Hi Ladies,
Good to see everyone seems to be doing well today. Sun still shining here in Ayrshire(God’s own country right enough) and I’ve been to the garden centre. So, of course it’ll rain now.
The strangest side effect I’ve had so far is that my sense of smell has returned with a vengeance. I’ve had no sense of smell for around 15 years. Now everything seems to have an overpowering smell. I have trouble remembering what most things smell like, so half the time I have no idea what it is I’m smelling. Weird! The garden centre was a revelation. I felt as if I was being assaulted by smells from all directions. Some things aren’t so good though. I now know what my dog’s poo smells like. Yuck! Not so keen to be the one picking it up anymore.
The nurses in the oncology unit told me about drinking more water as both FEC and Tax irritate the bladder. I’ve been drinking at least 2 litres of water and fruit juice a day and I do find it helps. My bowels also get back to normal more quickly since I upped the water intake.
Hope you all feel just as good tomorrow.
Jan
Good morning ladies
Sun is shining and my eldest baby becomes a teenager today. He is still quite a sweet and kind boy (apart from to his younger brother) so lets hope he doesnt turn into Kevin over night.
Enjoy centerparcs Julie. We had a great time at Elvedon forest at Easter and well ok i did get taken away in a ambulance on the last night BUT i am sure i loved the drama and the local hospital was absolutely brilliant. I still think I had a cold but u know what it is like when your temperature goes up and up. Oh and i did make mistake of going in my dodgy 10-14th days.
I had a great lunch yesterday and food tasted great whilst out. Seems my taste buds only let me down at home. Only one thing for it, i will just have to eat out a lot LOL.
And i know what you mean about the smell jan, I have always had an overdeveloped sense of smell - well i have got a rather large nose. But I really can smell everything at the moment - an advantage when you have freshly cut flowers in the house, but not when your teenager has taken his trainers off.
Sorry its late but happy birthday for yesterday Fiona and i hope you enjoyed it the best you could. Spent my birthday at the oncologist, as they couldnt give me another appointment that week. (was in April)
But at least it was at the end of a chemo cycle.
Still feel a bit like an old lady - creaky achy bones but i intend to go shopping in town this morning and get my baby a nice cake. A dose of vitamin d is what the doctor ordered!!!
All the best
Linda
What a lovely sunny day!
Well my cleaner starts next week. Yeah, someone else gets to clean my four toilets and endless stairs!
Hope the sunshine lasts the weekend.
Best wishes to all,
Snoogle
x
Hi all,
What a gorgeous day,hope you’re all able to enjoy it.
On Wednesday evening I was admitted to the Royal Marsden,Sutton as my temperature rose to 39.1,they thought my PICC was infected but fortunately it was ok so they don’t have to remove it.Had a GCSF injection,blood transfusion etc,felt like a pin-cushion by the time they’d finished,eventually sent me home last night with some antibiotics.
They think it was febrile neutrapenia rather than sepsis.Still on course for my 1st Tax on Tuesday.Feel abit miffed that this was supposed to be my “good week” and some of that has been taken from me.Had a bit of a blub last night,more due to frustration at the lack of control I have over all this,but intend to spend afternoon sitting in the garden doing nothing.
Love Helen x
Sorry to hear about your hospitalisation Helen. Hope you are beginning to feel better.
Just wanted to wish all the best to those having their taxotere this week. Mine is tomorrow, alongside the carboplatin and herceptin. The herceptin dosage time is dropping to 30 minutes, but it will still be a full day. I should also get the results of last week’s ct scan. Fingers crossed.
Had a lovely day at Marwell Wildlife (don’t call themselves a zoo anymore) on Saturday and girlie time with my daughter at the cinema watching Hannah Montanna movie yesterday. Having a fairly restful day today.
Regards to all.
Snoogle
x
Thanks Snoogle,feeling lots better today…just in time for first Tax tomorrow.You’re right about expecting a long day,don’t know how long the Tax takes,but because of the Bank Holiday it’s bloods first and I guess abit of waiting around.
Good luck with your CT scan results,and anyone else having chemo tomorrow,hope all goes well.
Lots of love,
Helen x
Hi all,
Snoogle/Helen hope it goes well tomorrow for both of you. Mine is next Tuesday so still have a ‘good week’ to go. Timed well for half term. I see the oncologist and have bloods on thursday.
This will be my last chemo before rads and i must say it cant come to soon. All the main side effects have gone now apart from eye and nose run which are in full flight. I look like i have hayfever which i dont. Appetite/taste buds mostly returned although there are still a few things that turn my stomach to look at. Haagan daas icecream is not one of them!!
My energy levels are still very low but put that down to the fact that the effects of chemo are cumulative. I havent been to the gym since the last dose of steroids but i have managed a few walks.
Maybe by the end of this week i might be up to it.
Anyway, i am going to enjoy the sun which has just come out.
All the best and thinking of u for tomorrow.
Linda
hi all, been feeling fine this last week and due 2nd tax on thurs after seeing onc on wed to see about the dose - happy belated birthday Fiona, Helen sorry to see you ended up like me last weekend in hospt but hope you’re on the up!! Linda - enjoy half term and the good week…mary x
Hi Girls,
Thanks for all your Birthday wishes… I’ve had a lovely week, apart for the baldy bit, it’s been just like no chemo at all… oh bliss.
Well it’s my last Tax tomorrow then I turn into a FEC babe!! I feel completely upside down to all you girls who’ve had it first… not sure when they’ll stick me back on Herceptin, I don’t know if you can get it whilst getting Rads or not?
Glad to hear you’re feeling better Helen. and good luck for your Tax tomorrow…
Good luck too to all the other girls getting it this week… snoogle, you’ve got the longest marathon!!!and good luck with scan results…
well off to munch a bit plate of stew to smother the steroids… I swear they’re worse than the chemo!!!
Lots of love and hugs
Fiona xxx
Hi All,
Hope everyone’s chemo went smoothly today.I had my bloods taken this morning then saw the oncologist, who said they were delaying my chemo until Thursday so that I could finish the antibiotics I’d been given, after my recent hospital stay.Also going to be having neulasta injection each time,24hrs after the chemo.
I was all geared up for it today,but nevermind,another 48hrs of freedom and it looks like I’m on a Thursday schedule now.
Thrush is threatening again so was given tablet this time (begins with F,can’t remember name),hope to nip it in the bud.
Best wishes,
Helen xx
Good luck to everyone having their chemo this week. Mine should be today but delayed it due to the events I mentioned earlier. Seems strange not going in today but as Helen says, it’s nice to have a few more days of feeling good.
No doubt things will go quite for a few days as you all get over the latest dose, but just remember , you do get over it and will soon be back online chatting away.
keep strong everyone.
Julie xx
Hi all,
Hope it all went well yesterday and Julie, you had a nice time at center parcs and a great anniversary.
My tax is next tuesday and i see oncologist tomorrow and have bloods taken. I am still suffering quite badly with drippy eyes, worse than before. Using actimist eye spray but not making any difference.
It is making me very tired and irritable.
Where was the nice weather we were promised? It has been raining here in Essex and is dull and overcast now.
Oh well, will be out for next two days, tomorrow to oncologist but also oh and i will take kids somewhere around the appointment. Friday kids and i and friends are going to tower of london.
All the best
Linda
Linda - the eye probs aren’t nice - when they first started I thought I was really tired or coming down with a cold and then realised no I wasn’t it was my eyes…just back from seeing onc and he’s dropping the dose of the next 2 tax chemos - I was wary but he reassured me by telling me it was a bonus for him to finish with a live patient…!! Bless him…has anybody else had a change of dose? mary x
Hi Mary,
No, havent had dose dropped. I am going to ask onc tomorrow about not having the marrow booster as this is last treatment, figure i can stay away from trouble for a few weeks. I might ask about something for my eyes, really horrible now.
I am sure he knows what he is doing, must have given u too much the first time?
All the best
Linda
Hi Mary, I haven’t had a change of dose, but am on 3/4 dose taxotere because secondaries are in my liver. I have been topped up during the last two chemos (3 and 4) with another drug carboplatin that works via the kidneys. Also have the herceptin.
Saw oncologist yesterday during chemo session. Goods news wrapped in bad news wrapped in loads of caution is about the best way to describe it. My lungs are clear (CT scan was doene 3 weeks early because of concerns over my breathlessness), there has been a partial response in liver and lymph nodes under arms (he didn’t have scans as missed out on his meeting with radiologist on Monday because of bank holiday so didn’t get any more info than that), but they have found a further secondary in the lymph nodes at the back of the abdomen. Warned that the partial response may or may not continue, but a good sign nonetheless (somewhat of a contradiction). Unsurprisingly I was hardly euphoric when I left the consultation, possibly much to his chagrin. I had suffered quite badly during the last cycle with severe physical and emotional lows. I tried to explain that I thought the emotional lows were due to lack of sleep and physcial symptoms, but he seemed to think I was ready for counselling. We had a difference of opinion and he is holding off on the referral.
They have changed one of my antisickness drugs and have decided that suddenly stopping after three days of very high dosage steroids is probably not helping. Normal dosage will now be followed by two days at half dose and two days at quarter dose. We’ll see how that goes.
Linda the weather here is wet and windy too! At least it was nice yesterday when friends took the children to Legoland whilst I was at the hospital.
The cleaner started today. Realising that 3 hours is not enough for a 3 storey house. Will give it another couple of weeks to get her used to our house before we consider increasing to 4 hours.
Love,
Snoogle
x
hi snoogle - sorry to hear your mixed results - but they sound positive? there is toooo much to all this bc business I’ve decided! My onc had suggested the same with the steroids as I think dropping from a high dose really floored me so I’ll be tailoring them off slowly too…don’t think they listen to us enough sometimes…mary x
linda - how many gcsf jabs did you have then?
Hi Mary
They give me a pack of five which do over five days.
linda
Hi All
Snoogle, that certainly is a mixed bag of news to get your head round, hope you keep positive.
I’m currently enjoying my good week, packing as much in as poss with the kids. Going off to a youth hostel with my son for a couple of days tomorrow which I’m really looking forward to just hope I’ve not bitten off more than I can chew and the weather picks up!
My next chemo is due on Monday, not looking forward to the return of the SE’s but looking forward to the fact that I will only have 1 more to go after it!
Hope everyone having chemo this week are doing OK
Best wishes to all
Kirsten
xx
kirsten - you and me both - after today’s dose I’ve got 1 left!! The sun is out…have fun…mary x