Hi everyone. I’m 50 years old and live in Wales. I’m a bit late to join the chemotherapy party, but I just found out on Monday that I am in the gang that no one wants to join. I had a SMX in October and have 3cm grade 2 ER+ve HER2- IDC (onchotype 33) and 10cm DCIS with poor margins and the 2 lymph nodes tested had micro metastasis. So I will start chemotherapy either just before or after Christmas but I don’t have a date yet, followed by radiotherapy. I can’t say I’m looking forward to it but I have a 14 year old son and I’m prepared to chuck everything at this blooming cancer if it increases my chances of seeing him get old. I am genuinely thankful I live in a country where I can have the treatment I need and lots of caring medical people trying to look after me X
I’m wishing everyone starting this week the very best and sending out hugs xx
Hi @welsh-warrior welcome to the club that as you say no one wants to be a member of.
Its a process isn’t it dealing with all this stuff, as I’ve said before I thought I had dodged chemo so it was a bit of a shock to say the least to find out I needed it. I like you have children one 19 and one 15 and am of the same mindset I would never forgive myself if it came back and I hadn’t chucked everything and the kitchen sink at it the first time. It doesn’t make it an easy decision though does it.
Do you know which chemo you are having yet , although none of them are nice 
I am docetaxal and cyclophosphamide. I will give an update after my first one next week .
There are some other good threads on here about things you might need - chemo with the benefit of hindsight started by @indigo2 has some great feedback on it when you are ready to read through it .
Wish you all the best with your next step xx
Hi @mumto2
I feel I would have huge regrets if the cancer came back and I hadn’t given it my best shot so am now trying not to overthink that decision and complicate things/worry about potential/actual side effects.
I have been told I will have 3 rounds of EC every 3 weeks (epirubicin and cyclophosphamide) and then 3 cycles of paclitaxel but given weekly for 9 weeks. I’m going back to the clinic on Monday to sign consent forms/have ECG etc and find out when the treatment begins. I’m not sure whether to hope it is asap or after Christmas and I feel a bit overwhelmed with trying to sort stuff before it starts, while at the same time finding it hard to focus on anything (bar the thought of chemo starting!)
Hopefully we can support each other through this “hard bit”. My BCN assures me the end will come sooner than you think but just focus on the next little bit, Having said that I was having dreams about Picc lines last night, but wierdly they were being inserted by a trainee work experience girl and she put it into my bladder!! Not anxious at all clearly!!!
Thanks for the tips on threads to look at.
x
Yes I get completely where you are coming from and also understand trying not to overthink things, ie your decision .
With regards to the actual chemo would it be helpful to ask them if it would be safe to delay chemo until after Xmas so at least you can concentrate your time enjoying ( as much as is possible) this time with your friends and family ? If you knew it was safe as some others have had then that maybe will allow you a bit more time to get organised and not feel as rushed. I know it’s a difficult thing because in some ways you want to get it over and done with !
Good luck with the visit back to the clinic , it can be a bit overwhelming but the ECG takes them longer to put the cables on that it does the actual ECG.
Anxiousness does create some weird dreams, I’ve had some whoppers but no cannulas in bladders yet 
We will all get through this together xx
don’t forget to get your look good feel better session booked through your local Macmillan’s if you’ve not already ask about your wig vouchers too if it’s not been mentioned and usually your trusts macmillans have a selection of pre loved wigs too if you are not cold capping get your teeth checked before starting chemo, your dentists will fit you in when you advise you are starting chemo get a thermometer so you can keep track of your temperature during chemo drink 2-3 litres of water during chemo to help flush things through 
Shi xx
I think maybe that is a very good idea. I’ll ask them about starting after Christmas. I would like to be able to enjoy a few family days and feel I am “ready”. I’ll see what they say and whether that would make any difference to my risk.
Otherwise I’ll try to think of it as a generous Christmas present from the NHS and a get out of cooking Christmas lunch card!
X
All very good advice.
I’m going wig shopping next week. I feel I’ll find it less traumatic and maybe even a bit fun while I still have a full head of hair and feel well. I also feel (superstitiously) that the cold cap is more likely to work if I have a wig!
Does anyone know whether cold gloves/feet things help prevent peripheral neuropathy and whether this is something you can have?
For anyone not cold capping, do think about donating hair to little princes trust who make wigs for children lots of us have done it through the years, felt like taking back bit of control by deciding what happened to our hair when we knew we had to have chemo remember you are in control even if you don’t feel like you are right now take the small wins, take it a day at a time a treaty’s a time hang onto each other, keep each other 
and as unlikely as it seems right now you will once the steroids kick in you’ll all be bouncing off the walls at all hours messaging each other through the night on here 
this is your safe space Shi xx
Treatment at a time, sorry text gremlins out tonight 
Shi xx
Hello fellow December starters, I found a small lump at the end of October & received a diagnosis of stage 2 grade 3 TNBC 3 weeks ago. I had my first round of chemo today and have just joined the Forum as it has been a whirlwind to say the least! I didn’t cry until this week when I was told it actually has been found in a lymph node so now I have been booked in for lots of scans just before Christmas. I am 61 so haven’t got to worry too much about my children having a good Christmas as they are in their 20s, but it will definitely be very different to usual. My anxiety got so high this week it was actually a relief to sit down for the chemo and focus on what the nurses told me to do. Anyone else in this topic with TNBC?
Haha the NHS are being ever so generous this year it’s a good call though- off to bed now as have to be up early and leave the house at 6am to get to hospital for 7:30 to get my portacath fitted the face was did the early start not the portacath I do so love my bed - good job really
Let us know how you get on. Xx
Hi @spuddy in so sorry you are having to go through all this too 
but welcome to the December chemo starters. What a whirlwind for you too, everything seems to happen so fast but also slow when waiting for results etc. I don’t have TNBC but if you search in the topics I am sure I have seen a topic just on that. I did however have a grade 3 tumour and micro mets in one of my lymph nodes so I can empathise with that bit of it - I say did because I’ve had a mastectomy to remove it but still have to go down the chemo train. I completely understand the anxiousness and whilst your children are a bit older we never stop being mums and worrying about them do we. I hope your first treatment went as well as it could - which regime are you on ? If you don’t mind saying.
All here to support each other, although I’m off to sleep now as early start but sure we can catch up later - take it easy xx
Good luck getting your portacath fitted @mumto2. My hospital couldn’t fit me in for one in time for my chemo to start (need to book a month in advance) so got a PICC line which is a bit annoying day to day but I suppose I will have plenty of time to get used to it! Night night all.
So portacath fitted was ok , glad I had sedation and after three attempts to get a cannula into me it’s definitely been the right decision! Tired and just been brought a bar of chocolate to cheer me up so will catch up later and hope everyone is ok in the meantime xx
Glad it went well! Enjoy the chocolate xx
@mumto2 , so glad the portacath fitting went ok …I had mine placed at the same time I had my mastectomy.
It felt really foreign and just weird/gross for the first couple weeks as the surgical site was healing, but I’m used to it now as I’ve had it for many weeks already.
I guess it’s become my little “sidekick” now. 
Hello everyone! And particularly @mumto2 who I’ve chatted to on the November thread. Yesterday I had my first round of TC.
I’m 45 with 2 kids (11,13) and had a mastectomy in October, which showed I had a 12mm stage 2 and a 12 mm stage 1, and 2 lymph nodes involved. We had good margins and I was first told chemo wasn’t likely to be needed and we’d do the oncotype test by the surgeons, then the oncology team was like — no point in oncotype, given your age and good health you should blast the f*}*er with chemo. (Ok that’s not what they said).
I’m feeling much less stressed after getting thru the first chemo round, just waiting on side effects now. The chemo was all fine, cold cap not too bad (did they even have it on right?) I have been eating very healthily once I started the steroids, and that seems to have helped. Slept well last night and off to see what today holds. Tempted to get some
Christmas decos up!
Morning @bluehourd
Glad to hear the first round went well yesterday ( well as well as bloody chemo can !) and welcome to December 2024 chemo starters, there are a few more of us on here now so will be good to chat , laugh and support each other.
I’m going to try cold capping on Tuesday so will let you know how mine felt and we can compare notes .
As I am Xmas decoration mad I would definitely be getting those decs up if you feel up to it 
Let us know how you get on in the next few days I’m on the same regimen as you know and would be interested to know what side effects you get - take it easy and well done you 1 cycle down meaning 1 less to go xxx
Hi @pugmom29
Thanks , a bit stiff and sore today so popping some paracetamol, it’s the neck one that feels worse to me than the actual port in my chest but that may because I’m aware of it and keep realising I am holding my head at an angle
Little sidekick
Take it easy xx
Hi Everyone
I’m 45 I have 3 children aged 5, 9 & 17. I was diagnosed with grade 2 er+pr+ breast cancer in August. I had a mastectomy with reconstruction in September then they found 1 out of 3 nodes with macro mets so then went on to having full axillary node clearance end of October where they found another node with macro mets.
So here I am now joining you all and I started my first cycle on Friday. In a way I am relieved as I am worried sick about spread even though all scans are clear. My regime is 3 x EC every 3 weeks then onto 3 x docetaxel.
My experience so far: day of treatment they gave me a strong anti sickness tablet and dexamethasone prior to treatment. The chemo itself was ok and no problems the nurses on the unit were really nice and put me at ease. I couldn’t sleep much on Friday night putting it down to the steroids maybe?
Day2 : woke up tired but felt ok and no like I had just had chemo! Don’t know what I was expecting. Had Filgrastim jab about 1pm which I need for next 7 days. I started having joint pains and headaches about 8pm and again struggled to sleep.
Woke up this morning feeling very nauseous just hope it passes soon once anti sickness meds have kicked in.
Also, I’m not cold capping as they do not have the capacity at Wigan at the moment to offer it unfortunately xxxx