Forgot to say thanks to Amber D too. I will try and contact district nurse to try and have steriod injection before 2pm. Do you have someone come in or do you give it to yourself. Hope youre feeling better now. xxx
Dear primrose hill, thank you so much for positive suggestion. I am now thinking differently! The sun is shining, I’m wearing new socks from my sister, a lovely scarf from a dear friend (whose been there and got the tee shirt) and my new doc martens with flowers on that I got in Cornwall last week. Ready for anything now!
Best wishes to mamakaz.
Here we go…Diggy
FEC T - Cycle 1 , Day +2
Well ladies, all your good wishes definitely helped! many thanks (I cant go back to previous pages of posts to name you all or I’ll lose this post!) Phoned nurse and she said as long as I wasnt feeling sick to take last steroid at 2pm which I did and slept like a baby all night 
I haven’t really been feeling sick as such at all but my taste buds have gone and the thought of food makes me a bit nautious but once I eat it I am ok - fresh pinapple. grapes etc have gone down well. I did wake up with a swollen face this morning and lips like Angelina Jolie!! Pitty the rest of me didn’t morph into her (and my hubby into Brad 
seems to have gone down now, assume it is the steroids?
Lori / Amber - hope you are well. I also felt emotional today as lost my wedding ring but found it a few hours later in boot - WTF???
Quick question - My anti sickess and steroids last for 5 and 3 days respectively, what do you do after that? Call the nurses / doc if you start to feel sick and need more?
All the best for those starting / just started - big hugs to all AAAs
Pauline xx
Hello everyone, is there room for a late arrival?
Lobular invasive, already had surgery (WE) and sentinel node tested (clear, thank goodness).
I begin chemo next week on the 17th, FEC T. I’m triple positive so will also be having Herceptin (beginning with the T) and continuing for a year. Then a few years of another drug - ooops forgot what it was; not Tamoxifen but something else as I’m post menopause
I’ve learnt so much from reading this forum, so thank you to everyone, and it seems daft to read and not participate 
Not only that, but after thinking I could ‘do’ this on my own, I’m beginning to realise I can’t. It would be nice to be a member of the Awesome April gang.
Best Wishes to all xxxxx
Hi Everyone,
Fec-T Cycle 1 Day 9
Had a bit of a better day, a bit of shopping and just back from a lovely walk in the woods with the dogs. Haven’t felt nauseas in a couple of days. my first mouth ulcer popped up this evening.
Pauline - glad you managed to sleep it makes a big difference
Primrosehill - my steroids are in tablet form, so I just made sure I took them before 2pm
hope you all have minimum s/e tonight
Low immunity days start tomorrow, so going not hibernation lol,
big hugs to all xxxxx
Pauline - yep, call the nurses if you still feel sick and have no meds left. They need to know so they can help, and can prescribe better ones for your next cycle. Eat ginger biscuits. Nothing better for nausea. Failing that, peppermints. Good luck with the morphing! 
Thanks Linda, although lips appear to have reverted back to normal
Diggywiggy - hope all went well today
Primrosehill - hope you are feeling ok and s/es not too bad
Amber - duvet day sounds just the thing tomorrow - hope you enjoy it
Lori - are you still holding out until your hairdresser comes back? My hubby is shaving mine as soon as it statrs to go, I actually feel ok about that part tbh, not sure why and will prob be emotional at the time but I keep thinking it is short term and will grow back. Completely understand that it is a massive deal for some of you lovely ladies though and hope we all get through it ok
I mentioned in a previous post that my dad was diagnosed with cancer a couple of days before me and is getting radio, well today he had a fall in the hospital and cut his head. They are keeping him in for a few days until his blood pressure increases and he is eating better (tumour in his mouth so cant eat much and is losing weight fast) What a day, my poor mum and brother are certainly going through it at the moment 
Life can be very crual, as we all know…
Anyway, onwards and upwards, better day tomorrow
Big hugs to all AAAs
Pauline xx
Oh Pauline, your poor mum must be really going through hell. I am so sorry. As you say, tomorrow is another day and we must all hope for a better one. Lots of love to you xxxxxx
Hi I am new to this never been on a forum before so dont laugh if I make a mess of it. I saw Oncologist today for first ime had my 2nd surgery 5 weeks ago. she says I have to start Chemo before 6 weeks. I feel I have beem sitting for weeks waiting on appointment and now its go go go, not even got any appointment booked to wait on phone calls for heart check bloods and specialist nurse feel worse tonight than I felt when they first told me. x
thanks Linda and welcome Karma queen, always room for another Angel xx
Hi everyone! have you got room for another one? I was diagnosed in January from routine mammogram. Have had a wide excision lumpectomy and a sentinel node biopsy. It was grade 3 with vascular invasion, but lymph nodes were clear. I start E-CMF chemo on 19th April. I would like to ask you all if you have had a canulla put in for each treatment, or have you had a PICC line, and what your thoughts are on either. The oncologist told me it would be a canulla each time, but have received an appt to have PICC line put in- not sure which to go for. also any tips for stuff to do before 1st treatment? very apprehensive!!
Hi everyone- new to this so just trying to post for the second time. first one did not appear!
Hi maisiecake
i am starting chemo on 17th April and am having a ‘portacath’ fitted which is a small port they out under the skin and it has a line into the vein…this stops them having to insert a canular each time. I have seen many ladies on here mention them and say they are great…might be worth asking if its an option.
kate
xxx
Hi Awesome April Angels, I would love to join your fab group.
My name is Christine and I am 37 married to Graeme for the last 17 yrs and we have 3 great kids i work in a special needs school and am being treated at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
i was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma grade 3 with node involvement back on 17th january. I was quickly taken in and had a mx and anc, 6/11 nodes tested positive. The op itself went well and i had few complications apart from the dreaded seroma, it filled 3 times and i had to go back to hospital and get it drained! The staff were fantastic but i live an hours drive from the hosp, so it became a real nuisance, but since then its been fine.
I started my fect-t chemo last week 2/4/13 and so far it hasn’t been too bad. The nausea has been manageable, but am now getting acid heartburn which i got meds for and I’m trying to cope with the tiredness levels going up and down like a yo-yo. My regime is 3 x fec 3 x t, and i would love to hear from other strong ladies going on the same rollercoaster ride as me
Christine x
Hi everyone,
well, the first herceptin went fine today (sorry, yesterday. Been up most of the night!) I felt ok and was sitting waiting for SEs to kick in but none so far! I have had a really dry mouth and eyes and of course the insomnia! but I think that might be the steroids rather than herceptin. Has anyone else had this?
Was lovely to meet Wendy and her OH today and the staff were great. Back for chemo tomorrow (today!) Actually looking forward to a bit of fatigue - might get a decent night’s sleep!!
Hope all is ok with everyone
Karen xxxxxx
Hi Mamakaz
sorry to hear you’ve been half all night, hope you get more sleep tonight! I am wide awake with the nerves around my portacath being fitted…odd really as I slept fine the night before my mx and recon! Not sure why I feel more nervous, think its cos I haven’t met the surgeon but or my mx and recon I couldn’t have had 2 nicer and more caring surgeons!
hope everyone has a good day today and the SE’s are bearable for the ones who have already started chemo.
kate
xx
Morning all
Been awake most of the night too - will take steroids early today! First Herceptin went ok yesterday - felt good most of the evening. Psychologically I felt much better too, as if another important step had been taken and I was a little further on with reclaiming my life. The only SE has been a headache which I still have - not too bad - and, like Karen, a dry mouth. It was great to meet Karen yesterday and think of France!
Apprehensive about the 1st chemo this morning but feel more confident about going to the unit and trying to stay positive about SEs.
Kate - try not to worry too much about the portacath fitting. I had mine last week. I’m a complete wimp and was very worked up but it was ok and not too long. I would recommend sedation if offered - mine was very mild but just relaxed me a little. I was very grateful for the port yesterday - easy to access, not painful and I didn’t come home with a bruised, pincushioned hand.
Hope you have a good day, everyone. Pauline - hope today is better for you; you are in my thoughts.
Wendy x
Morning Girls,
Fec-T Cycle 1 day 10
LnMcg, Karma Queen, Maisiecake, Kate and Christine, welcome to the gang
Maisiecake - love the name my granddaughter is called Maisie, I have a cannula and not been offered a Picc but Iam keeping it in mind in case I run into problems with my veins. Some Healthboards seem to offer as standard.
Linda - you are a wealth of knowledge, keep it comming
Pauline - really do hope your family have a better day today
Wendy - good luck, tick that box, girl
Christine - spooky! Iam on the same regime as you, started the same day and live near Elgin, which side of Aberdeen are you?
Had another good nights sleep but a bit teary again, that’s 3 days now guess its cos Iam being weaned of steroids, last one today. Another mouth ulcer this morning but using the mouthwash n bonjela so all n all not so bad. Getting a bit obsessed with the gel, cleanliness thing now, feel like all I say is ‘have you gelled’ lol.
Lori, Pauline, Linda, Debra, Christine and any others Ive missed soz chemo fog, hope s/e are ok
nice sunny day here, enjoy xxx
Hi Amber and all the other wonderful Angels
Fec-t cycle 1 day 10
I live in Fraserburgh, we quite often visit Fochabers with our caravan and I love going to Elgin shopping, especially the craft shop!
I have also come to the conclusion that the worst thing about the 1st chemo is the fear of he unknown. Sitting in a new environment, surrounded by strangers (who turn out to be either lovely staff or others in the same boat!), hooked up to a machine and then the big question “when do the side effects start?”. I attend the lovely Anchor unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and the staff are fantastic! whilst i was getting my first cycle one of the lovely ladies from the friends of anchor came and gave me a foot massage, and then when my cycle was nearly finished she came back and showed me how to wear a head buff and I got to pick one from A great selection to take home free of charge.
As for the side effects, yesterday was fab, I could have taken on the world! Not sure about today yet still in bed with my coffee, well it is he easter hols and my kids are still sleeping I have been prescribed ranitidine for the acid heartburn and also an oral gel as I have oral thrush, but on the plus side no ulcers (yet). Hair starting to thin a little bit but nothing major.
The worst thing I have found about this journey so far is getting a decent bra that does not make me look like Mrs Doubtfire! There are lots of choices but not what I pictured my 37 yr old self wearing, anyone else got this problem. As for swimming costumes I don’t know where to start We are off to Florida in Oct
Hope you are all coping well with whatever you are facing today. Chins up its a means to an end
Christine x
Fec T Cycle 1, Day +3
Morning ladies, and welcome to all the new AAAs, really nice to hear from so many of you but really made me think how widespread this damn BC is!!
Had a good sleep again last night, took last steroid at 2pm yesteday and will do same today. This is my last day of steroids so hopefully will be ok and not need to take any more. For those who started before me - did you also only take steroids for 3 days and if so, how did you cope when they stopped?
Main s/e for me at the moment is tiredness (up and down like a yo yo which someone mentioned previously) and also still got a horrible mouth and cold sores on my lips now. I am taking Nystan for the mouth at the moment but not really working. I am sure i read on another thread about something better (Linda - our Oracle I’m hoping you will know?) Think it also began with ‘N’ I have app with gp tomorrow morning so hoping to get something better. Any tips for cold sores?
Amber - hope you have a better day today, be thinking of you x
Masiecake - I got a Hickman line fitted which goes in the chest and makes it much easier to get chemo / bloods etc. I needed this as have no visible veins at all. I think you get the PICC line if you have a vein in your arm joint that it can run through and the cannula is for those with ‘good’ veins on the back of the arm which can be accessed each time you go for bloods /chemo
WAC - Hope all goes well for you today, be thinking about you x
Take care all, Big hugs
Pauline xx