Hi, I was diagnosed with grad II BC in Sept, had the first operation in Oct and the second operation in Nov.,… found out 3 out 10 nods were positive. I saw an oncologist yesterday and am going to have E-CMF chemo in two weeks time: four courses of E and four courses of CMF. I am very scared at moment and wonder if someone had the same e-cmf chemo before and could tell me the side-effects and how to cope with them. Many thanks. xxx
Hi, I am just coming up to end of CMF.
I had 3 Epis, first one was hardest as didnt know how id react. The biggest thing for me was a great felling of anxiety and not knowing where to put my self. But the other two were ok, I was much more in control, Biggest problem for me has been feling cold and constipation , but looking at what some people endure , I am not complaining
And to be truthful , the time has gone quickley and I now have hair back look like a fluffy chick ,but its on its way
good luck, and dont forget ring medics up for drugs/advice to control the SE’s, dont suffer in silence
take carexx
Many thanks to you truffle xxx
Hi, I have gone through E-CMF chemo this year (started end of Feb, finished end of August) and am here to tell the tale. PM me if you need details, the side effects vary so much from person to person you may well not have some of the ones I did but have some that I didn’t…if you see what I mean.
All I will say is that it’s not pleasant, but it IS doable. I had some bad days, but I had plenty of good days too. Take it one dose at a time, take it steady and you’ll get there.
Thank you very much Gennie. xxx
hi pyz,
i’m just coming to the end of my chemo - started 3rd july and last one will be the 28th dec. I had 4 epi - which i personally found to be relatively easy, in fact i was sure they were giving me placebo’s! But as people say - everyone reacts differently. The SE’s from anti sickness drugs were worst but i managed to reduce taking them after the firt cycle. It was just like having a hangover for me - two days sleeping it off and i was fine after that. Some breathlessness and a bit of consitpation. Start to take lactulose the day before and for a few days after. I also wore travel sickness bands to help with the nausea - it seemed to work for me.
The worst of this regime for me has been the 4 cycles of CMF - in the way that one cycle is given over two doses. The way i saw it was like 8 chemos rather than 4 and it seems to go on forever! Had a few more issues with this (one of them being i totally went off alcohol!!) but not too many side effects. Again its like a massive 3 day hangover, but found i wasn’t able to sleep it off on CMF.
PM me if you want to know anything else. It is quite scarey at first - like stepping into the unknown. I have found it best to have no expectations at all as each cycle has been completely different - i guess in the same way that sometimes you have a bottle of wine and feel fine then the next week you have the same and end up with a cracking headache!
Best of luck with it all.
xx
hmmm…just read that back and noticed all the references to alcohol…what must you think of me!!! I apologise if you don’t drink as it will be completely meaningless to you;)
not at all… i cant drink first week after cmf, but then ok for the odd glass of wine or beer, and it does taste odd, but am persevering with it !!!, i am also having last cmf on 28 december, roll on , just roll on.
take care xx
Hi, glad you are posting, you will get lots of support here. For me it has been a lifeline having the experiences and encouragement of others.
I started Epi-CMF in July. 4 rounds of each, although as said by Pixie, the CMF is a 4 week cycle with treatment on day 1 and day 8. I also have the C part as a tablet, 3 per day for 14 days each cycle (am I making sense?). The Epi is a 3 week cycle. I am on round 3 of CMF and going for day 8 treatment on Friday. To be honest, I feel the treatment has deen quite kind to me and I believe the side effects have been minimal. When I think back over the treatment I only remember being very tired, sore mouth and some constipation probs. Very weepy and emotional. I cry about sad things, happy things. Oh, and I just cry for no reason!!! Also, I’m not sleeping well and that compounds the tiredness. As Gennie said, it’s not pleasant but it is doable. I just keep thinking that this is 6 months out of my life to help keep me fit and healthy.
Oh and somehow I have managed to go into work a bit as well!
Hope it goes well for well for you, take care.
Sheila xxx
Hi, Many Thanks to you all for your replys. I normally do not drink and only have one or two glasses at dinner-parties. Oncologist I saw last week said that E would likely give me diarrhoea but I had constipation after each operation and I guess that I should take lactulose before and after chemo. I will post my feeling during chemo here and hope I will be OK with no (–hope) EF during the treatment.
Thank you all very much again xxx
Hello everyone, I will start my first Chemo (Epi) tomorrow, and the nurse who gave the pro-Chemo assessment today said that the vein on my good arm will not be good enough for 4- Epi (as this drug ‘eats’ vein) and I will need to have a central venous access device inserted after my first chemo. I wonder if this will give me extra-problem and side effect? Has any one had this before?
Many thanks.
xxx
Hi, i have just finished 4xEC and 4x docetaxel, and i had a picc line inserted into my arm after the first cycle. I must admit, when i saw how my veins reacted to the first dose i knew it was a good idea to get line in. I had it removed after my last cycle 2 weeks ago. I hated every minute of having the line, having to wear long sleeved clothes, having to wrap cling film around it in the shower, it having to be flushed every week, but when i hear of other peoples problems with veins and cording i would definately opt to have a line again if need be, just maybe id opt for a portacath.
hope this helps
anna
p.s. i was lucky enough not to have any line related problems at all.
Hi, many thanks. I can not have a picc line since the vien in my arm is not good enough to have a Picc line, and I will have to have a centre line (between breasts) and I will need to stay in hospital for overnight to have such a line in.
pyz
xxx