Hi J & welcome & your in the right place for a good rant…
Its hard to be brave & upbeat all the time and to protect our children from how we are feeling. I decided to be honest with my boys from the start but of course if does depend how old they are. Mine are teenagers.
Im usually a strong positive & optimistic women but mastectomy & chemotherapy has rocked me to the core like so many of us.
I take my hat off to you & all women who are able to work.
So sorry to hear that youve hurt your hand & I hope it heals soon. I fell over the curb just before my first chemo (2ndDec)& grazed my knee it took ages to heal but I managed to stay out of
hospital. Shows just how vulnerable we are.
Take care J & be king to yourself.
Im sending you a hug.
Love Caroline xx
Hi J, sorry to hear you’re on this road with us but hope we can all offer support when you need it. Like you I was diagnosed through an early mammogram screening in September, I’m 47 and have two kids 12and 9. The mammogram and biopsy showed a 5cm tumour and a smaller benign one but when they did the masectomy if was 8cm plus a 2cm positive and 26/27 lymph nodes. A bit of a shock!
I’ve had lots of infections and several courses of antibiotics. I use germoldne like hand cream when I cut myself.
As Maril and Caroline say you have to take time for yourself and take a break to give your body a chance to heel. I’m trying to keep working too but sometimes you have to down tools. I had my first taxol on Friday and although I feel ok I think I might take this week off to build up some energy.
Hope your hand gets better soon.
Hi riverside I see you had your first tax how was it ? I hv my last fec on Tuesday then am changing to tax there seems to be lots of good and bad stories over it! I am hoping it will be better for me as been so nauseous with fec. Getting a bit nervous over what tax has in store so to hear your thoughts would be good. Hope everyone is well nice sunny day so all enjoy xx Sarah
Ah marli that is reassuring news thank you xx kinda know what I am getting with my fec cocktail now so am now as I say worried when the tax comes but your feed back sounds positive thank you xx how’s the hair on tax? I hv lost quite a bit on fec but has started to calm down a bit and some girls are saying on tax they hv noticed done starting to come back ? I hv my brothers wedding in august and would live to have hair for then :))) I am due to finish ten lovely chemo cocktails end of march so here’s keeping all crossed !! Just do not want to look like the cancer victim in his wedding photos I am probably over thinking I know and better to be here at the wedding than not at all but still hv thoughts eh xxx
Hi Sarahjane I’m on paclitaxel (taxol) which is weekly x 12 weeks so a bit different to taxotere. Day 3 so far so good. Had red face, tearstearschest, hands and feet on Saturday but calmed down now. Putting tons if hand and nail cream on as losing nails and flaking palms is a side effect. I’ve been cold capping and have kept most of my hair, just a bit thin on top, but digitised with trendy comb over! Still got eyebrows and eyelashes, still shaving legs and under arms!!!
Think I’m lucky. May be taxol won’t be so kind. Lots of hot flushes, insomnia and get tired!
Welcome J. Rant away. That’s what we are here for! You can be wonderwoman stong and still cry. One day at a time and stop beating yourself up.
Thanks Marli. Third AC done. Today I flew down to the holiday resort of Eilat. Its just a thirty minute flight. A charity has taken forty ladies having chemo away for two days!! Relaxation, meeting people, very nice!! Plenty of map breaks and a doctor on hand. Just checked in and resting a while! Nearly bald now too. A lot less stubble:)
Tomcat that sounds fantastic, what a treat!
Wow Tomcat, how lucky are you? Enjoy yourself xx
Tomcat that sounds like a lovely idea! I hope you and the other ladies are all feeling well and enjoying yourselves.
Had my assessment today before 3rd cycle due Wednesday and they are talking about reducing the dose. I am very relieved as I really wasn’t looking forward to another two weeks like after the last treatment.
Hope everyone is doing ok.
Emxx
Waiting, I think it’s a cumulative effect so each cycle gets worse and you just get more and more tired. Are you sure you don’t have an infection as that’ll make you worse. Hope you’re eating to keep your strength up x
Hi,
no temp so dont think infection. Finding it very hard to eat as mouth sore & taste & smell bad but trying.
ive been same each time just think my biology particularly sensitive to the chemo.
X
Hi Waiting,
I really feel for you as I was like that after my last (2nd) treatment. Everyone else seemed to be doing so well and I could barely stand up for a fortnight. Eventually my gp said I had all the signs of an infection just no temperature, which he said does happen with chemo. So he put me on antibiotics and within 2 days I was much more myself. It might be worth giving your doctor a ring and explaining how bad you feel? In the mean time don’t expect too much of yourself - rest if you need to and be gentle on yourself. It does pass and each treatment gets you nearer to the end of this thing.
Take care,
Emxx
Hi Emm,
Thank you for those kind words but sorry you have felt the same. Its good to know im not alone.
Will give gp a call.
X
Thanks to everyone for all your support and good wishes.
Please everyone who’s having chemo, take good care not to cut or graze yourself, we are very vulnerable to bacterial infection when we are immunosuppressed. I am doing ok, thankfully my hand and arm responded to high strength oral antibiotics. I’m now just dreading the 3rd cycle on Fri 3oth as I’m only just starting to feel better this week.
Cancer sucks.
J x
J hopefully the cancer feels worse than you do!
Someome stole my voice 10 days ago. I really need to find it again 
Hi Everyone,
Spent most of yesterday in hospital. Seems got upper respotary infection. I wasn’t the only one HV intibiotics & rehydration. Beware low temp as still may have infection mine was 35c & low blood pressure.
Home now, still sapped out but little better.
Weve got loads of snow again!
Keep warm & well everyone.
xx
Waiting - I am so sorry you have an infection but really pleased they spotted it and hope you are now on the mend
Hopefully that is what has been making you feel so poorly since last treatment and the next one will be easier.
I had my third yesterday and they reduced the epirubcin dose. I have definitely found it much easier this time and so far (touch wood!) no sickness, just a bit of nausea. It is such a relief to be up and about the day after treatment!
I had to have the treatment via a cannula as my picc line will not flush, even when they used the clot-busting stuff in it. I have to have another xray to see what is going on with it, but to be honest it has been so much trouble I won’t be sorry if they just take it out and complete the treatments via cannula.
Tomcat - I hope your lack of voice didn’t spoil your trip to Eilat and that you will soon be singing again
Emxx
It sounds like we all have some January blues.
I just had a rather ironic trip to my GP
I have had a dry throat and hardly any voice for 11 days. Usually I coulc kick it but clearly I can’t so off I went! There appears to be no infection, she couldn’t see anything and she gave me some tablets to see if we can fix it to stop the dryness and the coughing. She thinks it is probably chemo related but if it doesnt shift she wants me to pop to the ENT to check my vocal chords.
I also have excema that is infected on my baldy head. I scratch in my sleep so I am doomed. She gave me some cream.
Here comes the laugh;
I read the side effects of the tablets - they may give me a dry throat.
I read the side effects of the cream - it may give me skin irritations!
I think someone is having a laugh with me Seriously
Hi everyone,
Emm so glad you feeling better this time & hope you continue to feel well. Must be such a relief.
Tomcat, hope you feeling better soon.
Hate all the tabs we all having to take as they all have a se. Just goes on & on dont it.
The antibiotic I was given Wed have left me with the runs. Lovely.
Its a bad time of year to be having chemo. Think hard for us to avoid picking up some infection or other.
Im getting bit paranoid about asking my children & husband to antibac hands when they come home from school & work.
keep warm & well girls
xx