Been to oncologyist appointment found out i be having EC, Paclitaxel and Zoledronic Every 2 weeks for 20 weeks think he said for 3 hours a time.
What were your side effects, what round they become worse? How to deal with them
Thanks
I had my last chemo yesterday. It was over 19 weeks. 3 EC every 21 days then 9 paclitaxel weekly with Herceptin every third week.
Chemo is hard but totally manageable. You will have good days (many of these) but you will have bad days.
For me the EC was the hardest, day 1 (chemo day) up to day 6/7 I pretty much felt washed out, nauseous, lethargic, very emotional and just generally like I was in a fog. By day 8 I knew I was feeling better because I would get up and start cleaning! I then improved each day so that by day 20 I was feeling pretty much normal. I met up with friends for outdoor walks or an odd coffee, did my weekly shop and always went out for a walk even if it was just a ten minute stroll.
I found cycle 2 the hardest, no idea why.
Paclitaxel was definitely easier. I still felt very fatigued at times but the side effects weren’t as bad. It also goes very quickly as you have a bit of a routine of bloods one day, chemo the next. You feel like you are at the hospital a lot.
For me my side effects have been:
fatigue, loss of taste (this hasn’t been consistent) constipation, dry skin, bleeding/ congested nose (particularly towards the end of paclitaxel), stiff aching joints and insomnia.
My hair started to shed after about 14-16 days after my first EC so we buzzed it off, it’s been growing back for about 3 weeks now. I was only sick once and then realised I’d forgotten to take my anti- sickness tablet so take EVERYTHING they give you.
Theres a February monthly thread board you could join on here and share experiences and support each other. You could also look at the January board to see how other ladies are coping.
Good luck! You can do this.