Hi out there in cyberland, hope everyone is ok. I went to see my prof today to get regime of treatment and told I was having TAC for 6 cycles and then 3-5 weeks rads and then hormone therapy for 5 - 8 years!. Is anyone else on this and can offer me words of wisdom/advice of what to take with me etc. I have my pre assessment next Tuesday and believe start this next step on 30th.
Love sharon xx
Hi Sharon
I have put the link to BCC’s publication on chemotherapy which you might find useful to read. You can either download a copy or order one on line.
breastcancercare.org.uk/content.php?page_id=664
Kind regards,
Jo, Facilitator
Hi Sharon,
I will be in the unit this Tuesday and next. I am in from 10 onwards, would be great to say hi and you can see me in action. LOL. See if you can visit early, if not and you are on Tuesdays we will catch up later on.
Hope you are ok, you sound very cheerful for the start, good for you. it will keep you going along
Lily x
bump as time is getting nearer
Hi out there, does anyone know if the cold cap works with this regime PLEASE!!!
Sharon xx
bump
Hi - like you I was told on Friday I would need six cycles of TAC - not sure what it consists of. I have a Grade 3 oestrogen positive cancer, herceptin negative. I had mastectomy and axillary node clearance on the 8th September so won’t start chemo until w/c 13th Oct. Great if we could keep in touch
Di
Hi Di, it would be great if we could keep in touch. I am in exactly the same boat as you in dx etc. I have had my ecg, in process of bone scan and have my assessment on Wed with D day the following tuesday I think. keep in touch.
Sharon xx
Hi Sharon and Di
I was dx in Sept 07 with grade 3, node involvement, triple neg cancer. I had a mastectomy on the right side plus nodes removed and reduction on left side (as I did have a very large bust). This was then followed by 6 cycles of TAC and 25 sessions of radio. I’m not going to say that chemo was easy as it isn’t but it is doable. I had a lot of side effects but the onc and chemo nurses were amazing and did everything they could to control them. My best advise is to rest as much as possible and just get through them one at a time, I didn’t go for the cold cap as it added extra time to being in hospital and I was told it was not very effective with TAC. I did lose all my hair and just went round in a hat but it started to grow back almost as soon as I stopped chemo and I now have a short crop.
Two weeks ago I had my reconstruction using the muscle from the back and fingers crossed everything is fine. I never thought I would get to this point but I did and you both will too.
Lots of hug’s and luck for the coming months.
Tina x
Hi Sharon & Di
I had six courses of TAC starting back in March, as Tina said, not very nice but doable. Take it one day at a time. I found the side effects were slightly different with each one and they are cumulative, but all the nursing staff and Docs are fantastic and there is a lot they can do to help you. I lost all my hair and wore hats most of the time but also had a couple of very nice wigs to wear when I wanted to.
Tina:
I am also triple neg. Had chemo first, then bilateral mastectomy with axillary clearance on right side, five nodes out of 19 affected. Have just finished radiotherapy and am looking forward to visiting my sister in Crete for a couple of weeks in October. It seems very peculiar when it all comes to an end after the frantic activity of the past year.
Love to all
Nonny
Hi
I was diagnosed back in March grade 3 HER+. I had 2 ops (one because of an unclear margin) to remove the tumour, and all my lymph nodes(not infected), but a bit of a “Belt and braces” done because I lost my young sister to this disease 7 years ago.
I’ve had 6 out of 8 TAC - 4 x AC and 2 of the 4 T (Taxotere). I opted for the cold cap - first AC I was sick for a couple of days , second one I was damned awful and had my head in a bucket for 4 days and just wanted to die and give up. Scented products were banished to the cupboard until a week after chemo as any whiff or scent would make me heave.
Once the chemo team sorted my anti-nausea drugs I was much better. Constipation was a major issued and nothing the hospital gave me worked - but one of the nurses told me told go to Holland & Barratt & buy Ortisan fruit cubes…chop it in 4 and take a section cube each night…relief. I did go to work once the nausea had stopped and would gradually build up my hours as time went on.
The Taxotere hasn’t caused me any nausea at all…but by day 5 or 6 after treatment I am struck by really back muscle & joint pains and incredible fatigue. My moods do swing though…some days I could kill!!
My shoulder length hair was cut into a short bob after the first treatment as it did thin after about 12 days and then I got very upset… Since then I had it cut into a crop and after a slight thinning it has stopped, but haven’t needed wigs, scarves etc. Underarm hair, leg hair and hair down below all gone though , eyelashes ok - but brows a bit sparce. Cold cap isn’t for everyone - -5degrees for hours on end…bbbbrrrrr. I also bought the Chillopillow to use at night…think hair is growing now I am on Taxotere - leg hair and under-arm is starting to grow.
I do the granocyte injections myself for the 10 days, and have steroids, antibiotics etc to take as well these can be a bit of a chore.
I am so very very fortunate that I was very fit before hand and still manage to swim, cyle and go to the gym but not to the extent that I did and my figure is a bit blobby - but hey I’m here. And it keeps me sane(ish), and people have been extremely supportive. My weight has gone up by 5lb roughly since being on the Taxotere - probably go up even more as I understand that water retention is a problem with this.
. I do shampoo my hair eveyday and think myself incredibly lucky to have kept it. Some days after chemo (AC) I did have scalp blister/spots and put bio-oil or wheatgerm oil on my hair and slept with it on.
I have 25 sessions of rads planned after chemo and then a year of Herceptin - here’s to 2010 when hopefully my treatments will be finished.
Chemo - as they say do-able but b****y awful - everyone is different. Lots of useful tips on the site though.
I wish everyone the very best with their treatment. - keep fighting.
Sharon would love to keep in touch - perhaps we can help support each other through this. Tina, Noony and Madcyclist thanks for your messages. It helps to know people have got through it even though iti has been really tough - Di
Hi Sharon,
Glad you have found some other ladies on the same chemo, I’m sure you’ll get lots of support. Just to say hope the pre-assessment goes well today, will catch up with you about it later. Didn’t the time fly by the other day? Lily, it was so nice to meet your lovely friend, infact you are all lovelies (soppy moo I am!) Though I do think next time Lily should have two drinks, so she has one to throw around and one to drink!! Lily,hope the chemo went well yesterday, that’s another done and dusted, nearly there now. Not liking this dull grey miserable weather, but trying to make the most of this week before everything kicks off full speed! Thinking about doing some decorating??
Good luck today Sharon and to everyone else.
Tracey xxx
Hi have been to the hospital this morning. TACs will start mid October - they say they can’t start until 6 weeks post op. Other problem is my haemoglobin only 8 - anyone know what it has to be to have chemo? Results not good - they couldn’t remove all of the cancer so chemo and radio is also a treatment as well as a catch all. My GP didn’[t refer me with underarm pain for 2 and a half years so I don’t supose I can expect anything else can I? Stupidly I didn’t now that underarm pain was a symptom of breast cancer - Di
Hi Di,
So sorry your results weren’t as you hoped. I sometimes wonder if these GP’s are properly clued up about the symptons of breast cancer. Still, impending chemo coming up and that will thrash any remainder away and nuke any little blighters out. Sorry I can’t help about the hb with chemo, I think it’s normally 12-14, but not sure what the lowest is they will do it. I will find out on monday what flavour chemo they have planned for me. At least you and Sharon will be able to compare notes about the TAC! Stay in touch, we are all in this together, safety in numbers I say…
Take care
Tracey xxx
Hi,
Di people are given blood transfusions while on chemo if there counts go too low, so it will be important. I would suggest you enquire if you could do with iron tablets to give yourself a boost before you start. the other thing would be to start eating iron rich foods so lots of red meat, pate is brilliant, chocolate is great , green veg, eggs and lots more if you look them up. good luck with your treatment and take it easy if your system is low.
Monnshine, take the pint about me throwing drinks everywhere. LOL. heading for the optician to see why I am now long sighted rather short as before chemo. I loved meeting you all, hope your next bits go ok, let me know if you go on the trial or standard treatment (standard will take you away from your friend officially) and plan another meet before long.
Sharon lovely to meet you too and hope you have your dark nail varnish ready to go goth!! wonder what your son will make of a scarf and black nails. They are so funny, little boys but keep us all going.
best wishes to everyone else on here and take care
Lily
Thanks Lily. I have started on some iron drinks, iron tablets and vit c to help absorb. They have said they will transfer if need be - I just don’t want to delay the start knowing they haven’t removed it all surgically. Does anyone know anyone else whom this has happened to - do you think I should get a second opionion?
Di x