I’m 2 weeks past first tax, and feel my normal self again, which is great. I got huge zit under my arm, which scared the hell out me for about a minute until I relised what it was.
I feel a bit snotty, but hopefully it won’t develop into a cold.
I’m feeling much happier in myself, hope it lasts until next Tuesday.
Hope everyone else gets their up days before their next round, it makes coping so much easier.
Being a Birmingham City fan helps at the moment, but I don’t suppose many of you will convert!
Phew!! Bl**dy Nora! Life is worth living, the body recovers to live another day! I swear I went to the edge over the past 7 days; I have never ever been such a snivelling mess in my life - so much for ‘you’re such a strong person’. Actually, it makes no difference if you are or aren’t, there are just some things not conquerable.
However, feeling as good as I do today makes me wonder whether the last week actually happened or whether I made it up.
Anyway, the purpose of this note is to thank everyone - absolutely everyone, on this thread for having posted all the things that were happening to them throughout this tax nonsense. Although I didn’t respond much, it was very very helpful in the middle of the night when I was being particularly melodramatic (all alone in the study!).
And you were right - day 10/11; wonderful. Hang in there anyone not there yet - it is unbelievable but true, that the horror lifts.
Thanks so much Annie your post has cheered me up so much - your timing is perfect!
I am day 8 post tax1 and feeling very grumpy, miserable and just downright cross! The pains have gone but my mouth is sore and I’ve got a headache and everything tastes of lard, but mostly I feel so FED UP and I don’t know why?? Roll on day 10 …
Oh Rachel, you poor thing. I think it was around day (or night!) 8/9 ish when I thought very seriously that it was call an ambulance or get better. I was so hungry too as the taste thing just made me spit any food out.
Keep going and be very very kind to yourself; suspend all expectations and roll with the punches, it will stop.
Hello ladies. I’ve just been reading through this thread and was desperate to join in so I’ve registered myself and would like to say that I’m in awe of you all and how you’ve managed your se’s. It sounds to me that a lot of you are going through living nightmares with it all.
I have been put on the trial of Avastin and will be having 3 lots of Avastin together with Docetaxel and then 3 lots of FEC.
I had my first Avastin and Tax yesterday morning. We were at hospital for 9 hours altogether. This morning I’ve woken up with a slight backache and a headache. I went to lunch with hubby and couldn’t taste anything. Same at dinner. Although the Danish pastry was delicious and I can still taste tea and coffee.
I came home with steroids to take today and tomorrow, a supply of 2 different anti-sickness pills and stuff for constipation and diarhoea.
From what I’ve read on this thread the other se’s will kick in shortly so I’m getting prepared.
Interestingly, the nurse yesterday told me how important it was to take my temperature daily to make sure I wasn’t running a temperature and I mustn’t take paracetamol or ibuprofen to treat a headache because it would mask a temperature. But reading this thread, lots of you take painkillers so I’ll ring the clinic tomorrow and ask if there’s something I can take for this headache that wont mask the temperature.
I’m keeping everything crossed I don’t get too many of the worse se’s but, if I do, I will keep in mind all the lovely posts from people who have got through to the end and are getting back to normal.
Annie - thank you for posting that, and I’m so glad you’ve come out the other side!! Next time, if it is as bad for me, I will be pitching up at the hospital, regardless of time of day or night, and just wailing until they help me out. I’ve shown I can survive it once… I’m not going for any bravery awards from hereon in…lol.
Don’t know whether it’s because I have a cold, or if my bloods are a bit low, but day 12, and I am utterly wiped out. No aches or pains (hooray), apart from a headache first thing this morning, but a walk to the village shop took half an hour longer than normal, and I’ve been about as much use as a sucked and spat out smartie since then… I’m wondering if my red blood cell count is low? That would surely cause this sort of prob? Or have I just forgotten what it’s like to have a cold!!! I always used First Defence, so haven’t had a cold in years - but was told not to use it during chemo. It’s not even a ‘bad’ cold, just snots and a cough, but I feel utterly wiped out by it. Hmmm. Perhaps should phone the ward tomorrow if still feeling no better? I don’t have a temperature, so feel a bit of a fraud, but this is just not right for me! I’m lazy…sure, but lazy in an active sort of way!!!
Rachel - you’re fed up because you’ve had the sh*ttiest of weeks, been in pain, vile taste, headache, not enough sleep and eventually it gets to a point where you simply feel you cannot cope any more. Someone else told me that this was the sign you’d reached the summit, and it would all start to pick up from there… and it did. Not quite as quickly as I’d have liked, but even so. Huge hugs, hang in there… almost there now.
Dear Sophie please take your temperature again and if it is 38 or over ring your chemo ward now-your wbc may be down.in any case rest and take things easy-its not wimpish,its sensible.
Hi All,
Sophie, I agree with Horace, keep taking your temperature and if you are worried ring the chemo ward; better to be safe than eh?
Rachel, Sophie is right, just when it can’t possibly get worse it starts getting better; my nadir was at days 9 and 10 every time and I would howl with uttery misery and general had enough of the whole thing but by day 11 all is right with the world again. I’m sure tomorrow will be much better.
There is usually a pattern and watch out for the bad days.
I’m just hoping that my scans on Thursday will deliver good news and that these 4 months of chemo will have done enough damage to reassure me.
Sue
Thanks girls - sometimes just need a bit of reassurance that I’m not being overly pathetic… I really should get a grip, after all, when else do we have a valid reason for questioning every ache/pain/symptom? Temp. still absolutely fine - I normally hover around 35.8, but have gone no higher than 36.8 today - so nothing to be concerned about there, esp. as have been under blanket most of the day! I’m taking my eldest to orthodontic clinic at the hospital first thing in the morning, so if I still feel rubbish, we shall detour by chemo ward on way home… get my bloods checked if there’s any doubt. And introduce my son to the poison factory!!
Good luck for Thursday Sue - I can’t remember, were you chemo first in hopes of shrinking lump? So you could go for wle rather than mx? I’ll keep everything crossed anyhow xxxx
Flapjack - hi! Unfortunately, if you’ve read the last few pages, it’s been mostly me wailing… I’m not always a misery guts, I promise!! Here’s hoping the TAX truck doesn’t slam into you too hard - I know there are plenty of women out there who have preferred TAX to FEC, or have just not had much in way of side effects, so please don’t think that everyone has problems with it - chances are you will cope beautifully, I hope so, anyway!!! Just take it from me, shout if you are in pain - don’t try to soldier through. If I hadn’t been so wrapped up in how much it all hurt, I would have been on the phone, or down the ward like a shot… it was silly to suffer. I’d say ‘in silence’ but that would blatantly be a lie…lol. The advice over painkillers is very confusing, I know - you’re not the only one who’s been told not to take paracetamol or ibuprofen, yet my team told me they were fine. Mind you, they also told me they’d work… and that wasn’t true!! I’d ring your chemo ward tomorrow for clarification, and ask what you can take - you might get prescribed something that actually works well!! Keep us up to date on how you’re getting on, even if you just have a low moment and need a moral support boost or internet hug.
I’ve been thinking about you all these past few days and hoping you’ve (all) been feeling better or at least se’s have been more manageable.
I’m on day 4 of 3rd tax and ache in places I didn’t know I had a bone (is that possible?). I fear I haven’t reached that summit yet, usually about day 7 or 8 for me and I think I just won’t be able to do another day, I crash, cry, rant and wail and feel really alone with it all.
Thankfully, I know I’m not alone, that you’re all out there and it really does help sustain me.
Sue, good luck with the scan on Thurs, let’s hope the chemo has done its v.best.
Sophie, call the ward, I think they say either a temp or feeling unwell to contact them. They’ll assess for you whether you need your bloods checking and that will hopefully reassure you either way.
Take care everyone, taking my aching body to bed and hoping for some sleep…
Barneypaws - thought I’d answered your last post, but it seems to have disappeared… I was just going to suggest slathering your feet in moisturiser last thing at night, then sticking a pair of cotton socks over the top, so it can soak in all night and not rub off on the duvet! This way, you can pile a ridiculous amount on, too.
I’ve painted my fingernails, but haven’t done my toenails, really should, I know! I’m actually quite impressed with my fingernails, it took me two attempts to do a decent job, but they look pretty good - I used nail hardener first, then two coats of dark purple, then another layer of hardasnails… and I last did them four days ago and they haven’t chipped or peeled at all! Unbelievable. I never have my nails done (work in kitchen, so nail varnish a no no), and the one time I had false nails put on for a party, they pinged off one by one each time I went to the loo and pulled my tights down… (also don’t wear tights often, lol). So, having shiny nails is a bit of a novelty. Maybe my target for tomorrow will be to paint my toenails without getting dark purple polish all over the carpet…
Deryn, hope you get some sleep tonight xx Take a dozen hot water bottles up with you, and hang in there. You were such a boost to me when I was really rough, so have a few hundred cyber hugs back.
Sophie…Puff is right…ring them! I never had a temp really yet had neutropenic sepsis it went up to 37 once but I was in bed with radiator husband at the time…when admitted to the hospital and for the 4 days there it never went over 36.4
The only reason I went to the hospital was coz i had a pain under my ribs, very sore mouth and felt generally grotty a bit like you do…nothing specific just grotty…I could have died if I had not gone in…and I nearly didn’t go…
Sophie - got my hubby to paint my toe nails, I’m sure he’d be highly delighted me broadcasting this on the web!
I’ve also picked up some ice pack things from Boots today, which are dry then when you squeeze go cold for up to 60 minutes. I’m taking them with me Tuesday, and hope they’ll stay cold enough for the whole treatment. It’s worth a try.
The way I did the paracetomol temperature thing was to take painkillers before bed, then take my temp first thing in the morning when they’d worn off. I was lucky I still managed most of a night’s sleep which I know isn’t the case for many of you. My nurse on the chemo ward told me to take as many paracetomol/ibuprofen as necessary and even suggested taken them before pain kicked in, so the temperature masking must be less important than the TAX SEs.
Huge thanks to all of you who have replied to my whingeing about feelin bloomin miserable, I am so grateful to you all for helping me see this is the drugs making me feel like I do and it’s all normal.
I’ve missed something though, why are you all putting on nail varnish?
Sophie, So gald you will go to the hospital tomorrow; it will put your mind at rest at least and fingers crossed all will be well.
I didn’t paint my nails as I am really useless at putting it on, they look ok despite this. I have some lovely dark polish just in case and fancy treating myself to a proper manicure now all is done. The scans are just to measure the tumour to see how effective the chemo has been: boob and nodes are going by the end of the month.
Hope you are feeling more like it soon Rachel, it will get better I promise.
Sorry you have aches Puff, keep taking the pain meds to schedule. Hope you feel better soon.
Flapjack, I hope you escape the side effects. This is a great place for support either way. Temperature first thing before painkillers is one way of monitoring. I found that the headaches would come when I stopped the pain meds!
I hope everyone gets a good night of shuteye.
Sue
Sue, have you had any scans before? I found 4 epi did nothing to my tumour size hence the TAX. Hope all goes well with your scan, I’ll have to have another after second TAX and pray this has done something to it.
Hi Ladies. Just wanted to thank everyone for the posts about their ‘heavy legs’. It was a relief to know that it wasn’t just me! I have completed 6 of 6 now and got the results of my CT scan yesterday. I had secondary cancer in the lymph nodes in my neck and abdomen. I am very happy to report that there is no active cancer detected on the scan and my lymph nodes have all returned to normal size - long may that continue. I have to carry on with Herceptin every three weeks until such time as it no longer works (don’t want to think about that so won’t!). My finger nails have remained intact if a little ‘bumpy’ and my hair is just beginning to grow now, three weeks on, though it’s coming back grey and fuzzy! So hang in there ladies. Easier said than done, I know, but hopefully worth it. And I have been told by many doctors that there are loads of other options when the time comes to consider them, so never lose hope! Now taking a long, hard look at my diet. Going to make some changes. If they don’t have any impact on the cancer, they should leaving me feeling healthier so got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Oh yes, and got to book a holiday now!
well, day 7 post tax, crikey woke at 2am with a really sore throat and pins and needles feeling in my feet,my mouth feels awful, any sugggestions please? Hoping to feel as normal as can be soon, dont have any energy and getting fed up. After FEC I was ok from day 5 so just hoping this passes. Hugs to everyone having treatment, we can all do this!