Please could someone tell me not all se are bad with chemo, i have had 3 fec and am struggling with the smell and taste of chemicals in my mouth… if there are any living cells in my body after thse 3 fec’s so why do i need tax, I can barely live in my body let alone any cancer cells. I have been postive, strong, listened to body etc, now i am halfway through but i cant face going thr the same thing all again… really need to talk to my onc i think . Shar x
Hi Shar,
I can remember the stage you are at now very well, it was about this time last year. The hardest part for me was just after the 3rd FEC as I knew I had the same amount to go through again. Believe me when you get past that 4th one the end is in sight.
For the horrible tastes, try water with some lemon to cleanse your mouth and refresh.
Sending you hugs, keep up the good work you are almost there!
Paulaxx
Thank u so much for your reply, I feel im being silly to complain and alone as everyone seems to cope so well tho maybe they putting a brave face on, i know i try to but this fec3 has fin me off totally, and its like u say, the thought of going through it all again cos another 3 and its TAX and what i have read is giving me sleepless nights - after my op, I had a lumpectomy in Jan, i slept well, could not lie on my op side etc but it got better in time and stayed better, but this, i just cant do it anymore… did u have tAX too? will i still get bad taste, feel sickly? thank u for being there. Shar x
No I had 6 x FEC. It is bloody hard going, from op to chemo to rads and people will say that it gets easier etc, although it probably doesn’t feel like it whilst you’re smack bang in the middle of it all.
I had a double Mx and SNB and had to sleep sitting up for about a month on my sofa after the surgery! My chest was like a water bed, all swishing around and boy is it heavy when you lay on your back.
A year on and other than feeling sick as the sight of my chemo nurses (a couple of them live near me and I see them in Sainsburys!), all the horrible bits of last year have started to fade away.
Paula xxx
Shar I get the yukky taste too but not so much metallic more like a permanent taste of horse radish (am never eating it again!). I find sucking a boiled sweet helps me, cola cubes in particular, no idea if it will help with the metallic taste but got to be worth a go.
A lot of people swear by fresh pineapple. I found pickles good… gherkins particularly… but the payoff for that was bad heartburn. So if you want to go the gherkin/pickled onion route (won’t do a thing for the smell, but cuts through the scummy mouth), then make sure your gp has prescribed you some omeprazole for the heartburn first…
It does go. Hang on in there, halfway through is a really tough time.
Sophie xx
Hiya
I had FEC/T and on Taxotere I did not find sickness an issue(compared to FEC). In my case Tax was a bit more demanding on joints, nails. Also first few days on steroids were not easy as I did not sleep. However, I always had my ‘best’ day one day after Tax.
I found 4th chemo (1st TAX) really hard, because I did not know what to expect. I hope that you’ll feel lots better once you have passed the psychological barrier of the 4th chemo. You’ll be on the straight home run (almost) then! Hang on in there, girl!
Nikki x
Thanks Nikki Trip and Jo C, think thats what i need some encouragement from u all and thank u for giving it to me, just feel so alone sometimes cos i try and put a brave face on and i have got to the stage when im thinking, no more brave i want some tlc and lots of it! hope u are right, that after 4th chemo will feel better, but right now cos still feeling se of fec3, the bad taste and smell, i honestly have washed myself raw, done the chores, washed everything in sige to get rid of the smell, im unable to suck a sweet cos got advised to do that during chemo for the C part of FEC and now the thought of a sweet to suck makes me gag…hope u all are having minimal se and thank u so much for writing back to me xxx
Hi Shar
I think I know how you feel - I’ve had fec 3 and the end of this chemo cr*p seems a long way off. Chunks of cucumber help my mouth - it might be worth trying to see if that helps you. I’m on 6 fec so its more of the same for me. Maybe Tax will have less dreadful SEs for you.
Will a good cry help? No one can do that ‘brave’ thing all the time.
Hugs
Dawn
Thanks Dawn, may be I will, i have not had a cry for a long time and i have done that in the past after my op and when first dx… and the cucumber thing sounds good, think will def give that a whirl, thank u and hugs to u xxxxxxxxxx
Shar, somebody said on another thread (sorry, can’t remember who!) that rinsing their mouth with some bicarbonate of soda in water was brilliant for cutting through the mouth fuzz so maybe give that a try? I’m going to try it with my next dose to see if it helps.
Jane xxx
Shar, I’m with you on the sweets thing, I couldn’t face a Fox’s glacier sweet for the rest of my life! xx
Shar I’m not that far from you,I said on shropshire thread not far past carden park if you fed up pm me and we could meet for coffee? Bellis in holt nice too xxxxxxxx
Alto thank u i will try that, and J, oh yeh that be great, would love to meet up, Carden Park nearby where i live!
Shar x
do you know the holt lodge? just alittle futher down on the wrexham rd that’s nice too ??? I’ll PM u and we sort it out xxxx
Think I have heard of it, cos drive down the road past Carden to go to Wrexham sometimes… look forward to your PM, thank u xxxxx
you know where I am xx
pm me with dates and stuff and we’ll c whats what xxxx kids back wed so usually able to free up most times, however the cancer thing comes with tying you up at hospitals along with every thing else! Ive got 5 apptmts wed-fri and gp mon morn and FEC 2 in the afternoon???
Shar - you will get there I promise - we all do. I went thru your stage a bit later, after my first TAC, and it just needs a lot of courage and stubborness not to be betaen by some stupid chemicals. The TAC doesn’t make most people sick, but it can be pretty debilitating ache and energy wise - I was given the advice to plan nothing which was about right. You just take every day as it comes and if you feel like a duvet day have it - you won’t be alone in doing so.
FEC is a 2nd generation chemo, used for bc, the TAC is a 3rd gen chemo and is usually used when there’s been lymph node involvement to give any little ‘floaters’ in your body a really good zap. the unfortunate thing is it zaps you too, but think of the longer term - some 'inconvenience (says she, unstating massively!) now for the joy of knowing you’ve given killing any traces your best shot. I say that 2 years down the line from dx, and having had septicemia after FEC 2, which got a lot worse as I progressed thru chemo until I wasn’t well enuf for TAC 3, which I really regret - I’d have liked to have given the little b*ggers everything possible!!
Best of luck and feel free to rant on here - thats what its for!!
Nina
Shar, hang on in there and lean on your forum mates as much and as often as you need to. You know you’re not alone, and that knowledge can mean so much.
You CAN take it, and you know in your heart you will take it because there isn’t really any sensible alternative. It won’t be easy, it won’t be nice. But the good thing with your next chemo is it’s much less likely to floor you with nausea, I know that’s been one of the SEs you’ve had big probs with. Don’t know what Tax does to WBCs, but hopefully tax will be better for you on that front too.
Anyway, you don’t have to be brave, use us to help keep you going.
hugs,
CM
x