Hi all
would love some information on this type of chemo. Have had 3 fec and 1 tax, but during 2nd tax had an awlful allergic reaction - so much so - not allowed anymore. Going to start cmf ? next week - regime day 1 and 8 injections of Mand F and days 1-14 tablets of C.
Any information greatly received.
Thank you
Anne x
Hi Ann
Whilst you wait for other users to reply to your post with their experiences you may find the Breast Cancer Care fact sheet on CMF useful. This can be found by following the link below:-
breastcancercare.org.uk//docs/cmfchemotherapyjuly_06_0.pdf
I hope this is helpful to you.
Kind regards
Sam
BCC Facilitator
Anne
Potentially I have some good news for you in that I was put on the Epi - CMF regime last year. The Epirubicin bit was awful BUT the CMF was far better/ I did have some side effects the most annoying ones being sore feet and hands, peeling skin in these areas (lovely soft feet at the end though), watery eyes and diarrohea on the last 2 cycles - can highly recommend Kaolin and Morphin mixture for the latter, it did the trick nicely. Energy wise I wasn’t too bad either. So here’s hoping it’s good for you especially as you have had such a hard time with the other drugs.
When you start the treatment do feel free to contact me if you have any other symptons as I am more than happy to swap notes with you.
All the best, Pauline
Ps My hair started to grow back at the end of the CMF cycle too…
Hi Anne
I have had 4 cycles of EPI and have just had my 3rd of CMF. Overall I have found CMF easier, still had side effects but not the awful exhaustion as with the EPI. My hair started to grow back after the 2nd CMF only a coverage but its HAIR!!!
The only tip I can think of is that when taking the C tablets I found that taking 1 sick med (Domperidone) with each tablet really helped, and I always have a glass of milk with them. I hope your treatment goes well and this has helped a little. Let us know how you get on
Love
Jill
Hi everyone,
I have just started 4 x CMF all by injection after 4 EPI. I have had such a bad time on EPI I am praying CMF will be much kinder. I have collitis which has flared up every 6th day of chemo and has been agony. Onc now saying if this continues I will have to come off chemo as the risk of prolapse is so high, so trying CMF and waiting to see. I so hope I can continue as this is the guarantee part isn’t it? I am glad to hear what Pauline had to say and I am keeping everything crossed. Great to come on here and get reassurance from those who are/have been on same regime.
Good luck Anne and thank you Pauline and Jill. Hope to be able to come on again to say all is well.
Margaret
Hi all
well had first cmf yesterday - all went well except getting vein of course. Started C tablets last night. any advice on when is the best time to take the c tablets - have opeted for after dinner - in case I feel sick but did take domperidone with it last night and of course my 3 doses of dex during the day.
Hope you are all well and thank you for all the advice.
Take Care, love
Anne x
Hi Anne, I always took mine at 8 , 12, and 4 oclock, any later and I found that I could not sleep very well. Always took them with food and 1 domperidone, had no sickness at all with them. I always had a glass of milk which seemed to help . a tip I got off one of the ladies on the site when I first started CMF.Sometimes I got a bit of heartburn but found that mints really helped. I wish you well with your treatment and do let us know how you are getting on,
Take Care
Love
Jillxx
Hi everyone, Well first day of CMF journey so here’s hoping it is easier. Apart fromreally sore veins and feeling tired all okay up to now. Looking forward to getting hair back and can’t wait to see what colour it is - something to look forward to. My poor other half was admitted to hosp on Mon and has a perforated bowel following a colonoscopy so it has been a bit of a nightmare, his CT scan was clear though - what a relief- I felt a bit like my world was imploding but here we are getting out the other end and on the mend. Next year can’t come quick enough. Anyone in Scotland?
Mags x
Anne,
Glad all went well for you on the day of your first dose and that things are still ok. I took my tablets with food and didn’t suffer any side effects except for occaisional bouts of hiccups, which seemed to come on when I ate citrus fruits.
Mags,
Hope all is still ok with your first dose of CMF…it’s always a bit nerve wracking when taking the first doses as it definitely is a case of inject /swallow tablets and wait and see. I hope your other half is feeling brighter too, please send my best wishes to him.
Best regards to you both, Pauline
Thanks Pauline. Things here are on a bit of a roalercoaster because hubby is ok one day then back to square one next. I am pretty exhausted and not sure if thats the chemo or the stress, sickness is a lot less than when on EPI so that’s a great bonus. All we can hang on to is that all is temporary and it will be allright in the end eh! Thanks for responding it makes such a difference to know there are others out there thinking about you. I hope all is well with everyone. Anyone from Scotland by the way?
Take care
Mags
Hi everyone just thought I’d post while my fingers are operational. Hubby home yesterday and I had second lot of cmf - can’t believe the difference with the sickness yahoo! and hoping to get the elusive good time in a week or two. Half way there tho and got a little layer of bum fluff on my head - don’t know wotz going on at the other end but least of the worries - Saw dietician yesterday and whilst I have been going mad eating healthily with lots of high fibre, tomatoes, reds and greens, fruit etc., this has been totally wrong for me given I have collitis and has apparantly been adding to my problems - wot a minefield the diet thing is. However, feel like I have some control now having spoken to her - very low fibre, no seeds or fuits with seed, no skins, pureed soups, root veg and brown rather than wholemeal. So simple yet I have had collitis for some time and never been referred to a dietician or given advice. This will hopefully mean that my collitis bouts which were bordering on prolapse will be lessened and I can continue with my chemo. I think the lesson is to just ask for whatever you think you need yourself otherwise no one will offer.
I hope everyone is doing okay and I look forward to hearing from you all xx Mags
Mags,
Wht a difference a few weeks makes! Glad your other half is back home with you where he belongs and also, excellent news about the CMF side effects. PHEW!
Interesting info on the dietician, I aksed to see one when I was having the chemo but was told that service was not available. As you say, it’s better to ask / push for what you need / want. Anyway, I am glad things are on the “up” for you!
Best wishes, Pauline
Ps Good news on the hair front as well…
Mags
Hi to everyone on this thread, Mags i’m from Scotland and been looking through the discussions i’m starting epi-cmf on tues and have been trying to get as much info as poss so this is a good thread for me ,although you get a lot of info from the hosp this is definetly better ,i’ve been wondering why the doc chose epi-cmf rather than the fec,don,t know what the difference is can ayone tell me do u def always lose your hair i,m getting fitted for wig 2morrow and iv,e heard a lot of different stories so thought if anyone would know the ladies from these forums would know. Anyway i hope you all keep well on your chemo take care of yourselves and hope to hear from any of you ladies soon oh and mags hope your husband keeps better.
Bye for now Reneexx
Hi All
Had day 8 CMF- felt ok up until yesterday and then have felt rough all week-end. Only one more cycle to go - hurrah! Hair is definelty coming back - very soft and fluffy - but there. Eye lashes and eyebrows seem to going though.
Renee - goodluck for this week.
Mags-glad OH home - makes such a difference.
Take care,love
Anne x
Hi evryone I have just chatted on for about half an hour then it was all lost??? I will cut it down.
Renee - good to know your in good old Scotland - You will find on the threads that everyone reacts differently to the treatments and no two the same which leaves us a bit adrift but it really is a case of suck it and see and hope for the best and also not to beat yourself up if you have a hard time and someone else sails through. ( I like to be in control and this is outwith my range which is very unsettling at times) Go with the flow and embrace every good day to forget any bad. I is a very individual thing and that’s why the nurses etc can’t tell you how it will be for you. Difference between FEC/EPI CMF I don’t know. I was on the TACT2 and was chosen for the EPI/CMF Some of the others are accelerated - less treatments, shorter time frame etc.Sorry i can;t help but if you search on this site there will be loads of info if u want it. I found great relief talking to ones who are doing same. I felt so alone until I found this thread so keep in touch and we will get each other through wit luv and laughs. Think you will def lose hair but it will come back with CMF round and it is such a buss to get some fuz - it’s like the wee light starting to shine at the end of the tunnel. Take yur time choosing your wig and make sure you are happy with it before you leave - no matter if yu get a witch like I did whoshould look at doing another job! I’ve never liked mine becoz I didn’t get the service I needed and rushed out the door. But it has been a godsend for getting out and about. You could get it a wee bit longer so your hairdresser can style it for u too which will help. Stay on thread and we will help you through xx
Renee - Maggie’s Centre good place to talk to others who are doing the same and understand all the emotional stuff that others never really can tap into coz no one knows unless they are doing it- helps not to feel so alone which is one of the orrible bits.
Jill - Sickness on CMF nearly non existent except during the night and the milk tip seems to work thank you. Oh blessed relief x
Pauline - Yes wot a difference - I have been on such a high since my day 8 CMF I feel like a rockstar wired for sound. I am utterly euphoric with my mind racing like it is running a marathon - down side is my body is beginning to object and I can’t stop. still up and going at 2.30am - but I am so up and positive I don’t want it to stop. It is great to be able to look forward and be able to think even if it is in overload. Wait and see as usual over next few days but optimistic and thinkg now in terms of weeks to go (roughly 12 makes me feel good) and the hair fuz is a great buz.
Anne - sorry your not so good. Not long to go so keep hanging in and I am sending you some of my electric charged positivity - thanks for your encouragement.
Thanks to all for the good wishes to hubby - poor soul is recovering slowly but now needs ointment for his burning ears and a safe room to get away from me to get peace ha ha.
Luv and hugs to all - speak soon
Mags xx
Hi all, I am afraid I have been pretty much out of the game since I was last on. My onc has pulled the plug on my chemo. Each cycle causes me to have severe collitis which is a condition I have normally but not every three weeks. The risk now of doing serious harm to my bowel are too great and onc not prepared to carry on with chemo. A double edged sword for me as I wanted to carry on, despite the horrenduous pain every cycle, to give myself the best chance of beating this btd disease. However, the thought of being symptom and pain free is welcome. I am now waiting for a date for 20 sessions of radiotherapy. Something new to look forward to eh? I see from the forum that this should be a lot easier to get through with fatigue being the main enemy so I can do that no bother. Now starting to worry about getting back to work as my ssp stops at the end of this month and I really don’t want to be on benefits (if I can get it) but I know I won’t get back for a while. Has anyone used their annual leave to extend their leave in some way? I am due 15 days from 2007 that I didn’t get time to have and also I will have annual leave for this year I suppose. Any advice would be great.
Luv to you all
Magsx
Hi everyone,
Sorry i haven’t replied back to you all but i forgot where i had posted my thread i just came across i again by accident,thanks so much for all the advice it really helps, i’m going for my 2nd epi on tues and i am really feeling anxious about it because it made me really ill but i’ll just get on with it the best i can.
Anne bet your glad your hair is growing back must be giving u such a boost, mine is just starting to fall out and it’s a nightmare, i just keep telling myself it will grow back.
Mags i’m sorry they decided to end your chemo but they must know what they are doing and colitis must be awful, you must have been having a really tough time i had radiatherapy the first time round as i had bc16yrs ago i had chemo then rads. Then i honestly found the chemo much easier than the rads, back then the chemo was much weaker than it is now. Don’t get me wrong the rads were fine it was the fatigue that got to me, that was the only real side affect apart from you mabe get a little bit burnt sometimes ( a little like sunburn ) but they give u things for that.
Take care everyone hope u all keep well.
Lots of love Reneexxx.
Hi girls…been on two other strings since December, but saw this and thought to add some support. Glad to hear you are all surviving. Had 4 epi’s now on CMF. Wonderful feeling to get chemo number 5 behind me, and yes CMF doesnt seem nearly as bad. Delighted to see some fuzz catching the sunlight on top of my head instead of the boiled egg look! Mags, really sorry you had to stop, but I keep meeting old ladies who tell me they had breast cancer tens of years ago and still going strong, without chemo or radiotherapy. I too have bowel problems but only IBS, still bled every time by day 3 post-chemo. Veins have been a nightmare for me, its really the hardestt hing to bear knowing you have to go back and dmage things all over again, just as it all starts to feel better…My sick pay will run out soon too, want to go back to work but because I’m a nurse ONC not very keen - lifting, exposure to bugs etc
Best wishes to all of you, Lynette
Hi to everyone, thanks for replying, it’s good to know there are others out there in similar situations. I start radiotherapy on Tuesday next week so one more step for womankind! I have been so much better since chemo stopped and I have come to terms with not being able to complete it. As you say Lynette there are lots of people still going strong who have not had the chance of treatment so I will be positive. I am glad you are finding CMF easier. My head is also beginning to look more normal with a nice layer of fuz which is getting thicker. I have even started to leave the headscarf off in the evenings but not sure I would like fr anyone other than OH to see me without ha ha.
Luv and hugs to all
Mags