I’m starting Chemo tomorrow (Wednesday 19th) and wondered if anyone else had just started or was about to start.
It’s sooooo nice to go through the journey with others in the same boat and be able to support each other and share our experiences.
I am having 6 x EC (Epirubicin and Cyclophoshamide). I was dx on Oct 29th, had my surgery on 8th November, WLE and SNB. I am grade 2, ER positive and have 1 lymhnode involved.
I don’t know about anyone else but it scares the pants of me, but on the positive side - it will kick butt!
I am starting Chemo on Thursday (20th Dec). I am having FEC x 3 and Taxotere x 3. I was diagnosed on 28th November. I have had various scans and a Sentinal lymph node biopsy. The hope is that the chemo may shrink the tumour so that when i have finished the chemo i will have less drastic surgery, but we will have to wait and see with that one. I am ER positive and HER2 positive. I am not really sure what it all means.
I am very scared too. It is not knowing how I will react that is hard. I hope I will be OK, but I don;t know. The thought of losing my hair keeps making me weep.
I can totally relate to how you feel about losing your hair. I feel the same way, I have wept buckets and I dreaded it happening.
On Monday I went to Leeds and bought a lovely wig. Now, I didn’t imagine how much better it would make me feel but it really has.
It’s very much like my own hair, in fact it looks better. I haven’t had the courage to have my hair cut yet but know I will have to do it soon (arghh).
Have you thought about a wig? If you want any info I will be glad to help.
BCC have some great information which explains everything in in terms of diagnosis and treatment, it helped me understand a lot of things.
If you haven’t got it the link is: breastcancercare.org.uk//content.php?page_id=7514
I guess we won’t know how we will react until we have it. Everyone seems to react differently. If I am ok tomorrow night I will come and let you know how it went and how I feel.
We will get through this. Just think, by Friday, we will be able to say 1 down and 5 to go.
I’m just slightly in front of you - having my second chemo tomorrow.
I’m having 4 x fec then a break for rads then 4 x docetaxol (taxotere), then a year of herceptin.
I was diagnosed 1 Nov, had lung/bone/liver scans on 8th (which were all clear), right mastectomy and full node clearance on 13th (5/11 nodes affected), results confirmed Grde 3 invasive ductal and her2+, and started chemo on 28th - quite a whirlwind!!
1st wasn’t too bad - and we all seem to react differently - but I have to say I found the tiredness the most frustrating - mainly because it wasn’t a ‘sleepy’ kind of tired, more a ‘I can’t be bothered to move’ feeling - which was most alien to me.
All i would say is that if you have any probems with the common side effects - sickness/heartburn/constipation - make sure you tell BCN straight away because they can help - you don’t have to suffer !
Good luck with it tomorrow - will be thinking of you. Mine is at 12.30 so I get to have hospital dinner too - yipppeeeee!
Good luck to all you ladies starting chemo… I’ve had 4 x EC and 3 x taxol, one left to do, it IS scary at the start, more the fear of the unknown, but don’t forget to shout for any help and advice along your way, there is a wealth of experience here and we’re all willing to help if we can.
I started FEC chemo on 4th December, only five sessions to go. No hair loss as yet but was told by the chemo nurse it would happen this week if it was going to happen. Used the cold cap and bought a wig early. I took the wig to the hairdressers and put it on and asked her to cut my hair the same as the wig. If I do have to wear the wig I think I will be confident as when I’ve tried it on every one says it looks like my real hair.
Felt very sick the last week but there is a stomach bug going around so I hope it is the bug rather than the effects of chemo.
Spirits are a bit low from feeling ill but hope you all do well, apparently lots of women sail through unaffected according to my breast care nurse.
Love and care to you
Dawn
I start chemo in the new year, dont know the regime yet see the onc this morning at 8-30, cant believe its only 3-20 now I cant sleep.
I am still recouperating from surgery everything still seems so sureal at the moment
My friends and family all tell me I will have good days and bad days, but to be honest its more like good minutes and bad minutes, now is a bad one, middle of the night usually is worse.
All the best for today nad for you on thursday Anne
Hi everyone. Just in from the oncologist and having my first chemo on Christmas Eve which I was not quite expecting! (Especially with my son just arrived from England, and step-son arriving on the 23rd!). Like some of you I am having 3 x FEC 100 and 3 X Taxotere. Told will definitely lose my hair - and eyelashes and eyebrows, and pubic hair. Off to the chemist tomorrow to get an eyebrow pencil! Also will be put on Prednisone to help with vomiting, so weight gain to be expected from that. So guess I won’t be entering any beauty competitions for a while! Planning to get my head shaved in a couple of weeks and make a bit of a party of it and rattle a Cancer Council tin - might as well make the most of it I guess! Strangest thought at the moment is not having a drink on Christmas day - must be more than 30 years since that happened!! (Advised to avoid alcohol at least first 48 hours!). Anyway, good luck, lets find humour when we can and ask for hugs and gentleness when we need it! This time next year we’ll be ready to party! Love to you all. Sarah xx
Interesting to see your post about avoiding alcohol., One of the first questios I asked after my first chemo was could I have a drink (not that I’m an alcoholic or anything lol but I do like the odd vodka n coke!!) - MY bcn told me I could still drink - in moderation - but that I probably wouldn’t feel like it. (she was wrong by the way - I DID feel like it).
Hi Margaret - Just back home from meeting the oncologist and chemo clinic staff! Having my first chemo on Christmas Eve!! and as I do enjoy my glass of wine with supper I asked about it again. The nurse said they suggest avoiding alcohol for the first 48 hours just because your kidneys and liver have enough to deal with, but fine after that, but she did say I might not fancy it. Can’t imagine that !! Also said that when people have a favourite food (eg chocolate) they sometimes suggest just give it up at the beginning as it will taste different and you just might not want it any more once treatment has finished. Can’t imagine that either! Well, I guess it’s a matter of a very big wait and see, and that’s why it’s so great to share experiences. Glad the vodka and coke is still going down the right way - might have to try that out! Hope your chemo went OK today. Love Sarah.
Morning everyone and thanks for all of your replies. It sounds as though we will all be going through this at or around the same time which is great. It makes such a difference when you can share information, support each other, compare notes, rant, rave, cry and most importantly, share the laughs and good times.
Margaret - Good luck with No 2 today. Hope it goes well for you, let us know how you get on.
Dawn - Your wig sounds fab! I have just bought one and feel much better about the nightmare that is “hair loss”. Hope you are soon feeling better and the sickness is not to bad. Keep in touch.
Linda - Hope it went well with the Onc this morning and you now know what your regime is. Let us know when you are starting.
Viv - Hope your cough isn’t to bad and you are having a “good day” today. I guess we all learn to take it one day at a time with this B*****D.
Take care and let us know how you are feeling.
Sarah - Where in the world are you? I hope somewhere nice and warm!!! Chemo on Christmas Eve - do these people have hearts!!! I thought mine was bad enough on the 19th. How lovely that your sons are visiting you. How long will they be with you?
I love your idea of having a “Head Shaving Party” you are very brave.
Well, on the chocolate and alcohol debate. I didn’t even think about it. I will ask at the hospital today. A christmas without both does not sound very much like christmas to me!!!
Linda and Viv - Like you two I was up in the middle of the night. Tidying the kitchen at 3.30 this morning!!! I wish they had a live chat facility for those of us who wander around the house in the wee small hours. It’s a very lonely time - don’t you think.
The letter P on my laptop is b******d at the minute so if there are any missing in this post, I aologise (see what I mean) LOL!
That’s me back from second chemo - so far so good!
I too find that I am up and about at ‘stupid o’clock’ in the early hours vacuuming and dusting (not something I would EVER have considered doing before lol).
Dyzee - hope all went well today for your first chemo
Anne - good luck for tomorrow. Obviously we are all different, but when my hair started to fall out (approx 16 days after first fec) it was almost a relief. I knew it was going to happen so just had to get on with it. Once it started I got hubby to clipper it to grade 2. It has now almost all gone, though I still have eyelashes and eyebrows - down below is starting to disappear now though!
Dawn - hope you’re feeling better now
Linda - the good days and bad days is about right. You really just have to listen to your body - sleep when you need to, and get out and about when you feel up to it.
Viv - did you get the cough sorted? I am dreadful for leaving things in case they better - got told off for it last week (and I only waited a day with a sore throat. But when they checked my bloods they had dropped from 9.6 to 0.6 so had to get antibiotics asap!)
Sarah - that is soooooo mean starting you on christmas eve. I would see how you feel about the drink on xmas day - you never know you might just want one!
Talking about humour - I went for my chemo session today wearing a t-shirt with a huge beach picture on it with palms trees etc etc with Club Chemo across it - nurse asked if I’d been somewhere nice for my holidays lol ! Also wore a trapper stye santa hat with merry christmas across the peak and white furry ear muffs - everyone we passed had a chuckle - so I felt really good having brightened everyone’s day!
Hope everyone is keeping well and warm - it’s absolutely freezing here, the ice and frost hasn’t melted all day - lovely log fire roaring now though - no doubt when chemo kicks in n the next couple of hours I will be curled up in front of it fast asleep lol
Hi all. Back in hospital again!! Infection flared up yet again. Onc wont start chemo until it has gone completely. When i do start it will be 4 EC and 4 TAX. These will only be short posts am on the mobile Xxx linda
Hi all. Back in hospital again!! Infection flared up yet again. Onc wont start chemo until it has gone completely. When i do start it will be 4 EC and 4 TAX. These will only be short posts am on the mobile Xxx linda
Hi all. Back in hospital again!! Infection flared up yet again. Onc wont start chemo until it has gone completely. When i do start it will be 4 EC and 4 TAX. These will only be short posts am on the mobile Xxx linda
Can’t sleep again, hence very early morning message. My hair has started falling out today,11 days after first FEC. I went shopping in a navy coat and kept picking hairs off it. Morrisons cleaning staff will have mops stiff with my hair.
I know my messages seem to be about hair loss but I have been waiting for it to happen, now it has I think I feel a bit better. I’ve bought material to make scarves and tried so many hats on (I don’t look great in a hat, I tried one on and my daughter told me I looked like Jimmy Krankie, she was right)
FEC is not nice but I will discuss the side efects with the oncologist and hopefully the sickness can be sorted. Keep warm, and by the way my chemo nurse told me that having a drink was OK,in fact my FEC leafleat says it is beneficial as it relieves stress, so have a good Christmas all.
The treatment seems to be worse than the cancer I know but woudn’t you want to try everything and not want to have it back?
Loveto you all
Well, first one down, thank goodness. I think fear of the unknown is the worst bit!!! It all went really well. The lovely nurse talked me through everything before starting and gave reassurance. I have three different types of anti sickness tablets and they seem to be working, just little waves of nausea at the moment. I didn’t feel to good last night, very tired and lethargic but slept like a log for hours (hooooray). Still feeling lethargic today but that’s ok, nothing to bad. Hope everone elses goes as well.
Anne - Hope all goes well for you today. Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Linda - You poor thing. How long are you going to be in hospital? Please let us know how you are hon. I am thinking of you and here’s a big ((((HUG)))).
Dawn - How is that bleedin hair?? Honestly it’s just one hurdle after another. I have decided, after much thought and many tears, that I am going to shave mine off at the first sign of it coming out. I bought a wig on Monday, which is very much like my own hair and feel much better about the whole thing now. Like you I don’t suit hats at all and even scarves look comical on me. So I went for the wig as a last resort but it turned out to be the best thing for me. I’s just whatever makes you feel better about yourself don’t you think.
Margaret and Dawn -
ALCOHOL - I asked the chemo nurse - she said no problem with alcohol it will do you good to have a drink and a laugh. I asked for a prescription for Vodka - NHS dont have it on their list - can’t understand why!!!
Well I have to say my 2nd fec yesterday appears to be going much better than the first. Just a bit tired, not so much heartburn - though they did give me extra medicine for it this time Came away from hospital with huge bag of goodies - 3 x anti-sickness, 1 x strawberry heartburn tablets and a MASSIVE box of powdered stuff for constipation!! Jolly glad there was no prescription charges involved - would have cost me a fortune lol
Dawn & Dyzee - my hair started to come out 16 days after first fec - for some reason started at my parting - was just getting wider and wider everyday. I got OH to clip it after a couple of days to a grade 2. It has almost all gone now - just a bit of fluff left. I have a wig but I never wear it. I tend to wear buffs most of the time - they are so versatile and the cotton ones are good for sleeping in too They do excellent ones with a polar fleece section - boy are they lovely warm on these cold wintery days
Dyzee - I’m glad your first one has gone ok - and what a shame we can’t get Vodka on prescription - that would be my idea of heaven lol - especially as they are planning to abolish prescription charges in Scotland next year !! even better !
Hope everyone else is ok - I’m just going to get dressed and take a walk down the shops while I still feel well - though it looks mighty cold out there today - everything white over with frost brrrrrrrrrrrr