Anyone due to start their chemo July 2014

Going through breast cancer treatment Chemotherapy monthly threads
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Cath - under different circumstances a duvet day with pavlova and chocolate sounds ideal. The thought of your scones with strawberry jam and cream is making my mouth water too. Think I’ll have to make a cake tomorrow, trying to cram in as much yummy food before Monday as possible.
Fingers crossed our blood tests will be ok. I’ve got to have mine tomorrow but won’t find out until I’m sitting in the chemo chair whether they are good to go. Hope you have a lovely weekend.

Wendy - mmm I could just eat chips and curry sauce now. Have you got any other side effects aside from the drop in energy levels from the Tax? Hopefully each day you will feel a bit better now even if it does take a while to take back to normal, at least you’ve had your last one and got through it ?

Hope everything went well for ladies who had treatment today, at least that’s another one down.

I have a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio in the fridge to enjoy before I start the steroids on Sunday. Beef and spinach curry in the oven.

Hugs, Karen xx

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Thanks Wendy, I’ve been feeling a bit more anxious this time as I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like. I know what you mean about it being similar to labour, hopefully in a couple of months we will all be looking back thinking it wasn’t so bad after all!

Enjoy your wine xx

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Glad today went well hbunny and hope you manage to get some sleep despite the steroids. Do you know if everyone has to take the antibiotics after Tax? I too was hoping to cut down on the drugs after Fec, oh well. 4 down 2 left sounds pretty good.

Hope you don’t have too many side effects and get plenty of rest this weekend

Sending big hugs, Karen xx

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Thanks for the warning hbunny, and yes I do have the injections too. I’m definitely going to make the most of this weekend now! Roll on November, rads should be no problem after this and at least I’ll be able to drink plenty of tea then.

Take care xx

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Horseslave - I had a couple of minor nosebleeds after 2nd tax then just disappeared and not recurred.

All new tax ladies (I’ve just had 3rd) my main problems have been bone pain after the Neulasta injection, general tiredness, indigestion and mouth ulcers. My advice is take plenty of painkillers for bone pain and start before pain kicks in hard, lasted up to a week! Laprazanazole great for indigestion. Difflam and salt mouthwashes for mouth ulcers. Diarrhoea ?about day 14 but I just let that run it’s course as figured it’s my body getting rid of the ‘crap’ - excuse my language!! Then smiling all the way to day 21 ??

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Hi Karen

I’ve just had 3rd tax and although I was given antibiotics to take home they were only ‘in case’ my temperature went over 37.5. I’ve not needed them do far

Ruby x

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Thanks Ruby, fingers crossed that’s what I’ll get too then. Isn’t it strange how treatment varies from place to place.

Am I right in thinking you are using the cold cap too? How is your hair holding up?

Have a good weekend

Hugs, Karen x

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Sorry Ruby, meant to say hope all went well with your Tax today and that you are feeling ok. Wishing you minimal SE’s and a restful weekend.

Karen x

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Hi Karen

Yes I’ve used cold cap for my first 3 tax and although I seem to have lost a lot of hair, it seems to have shedded rather than come out in clumps - I’ve still got a complete covering with no patches. I’ve got hats and scarves ready but I was told that after cycle 3 the hair loss slows. Time will tell! How about you?

Ruby x

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Morning ladies

Well the Tax treatment went ok, no side effects during administration. Mind you I am totally wired on the steroids, really not sleeping well and now a bit shaky. Only one more day of steroids. The nurse had trouble getting the cannula in, the first two veins blew and she finally managed a vein close to my wrist bone which was a bit sore. Still, done now. I haven’t had any nausea and managed to go out last night to the in laws and eat fish and chips! I’m fully expecting the pains to start soon and have been told to take painkillers at the first sign and keep them up, so I will be shopping for some today.

Hbunny - I was knackered after my FEC, I was always falling asleep while trying to watch something on TV. Now I can’t sleep, which I find worse as falling asleep gets you through it quicker. I know, I’m never happy! I have got a lot less meds this time, steroids finish today, injections start tomorrow for 7 days and I have anti sickness drugs which I only need to take as and when needed. No antibiotics. Another bottle of lactulose to keep me regular! Maybe you have more because of your diabetes.

To everyone due to start Tax in the next few days I hope it goes we for you. Personally I’m happy that the unknown has become the known as far as administration if it is concerned. Just waiting the side effects to kick in, which I will no doubt comment on in a few days.

Wherever you are in your treatment I hope you are all coping as well as can be. We are all getting through this in our own different ways, different side effects, different ways of coping, different cakes!! I had two yesterday, no wonder I’ve put on weight!!

Have a good weekend everyone, get plenty of rest, eat whatever you fancy while you fancy it and if that includes wine have one for me as I still don’t fancy it! Here’s to us all getting there eventually. Take care all.

291

Morning ladies! It’s now day 6 of tax and I feel pretty lousy but am hopeful of an improvement soon. Am very much lacking in sleep and energy, drained and achey with some intermittent pains, yucky mouth (but not too sore) and funny-feeling thumbs. Probs need to take more painkillers as a few have said stock up n take them before it gets too bad, and am taking lansoprazole again now.

On a positive note, I’ve also been filling up on junk food (fish, chips etc yesterday and a cream slice - yummm) and the scales still say I’m down in weight again! I’ve had this every cycle so far - lose weight first week eating much junk then get back to normal next couple of weeks - must be the steroids!

Struggling to get fluids in last couple of days tho as nothing tastes good - will just keep trying things.

Hope everyone manages to have a good weekend with minimal SE’s and good luck to everyone having treatment next week.

Onwards & upwards!

Take care,

JuSt
X

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Hi just

My advice is keep painkillers up three times a day till all pains have receeded. Tiredness is normal I think - just sleep when you can rather than wait for nighttime (which is when I get hot flushes that wake me every 2-3 hours). Difflam is supposed to be the best thing for your mouth but it is expensive (£11-12).

Good luck. My SE’s will kick in tomorro so I’ll be in the same boat as you soon .

Hope they pass quickly

Ruby xx

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Wp23

I keep a record of drugs taken too, it’s incredibly easy to forget what you’ve taken and when for the first week as you take so many. I write out a list of what I plan or need to take and then highlight when it goes in my mouth.

Good luck for the weekend

Ruby xx

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Cath

Enjoy your good days, shopping and lunch and good luck next week

Ruby x

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Slydog

I had third tax yesterday and they had trouble getting my cannula in too. All ok after 3rd attempt but they told me your veins do garden up a bit as you go through!!

Sleeplessness/tiredness is very much an issue for me too - caused by a combination of steroids, hot flushes, need for the loo all night and my mind racing the minute I wake up. I figure most of this will pass when chemo finishes so in trying not to worry about it too much. I work from home so as long as I have 2-3 hours of alert time each day, I can cope. My advice, sleep when you can - or at least rest.

I think it’s the injections that start the bone pain, so dose up on painkillers before you start. I give myself Neulasta which is one big dose this evening so by Sunday night I would be in agony but now I’m getting the hang of it I start my painkillers today and it dulls them all to an ache rather than a pain. You may not suffer as badly as you’re having the injections spread out a bit but good luck whatever
Xxx

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Evening Ladies

Ruby - glad that the cold cap seems to be working for you. I’ve still got a covering of hair on top but it’s getting very thin and I’ve lost most underneath. I wear my wig when I go out now as my real hair looks a mess most of the time and the wig is quite different to my natural hair. I don’t like using cold cap as the strap under chin makes me feel nauseous and it makes the whole process so much longer. However having gone this far with it I’m not going to give up now and my onc is quite confident I will have a full head of hair by Christmas, time will tell. Hope you are continuing to be ok following treatment, how many have got left? Think you are right about sleeping when you can, I’m going to start doing that.

Wendy - thanks for the tip, I will have to write down when to take all the drugs otherwise I will never remember. Be interesting to see what I’m told about antibiotics as everyone seems to have been told something slightly different. I will have to try and get some difflam, is it available over the counter? Hope you are enjoying your weekend and are free from SE’s. Do you know when you will be starting radiotherapy.

Slyolddog - glad you have your first Tax over and done with, hope you manage to remain SE free. Hope you enjoyed your fish and chips, I can’t imagine doing anything after chemo I always have to go straight to bed when I get home. Maybe it will be differ with Tax (fingers crossed). Hope your veins have recovered, they had trouble finding mine last time. Having a glass of wine for you right now?

Cath - hope you enjoyed your shopping and lunch, sounds the ideal way to spend a Saturday. Unfortunately I didn’t get chance to make a cake today, think the fatigue has finally caught up with me. For the first time since day after chemo I had to have a little nap during the day, been trying so hard not too in case it stops me sleeping at night but I still seem to be wide awake at 2am and I’m not even taking steroids at moment. Enjoy tomorrow and good luck for Tuesday.

JuSt - sorry to hear you are having trouble sleeping and feeling pretty lousy. Hopefully you will start to feel better from hereon in. Stocking up on junk food sounds like a good idea, if we can’t eat what we want now when can we? As my onc told me, we are going through enough crap now we might as well eat what we want as we have the rest of our lives to eat healthily.

Hbunny - happy birthday for tomorrow ? hope you manage to remain mainly SE free and get your indigestion under control. Celebrate in style next year. It’s my 49th in 3 weeks on what was due to be my 5th chemo so maybe it’s a good thing I’ve been put back a couple of days, hoping to be in a much better place by time my 50th comes round. Interesting what you’ve been told about WBC affecting how much pain you get following injections, mine was borderline previously so really hoping it’s picked up now. Three quarters up that damned hill sounds pretty good to me.

I think if we are finished chemo and are over the worst of the SE’s before Christmas it will be best present we can have.

Love to all who’ve had treatment recently, hope you are all ok and good luck to those due for the next dose soon, esp Clare for your last chemo on the 10th.

Hugs, Karen x

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Hi hbunny

Just wanted to drop in to say Happy Birthday for tomorrow. I hope you don’t have the breakdown I had on my a few weeks back, the day seemed to tip me over the edge. I think the card from my dad, who is 87 and not well himself made me realise that next birthday he may not be here. Anyway, I’m sure you’re birthday will have a better start, middle and end. I’m sorry you’re facing this in your forties, I at least had entered the next decade before things went awry. Thank god for routine mammograms for over fifties.

Have the best day possible with no side effects to deal with. You can start them on Monday if need be! Xx

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Hi Wendy

Thanks for the advice about getting Difflam on prescription I will ask tomorrow. It will be great if you do start radiotherapy w/b 29 sept, I can’t remember how many weeks you have to have but should be finished late Oct/early Nov?

It’s very true what you say about how many of us appear to be in our 40’s. I’ve read loads about how most women diagnosed with bc are over 50 but most that I know of have been in their 40’s. My mother in law was my age when she had bc which was also in her lymph nodes, she didn’t have chemo but is still clear of it now 22 years later.

Cath - hope you are continuing to enjoy your day. Think I overdid the enjoying junk food, feeling stuffed at the moment!! If I don’t get to post tomorrow hope your bloods ok and Fec goes ok on Tuesday.

Had a lovely afternoon at the Donkey Derby today, came home and painted my nails black in preparation for Tax but unfortunately being clumsy as I am I dropped the brush on the floor and my jeans. Hubby not impressed

Take care everyone
Karen x

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Hi all!  Day 8 and i definitely feel more human again today - still only getting about 3 hours kip a night but overall I seem to have more energy and less pain etc today - hope to stay back in the land of the living for a while now :slight_smile:  Just need to chase up the hospital as they should’ve contacted me about getting a PICC line in and haven’t done yet - I keep putting it off as I’m not looking forward to it but then worrying when I think of not getting it done!!  Aren’t I supposed to have ‘manned up’ to these things by now? 

 

WP23 - great news on seeing your onc for date for rads - it’ll be great to get another chunk of treatment ticked off the list! x

 

CathC- thanks for the reminder about ice lollies - I’ve read several posts about them but just plain forgot! Derr! Blame chemo brain.  Anyhow, tried a couple yesterday and they really eased the yukky mouth whilst getting some fluids in so thanks again.  Good luck for your bloods and treatment this week - hope the SE’s are minimal x

 

Karen2609 - great to hear about your mother-in-law staying clear, even without the chemo.  Positive stories really help don’t they?  Good luck with your tax and hope you also have minimal SE’s. x

 

All the best to everyone else - hope you are enjoying little/no SE’s and a little bit of September sunshine,

 

JuSt

x

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Cath - glad your bloods were ok today. Lunch with the family sounds good way to spend day before chemo, so nice to be able to do normal things. Hope all goes well for you tomorrow and that you have minimal SE’s x

Wendy - thanks for the tips re Difflam, I dropped a few hints and have come home with Difflam and Oraldene so hopefully that will help. Luckily we have laminate floors so I got the nail polish off that easily but unfortunately not my favourite (most comfy) jeans ? x

JuSt - glad to hear you are starting to feel a bit better, does seem to take longer to recover as we go through. Hopefully you will soon be back to normal and be able to enjoy the next couple of weeks before next session. The finishing line is definitely in sight now x

Well first Tax done and so far I’m feeling much better than normal after chemo. I’m usually in bed by now and unable to face food. Going to try a bit of toast in a minute and hopefully manage to avoid being sick tonight.

Re the antibiotics, mine is different to everyone else. I wasn’t given any, when I queried this was told they are just given if you need them - and I only have 6 days of injections not 7!

Bad news is that my next session has been put back a day until 30/9 as they can’t fit me in. I know I’m overreacting but do feel really miffed by this as it’s the second time my date has been put back and I just want to get it over with. Oh well could be worse, I’ve got off pretty lightly with chemo so far just have to wait and see how I cope with Tax.

Hope everyone who has had treatment recently is feeling ok and not suffering too much from SE’s and sending lots of love to those due to have treatment this week, Cath and Clare ( not sure if anyone else?)

Karen x