Hi Girls
Hope you’re all feeling better this evening, I always seem to feel better as the day goes on. Day 15 cycle 1 now and just residual dizziness which is just dam inconvenient!!
My hair is coming out buy the handful now so I am getting it buzzed off on thursday and my wig fringe cut and titivated. My hairdresser friend has got a large supply of tissues at the ready for both of us.
I am going out for a meal for my son’s 23rd birthday so want to feel ok, I also bought an eyebrow penci and some false eyelashes in preparation don’t want to get caught out lol
Good look tomorrow Tamsin you finally made it hope the rest of you guys are feeling better every day
Hi Ladies, this is a great forum. Thank you all for sharing your experiences, tips and tricks! I had my first cycle of EC 13 days ago, so far has been manageable. I can’t believe 5 weeks ago, I thought I was healthy and have nothing to worry about. Now I am looking forward to end of 20 weeks treatment cycle followed by surgery. Is reassuring to know I am not alone. All the best… x
Hi all
I have only just joined this site and would love to be a July Junkie!! I have my second chemo of six on Thursday, am feeling so well at the moment it’s a shame that will all change in just a few days. I was pretty rough with the first cycle and had to go back on anti-sickness tablets, then had a terrible sore throat and couldn’t swallow food other than soup etc Fr about a week…did anyone else have this? finally got oral thrush…great!!!
I had a mastectomy and reconstruction in June which went brilliantly…pathology result was invasive ductal cancer with 5 of 15 nodes cancerous, my ct and bone scans were clear so am feeling very lucky at the moment! My hair is falling out lots went to a lovely head scarf class at a Maggies Centre today, what an amazing place.
Would love to share my journey with you…
xx
Hiya all, thank you so much for your replies x, you really don’t know how much it helps to know someone understands , all my lot seems to say are things like " it’s. prob routine " or " why are you getting in a panic its prob nothing". Chez I did ring nurse and she did make me feel a bit better she had all results in front of her and said everything was clear except a query on what they suspect is a cyst, and scan is to confirm what they believe it is, she apologised for me getting a letter out of the blue and said it should have been sent to her so she could have spoken to me by phone before I received letter. So ty so much ladies for your messages. Got to go Friday for scan but prob won’t be told anything until my app on the 9th , sorry I didn’t post earlier but had a houseful all day as it was my daughters birthday , good luck to those of you up this week , I would rather go through 10 flipping sessions of the juice than all these waiting and worrying days lol Lynda xy
Hi fellow ‘July Junkies’
Bit late in joining but I’m here. Getting my head ready for no 2.
Had first chemo on 12 July, major hassles getting a vein in my hand, got there eventually. Bit of a worry as I have a year of Herceptin to get through as well.
Had 6 yucky days of nausea, dizziness and tiredness but 2 great weeks after where I felt kind of normal :-/
Hair falling out everywhere now, so biting the bullet before chemo 2 on Friday and getting head shaved tomorrow.
love having the support of everyone on here, and knowing you are not going through this alone. Stay strong and love to all <3
Senga thank you for your message it sort of confirmed what my BCN said on the phone liver cysts are quite common and usually no real cause for concern , it helps so much just to have people with similar experiences to communicate with, I honestly believe without this site and people that bother to reply to our fears I would be in a crumpled heap on the floor X
FEC - T cycle 1 day 7
Morning, does everyone have a BCN, and if so where is mine? i feel so angry at what this has put us through, I have had a terrible time with all of this, not got off the sofa for 2 days, just no energy and so tired.
I go for my CT scan today, wish me luck
Morning Marion good luck with scan today
Our founder Tamsin steps up today - go get em girl you are a hob nob remember not a rich tea! Hope the line is less sore today
Lynda glad your bcn put your mind at ease with the liver scan
Debbie ask for a portacath if you are having herceptin for a year. Like you it was hunt the vein and that was only my first on Monday. Whist am not looking forward to having it fit as ita an operation so to speak ( wish they would put me to sleep for it!) once its done its done and cannot face another 14 games of lets pin the tail on the vein!
Thanks Chezzap, will def bring it up with them on Friday as the thought of the carry on of finding a vein for a year is getting to me. Not frightened of needles but was just such a carry on, and they didn’t know if I would even get through my session without the vein they eventually got popping.
Take care everyone and stay strong.
Debbie x
Well at the hospital I went to they always do it under general anaesthetic - I didn’t particularly want another general so soon but my surgeon said it was quicker and easier this way. my neck was very stiff and quite sore for the first week, but once the dressings are off it’s much better and it’s all healing well.
i had my first chemo through the port the day after I had it fitted - it was a bit painful but next time I’ll be having some numbing cream to help!
I am on Herceptin. It is routine at my hospital for all ladies on Herceptin to have a portacath fitted. I had mine done the week before my first chemo. I have now finished chemo and still have 2 good arms, no bruises, pain or dead veins. The fitting procedure isn’t pleasant, but it doesn’t actually hurt. The worst bit is when they give you the local anaesthetic as that does sting. After that there is no pain, but you can feel them pushing and pulling as they insert the tube and the port. They make 2 cuts, one in the neck (3 stitches) and one just below the collar bone (5 stitches). The port itself sits under the skin but you can see the lump, which feels hard. The tube passes down a central vein (the jugular in my case) and comes to a halt above the heart. It sounds absolutely awful, but genuinely it isn’t. There is a whole team of people there monitoring you and holding your hand. Once it is over and you have a rest, you can go home. I was offered sedation but refused it, mainly because you have to rest for a bit longer afterwards and I just wanted to get home!
The big advantage, other than the vein thing, is that the whole contraption is buried under your skin with no bits poking out, so the risk of infection is minimal, and you can bathe and shower normally. You also have your bloods taken from the port, which is a good thing too.
Good luck ladies, and may all your side effects be little ones. Linda xxx
Hi JJ’s, prob over did it !! My little brother flew in and is staying with us and I haven’t seen him for 3 years so trying to put in the hours and then everything went down hill fast. I’m so so sooooooooo tired.
Tamsin we are all cheering you on xxxx
I think I will ask for a line as my little arm is still sore and bruised from being poked a week ago and I’m having Herceptin too.
Kat xx
Hi all
Chezza: Do you know definitely you won’t have it under general? If not, it is doable - the Hickman requires two access sites and there is lots of pushing and shoving which isn’t very pleasant mainly because you know someone is doing something to you which you don’t want, but it didn’t hurt. Managed to sleep ok last night and tookk more pain killers this morning. And it is worth every penny! Chemo only took about 40 minutes. No waiting for the hand to warm up, no hunt the vein, no having a huge great catheter coming out of your hand for 3 hours, everything goes in much more quickly because the vein they use is so much bigger. Certainly didn’t have time to get comfortable! Anyway, back home now and feeling ok. Time will tell…
Hang in there everyone. And a very warm welcome to all our newbies. How lovely to be swelling our ranks (needs must and all that)
xxx
will ask if can be put asleep or at least heavily sedated!
glad to hear you are back ok after number 1
make sure you take anti sickness tabs
Im still ok today so hoping Ive got away lightly this time. It might come and take a jab in a few days you never know
Chezzap, if you are serious about being put to sleep you need to let them know now because they will have to book an anaethetist, which might need some forward planning. I asked about this when I went for the fitting and was given the choice - general anaesthetic and wait a few weeks, or local anaesthetic and have it done today!
cheers I was told its normally done with a local but I might call them and ask or should I just be brave and be sedated but awake???
Was hoping all this would make me braver with medical procedures but if anything Im getting even worse!
I had my first cycle of EC 13 days ago, so far has been manageable. I can’t believe 5 weeks ago, I thought I was healthy and have nothing to worry about. Now I am looking forward to end of 20 weeks treatment cycle followed by surgery. Is reassuring to know I am not alone. All the best… x