.

 

I did managed 3-4 hours a work yesterday and intend going in again today, day 11 TAX, long may it last, still permanently knackered the usual but all other symptoms are now far less tum and chest pain horrible mouth, bits bellow etc. I will need as much energy as I can get just to read the emails, I managed to clear 54 yesterday more than that left in my inbox. Staff at work all think I am totally mad for even comming in, after being in hospital at the weekend but its amazing how things can turn around, thats just me. :slight_smile:

 

Love to all ladies out there  X

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Hi ladies when I saw the onc he said next time we meet it will be round 5 out of 6 and we will discuss radiotherapy he told me i can not have reconstruction until a year after all therapies have finished

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Rosie, totally agree, it’s my dread too!