Hello December women, I am about to do chemo 2 tomorrow and just wanted to say I am a lot less apprehensive than I was before chemo 1. The anticipation is tough, but once you are underway, it feels less daunting. And you’ll have taken a really big step in the pesky process. Bon courage my friends. I will hold you in my thoughts.
Re: accelerated EC-T. I am doing four three weekly cycles of EC and then the plan is 4 fortnightly cycles of T, but on the understanding it may need to be extended over a longer period depending how I do. Great advice (as always) from Shi about taking it one cycle at a time. I find it hard to do, but so helpful if I can remind myself not to go crossing bridges before I reach them. The trolls I imagine under bridges always tend to be worse than the realities!
Thanks Scooterbek…I’m quite chilled out about it at the moment, maybe that will change in the morning but hopefully not. Sooner it’s started the sooner it will be finished.
Good luck to everyone else, will be thinking of you xx
Good luck ???all you December ladies who are starting tomorrow! Hope it all goes well for you. Just remember to drink loads and also try to eat something even if it is just a biscuit as that can help with the nausea. As others have said take the meds they give you! We’ll all be thinking of you tomorrow ????
Good luck to all our December ladies for tomorrow and Friday ???
I am up for FEC 3 tomorrow - see you all on the other side and then you will be first one done ???
I am almost excited to be starting tomorrow because I know it is the start of getting better. Spent the morning buying soft toothbrushes, mouthwash and a bra I may have worn when I was 12 - glamorous it ain’t! Currently drinking lots of water in the hope that all will go well with the cannula tomorrow. I’ve made a chilli tonight that is so large it will probably keep the family fed for the full 16 weeks. No cold cap available tomorrow so I am just going for it. I’ve had long hair all my life, it’s my security blanket and my best feature but I see it as part of the old me and experimenting with my new shorter hair will be part of the new me. Please remind me of that when I’m crying about it! Good luck everyone, tomorrow is our first step towards getting better. I’m starting at 10.15am and will be thinking of you all. All the best to drbexl and everyone else starting on the 1st xxx
Good luck to everyone starting tomorrow!
FEC 2 for me at 10am tomorrow and I’m actually looking forward to it - 1/3rd of the way thru - woohooo!!
It’s a daunting time waiting for it all to happen and not knowing which if any SEs you will suffer from, but take the meds, drink plenty to flush your system and sing out if you’re suffering!
And remember to have something to eat before you go in - the meds start as soon as you arrive and you’ll need something in your tummy!!
Sweet dreams everyone - I’ll be thinking of you all in the morning and sending positive vibes!! ???
Popped in to wish all those beginning today all the very best. Be gentle with yourselves and I will come back to check in and see how you’re doing after this big step - think of it as progress in a pesky process. xx
Good luck Anna…I see you had a very early start on the November thread. I was similar but nodded back off luckily. I have my heart scan at 11am and more concerned about that than the first chemo as my boob is still painful for them to be pressing a scanner on it.
One last question - what is it with drinking 2L’s?? Is it for veins or does chemo sting on way out or something?? I have had 8 UTI’s since end of June so I am being put on antibiotics from today as a precaution. It does need further investigation but it isn’t as important as getting the rest sorted out first in the scheme of things.
Virtual hugs to everyone…we CAN do this xxx
Drinking the 2l is mainly for the veins, the plumper they are the easier it is for the unit to a) get the cannula in b) the Chemo to get thru the system.
The F of FEC is quite think and sludgey, my nurse injects it manually into the cannula fitting. Afterwards it’s to help flush it thru your system.
Shi is the expert on UTIs but she always says first sign of any stinging when having a pee let your unit know regardless of temp etc
Good luck today - just off to get the chores done, then I’m in!! ???
Thanks Lesley…I only have one good vein left as mine pop easily. I’m hoping that one will be ok otherwise they say I’ll have a PICC line…she did say I could have it straight away but I thought I’d have a go first. I have dipsticks at home and Onc said if I’m bleeding 2nd day I have to go in. Hope today goes ok for you too xxx
The water does help with both veins and to guard against uti’s. I think that FEC is quite acidic and seems to turn digestive system acidic too. I drink a glass of cranberry juice daily to help too it’s supposed to be good for water works. If you find it hard to drink during the first few days try very cold or slightly sparkling drinks through a straw. The drinking does seem to help.
Good luck today ladies x
I was diagnosed with grade 3 IDC in October, WLE and lymph node removed November and start chemo on 13th December. I’m both ER & HER2+.
As tumor small and lymph node clear I will be having 12 weeks of weekly Taxol as well as Herceptin every 3 weeks for a year. Radiotherapy and letrozol to follow after that! Not worrying about that till the first lot is done with.
is there anyone else doing 12 straight weeks? Looking at the thread it seems that you’re all on 2/3 weekly chemo. I’ve no idea how this is going to work apart from that fact it’s going to nuke the b*****d to kingdom come hopefully.
Hope we can all help each other through both the ups and downs of this journey none of us wanted to go on.
Hi Fiona, I’m from Oct thread, you could private message ladybowler who is community champion and she will be able to help put you in touch with someone who’s done weekly tax, or if you jump on earlier thread and post a message asking about weekly tax, try May, July and sept threads, I don’t think anyone of us on Oct thread is having weekly. On t, paint your nails black polish, fingers and toes, get Epsom salts for baths, loratadine antihistamine, Imodium for bottom, sudacream, anusol, udderly urea cream for hands and feet, if you get thrush mouth get fluconzole and difflam from your onc. These are tips that lovely ladies from earlier threads have given us Oct thread switching to t in Dec, so also feel free to jump on Oct thread as we all navigate t together in dec???we are a chatty crazy bunch on the October chemo ? and we all love and support each other through this so you will never be alone on this journey. ??shi xx
Hi Fiona, just hang on for the ride take it a treatment at a time and if you have on line steroid induced shopping frenzies, it’s normal we all do it ??you have the love and support of all the amazing, kind, strong compassionate ladies on these forums, we look after each other 24/7. ??shi xx
Hope everyone who’s started today doing good! I woke up feeling sick this morning, and chemo not even started, so that’s fun. Got plenty of things to sort out though and knocked myself out with a sleeping tablet last night to give me as much sleep as possible!
Trying to work out re drinking loads of fluid - presuming once you’re hooked up to cold cap/chemo - need to sit there, so don’t want to have drunk a ridiculous amount in the hour beforehand?!
Thanks Shi and Sue, I don’t need excuses for shopping frenzy though it’s usually yarn related and not the industrial quantity of Udderly cream ???. Am going to work my way through the list. Having checked the chemo thread it seems everyone has varied experiences of weekly which is kind of what I expected. So it’s suck it and see, hang on tight and try to stay in the now. Thanks and lovely to know we’re all in the same storm propping each other up.
Hello ladies…first one done and feeling ok. Vein behaved but on my notes she said that it was marked as only having one go or it’s a PICC line so I’m sure she felt it was a challenge to conquer and she did. I’ve come over very tired and a headache but other than that it was fine…but it’s also 5.30 and blooming chilly so could be that.
Heart scan this morning was painful in the centre but she said she got enough pictures pressing gently albeit quite grainy. Next one in 3 months she will be able to get better pictures.
Hope you are all ok for the ladies done today and virtual hugs for those on tomorrow…it’s worse in your imagination than in reality. Lots of love xxx
Well done mamadeacs, rest up now and remember to drink loads.
I cold cap and try and drink some water before chemo and I drink it throughout too. I make sure I go before they start and can usually manage to hold on until they finish the chemo so she don’t have to drag the dripnto the loo with me. They can unhook you from the cold cap for a few minutes to go to the loo.
That’s my first one done as well, wasn’t as bad as I thought and she said I had a nice big vein lol and the drip was fast so went smoothly. Feel ok at the moment so just need to wait now xx
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