Hello,
Still don’t know what’s happening next Tuesday - apparently oncologist has still not received report on my lastest ct scan.
Feeling in limbo again. Trying not to let it get me down.
Snoogle
x
Hi Girls,
What a week, just absolutely knackered!! If you pushed me I’d fall over… I should be whooop de whoooping after finishing chemo and I am really but I have been on such a low this time, I feel like I’m never going to be free of all this crap for ages yet. I just want my life back!! don’t we all?
I have been generaly upbeat and have coped with side effects like a good wee soldier, and I’m fed up now!! sorry for ranting… can’t help it…There’s lots of new girls starting Tax on the forum and I really want to go on and give advice but don’t feel up to it at the moment, which makes me feel crap too…
Snoogle I hope you get some info on Tues and the ct scan results are good, Hope that’s you done with chemo!!! we can have a cyber glass of wine together if it is…
Well Off to do something constructive!!! HoHoHo I wish!!!
Love to all
Fiona xxxx
Hi Fiona,
In one way I hope that’s me done with chemo too! However, if having two more will give me longer with my hubby and kids then I would put up with it. Have lost half the length of some of my finger nails. So far only lost the one toenail. I am gonna have to start taking the steroids on Monday morning just in case. More weight to be put on. I didn’t weigh this much when I was pregant with my kids and my ‘little’ boy came out at 9lb4oz!
Glad you are at the end of your treatment, but as I am currently a teetotal chicken and fish eating vegan (easier to get appropriate meals in restaurants than them struggling with dairy free!) I shall probably raise a glass of fruit juice or herbal tea!
Was at a surprise party for a friend who graduated uni last Friday and whilst everyone raised champers I raised a mug of green tea!
Hope you starting feeling up soon. I know that emotional down that comes with the physical lows only too well.
Take care
Snoogle
x
Hello Ladies,
It’s good to hear from all of you.
I had last chemo on July 8th and I do feel better but still low on energy. My legs hurt and I don’t know if it is fluid retention or something else. I am 4 lbs over my usual weight… that could be fluid retention too although I am not taking any steroids anymore. Anyone had that problem ?
Best wishes to all.
Sonia xxxx
Fiona,
just to let you know I felt exactly the same as you after my last chemo.It took me four weeks and quite a few tears along the way until I started to feel human again, back to eating normally, doing some exrecise etc. Still had the hot flushes and began to ache from the excerise as although I wasn’t doing too much I was using muscles which hadn’t seen the light of day for six months.
It did get better though and then I had surgery! Had my op on Friday (WLE) and am back to square one agin in terms of soreness etc, but after chemo this is a breeze. I know exactly what you mean about the last chemo being a bit of a let down but rest assured you will get better. Even though my toenails are hanging on by a thread, my fingernails appear to be dead from half way up, I still have no eyebrows /eyelashes and my hair is only slowly coming back, chemo is starting to become a distant memory.
Hang on in there girl!
Snoogle…they told me that the more chemo you can put up with the better as it “is in your best long term interests” which is a polite way of saying, put up with as much as you can as it will help you live longer. The docs should however weigh it all up and advise you accordingly.
For anyone starting out on the chemo road be reassured that it is far from easy at the time but on the whole the results far outweigh the discomfort at the time.
Julie xx
Well ladies,
Looks like I have finished the chemo. Due to have herceptin only from tomorrow. I am aware that herceptin by itself can still have some side effects. Has anyone suffered any?
Also, tomorrow will be last treatment at hospital as will be using healthcare at home service from next cycle. It sounds odd, but its being done through private insurance and apparently its cheaper to pay for one nurse to come out to my house than to have it in the hospital setting!
Will have consultation with oncologist tomorrow so should have more details about last ct scan other than it was ‘good’.
Have to sign off now as have early start tomorrow.
Best wishes to everyone.
Snoogle
x
Hi all Had second lot of FEC treatment on 29th on feel yukky to say the least had a bad time on the 1st lot this time no better feelin sooo sick all the time, no energy at all it takes me all my time just to walk to the loo 10ft away feel so shakey its unreal, also the banging dizzy head is almost unbearable, like having 10 pints without the fun side lol… i have one more FEC then 3 lots of Tax then radiotheopy then herceptin for 2 years (HER+2) I don’t do things be halfs me…in for a penny lol. i just hope n pray after all this i can get on with my life…i hate not feeling me and not being “mum” to my kids it horrid. Any adice on Hereceptine would be handy to, i got told its a injection but bc nurse said nope it iv every 3 weeks again…more hospital appoints… what side effects?, is it like chemo? no-one sems to want to discuss this with me at mo but i’d like to know what else there is to fight… any way all take care x x x
Hi reddragon,
I’ve put for you below the link to BCC’s publication on Herceptin for you to read. You are also more than welcome to phone the helpline and have a chat with the nurses here who will be able to explain more about Herceptin to you. Calls to the helpline are free, 0808 800 6000, open M-F 9-5 and Sat 9-2.
Herceptin fact sheet:
breastcancercare.org.uk/server/show/nav.718/changeTemplate/PublicationDisplay/publicationId/123
Kind regards,
Jo, Facilitator
Hi Reddragon ,
Ive just had last tax on friday started on 3 fec then 3 tax and more to come like you . The one thing I didnt want was not to be able to feel like mom but if your anything like me which you sound like you are I bet its not effecting them half as much as you think
I dont think it has effected mine half as much as I thought as I keep it well hiden and the side effects you describe DITO .
I am really luck got really good support from friend and family hope you have too.
And to try and make you feel bit better Ive had every side effect going …
Hopspital stays
Infections
IV drips
Hickman line ( put in and 3 months later out more ifection )
More hospital stays
Infection in good arm
Lympadima in bad arm
And off to denitst now to see if he will take a large tooth out thats killing…
Sure theres more but you know …
And I m still smiling just lol
Keep in touch It does help
Lisa xxx
Dear everyone
I hope you don’t mind me joining in your discussion but as most of you seem to have finished chemo you might be able to give some advice? Did anyone have really bad taste disturbance on Taxotere? I have just had my third and last treatment and it is worse than ever. Food either tastes of nothing or else has a really horrible taste. Even just to put food in my mouth at the minute makes me want to throw up. how long does this last for? It wasn’t so bad with the previous two doses. Makes me realise how much I love my eating! Thanks for your help.
Hi lisa lisa lol sounds like were are twins, i’ve been told i have to have a groshong line which is the same as hickman my viens are wiggley and not at all good for the iv so looks like we are going down the same path…thankfully no toothache he he yet!!! take care keep your chin up…all x x x
Hi Wee vee,
I have finished chemo now and i had such a bad taste disturbance that only coca cola had a taste that didnt make me want to vomit.
It was worse after the last one. however 8 weeks on, i am eating too much, everything tastes pretty good and i am sure it will for you, now i have to think about dieting.
Linda
Hi Girls,
Yeah! Finished chemo. Just had herceptin today. I am er positive (4 out of 8) so onc will write to gp to get me prescription for oestrogen blockers and arrange 3 monthly injection to stop my ovaries producing oestrogen to assist the blockers.
Last scan revealed tumours in liver had shrunk as much as we could have hoped for, although did reveal there had been spread to spine, but that damage was healing.
Hoping my tastebuds will return to normal soon and I won’t be cooking hubby curries that blow his head off for much longer!
I found that eating pine nuts was the worst and my taste buds improved when I cut them out of my diet.
Snoogle
x
Hi snoogle,
I’m so pleased you’ve now finished with chemo…, glass of V8 juice going down now!! I couldn’t drink alcohol at the moment if my life depended on it!!! Yuk!!! what a nice rest you can now have. Will you get some days out now with hubby and the kids? Hopefully side effects will be minimal on herceptin. I’m getting mine on 17th.
CT scan a right mixed bag. Sorry about spine, but at least things have helped the liver.
I wish you all the best in having a bit of normality return to you and the family for the next wee while.
A warm Welcome to all the new girls starting TAX, take things easy and be kind to yourselves.
hugs
Fiona xxx
Hi Fiona,
Have noticed hair growth on my head, so in a month or so I imagine I will have to have the straggly bits of my old hair cut to the same length. No alcohol for me either and I’ll be sticking to my teetotal, poultry and fish eating vegan-style diet for the time being.
The children are really pleased that chemo has stopped as they worry so much about me when I get physically low afterwards and of course they are really pleased that the tumours have shrunk so much. The best we could have hoped for is really when we have to take a deep breath and say well this thing ain’t going away, but we can celebrate this at least! I may have to have more chemo in the future.
Welcome also to the new ladies joining us (and any men lurking out there). Fiona is right, take things easy and do be kind to yourselves. Each of us reacts differently and may suffer side-effects to varying degrees. The ladies on this thread are a mine of information, don’t be afraid to ask anything even if you think it ‘silly’, we’ve all been there!
Best wishes to all,
Snoogle
x
Hello Ladies,
I hope everyone is well. I had my surgery last Wednesday. All went well and the surgeon didn’t have to remove the whole muscle on which she thought the tumor was attached. A nurse will visit today to change the bandages and the drains will go on Wednesday (I hope !!)when I meet with my surgeon.
As for the surgery being a breeze after chemo, I guess it depends on the kind of surgery. A radical mastectomy is not really a breeze, even compared to chemo. The skin above and under the breast was pulled to avoid having to do a graft and that, ladies, hurts like hell since the skin had to be detached from the muscle. At least with chemo, I could walk, move and take pain killers enough to sleep in whatever position I chose. Now I have no choice but try to sleep on my back (and I mean try). Ten days for chemo symptoms to pass or two months for this pain to pass with no sleep… I still can’t decide which one I prefer. As you can tell, I am not a happy camper lol.
Take care all.
Sonia xxxxx
Hi Sonia- I had lost track of how you were doing. I had similar surgery 12 days ago and thought it was just me that didn’t think surgery was breeze after chemo. Getting path results tomorrow and the surgeon will look at the wound. Hopefully he will tell me its normal, even though for me it looks awful. I too am sleeping on my back and I normally sleep on my side. Trying to keep the painkillers down as they give me constipation.
Love Clare
Hello Clare,
It looks like we had surgery on the same day, August 13 !! I will see the surgeon tomorrow with path results too ! Hang in there, we will get through it, and smile about it all in a couple of weeks. Are you doing the prescribed exercises for you arm ? I am doing them but I am not pushing it. Once or twice a day for 2 or 3 times per exercise. Then yesterday my wound started leaking a little bit. I wonder if the exercises did it or if it is normal. The rest of the staples will come off tomorrow too. I miss my shower so much !
Please let me know how you are doing so we can encourage each other since we had the same surgery.
Take care,
Sonia xx
Hello Sonia - I do hope your news to-day was as good as mine. The pathologist reported no cancer in any lymph nodes, the chemotherapy had reduced the lump from 5.5cm to 2cms. There was a margin of 1cm between the lump and the chest wall (which was necrotic tissue - presumably dead cancer cells) and then clear margins from the chest muscle which was removed. No other cancer in any of the remaining breast tissue.
As with you the surgeon had to detach the skin from the muscle and pull it into place, so at least now I know why it hurts so much.
Got an appt now with the oncologist for next week and radiotherapy will start in about a months time.
Love to you, fingers crossed for you, let me know how you get on.
Clare X
Hello Clare,
I was so happy to read about your good news! I had good news too! The pathology report said only one lymph node was touched; the chemo did its job, at the beginning 2 or 3 were touched. No cancer detected elsewhere. And yes, the skin detached from the muscle is what hurts the most but at least now I can sleep on my left side. I have to go through the strangest gyrations to get out of bed but that’s ok, I might enter the next Olympics as a gymnist. The surgeon and the plastic surgeon who assisted her were both happy about the way the wound is healing, although there is a small leak for which I have to see a nurse every day for the next 2 weeks to have it cleaned, there is no infection.
I still don’t know if i’ll have to get radiation therapy, my surgeon wants to ask the opinion of the radio-oncologist first. In any case, rads cannot start before the wound is completely healed.
I can’t wait to be able to cough, sneeze and laugh without pain !
I wonder how the other ladies are doing… it’s been a while since their last posting here. I hope they are all OK.
Best wishes to all !
Sonia xxxx