AUGUST '17 Chemo Starters

day 2 of chemo no 5… now awaitin the se!! so glad this is nearly over… last one 27th nov!! hope all u ladies are doing well… im countin down the 19 days until my last one xx

Butterfly, I’m so sorry to hear about the spread to your sternum. I hope that your doctor can give you some positive news about treatment tomorrow which you can then share with your daughter. You certainly seem to be having some problems at the moment and I really feel for you with double injections, ouch. I hope your symptoms improve over the next few days. You still have a way to go on your chemo journey but we will be here for you even when our journeys end. Sending a big hug xx

Hi Meesh!
I’m having 6 x FEC cycles. Had cycle 5 on Monday. I’ve found that the side effects have remained the same throughout but I’ve made little changes each time to cope better. During cycle 3 it took me a good two weeks to recover and for cycle 4 I found that I felt lot less nauseous and bloated by cutting out bread/toast, and rested every afternoon during the first week and recovered to nearly normal from day 7! I find that my mouth gets sore from day 5 so am using the mouthwash from day 4 every few hours as advised by the chemo nurse and for cycle 4 had no soreness. For sore hands and arms from vein pain I put heat pads on for 20 mins a few times a day and it helped massively during cycle 4.
Now you’ve had a couple of cycles you may see a pattern too, I understand now how helpful it is to keep a journal of side effects so I can anticipate things now!! Best advice ever.
One day at a time remember x

Butterfly sending a huge hug and some virtual strength to get through this. I hope you get some positive news soon and start to feel better.
I had my first of 6 weekly paclitaxoel today and took allergic reaction, went purple, chest pains, couldnt breathe! Nurses and doctors brilliant and had me sorted very quickly but a very scary experience. Ended up staying in hospital all day but got home at teatime. To go back next week to try again but with much slower infusion and will be in all day again. The joys.
Love to.you all, hope SEs are kind to us. Xx

Big hugs and strength to you butterfly- hope there is some good news for you soon. Xxx

Sib, goodness, not another bad reaction! Let’s hope next week they take it super slow and spare you some of he trauma. Hoping no side effects and an ok week ahead of you xxx

Butterfly and Sib…big hugs to you both right now…so sorry to hear your both having a few problems , I hope its not too serious and you get all the help and support you deserve…xx good luck

Sib, sorry to hear about your allergic reaction. That must have been very scary. Hope you are doing ok today.

Sue58, Fairy, Mishy, Butterfly - hope you are all feeling ok today. Helen, it’s good to hear from you.

I’m day 15 and mostly feeling well. I visited my local support centre yesterday for the first time as I’ve been struggling mentally recently. It was good to chat and I was able to do some meditation and have raki while I was there. Love and hugs to you all xx

Butterflyfree
So sorry to hear rhe spread but Im sure your team will find a plan to mend you. It will take longer but rreatment so advanced now they will sort you out.xx

Sib
Soery to hear the vad reCtion but you wete in safe hands and got you sorted. A longer day but rather it happened there than on way home. I must stsy I was so anxious when my Docetaxol was goin in and I was warned and if anything happened, drugs, Oxygen, will all be there to help me! I spike to the drug as it was going in to loik after me then and after:D Just waiting now to see wgats in store. Plenty of rest Sib and fluid. Im drinking weak Vimto, water tastes vile.xx

Helen P
Glad you are coping well. I use a hand and arm reliever (squeezer)when Im watching TV. It has helped. I also squeeze on ot when I have the cannula put in and Herceptin injection rather than squeeze the nurse arm:D

Mishy, Meesh , Cathysid, Ali S, Sue58 and all my other ladies, I hope you are having good days.xxx

Oh Sib I know how you feel that happened to me on the Doxetaxal good luck for next week and hope your infusion goes without any reactions x
Ali sounds like afternoon at the centre has been good for you x
Hoping everyone else is doing ij
I was till yesterday when started day with awful pain in my ear which turned out to be an ear infection so on antibiotics and feeling like ? atm have felt very fragile and emotional atm and think all the chemo has jy5taken its toll on me emotionally I def think I’m going to need some support after all this treatment is finished so it doesn’t start to consume me ?

Mishy, sorry to hear about your ear infection. I hope the antibiotics are helping, though I know they can sometimes make you feel worse. Like you I’ve been feeling very fragile emotionally and have been getting teary at the slightest thing. I’m surprised as I thought I’d be happy that the end of chemo is in sight.

The sun is shining where I am, I’m off for lunch with a good friend and my son is coming to see me later, so it will be a good day. I hope all you August ladies are also having a good day xx

Hi ladies.
I had another sleepless night after day 3 of steroids but hopefully tonight will be better. I had Herceptin on Tuesday and 1st Docetaxol on Weds, so day 3. I am tired from lack of sleep and quite achy which I know Doce can do to you. Im going to have an Epsom soak bath every night! Amazon 10kg is only £11.99 and free delivery!
The funny taste in mouth isnt as strong and not needed Amend, just on Ondansetron for 2 days and have back up drugs.

Herceptin didnt seem to cause any SE. Trying to Prevent ulcers this time with Mouthwash b4hand.

Slight tight chest but as long as I rest Im good.

Aunt Sally cheeks but temp fine for now although Im paranoid and take temp every hour!

Ill keep you posted.
How are the rest of us doing??xxx

Glad to hear your more positive Butterfly, sorry to hear of your infection mishy hooe antibiotics work soon.
Im too now very emotional and angry with the world i also think i will need help to get over this . Its life changing so i suppose its to be expected.
Im day 3 now after 1st paclitaxel and doing ok, managed out for a bit yesterday and today, though more tired today and mouth has more of a nasty taste again. Sending hugs to.you all and thank you for your good wishes and support. X
I

Hi ladies,

Sorry I haven’t been in touch for quite a while. Lots of side effects and additional problems…

Had to see gynae several times due to extremely heavy bleeding for over 12 weeks… further tests showed cysts, fibroids and thickened lining but he doesn’t want to do invasive treatment until cancer treatment finished. 

This didn’t help bloods…severely anaemia so had to agree to overnight stay in hospital and blood transfusions (or chemotherapy couldn’t go ahead…levels were very much border line).

Week later, district nurse wasn’t happy about chest pain I was experiencing…go came, rang 999 and I had a ride in an ambulance… diagnosed with blot clot in lung…so now on daily blood-thinning injections for 6 months.

I thought the FEC was bad enough… but T is by far worse…seem to have all side effects going…nail pain, eye sight deteriorating, awful taste in mouth, ulcers, headaches, sickness, constipation for a few days after treatment followed by diarrhoea, piles (very sore due to diarrhoea.Sorry!)etc…

And the bone pain is awful…worse and lasting longer than last time… on morphine liquid -takes a while to stop/ease the pain but then it returns after only 40 minutes. Up until this week I have always tried to be really positive but this week has been so bad…I have questioned whether I can actually continue like this…and now I have oral thrush! 

My last cycle is on 24th November( hopefully)… and I am dreading it!

Radiotherapy to follow 

Also, read on another site that if you are on thinners for clot, they won’t do reconstruction…Had left mastectomy before chem started so lopsided still… any one heard that on here? 

Hello ladies ear still sore! Going to go back tomorrow I think to get it checked out, Mahendra you have really been through it I hope your next one is kinder to you, yes ladies I thought I would feel great knowing I had last chemo but I don’t I feel quite down, and angry etc think I def need some type of support but the don’t seem to ask you how you are feeling emotionally do they???
I think to treatment can cause some mood changes and when you constantly feel ill it’s really hard to switch off from it all
I suppose when we feel a bit better we are all going to have to do things that make us feel happy and try to distract ourselves as much as possible xx
Take care everyone hope you have a good day x

having a really anxious day… how oh how do we live with the fear of recurrance or spread. havent even finished chemo yet and im strugglin to c how i can ever move on xx

Hi Fairy, Im very similar just now, so worried that treatment isnt working or that it will come back, totally fixated with survival rates and like you i havent even finished chemo yet. Im also very emotional about Christmas, i suppose i always find it abit emotionall but this year im struggling and crying at every tv ad and every tbought of tbe ‘season to be jolly’.
Im sure its probably normal but its good to know im not alone. Sending you a hug and positive vibes. Xxx

yes sib so hard to imagine how life will ever be normal, i have a 4 10 and 13 year old and im so scared i wont see them grow up. plus im her 2 positive

I really empathize with you. My boys are older but their dad and i split 10 years ago and they still need me plus there is so much i still want to do in life. Im also her2 + and am stage 3 , plus im brca 2 but we must be positive and beat this for everyone. Xx

Oh ladies, we’re all suffering with the emotional side this week more than ever aren’t we??  I hit the big ‘50’ on Friday, but because it was day 5, cycle 5 I couldn’t think about popping open a bottle or going for a slap up meal, let alone celebrating with a lovely weekend away as I’d planned more than 6 months ago before my diagnosis.  My lovely family were so great, trying to make it a lovely day, it was upsetting me more!!!   I’ve had a terrible weekend of side effects, totally feel toxic, with a pulsating head, yucky mouth, bad tummy and tears.  I have a CT scan scheduled for Thurs as prep for radiotherapy in Dec and am struggling to remain positive.

 

Thank goodness we all share how we’re feeling because I know I’m not alone in this…we’re all feeling the same and we know we’ll have better days than this.  Chin up ladies, it’ll pass and we’ll turn the corner soon.x

 

 

Belated happy birthday Helen. Sending positive vibes to you with a big hug. This BC really is the pits and is trying to wear us all down both physically and emotionally. Hoping we all get emotionally stronger soon. Xx