Hi ladies
I am about to start CMF for liver, lung and bone mets. Abraxane and Vinorelabine were unsuccessful so oncologist trying this. I was wondering how folk found the chemo side effects etc and do you lose your hair?
Best wishes …Trish
Hi Trish
I had Epi then CMF My hair started growing back on CMF. Side effects were not too bad sore mouth was main one for me but I was supposed to have the C part as tablets but went to infusion after first one as made me really sick. Hope you do OK with it
Good Luck
Jill
Hi Trish - I had CMF in 1997 when I had my primary BC dx - six courses, I think (infusions on day 1 & day 8?). I got a wig but never wore it; hair did thin a bit, including eyelashes & eyebrows, but wasn’t too bad - very different to having taxanes. My memories are of feeling like “the morning after the night before” (sick & fuzzy-brained) for most of the time, and pretty tired, but my bloods were OK throughout - I had to take that time off work, as I was commuting 80 miles a day and wouldn’t have been able to cope with the travelling or the job, which was managing a voluntary organisation. I hope CMF works well for you, and treats you kindly. xx
Hi Trish, I had 6 cycles of CMF in 2002 and didn’t lose my hair; I don’t even remember it thinning but it was a long time ago. The main side effect for me was nausea (fairly mild though) and I was able to work most of the time as I had a pretty undemanding job at the time.
Good luck with it,
Tournesol.
Hi,
I had 4 doses of cmf after 4 doses of epi. The cmf is a double, with visits on day 1 and day 8. I had concerns about this but my neuts seemed to like it strangely and my blood count was higher for the day 8 visit every time. Downer was 2 visits although I had a port which helped a lot. My hair grew fast on it which was the good part. I found the effects vary and people who coped well on the epi half were worse on cmf and vice versa. I found the effects mild but hung aroung for longer. I was unable to eat any fruit or veg while on it as it gave me the runs very easily but I have not really found many others this happened to. I had no nausea at all and stopped taking the steroids after it became clear that they were responsible for my visual fogginess. The methotrexate (M) is a weeny little yellow drug and it is also used for arthritis and skin problems so made my skin and joints the best they had been for a long time. The 5fu (F) and cyclophosphamide (C) are big doses which is why you go twice. There are 2 or 3 different ways to have the C depending on your area as Jill mentioned. I had a common reaction to C with swimmers nose that turned into a head pain. It was nothing scary but I had to have piriton before just in case and the drip on the slowest setting, which is often all they need to stop the problem. Do speak up straight away if your nose starts and they slow it to stop it. Overall I would say it was a doddle compared to epi and having 3 drugs menas you have 3 chances of getting the drug that makes a difference. I hope one of them does its stuff for you.
lily x
Like some of the other ladies, I had Epi-CMF. The Epi side effects were worse but more short lived, whereas with the CMF i had constant nausea which I found worse. I was never actually sick, just felt it all the time and couldn’t even bare to drink water as it tasted like chemicals. On the plus side my hair started to grow back whilst on the CMF, didn’t lose any. Hope it works for you xx
i too had epi-cmf… finished it two years ago… i personally found the cmf worse just felt naff all the way through where as i had a bad week on epi then a couple of good weeks… and although i didnt feel as bad on the cmf as i did on the epi i also never felt as good… my hair did start to grow back in on the cmf and but my eyebrows and lashes fell out after i started it.
i didnt get get two doses each cycle i got the whole lot on day 1 and had it 3 weekly… my unit seemed quite surprised when i mentioned that most places give it in divided doses over 4 weeks… pretty much sailed through chemo although my family assure me it didnt seem like it at the time… think maybe iv wearing those rose tinted spectacles too much!
good luck with your treatment.
lulu x
Thanks for your replies ladies, as always really useful. As it turns out my white count was too low to have it, hopefully will start it next week. I’m wondering if my body is trying to tell me something as i had to miss a few chemos previously due to neutropenia.
Best wishes to all…Trish