Am starting 6 x FEC 100 Is anyone else having the same treatment
Hi Fiona, glad to hear you got on alright and hope your’e feeling ok. From your experience with the blood pressure drop with the Herceptin I’m wondering now whether my failed chemo was a delayed reaction from the Herceptin as I had it the same day.
Still I must stop all the what if’s, googling etc and wait until I see the oncologist on the 21st.
Sam I think the stomach period like pains might a side effect of the Herceptin, I’ve had the same thing over the last couple of days. Must be worse for you not knowing which is a side effect of what.
Take care everyone and hope you all have a good day xx
No, no, no! I need my hair to hang on til my works Christmas party next Thursday!! I’m day 15 so hoping to show off my glossy new bob before it all falls out (in my friends’ Christmas dinners - oops!) A lady who has gone through it told me yesterday that if I try to avoid touching, washing, brushing it this week I could be in with a chance. I’ll keep you posted.
Had my second fortnightly EC yesterday and this time I had 11 anti sickness tablets of various strengths after 24 hours of vomiting last time. I was totally doped up, a little nauseous and on the verge of vomiting a couple of times BUT - I didn’t!! And this morning I don’t feel sick. So anyone struggling with sickness please tell your consultant. I can let you know the name of the kick-ass drug when I go downstairs if anyone’s interested. Apparently it’s specifically for chemo and turns off the sickness receptors in your brain. Not sure how much more of my brain can be switched off! The ultimate test was my little boy throwing up all night after my husband took the kids to see Star Wars and a few too many treats were had. I shut myself away while he dealt with it. Then he was in our bed from 4am. Motherhood doesn’t stop for cancer, does it!!
Hope everyone’s treatments are going well, and good luck to the ladies about to start xx
Karebear we have some 6xfec on Oct thread, drop a post on our thread, but I’m sure one of our girls will be over to advise you lovely. ??
shi xx
Hi Karebear, there are 4 of us on the oct thread that are fecx6 so if you ever want to ask anything pop a post on there and one of us will pick it up and help if we can. I found when I looked back at previous threads that there aren’t many fecx6 and those that are tend to disappear after a bit which I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not! Anyway, I had fec 4 last week and so far I’ve not had too many problems with the treatment. My main SEs are nausea on chemo day and sometimes for a day or two after I come off meds and dizziness. I fond fec1 was fine re both nausea and dizziness, fec2 was my worst cycle as I felt nauseous for about a week and really dizzy for most of the cycle, fec3 was almost sick evening of chemo but ok after that and a bit dizzy for about a week, fec4 had meds adjusted for chemo day and have just had a bit of nausea after coming off meds and one day of dizzy day7. My appetite and taste so far have remained largely unaffected ???It stays that way, but I find anything I eat straight after chemo I can’t even think about without feeling ???The only other thing is constipation which I haven’t suffered with but that’s because I have laxido which I take twice a day day after chemo until I come off the ordansetron as that’s what causes your botty to get bunged up! I think I’ve been lucky with SEs and am very thankful fir that. It means I have been able to work weeks 2&3 of treatment (week 2 from home to avoid germs and week 3 in the office).
my tips would be drink loads of water I drink 3L day prior to chemo, day of chemo and day after chemo and then 2L a day for rest of cycle. I also wear seabands not sure if they work but I’ll give anything a go! Laxatives for the botty. I also get lorazepam which I take one each night whilst on steroids and this helps with sleep. I also do yoga every morning and meditation morning and night and have found that really helpful.
Good of luck with your treatment, have you started it yet?
Hi Fiona, no they gave me piriton, I was written up for 2 but only had one as I had no reaction after two hours but I’ve read in the side effects a severe reaction can occur upto six hours afterwards. I’m going to discuss this with the Oncologist about having the herceptin and chemo on different days. Seems everywhere they do things differently.
Are you going over to herceptin injections when the chemo finishes? I’ve got 18 injections the first few with the chemo then the rest at home, apparently it saves them money to have them at home, they even offered to come to where I work!! don’t think so!!
I’ve felt quite washed out from the herceptin, sore throat, blocked nose, nausea, achy joints but guess it will be worse once I have the chemo added as well xx
Hi Karebear,
I’m from the October thread and also on 6xFEC 100. Just has cycle 4. I suffer mostly with nausea (all cycle but meds up to day 17) but everything makes me sick, pregnancy, car travel, boats, fairground, alcohol etc so it was expected. They say it’s easier to keep sickness at bay than get rid of it once it starts. I’ve not been sick though 
I’m cold capping and still have hair, can just about get away with looking normal from a distance.
If you’ve got any questions DM me or pop over to the October thread.
Rach x
Hi Karebear, I’m also 6 x FEC 75 so slightly lower dose. I’m only 5”3” and a size 10 so that maybe the reason. My main SE is nausea on first night particularly but it usually lasts for about 4-5 days in some form or another. Take the anti sickness meds prescribed and if you still feel very nauseous call your team and they will give you something extra. Don’t suffer in silence it’s esdier to keep sickness at bay than stop it once it starts.
You may find on day 5-6 you have a down day emotionally as the meds and steroids leave your body, just hunker down take one day at a time and it will pass.
Acid indigestion and constipation are a problem again don’t suffer in silence these can be sorted.
Best wishes for your treatment xx
Ditto the comments below! I’m not on FEC but I suffered badly with indigestion and other digestive problems(?). I was on the phone to the team straight away and have been given things that will hopefully make round 2 easier!! They are there to support and are so good!! Xx
Fiona17 - it is so easy to think, I feel ok and then charge around but your body soon lets you know otherwise. The day after chemo you really should just have a sofa day then see how you feel after that. I tend to do the school run, have a rest, go to town, have a rest etc etc. If I sit down before I have to I find I do better in the long run. Still haven’t written my Christmas cards though!
Thanks for all the answers I think I’ve every thing in that I’ll need xx
Katebear I did songnpiwtnon October too if you tit time to check it out but probably repetition of what’s been said to be fair
Good luck xx
That should say a long post x
My hair started shedding on Wednesday and is falling out in handfuls now. I always said once a lot was coming away I would let my husband shave it but I can’t bring myself to do it yet. My scalp is really sore in places. How long does it take to lose it all? I had a proper teary meltdown last night. ?
Thanks Lesley…I feel like I’ve lost my ‘lady balls’ this weekend. Shaving feels like a big leap into the chemo journey. I’ll see how much more comes out when I wash it today. Xx
Hi ladies, mamadeacs I managed to pluck up the courage and just let my husband shave it off last night, well a number 4 all over and I actually dont even mind it lol its not as bad as i feared and it def felt good taking control. I even went out to a coffee shop this morning and took my hat of with my nrw pixie hair do. Im sure in the next week tho it will all be gone so wig and hats will be on xx
Kirsty I admire your braveness…I probably should do the same but had a bottle of wine and crumbled last night. It had to happen at some point I know. I hate myself feeling so vain when I know this is the start of the cancer being flushed out. Xx
Go for it mamadeacs, I jad said from the start that once it starts to go id shave it off, then it started and I didnt want to lol started to want to hang on to it but then thought f@*k it, im sticking to the plan and i felt so much better after it was done. A wee wobble after the wine is totally normal, ive had a few teary moments the past few days but they seem to pass and the positivity returns. Good luck if you decide to brave the shave xx
Hi mamadeacs, it’s another hurdle we all have to come to terms with on this journey and you will do it when you are ready. After my first fec I ended up in casa nhs for 6 days and my hair started shedding while in there, I thought I’d end up having to shave my head in casa nhs, no control or dignity or anything, fortunately I got Home day 14 and was able to clipper my hair off in privacy of own home. It was liberating at the same time as sad, but I was so happy to be able to do at home after being faced with doing in in casa nhs. Just wanted to share with you lovely and send you ??for when you are ready. ??shi xx
I am desperate to keep my hair til Thursday for my Christmas party! But it has started to come out. I haven’t touched it since Wednesday and I’m trying not to but I know once I brush or wash it half will come out! Just want it for the party then it can do what it wants!!