Judy
I too have psoraisis, mainly on my feet and ankles. Sadly, chemo seems to have made it worse 
. Hope you have better luck than me with that.
Kath (poemsgalore, February Valentines)
AC cycle 1 day 11
Sounds like its wigs all round for the AAA’s. I went out and got one today, had the fringe cut and after we got home I put it on and walked into town - no-one looked at me odd and my OH says he’s already got used to it! I kept seeing myself in shop windows and wondering who was looking back at me! 
So far I haven’t lost any hair so it did feel like the wig didn’t quite fit solidly as my own hair underneath isn’t as ‘stable’ as I’m told my headless hair will be - hope these tales are right
Glad to hear everyone is slowly getting through the SE’s, I’m hoping the 2nd cycle is better than my first (although not sure that is possible!)
Lori28 - hope your OH has been out and stocked up on the Guiness now, its has lots of good properties in it, iron is the main one but its good for digestion and morale too! I’m hoping to have some wine tonight but not sure what to eat with it as we had lunch out and I had the liver as per my chemo nurses orders - keep my iron levels high before bloods on Tuesday!
Have a great saturday night all
Kate
x
Kath that’s disappointing to hear, that’s one of the good effects of chemo I was looking forward to - no psoriasis. I normally only get it during the summer months and it has only just started to appear in a tiny patch on my leg. I will be watching it closely now, hoping that it will go away.
Kate, I’m pleased for you that you’ve got your wig and your happy with it. have you gone for a similar style to your own hair?
Hi all,
So much talk about wigs. Yours looks great Lori! 
I’m starting to doubt my choice as I’ve gone for a long style, yet I’ve had short hair for the past 6 weeks and kind of got used to it. I’ll wait until I lose all my hair I think and then maybe get my wig cut. Decisions, decisions! It’s good that most of us are past the initial SEs though and able to focus a bit more on other things. Long may it continue.
Judy,
Yes I’ve gone for a ‘me’ look, its a bit longer than my own hair currently but a very similar colour. I’ll put a photo on tomorrow when my OH has taken one of me in it - I’m doing a dress trying session tomorrow to see what I’ll be wearing on my 2 night cruise in 4 weeks time and checking if new ‘boob’/hats/wigs look okay with them!
Kate
x
Morning Angels,
Didn’t manage to post anything yesterday, was feeling just too tired. Going to spend today doing absolutely nothing. Expecting my daughter, her husband and two grandchilren to pop in for a while this afternoon so that is more than enough excitement for one day!
Lori, the wig looks great! I’m hopefully going to the shop tomorrow because my paperwork has come through. And thanks for the warning Kim - no more wigs in the kitchen!
Judy, although you’ve been looking online for wigs, I’d try to find a shop where you can actually try some on. It’s amazing how two wigs that look very similar in a photo can be so different on your head. Saying that, you’ll probably get a better price online. My NHS Danni is costing a £63 prescription charge which I feel is really good but I found Danni online for £75 without prescription. By the way, the spots haven’t receded yet - suppose my immune system can’t cope with the extra strain. The T tree oil soothes but I don’t think anything topical is going to have much effect. The healing needs to come from within - sounds very zen, that bit!
Debra, hope you’re feeling a bit better. I know they say that the effects of chemo are cumulative so now we others can see how you feel after three lots. I’d love to know how they come up with all the different regimens we’re on. I get three tubes of E and two of C in six three week cycles - no mf. Are you having eight cycles and is it every two weeks?
Haven’t had the dreaded sore mouth yet but I’m sure someone has started putting salt in my tea! I read somewhere on this forum that a mouthwash made with a teaspoon of bicarb in a cup of water gently helps both the soreness and the tastebuds.
Hope everyone enjoys a lovely lazy Sunday
Moira xxx
Hi Moira
Hope you get to rest a bit around your visitors today, its not good to feel too tired as our bodies definitely need lots of extra rest to help with the recovery.
I agree with you on trying wigs on - the first few I looked at in the shop that I thought would look okay certainly didn’t! The lady in the shop was very helpful and knew what would suit me better than I did!
I keep having the same question going through my mind about how they decide which chemo treatment for which person as I’m having 4 x AC at two weekly intervals followed by 4 x TAX at two weekly intervals…no FEC coming near me but that seems to be the most common one! I know the 2 weekly intervals isn’t too common as the Onc said he’s hoping I’m fit enough to take it as most people have to have it at 3 weekly intervals…not sure if work have bribed him to try to get me through it quicker so I can get back to work!
Have a good Sunday everyone, its sunny but cold here so I’ve already been out in the garden this morning!
Kate
x
Well Kate, I’ve just spent the last hour or so reading through some of the other threads and I’m smiling big time. Loved thr Pam Ayres poem posted by Poemsgalore on the February Valentines and found the Daily Mail/yellow wellies thread that poems commented on a page or so back on latest posts. Had me in stitches. Feeling so much better - I’m off to mow the lawns!
Moira xxx
oops too late, kids have arrived
Morning everyone,
I hope everyone is feeling as well as possible today, although here it would be easy to stay in bed all day the weather is so poor.
I was initially prescribed 6 x FEC then 18 x Herceptins by the registrar. Within a week of me signing the consent it was changed by the chief Onc to 6 x TCH. (Taxotere/Carboplatin/Herceptin). I queried it as I had no idea why. I was told that FEC is harder on the heart than TAX, and because I need Herceptin which is also hard on the heart, he thought I would do better without FEC. He went on to say there is absolutely nothing wrong with my heart, my ECHO scan was good, but because our hearts deteriorate with age, and I am 65, he thought it would be better in the long run. I then asked why they give FEC at all if TAX is less harsh on the heart, and all he could say was that FEC is the “bog standard” treatment in breast cancer primary cases. He didn’t say so, but I did wonder if finances played a part in it! Strangely enough, there are 3 of us at my hospital all at the same stage of treatment, all HER2 positive, and all on TCH. Not a FEC in sight!!!
And poooey, our boiler has packed up this morning (Sunday of course) so no heating and NO hot water. Not a happy bunny.
Take care, Linda xxx
I am still in bed too with that horrid hangover feeling. I did get up and watch ’ Silver Linings ’ on the TV with my fiancé which I enjoyed. my arm is bruised and very sore the only thing that helps really is heat. I can honestly say wiggy stays on my bald head better than when I had hair. I still have eyebrows and lashes, when do they fall out? not sure if I would like that! Today my appetite is not back to normal and taste buds very strange. I am making my own smoothies with fruit and ginger and juicing apple and beet rolive l love reading all your posts I don’t feel alone.
Debra xx
Hi Linda,
Sorry to hear about the boiler packing up, hope your managing to keep warm and won’t be long til you get someone out to fix it - what rotten timing to happen on a Sunday!
I think its very intetesting what you posted about the regime you were offered and what you have ended up taking. I’m on FEC ×3 then TAX ×3 after that they have proposed Herceptin every 3 weeks for a year and then Tamoxifen for 5 years.
I had an ECHO done too and they reported that although my heart looked fine they would be monitoring this by using a dye so that the heart walls showed up clearer than with just the ECHO. My worry is that I was called in by heart Doc to have an MRI on Monday then when I told them that I had a saline spacer fitted after my mastectomy (this gets injected with saline every few weeks to stretch skin and aid with reconstruction) I reminded them that this has a magnetic disc in (to aid with the fill) they said MRI would not be possible, no offer of any other test or why they wanted it done in first place?? I had an Arythmia a few years ago so hope my heart is as strong as they say it looks! Think I need to ask some questions about all this?
Hi Debra,
Think your doing the right thing, keep warm and get plenty of rest. I did post an update when you changed your profile but it does not seem to have made it…it was just to say that I think your wig looks great! I think you said you had long hair (mine was shoulder length) and although it does take a bit of getting used to, your right the wig does feel a little better now that I have no hair. I was finding that even the stubble hurt when I was in bed it seemed to drag on pillow so last night my OH shaved my head smooth and although still weird to look at it feels much better. Hope your feeling better soon…have to agree too - would’nt it be great if we all lived closer and could take over a Spa for the day…Happy Thoughts!
Love Lori x
Debra - Forgot to say I still have my lashes and brows (although brows have thinned) pleased I still have them, so lets keep our fingers crossed that we are lucky enough to keep them!!
Linda I too am curious about differences in chemo regimes my onc comes from christie and the standard treatment in my hospital seems to be fec then tax I am 56 and her2 positive and there are ladies in the chemo ward who are over 60 who are are on the same treatment as myself. I have no idea as to the pros and cons of different treatments we seem to be at the behest of of the onc to which we are initially allocated I am not complaining but it would be nice to have fuller explanations.
Hi Lori, (and Pammy)
I have done a lot of research since I was diagnosed. Too much according to my family! I have found loads of stuff on-line relating to my own Oncology Department (Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Network), including all their protocols for each different chemo regime, what we should have before, during and after each cycle, which heart scans and when etc etc.
I have also discovered that Herceptin works best if used with a taxane chemo drug like Taxotere.
However, there is nothing about which specific regime should be offered in which scenarios. All I can gather is that TCH seems to be the favoured regime for HER2 positive ladies judging by the fact there are 3 of us on this regime. Another lady at a similar stage to us is on FEC-T but she isn’t on Herceptin at all. The advantages seem to be less strain on the heart, and also a shorter time scale as the Herceptin started on cycle 1 rather than after the FEC finished. So I am saving myself 18 weeks of treatment in total as I will have already had 6 Herceptin infusions by the time I finish chemo.
It would be great if the reasoning behind all the various regimes was available to the public. Perhaps we should be asking more questions of our oncologists rather than just accepting what they say. It’s so confusing!
I would give anything to have a pamper Spa day right now!
xxxxxx Linda.
I should also say I am on Day 20 of cycle 1 and still have my hair! I cut it very short before I started, cropped really short. Bits come out when I tug at it but most is still hanging on in there. However, the clippers are ready.
Hello everyone, I had my first FEC-T treatment on 9th April, second due 1st May, so I hope its not too late to join the April gang?
I’m 54, from Clackmannanshire, sentinel node biopsy 28th March clear, 5.5cm lump, oestrogen negative, dont know HER status, bone scan clear, CT said not spread, breast MRI said other breast clear.
All fine until 2 days ago, when biopsy wound site became infected, ligament like thing in armpit, blood count 0.4, started anti-biotic, now starting to notice pains/sensation down lower arm (my dominant arm).
Anyone else had this? Is it likely to be lymphoedema?
I’m really worried if my white cells dont pick up they may want to delay/decrease the next chemo.
Really grateful for any input to get this in perspective, thanks
(I’ll answer to Nora, admiration to those who put up real name and photo, thats not for me at the moment)
Just to say I start herceptin on cycle 4 when I start tax they told me that they change to tax because the body gets too used to one chemical but who knows it all depends who you spetootoo
AC cycle 1 day 12
Hi and welcome Nora,
You are certainly not too late to join the AAA gang and we are a friendly crowd so hope you get to relax with us.
I haven’t had any of the symptoms you describe but my suggestion would be contact your chemo unit asap so they can get you sorted or referred to the right people to sort you out…in my experience there are many different SE’s from both chemo and surgery that the medical teams will do their best to sort as quickly as possible.
I had my first chemo on 17th April and am off for my second hopefully on 1st May (depending on bloods on 30th April) so I’ll be ‘with you’ on 1st as we get our specific potions administered!
Kate
x
Thanks Linda - I’ll do a bit of research and check with my Doc’s about the regime and effects on heart. I must admit I am similar to you I don’t think you can have too much information. I find it less daunting and although I dont want information overload its useful knowing what questions to ask and when.
Lori x
hi kate and all angels
how do you get your second one on 1st, 2 weekly, were you offered a choice or did your onc just decide it?
angie xx