Morning ladies
Hope everyone got a good nights sleep?
Can anyone tell me how to post and view pictures on the forum?
Thanks Ruby x
Morning Ladies
JuSt - thanks for the reassurance re fingernails, they are feeling better now so fingers crossed they will be ok at least for a bit longer. Hope you are doing ok?
Cath - lots of luck today and tomorrow, I will be thinking of you and hoping everything goes ahead as planned.
Wendy - have a lovely time in Windermere, you deserve a break before starting radiotherapy and going back to work. Still a long way off for me but I’m getting slightly anxious as there have been lots of changes and apparently I will be subject to Management Action due to length of sickness. This is despite not having a day off sick for 2 years prior to surgery.
I should have known better than to post I was suffering minimal SE’s yesterday. Was fine in the morning walking dog and up the hill to shops, then it hit me mid afternoon. I am now curled up on sofa unable to get comfortable with back and leg pains. All of a sudden I feel about 80 and am struggling to get upstairs, I still have another 2 days of injections and am hoping to start feeling bit more normal once these are finished.
Good luck to anyone having treatment this week
Love to all,
Karen x
Waw July ladies
I had 10 days of post to read thro’. Can’t believe I was away sooooooooo long :smileysurprised: Normal life took over Pre assessment, frinend’s visit, last TC and appt with breast surgeon
Karen, CathC,Slyolddog and Wendy thanks for the good wishes and thoughts. My last TC was exhausting due to staff sickness I had a 4 hrs delay. They also forgot to order my herceptin with caused a 2 hr delay!! so I was so tired before my fatigue kicked it .I also had an appt the next day with breast surgeon. Hence I am only posting today.
Cath sorry to hear about your delay and LFT results. Has it been sorted?
hbunny - happy belated birthday. Sorry about you SE’s.
Slyolddog- unfortunately the mammogram let me down. It didn’t pick up my DCIS so I discoverd my IDC lump14 mths later :smileysad:.
Flossie- glad your tr’ment is going smoothly. You’ve done so well, working etc. Good to seeyou back.
Wendy - no one actually tells you the true effects of TC. I felt like 21yrs old at 57yrs when I began my chemo journey.Wish I knew that I would feel like 60 -70yrs four cycles later. :smileysad: would have been easier to cope with it. I hated the surprises!! Good luck with your radiotherapy journey on the 22nd Sept. It’s my hubby’s birthday that day.
Hi Berkshirelass= welcome. At first it sounds and feels awful but it all becomes the normaility and will improve with ups and downs.Your body gets used to having the chemo and after the first cycle the SE’s can be predicted and treated before they get too severe. The SE’s fade away after a week or so.
Hello to Ruby, wendylois, horseslave. Welcome Whitfield and good luck
to all and everyone I missed
Love
Clare
I decided to post this poem. I am not a writer but was inspired when I woke up today as I think this sums it up. Hope it’s not too depressing.
My TC Journey
Day 21 I feel great, then the S.**.t flows through my veins again.
Day 1 and 2, I bumble through, with steroids to keep me company.
Day 3, I start to fail but resistance enables me to walk like a snail.The brain starts going fuzzy but I reach out for clarity.
Day 4, is always the worse of all, fatigue, headiness, fuzziness, difficulty articulating and temporary forgetfulness.
Day 5, Feel alive through sleepiness, zombified walking and minimal nutrition.
Day 6, I wake up feeling like me. Life goes on … this on my last chemo trail I am so happy. These cancer cells and genes are now damaged and weakened and I am free.
I shed tears of joy …
Can’t cry for long, as the chemo tears remind me that the next journey is about to begin.
Sugar, if I wake up tomorrow on Day 6. feeling better, I will send you virtual hugs! I am used to 11/12 days of TAX knocking me for six. It doesn’t agree with me! Does it with anyone?!
Finding the Fec a zillion times easier, my sympathies to anyone else unfortunate to not cope with the tax stage. Do we all get the same tax/ fec combination? Yet sometimes in different orders? Or are there other drugs used to treat bc? Sorry for being a bit thick…all the words and phrases scramble my brains at times!
Not having an easy time of it with my husband at the moment. He is being very immature. Can’t cope with the kids or organising anything. Drives me mad. I have a reason to behave like a looney. Whats his?!
Hi ladies sorry that i have not been around lately but i think you know where i have been again. yes southend hospital for the third time after my 3rd fec which was my last fec. Had shortness of breath again my bloods were fine but this time i had trouble with my blood pressure to low. So my onc has stopped all blood pressure
tabs and put me on one heart tab for my angina.
We have agreed i must carry on as no good starting what i cant finish. So pachitaxol starts from the 25th sept every thursday for nine weeks [anyone else on weekley chemo or this tax] onc said i should find it better than the fec.
i hope so as at the moment i ache all over and am so tired and this is day 12 of fec.
Not been able to read all your posts as my eyes are sore i have got eye drops but they stick together all the time.
So hi to any new ladies hope all that have just had treatment or are due it soon have minimal se.
pop back into tomorrow nite all take care.
So sorry to hear you have been hospitalised again shoes, what an absolute drag…
Its good that they are adjusting the dose to suit you better, hopefully. I have my fingers crossed for you x
I find my oncologist to be a lovely, caring lady, they really do want to do whats best for you, I have felt less like a number with her, like. I did with my surgeons.
Barney dog is snuggled up next to me in bed, I know, no animals etc…but he is such good company and humans are irritating me at the moment. Hes only a little daschund. Wish I could put a pic of him on here but if anyone wants to friend me on fb for silly pictures and chats/ rants whilst we are going through this poo poo, feel free to message xx.
Hello all hope i find you all well today. A friend sent me an artical about pacitaxol and it say that 89% are clear for five years and more after weekly tax where the same result is for those who had a three weekly cycle.
Symptoms are less on weekly. So here i am more positive maybe i do ache and am tired all but still pushing on.
Eyes still sore so i have probs reading some threads so hope all is going well for you will have to get hubby to read posts so that i can reply. Thanks all for your support.
Morning Ladies
Cath, hope your treatment went ahead as planned yesterday and that you’re feeling ok today.
Sorry can’t reply to everyone individually not been on for few days as I appear to have jinxed myself. Ended up in hospital with high temp and low blood count. They can’t find infection at the moment, possibly something to do with my heart but no one could get any blood from me last night to check. Going to try again today. Been on antibiotics for 2 days and it still not coming down.
Love to all, Karen
Hi Cath, so pleased to hear your treatment went ahead you must be so relieved. Hope you are not suffering too much from SE’s and manage to relax a bit for next couple of weeks before worrying about your next set of blood tests.
I haven’t got wifi in here so can’t post as often as I would like but unfortunately my temp is still up despite 3 days of antibiotics and they can’t pinpoint the cause of infection. Luckily one of the lovely nurses managed to get some blood from me this afternoon, although if they haven’t discovered the cause in the previous tests I had in last couple of days, I’m not holding out much hope. On the plus side, my neutrophil levels and blood count were on way up in previous blood test and my kindle is fully loaded!!
Hugs, Karen x
Slyolddog - glad to hear you are improving now on your tax cycle. I also really struggled to get fluids in, especially first week after tax, but had no problem eating - have definitely indulged in more treats this time and put a few pounds on! Will try to get back to eating healthier soon - well, I did say try. x
Cath - glad to hear your bloods were good enough for you to have your treatment this time. Hope you are now feeling less sick and not suffering any other side effects - am I right in thinking you are halfway through treatment now? x
Karen - sorry to hear you are in hospital and hope they manage to get you sorted and home soon. Take the opportunity to relax and make the most of that kindle. x
I went to my appointment to get PICC line in this morning but came out at lunchtime feeling very despondent. Had the numbing cream on and lay on the couch for half an hour whilst the nurse made three attempts to get into my vein - she basically said the vein was too thickened and she couldn’t get through it to get inside so I’m back at square one and facing problems giving bloods and getting canulas in. I came home and had a bit of a cry but am feeling a bit more positive now (although know I may not when it is time for more needles!) as at least I only have two cycles less and people get through much worse things. Wasn’t keen on having the line in so I’m trying to think that it was not meant to be and I wouldn’t have liked it anyway! At least hubby treated me to a lovely lunch on the way home.
Hope everyone else is doing ok and having minimal s/e’s - sending hugs to all who need them,
JuSt
x
JuSt - really sorry to hear your vein misbehaved with the Picc line. I know when things are bad, we say to ourselves continually, ’ well theres other people worse off’ but wouldn’t it be nice if something just went smoothly and comfortably to make the whole awful procedure and treatment more bearable?! I don’t think its too much to ask of life! Huge bowl of profiteroles and cream deserved by you and a slice of my triple layered chocolate cake! Xx
Karen - you still in hospital? There were some very tasty young male nurses when I was in there. Especially an italian one, who had the hots for my son when he visited… No matter how ill I feel, I can always appreciate beauty in the form of a uniformed, fine looking young male. Should be law: All chemo patients admitted get one to bring them tea and biscuits and chat. To aid recovery?
Cath- hope you don’t still feel sick today. If you do, bear in mind it will pass. I really hate the nausea, would much prefer diarrhoea if I was given a choice. Not that I am a masochist or anything… What drug is it that effects the liver? I imagine our organs going ’ bluerghhhhhhh, aaarghhhhhh’ when the chemo hits it anyway. Theres a cartoon in that somewhere.
Slyolddog - TAX is b******* isn’t it?! Make sure you drink says the nurse. Impossible when it all tastes like battery acid. I still have sore nails and soles on my feet from it and I am on FEC now! Noticed deep ridges across nails formed but seem to be still attached to me. My friend did a gel manicure with dark nail polish, they look better?just an idea for you, book it in soon eh?!
Why havn’t you seen your actual oncologist since before the chemo started?! Doesn’t care vary from place to place?
Shoes- HUGS , weekly doses must be very tiring for you and all that time spent going to the chemo ward weekly must be a real pain?
I have only checked through to when I posted last and didn’t want to pick up on individual posts before that as I am aware of what a waffler I am when on a roll.
Barney puppy is lying on my feet. He can still breath.
My 13 year old daughter, is in the ’ big bed’ snoring softly next to me. (Does not like sleeping away from me!) glad she doesn’t have wind like last night…
My best friend explained to me about husband support. It will be erratic, she said. As they are basically not women and a bit silly. I wish the teenage kids would make it a bit easier for him, as he cannot organise a ‘little drinky session in a brewery’
Normally I am in control, I am quite fierce being a teacher. Nothing gets by me. He loiters in the background, and obeys. So, when the chemo hits, he must feel like a wee puppy put out in the rain without its mummy?
Right, got to prepare for agricultural show this weekend. I have my little portable chair, can alway go back to car / hotel, moment I am tired. Daughter has several rare show chickens and ducks to wash/ oil/ prepare. ( we breed them) wierdos, I know…
Love to all xxxxx
Good morning ladies,
Not been on for a while so lots to catch up on …
Horseslave you are obviously a very strong woman and yes your husband will be feeling lost and vulnerable and helpless. I’m guessing it would just be nice if he could take control for a little while so that you could feel taken cared of ? I know my husband thinks I am bionic as really I’ve done very well so far on FEC but let’s see how he copes when I start Tax !! Ahhhhhhh
JuSt … Sorry to hear about your PICC line …sounds awful . Every little set back is upsetting but we will get there, it won’t be long now , hoo bloody Ray ! At my last chemo it took several attempts to get a good vein and I nearly passed out it hurt that much so I’m not looking forward to that again. R u free for coffee Monday/weds next week ?
Karen2609… Sorry to hear you are still in hospital and hope your home soon. Lots of time to read though !
CathC … Glad your chemo went ahead and your liver is behaving itself …didn’t realise one of the drugs could damage your liver ! Hope you have minimal side effects …
Slyolddog… Tax seems to be effecting people more than Fec and here was me hoping it would be easier ! I should have my first next this .although all my chemos have been delayed by a week due to my low neutrophils so I’m way behind everyone now !
Sugar8 … Finished chemo! Wow that’s brilliant , I can’t imagine the joy and relief of getting this part out of the way !
To all I’ve missed I hope you are coping with the side effects … We are getting there girls. I see October thread is up and running so we are getting old now!
Had a week away in norfolk with Hubby last week but it was straight after my chemo so I felt a bit crap all week. Blew up like I was 8 months pregnant so didn’t feel like going out in the evening as I couldn’t fit in any of the clothes I had taken… Managed a few good walks and lunches in the day though and the weather was glorious. Looked at a new house in norfolk , put an offer in, sold ours !!! All in 5 days … Tell you what though it certainly takes your mind of the chemo for a while.
I should be having my first tax next thurs , I am way behind now as I have been delayed a week each time…on the good side I get to read all about the side effects and how well or not you are all feeling. On the down side I am now nearly a full cycle behind . I will get there eventually …
Take care everyone
Morag
Evening Ladies
JuSt, sorry to hear about your problems with the Picc line. It’s awful to get yourself all prepared and then it doesn’t happen. Maybe you will be glad in the long run if you were unsure about having it and only have two more to get through. Hope you don’t have anymore probs with your veins.
Horseslave, you did make me laugh, no hunky Italian looking nurses in fact no male nurses just lots of lovely ladies. Probably a good thing tbh I look such a mess with my thinning greasy hair that can’t be covered up with wig and my very hairy legs on show - when is that hair going to disappear?
Hope all goes well with your daughters chickens at the show. Barney the puppy sounds adorable, missing my mutt at the moment.
Morag, sold your house and put in an offer on another is amazing, congratulations at least you have something to look forward to after all this. Hope your first Tax goes ok next week, seems like lots of us are treatment put back for one reason or another but we will get there.
Cath, sorry you are still feeling a bit sick, hopefully this will soon disappear and you can get back to some cake eating. Thanks for telling me about your hospital experience it does sound very similar to what I am going through now so I feel a bit more reassured. They still don’t know what causing the infection and antibiotics still not keeping temp down. Missing my kids as hospital not keen on them coming in incase they have picked up something from school. Just want to be home now but consultant reckons Monday at the earliest.
One of the nurses said that is very common in chemo patients and that some people end up in here after every cycle ( don’t like the sound of that when I’ve got another 2 to go).
To anyone I’ve missed, hope you are well
Karen xxx
Morning all! Hope you are all doing well or coping!
Woke up with racing head pulse feeling travel sick. Oh no, sicky licky is so not getting in the way of me having a weekend away! So,I never thought I would but I shoved that bottom antisickness up as quick as you can say boo. What is it with this booming pulse you can hear anyway?
Morning All
Thank you all for your good wishes, unfortunately I’m still in hospital. The temp seems to have gone but no prospect of getting out until the doctors are around tomorrow.
Hbunny - glad you enjoyed the LGFB day, I’m really looking forward to mine. Thanks for the tip about feathering strokes for eyebrows and eyeliner, mine are still hanging in there at the moment but I want to be prepared and need to start practising as haven’t got a very steady hand.
Have you got your 5th chemo later this week? If so good luck.
Clare - the champagne tea and cakes sounds wonderful, just the sort of treat needed, hope your heart scan goes ok.
Cath - thanks for the info about the injection, hope I do get it next time ! Luckily I have my kindle charger with me and an increasing supply of chocolate. I’ve also been lucky in that the food is nice and they keep me supplied with regular cups of tea.
Hope you got through your shaky day ok, I haven’t experienced that one but we do all seem to suffer different SE’s. Hope you are eating lots of cake on my behalf!
Panda - wishing you lots of luck for your chemo on Tuesday, it sounds like you have really been through the mill.
Horseslave - hope the anti sickness meds did their job and you are enjoying your weekend away. You are certainly a much stronger woman than me I do admire your energy.
Sorry to anyone I’ve missed, hope you all have a lovely weekend, sunny again here now.
They never did find out what caused my infection and I’m getting fed up of being told all week how well I look when I’m still stuck here. Anyway new book to start and toblerone to eat, hopefully next time I will be posting from home.
Love to all
Karen xx
Morning all! Thanks to Horseslave, Mogs, CathC, Karen and Clare for all your thoughts and comments about my PICC line. I saw the onc on Friday who initially said my surgery arm couldn’t be used, but finally discussed it with my main onc and came back to say that I could use that arm for bloods and that, as a last resort, if they have probs again with my veins, I can even have chemo on my surgery side. Bloods was much easier from my right arm and I am hoping that it won’t come to that and they’ll somehow get canula into my left hand again - will be covering it in Emla cream as much as possible to make it as painless as poss!!
Horseslave - your triple choc cake sounds great and is most welcome any time! Hope you have managed a good time at the show this weekend and that your daughters/chickens etc do well! Do let us know how it went x
Mogs - your week in Norfolk sounds very busy! New house - wow, that sounds like something to keep you busy. Won’t be able to meet you Monday as it is (hopefully) my treatment day. If this cycle goes like last one, I wasn’t too bad at all on the Wednesday so that might be a possibility? I have sent you a private message (I think - if it has worked!) with my mobile number. If you text/ring me, perhaps on Tuesday or Wednesday morning, I can let you know if I am ok to meet up for a chat/drink. If you can’t get the message, let me kow. Hope to see you soon x
CathC - hope your shaky day is over now and that you are on the up & up! Also, hope your taste buds and lack of sore mouth are holding out and that you get through this cycle with very minimal SE’s x
Karen - hope you manage to get back home tomorrow and that you are feeling well. Must feel like you’ve been in there ages! All the best x
Hbunny - glad you enjoyed your LGFB session. Everyone seems to enjoy them so I have finally got the number to ring up and find out when/where they are on locally. In the meantime, I’ve found a great eyebrow pencil from Bare Minerals - I find it the best thing since sliced bread for making my eyebrows appear again, it is easy to apply and long-lasting x
Sugar8 - congrats on finishing your chemo! Your champagne tea sounds lovely. I hope the Herceptin goes well for you x
Panda - good luck with your 5th tax. It does sound like a long journey you are on, but hopefully it will go faster for you as you pass each stage. I think my radiotherapy will probably be throughout November also. Hope you get through it all as easily as possible x
Hope everyone else is well - hugs to all
JuSt
x
Hiya all
Sorry I’ve not been on but had a horrid week for one reason or another (not chemo related!) and have ended up very short of breath and with probable gastritis from too much Naproxen and all the other meds!! ?. Anyway feeling a bit better today and need to pick myself up ready for my last tax on Thursday. ???. I’ve been reading the latest posts and sense an underlying great wave of happiness as everyone approaches the final leg of this horrid treatment. My son described it as your body running a Marathon everyday, on the inside - he’s only 14 and I thought that was quite a clever analogy!
Anyway here’s to another week. Everyone keep their heads up, or on a pillow!!!
It will soon all be over
Love Ruby xxx
Hi All sorry Karen that you had to spend time in hospital but with a temp its the best place to be. But you will be home soon.
Feeling very tired and shakey inside nice to know that i am not alone with this feeling thought it was just me.
Going to paint my nails black tomorrow as they all have ridges on them then i will be ready for my first weekly tax to start on thursday. I have 9 weeks to go but my onc said if i can get through at least 6 he will be happy.
As to reply to the post about using the surgery arm i was told if you are very ill A&E will use this arm if they cant get a vein in the other.My nurse has given me eye drops tried to do them my self it went every where but in my eyes. so hubby took over before i emptied the bottle.
As for his support its been great we do have words when i get on my high horse and coplain about anything and everything. He said the other week if he could he would go through this for me as he feels he could cope better than me i must admit it made me cry.
Hope all of you that are having treatment this week are well.
You all seem to be doing so well! Well done, what an inspiration you all are. The SEs are horrid yet you all remain upbeat and have an enduring spirit. Guess what its 3 am, witching hour and I, as per usual am wide awake. Thank goodness for my i pad!
I have no idea how I managed to keep going at the weekend but we went to the Royal Berkshire show, which I can highly recommend, and daughter came back with a stack of rosettes and a shiny cup for her rare breed chickens/ ducks. Caught up with old friends, made new friends. Fell in love with iddy biddy pygmy goats.
I have to say, any traces of cabin fever induced depression have been eradicated.
Its a risk doing weekends away, being near animals, tiring yourself out but I would say that low spirit and mood is far worse for you. So, for all of us, what can we introduce whilst on the chemo regime that will lift our spirits? You will notice I hesitate to use that ‘positive’ word. The next person to say ’ well stay positive’ to me (in the blasé way that people do) is likely to regret it lol! It annoys me that someone thinks they have te right to say that without doing something to help you feel positive. Like bring you a chocolate cake.
Food. Why am I eating so much rubbish? I want salty, sugary snacks. Especially pistachio nuts and chocolate raisins? Are raisins one of your five a day?..
Feet. Cracked, sore, tender. Has anyone else experienced similar?
Deep ridges on nails after three TAX. Is that a sign the nails might lift?
All questions for my oncologist this Wedns. They seem fairly shallow, trivial things to worry about - especially with some of you being hospitalised.