Just wanted to share this, it’s been recommended to me twice now and I’ve ordered some off Amazon, it came today I will let you all know how I get on with it xx
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@altoan So pleased everything is moving in the right direction for you. You are doing amazingly.
@gromit Good luck with the move, I used to live in Finchampstead and had both my children at the Royal Berks Hospital in Reading! I hope you manage to swap some of your treatments over to a hospital close to your new house as that’s a lot of travelling for you.
I’m back home from my chemo today 5 more to go 
Fingers crossed for a sunny weekend.
Sending everyone a hug I’m rubbish with all the names 
Helen x
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What a week you’ve had, another one done, well done, hope you manage to get lots of rest this week and you are feeling ok x
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Sounds as though so many of us are struggling right now! I’ve certainly fallen into an emotional black hole this week and I can’t seem to get out of it. It’s not helped by feeling physically really unwell too. All of the side effects from the docetaxel have kicked in hard - horrific stomach ache, sore mouth, streaming eyes, aching joints etc. it’s so hard to try and be positive when I feel so ill. Hopefully once I start to feel better my mental health will improve but right now everything is spiralling downwards 
.
What a miserable post - sorry! Hope everyone starts to feel a little better soon, small steps…
Emma x
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Emma, this is the place to say how you really feel! It’s hard isn’t it as you want to try to appear brave but at some point we can’t be we have to accept that our chemo whilst coming to the end is often at the worst point as it’s cumulative so we are weaker.
I hope that the side effects lessen over the next few days.
Try not to be too brave to the people around you let them support you.
Sending love
Helen x
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Sending you lots of love Emma, please be gentle and kind to yourself , I think sometimes it takes so much energy staying positive and reassuring loved ones we are ok that when we need those extra reserves to help us through either feeling so ill or sad that unfortunately we’ve already spent them and it’s so much harder to fight back, but you will get through this week and hopefully feel a little brighter next week, the sun will shine through and you will get there, just like you said, baby steps 
Hey everyone,
Reading the updates made me remember when I used to read the month ahead’s posts to see what side effects were like and what to expect.
Anyone reading us lot will see the full spectrum of side effects and they’ll certainly be well prepared for this giant brick wall we have all seemingly slammed into head first as we come to the end of chemo, one by one.
See! Our misery is providing an educational service. Aren’t we nice! 
I’m on Day 11 now and I still have a horrible stomach ache (but less diarrhoea than previous cycles) but the mouth pain and taste issues are starting to subside a little and my joints aren’t randomly screaming in pain so much. Still just very tired but my son has been a nightmare at school this week which probably hasn’t helped. I didn’t like 15 year old boys when I was 15 and I’m not sure it’s changed much😂
Had a good therapy session on Friday about moving on after chemo and she got me in a good head space to be able to start to open the can of worms that needs unpacking.
I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and getting some peace. I can’t help but think chemo and menopause would have been a bit better in the winter (love a woolly hat!) rather than a sweaty summer! Oh and hot flush should be banned as a saying. I’m firmly calling it a hot flash because it literally feels like a petrol fire has been lit next to me at times. Bought a neck fan from Amazon and it’s now my favourite thing ever! X
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Hope your stomach ache gets better. Hot Flash is a good description I seem to be ripping off my headscarves when I’m out now and I don’t even care!
Some people have glasses in every room I seem to have various fans, the neck ones are particularly good!
I’ve dosed myself up with Imodium today and it seem to be working, I’m really struggling with neuropathy. I’ve got a lot of pain in my jaw, teeth and fingers.
Does anyone have any advice on anything to do or is it a case of just suck it up! And take painkillers.
H x
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@hc1973 I’ve added codeine to ibuprofen for jaw / bone pain- and that can cause constipation so helps the diarrhoea too!! Immodium is my friend at the moment despite the oncologist telling me the opposite!! The oncologist wants me to see the dentist again because of my jaw pain. I’ve got some fab hand fans from John Lewis and they also stand up. Laura x
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Hi Laura, yes I’ve got codeine too. They said the same to me about the jaw pain, I think it’s probably down to the zoledronic acid infusions I think that’s how you spell it! I don’t know what I’d do with out all these hand and neck fans!
When people said they were having a hot flush I never realised how it felt! I was watering the plants yesterday and had to strip off mid water !
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@hc1973 I haven’t got as far as the zolendronic acid! They wouldn’t give.ut me as I’m vitamin D deficient and am on supplements now. And when I said how bad my jaw pain was it was a real no no!! Laura
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Sorry Laura, I’m being confusing 
I meant that I was told I would have to make sure I had an extra check with the dentist re my jaw pain prior to starting the zoledronic acid if that makes sense!
I have to have my radiotherapy first which if everything goes to plan will be mid September.
I hope your jaw pain gets better x
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@hc1973 they were planning to start my zolendronic acid with chemo 5- it’s amazing how our treatment plans are all so different. Another reason for not wanting to transfer to Somerset half way through!! Hope you get your pain under control xx
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Thanks for all your lovely comments. I’m feeling a little better physically today which helps. The awful indigestion and stomach pain has gone and perhaps most weirdly, I have not had diarrhoea this time which is definitely a bonus! I did meet a rather bossy neighbour on my walk this morning who insisted on recounting various awful cancer stories of people she knows which led to a bit of a wobble mentally but then when I got back home I made an appointment to have my PICC line removed on Thursday - I literally cannot wait.
Hope everyone is doing OK? It feels weird to be out of the 3 week cycle of chemo and knowing that I will just generally start to feel physically better in the coming weeks and wont be battered by another session. That said, I have my surgery in 3 weeks so I don’t get much respite, Emma x
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Hi ladies, just catching up here sorry to hear some of you are having horrible side effects. I had terrible jaw pain for a while and Dr said it was Neuralgia and gave me Amitriptyline which did help as nerve pain in different places has been one of my biggest side effects.
Today is my last of Radiotherapy, I’ve been feeling a bit low this last week, don’t know if it’s fatigue or just realisation what has actually gone on this last nine months.I also think tamoxifen could be making me feel like this, hot flushes and menopause are real. To all that still has to get radiotherapy I’ve found it ok, fatigue and some Nerve pain has been the biggest side effect ( no sickness)
Hope everyone has an easier day, sending hugs to you all
Pauline xxxx
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That’s good that radiotherapy has been better for you and thanks for the update with what to expect! The feeling low is totally understandable and I’d imagine it’s maybe a combination of the both…. Just take the time you need to process things and if you need support then reach out 
I feel like I’m so focussed on the ‘fixing things’ and milestones the now that I just don’t know how I’ll feel by the end of the main treatments but I’m sure it’ll all hit me and actually feel real at some point (I kind of feel like it’s not real and can’t be happening!)
I met with the oncologist today ahead of my chemo on Thursday. I’m meant to have 3 Docetaxels left as I’m going 4 EC and 4 Docetaxel. I got a scan after my third EC and it showed my tumour has almost halved in size. He said that because I had such a good response so far that they’re actually planning to now just give me 3 Docetaxel! I’ve to get scans around the time of the third one and all going well I won’t need the 4th 
he said that the 4th is generally considered overkill and most people just get 3 so if the tumour is still responding as well then there’s no benefit to the 4th one. Think they just pencil it in during the initially planning as a just in case. I’m excited at the thought of having one less and I can’t even find the lump now after my last Docetaxel (I’m small chested so could feel it easily) so hopefully it’s about gone!! If I need to do a 4th I’ll happily do it though but I just feel like the end of chemo is actually in sight now! They seem confident and even scheduled in my surgeons appointment for the day before my last chemo with the view to doing my surgery a month after it so fingers crossed
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@belle1 fabulous new 
I was initially down to 4x Docetaxel but am actually only have three- last one on Thursday providing today’s bloods ok:tada:
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So nice to have it reduced eh 
It was a pleasant surprise and I’m still buzzing from it… the end of August just feels so far away still so to shorten that by 3 weeks is an amazing feeling! Really needed some good news to keep me going and it’s a nice feeling that Thursdays will now most likely be my second last one that’s great you’re on your last one this week too! Hope your bloods are all good for it
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