hi pat glad your tax went well . mine went good and at the moment feel not to bad . i went to sleep about an hour after getting home but have not been sick and no nausea atm so fingers crossed . obviously there are some other side effects but will let you know as the days past how things are going . but to be honest if the nausea keeps at bay i think i can cope , thats the bit i hate the most , sleepin i can handle that lol x anyways wishing you ladies a good eveining and speak to you soon xx
Hi All
Glad Pat and Melissa that your TAX went ahead okay today. I hope it will be the same for me next Wednesday-aren’t I the lucky one as I get to have 4!! Unless the onc decides differently next Tues.
It’s day 16 for me now and my taste is improving, feet feel rather sensitive and I can see my finger nails coming away from the nailbed at the top but other than that feel fine.
take care everyone
love
PP
x
Hello Everybody,
Been reading your messages for the last couple of days. I’m starting Tax with herceptin (3 cycles) on Tuesday and this will be my first chemo. I will then have 3 cycles of FEC… Very aprehensive as you can imagine, I think it’s because everybody has diferent side effects so I’ll be waiting to see what I get. Also I’m having trouble finding people who have had Tax with Herceptin as I’m taking part in a Trial. I think it is usually administered to advanced cancer but not early. Sadly I’ve been randomised to the long arm of the trial, after chemo and rads I then do a year of herceptin… The short arm only have herceptin at the start with chemo…
I’m worried about having an allergic reaction as I have asthma, excema and hayfever in summer, so feel there may be a chance I’ll take one…
Hope all you girls are doing ok and If anyone has any tips I’d be gratefull.
Regards
Fiona xxxx
Hi all, and welcome Fiona. It’s daunting at the beginning of chemo, not really knowing what to exprect, but you’ll get loads of support and good info from these threads which will hopefully help. You can moan, rant, share laughs, commiserate - the lot. As for allergic reaction, Jo has experienced this. I was lucky although I was very nervous about it. Like you, I have eczema, asthma and hayfever, also a lung condition which has given me yet another chest infection. But I didn’t have a reaction so I was thankful. If you do have a reaction, they deal with it very quickly. I’m sure you’ll be okay. I’m not having Herceptin as I was HER2- so don’t know much about the trial - I’m sure there will people on here that can share info. Melissa, hope you’re okay and coping. I feel pretty good at the mo, usually in bed at this stage but feel like I’ll go out to the shops while it lasts. Ankles swelled up Thursday nite but seems to be settling down now. Cough driving me mad though but at least I have antibs to take. Sun is shining again so I hope everyone can get out there and enjoy it. Love and hugs, Pat x
Hi Fiona
Try not to worry about allergic reactions! She says! I was terrified but you know what it was over so quickly it really was not a problem, they dealt with it straight away then started the #TAX again half an hour later. Got horrible rash day 11/12 on 2nd cycle which I’m expecting again next week, but only lasted 3 days and didn’t feel at all unwell, so it’s just another one of those crappy thing that we have to put up with! I can honestly say that, now that i’ve finished my 6 sessions of Chemo, it really was not nearly as bad as I had imagined it would be! I didn;t believe others when they said this at the start of it but honestly it’s true! You won’t enjoy it but it has to be done, so make the most of all the help you can get and do what i did and sleep as much as possible, it makes the days goes quicker!!
Good Luck
Jo XX
Hi, I am little late joining this thread. I was diagnosed primary on 12th March and secondary on 17th March, so the last month has been a combination of shock and daze! I started herceptin and taxotere on 24th/25th March respectively. I experienced a lot of side effects, but none to any excessive level. The most significant or inconvenient of which have been my sense of taste has been affected and I was in bed for two days. I had a lot of long bone ache from the neulasta injection, but was prepared with painkillers. Think I must have lost some nose hair because my nose is running a lot, also noticing more strands coming out of my head than normal. The antisickness pills seem to have done their job. The oncology unit went through the possible side effects with me, giving guidance for dealing with them should they occur. From reading some posts on this website I get the feeling that this doesn’t always happen. Is that right? Because secondary is in my liver I was only given 3/4 dose to start with. If/when I go on to full dose I guess the side effects may be more of an issue.
Hi Snoogle
You might find it useful to read in the undergoing treatment forum, chemotherapy the ‘sticky’ post ‘Top tips to help you through chemotherapy’, It’s a long thread but there are some very helpful tips that users have supplied on this thread that might make your time while on chemo more comfortable. Anything you want to know, just ask the users of these forums have a wealth of valuable information and support between them.
Take care,
Jo, Facilitator
welcome fiona and snoogle . hi pat glad you felt able to go for a walk . im still quite achy today and have had upset tummy the last 2 mornings , which dont help . feeling ok in myself though , so just restin up with a good book n plenty of tv.im also wishing my sister well today as she is doing a run for cancer research today and im so proud of her as she has never kept fit in her life . the support she has shown over the last few months cannot be put into words , as im well sure alot of you ladies are aware of .anyway at least the sun is shining and making everything seem right with the world . take care ladies and speak soon xx
hi everybody…great thread to read for anyone due to start - I’m thinking ahead a bit as I have to have my last FEC yet and then due tax x 3…I always think if you’re forewarned about what can happen then its not as big a shock and it helps to know thats others have had the same crappiness to go through - not that I want you all to suffer the crappiness but you know what I mean!! Mary x
Hi all and welcome Fiona and Snoogle, I have had 4 fec and 2 Taxotere with 2 more to go and I would say that they are both ‘doable’ okay the side effects are not pleasant but they do wear off a bit before the next dose hits you!! I can only speak for myself but with FEC and TAX I found the first doses gave me the worst side effects then the subsequent ones did not seem quite so bad.
Enjoy the sunshine everyone.
pp
x
Hi Snoogle, so sorry you’ve had to join the club, hope you don’t find the chemo so bad!
Melissa, well done to your sister for doing the race for life! I did last year before my nightmare started and am hoping to do it again 12th July this year! Just hoping TAX side effects gone by then, very achey today can hardly get out of bed. So annoying as the Wii fit is calling me for training!!!
Take care
Ladie
Jo XX
hi everyone , i guess i spoke to soon about ewverything seeming to go ok withthe tax. ending up at the local accident n emergency last nite after collapsing. was just sat on me pc when came over very hot and completely disorientated , then next thing i knew was i had a paramedic trying to prick me , in the wrong arm , luckily i was with it enuff to tell him to use the other one . spent evening in hospital having test and everything was ok. up til then had felt ok except the achiness and i had had loose bowels in the mornin but felt quite well considering.now im left wpndering why it happened as the hospital were not very good and didnt really know what to do with me , being a chemo patient n all. still was glad to get home away from all the germs . hope everyone else is havin a better time . spk soon n take care ladies x
Oh Melissa, I hope you’re okay now? This chemo just keeps on with the surprises, at least you got checked out and you’re okay. Take it easy and things will improve I’m sure. I hate the hot flushes I keep getting, make me feel really sick at times, once I’m on the Tamoxifen I guess I’ll just have to get used to it. Happy days! Hope everyone else is ok, check in later, love and hugs Pat x
Hi all, hope you are feeling better now Melissa. I saw my onc today and because of my recent spell in hospital with neutropenia he is only going to give me one more TAX at a lower dose (total of 4 FEC and 3 TAX)which means it will be my last one tomorrow and I will have my op in 5 weeks time. I had wanted to have all 8 chemos as I felt it might give me a better outcome but the onc did sound very positive today so I have to trust his judgment. I must admit it is a nice thought to think that it is my last one tomorrow!!!
pp
x
Best of luck tomorrow pp, onc knows what he’s doing I’m sure and yes, it is a nice feeling when you know it’s the last one! All the best, hope everyone else is okay? love Pat x
Hi all,Had my last TAX today and what a great feeling to know that I have finished the first stage of my treatment. My first chemo was on 21 November last year so it has seemed like forever!
pp
xx
purple princess I hope everything goes well for you. Snoogle
Thank you snoogle
pp
x
well just had another hospital visit thanx to my bowels movements . was put on 4hr drip cause i was a bit dehydrated and given some imodium . cant believe how achy i still feel but then it probably doesnt help that i have ms as well.
pp - i bet your glad your all finished with the chemo , have you got to have radio or any other treatment .
pat - hope the hot flushes ease , but like you say you might get them with the tamoxifan as well , is there any natural products that you can take to help relieve them ?
anyway hope all you guys are enjoying the easter break .
i indulged in a green n blacks easter egg today but im gonna wait til me taste buds recover so that i can enjoy eating it lol
love n hugs melissa
xx
Gosh Melissa another hospital visit! I hope you feel less achey soon.
Yes I am glad the chemo is finished!! I am now due to have a mx and total node clearance next month followed by rads about 2 months after that so still have a way to go with my treatment.
Don’t blame you for waiting for your taste buds to recover so that you can really enjoy your easter egg! My taste has gone quicker this time I had my 3rd TAX on Weds and my taste is going already - perhaps it will come back quicker as well - I can but hope!
Hope everyone is okay
love
pp
xx