Hello everyone, I had my first EC cycle on Wednesday, and the nausea and fatigue were instant. Have taken the anti-sickness tablets as prescribed, am trying to keep up fluids, but eating anything beyond toast, pitta, and bland food is a struugle. I feel i have no energy, and im someone who is always up and about. How long does this last? Any advice on how to get through this?
And yet i will have to deal with hair loss too. This is tough. Im was diagnosed April, and following lumpectomy found to be ER +, PR+, HER2 -, and unfortunately in 3 lymph nodes when SLNB done during surgery, even though all prior scans clear.
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I’m so sorry to hear how you’re feeling at the moment @pg92
I’m sure a member here will be able to share their experience with you. In the meantime, you may be interested in joining the monthly chemo starters thread for the month that you started. People share experiences and support on these threads and you may find it helpful: Latest Going through breast cancer treatment/Chemotherapy monthly threads topics - Breast Cancer Now forum.
Please also know that our nurses are here for you any time, here on the forum on the Ask our Nurses your questions board or over the phone 0808 800 6000.
Sending our warmest,
Lucy
Thank you Lucy. I have posted on the thread i believe, although I’m not sure i have done so correctly.
I replied to somebody elses post, a recent starter.
Hi pg,
I have had EC and it’s horrible, but the very first cycle was the worst; after that l learnt to manage it better and learnt which days were better and which not so good. Keeping a diary of side effects and meds taken helped me. I also switched anti-nausea meds a couple of times until I found one that suited me better, so don’t be afraid to tell your team how you are feeling, they are there to help.
I hope the monthly chemo thread is a good support. I’m still in touch with most of the people who were on the monthly chemo thread in 2019 that I joined.
Take care.
Lisa x
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Aww thank you Lisa for the reply. Im feeling a little better tonight thankfully. Ive been given Dexamethasone 2mg and Metoclopramide 10mg. They seemed to work okay, but I dont know what is good or bad. I will keep a diary of effects, and speak to the team also. Its good to hear that it’ll hopefully get better to manage, although I’m dreading the hair loss. Is there anything you would advice in terms of getting ready for the next round? Is it just trying to eat well & building up strength? Thank you for your help 
pg92
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Hi @pg92,
After my first EC, I fell asleep on the couch, woke up a few hours later and decided to go to bed. Didn’t feel great but got up stairs, went to the toilet and on the way out, fainted hitting my head on the wall and ended up in ED with a very painful head. Not a great start. I feel for you and send you big hugs - hold on in there.
I used to find the first 7 days bad. Didn’t want to eat or drink, lay on the couch with television on but not really concentrating on it/dozing, but it helped to pass the minutes/hours until bedtime and I could cross another day off until I felt better. I found the next 7 days okay, I could eat, drink, work from home, do shopping online… then the last 7 days I felt good when I could go out and about (carefully due to infection risk), drive, go shopping or for coffee and mentally build myself up for the next round.
The first week, I found quick and easy foods with no smells better for me - pots of yoghurt, custard, rice pudding, ice lollies… but often just one or two mouthfuls of each. At least with the little pots, I wasn’t wasting as much. I stocked up on a few different things as it’s hard to know what you may fancy on a given day.
Normally I like seeded batch bread but only plain white simple cheap bread would work during treatment for me.
I did get a liking for orange melon and M+S white chocolate milkshake. Sometimes I would just suck the juice out of the melon and discard the rest but at least it was fluid.
If I got a horrible tasting mouth, which I did with some chemo, I found flavoured tonic water good to drink (normally hate tonic). I think the bubbles disturbed the nasty coating I got due to treatment and not drinking enough.
I kept a diary as already suggested, and it helped me find the patterns.
Also set your phone timers to ensure you’re taking anti-sickness regularly to keep on top of symptoms. Much easier than having to get on top of it once it’s out of control.
Again I would re-iterate, speak to your team if it’s not working (although it sounds like it is already improving). There are lots of different anti-sickness medicines, and they can change if yours isn’t helping.
Hope you feel even better tomorow.
Big hugs
laura x
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@LauraR, ahh thank you for the lovely kind supportive message, really appreciate it. You had a horrible start to treatment, and hope you are doing much better now. I am thankfully a bit better today, more energy. The back ache from the immune booster injection has subsided somewhat, following a very uncomfortable night. I have been resting mainly, and like you say TV may be on, but low volume for distraction only. But managed a slow walk again to keep up energy. Can only manage bland foods, and plain bread is as much as can be stomached at present. Thank you for the food tips, I’ll bear this in mind for my online shop. I am dreading the next round, as the nausea feeling is so bad. Will speak to the team about this. Everything is tasting a bit off, that metallic taste. Looking forward to the better days, and dreading the hair shedding.
It sounds like you are post treatment, and hope you are doing well. Sending lots of hugs too, pg92 xx
Hello
Sorry to hear about how you are feeling. Im on my second EC, they gave me Akenzyeo, a anti sickness tablet, taken hour before chemo. It worked great, but has made me very constipated. So have to take senna alongside it. Not had nausea thankfully.
The tiredness and fatigue lasted for 2 weeks in both cycles. Dizziness and fatigue (extreme) never really stops and having a few problems with heart palpitations, hoping that clears up.
Resting and eating small amounts throughout the day helped me and lots of water bottles at hand. Been mostly in bed to be honest and taking it easy.
Im hoping it improves for you. And your symptoms clear up. We can get through this!
I also found a link for little lifts. They give a free gift to patients on chemo which seems very useful
Big hugs xxx
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Hi @chocolatecake, aww thank you for your message, and hope you are feeling a little better today. I dont know which anti-sickness tablet I was given beforehand, but I’ll ask. I don’t have the best stomach anyway, so probably doesn’t help. I would mention the heart palpitations to the team, so they can monitor. I’m just suffering from nausea feeling, dry mouth and strong metallic taste. Trying to keep on top of food intake, to maintain energy. Even if its pitta with humous, which seems to be manageable. Sleeping is difficult though.
Need to remember to rest, as sometimes doing things takes my mind off it, but then I get quite fatigued. Lots of love xx
Hi pg,
Glad you are feeling a little better. My EC was every 2 weeks and I felt much better in the second week, especially towards the end of the week.
What helped me was eating often, a small meal or snack every couple of hours, I found I could eat soup, bread, crackers, cheese, houmous, chicken, some fruit and salad and some desserts.
Stay hydrated and get some fresh air every day, a short walk if you can, or sit in the garden, or even just stick your head out the window!
Take care.
Lisa x
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Hello @pg92
Glad to hear you’re feeling brighter day by day and well done on the walk!
Only being able to manage bland food is boring but it’s food, and it will get better, so hold on in there.
I used to brush my teeth often to help with the horrible taste, as well as brushing my tongue with nice minty toothpaste. It only gave short relief but it was nice while it lasted. I also used bicarbonate of soda mixed in warm water mouthwash and gargle. Again, short lived but I guess it gave me something to do if nothing else.
As people have said, there are load of different anti sickness medicines, so tell your team and they can change you to something else next time. Ask if they could give you an IV dose alongside chemotherapy so it’s already in your system before you leave the hospital, then set your timer to take regularly after that, even if you don’t feel sick, to see if that manages it better? Your team will have seen it all before and know lots of different treatment options. This will hopefully reduce your fear.
Just before starting chemotherapy, I went for a really short hairstyle. One, so I didn’t have as much to lose, and two, so I, and others, got used to me with short hair. Then when it started to grow back in, it would look ‘normal’ quicker. Well, it made sense in my head at the time 
I got to a point where I found even the short style really prickly and painful when laying down. At that point I asked my husband to shave it off. From memory, I think it was about the start or middle of cycle 2 when it started coming out.
I finished chemotherapy treatment about 2.5 years ago and thankfully the memories do fade.
Knowledge is power and now you know what foodstuffs work for you, will probably change anti-sickness for next time, accept that you will doze lots rather than sleep (if you are on steroids, this may reduce once they stop) … you may find the next cycle isn’t as bad.
Fingers crossed.
Sending lots of hugs
x
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Hi @LauraR, thank you for the reply and well wishes with hints and tips. I will try to brush and rinse my mouth more often to help combat that feeling. Have been getting out for a little walk each day, fresh air helps, and generally just moving. I will speak to the team about the anti-sickness, and see if it can be altered. I’m not sure if the steroids were exacerbating it.
Thanks for the advice on hair. I know it will thin if not fall out, despite the cold cap, but praying it wont be too bad. I know hair loss will get me very down, as I have long dark hair, nearly waist length, which I had cut to shoulder length, as couldn’t bear to go any shorter.
Glad you are through the other side, and hope you are doing well. Hugs and best wishes xx
Hi @lisa49, thank you. I’m feeling a little better each day, although still fatigued, but taking it easy in between tasks, to ensure I rest. The food stuffs you’ve described are typical what I’m having, and I’ll try to snack more often on dry crackers. I’ll speak to my Oncologist too about trying to prevent or control this nausea feeling.
Am getting out for a short walk each day. Thank you, and hoping I’ll feel a little more normal later in week xx
Hi! I was diagnosed with HER2+++ and 10% Oestrogen positive. I had chemo then wide excision then radiotherapy - all traumatic and I ended up in hospital with neutropenic sepsis twice - but I am still alive and kicking and it is now 12 years later! I do remember the way I felt after my first chemo session, I didn’t know how I was going to face the rest of the treatment, but I got through it. My best advice is to take each day as it comes and don’t think about tomorrow, let alone the next treatment. When you have a bad day, think to yourself it can only get better and this won’t last forever. Nothing tasted right, not even water, but I used to find fruity ice lollies were good. Some people say try ginger biscuits. You will find something you can tolerate and you will get through this, hard as it is. Good luck, hang on in there!xx
Hi @petal8, thank you fir your hopeful positive message. Yes, I am full of anxiety about the next cycle, but I’ll try to take each day as it comes, and appreciate the days I feel more normal. Agree that even water doesn’t taste good, so adding a splash of squash to manage it. Have eaten ginger biscuits, and some crytallised ginger to cope with nausea feeling. Will try fruit ice lollies too, thank you. Have some different anti-sickness tablets too, but thankfully the nausea effect is less today. Thank you the support and glad to hear you are doing well! My best wishes xx
Hi, sorry sweetheart to hear, me too😊
3 am and reading your post! Im on day 8 after 1st EC and feel like my body wont ever feel well again. Not been too bad with the nausea but got 14 other side effects, fatigue and body ache being the main ones.
I also ER+PR+ HERS2- 3 nodes removed with a single mastectomy back in May, still have discomfort but compared to now, the operation was so much more manageable.
Im here anytime should you wish to compare notes lol. What i can say is i do feel alittle more myself this morning than yesterday, the body trembling inside has eased alittle. Id give yourself up to 10 days to feel some kind of normal. Sending you big hugs x
Hello @hjt, thank you for your message. Im on day 8 too after 1st EC, and been suffering mild back pain again since yesterday. The nurse said its bone marrow pain as cell count improves. I find doing things, so light excercise, going for a short walk helps, as well as with other side effects. I agree in that I feel more tired these past 2 days than day 3 or 4. But I read on a post that white cell count is lowest days 7 to 14, so maybe this is why.
I had a lumpectomy with reconstruction in mid June. Chemo was never really on the cards, until the SLNB came back positive.
It was a massive shock to the least. I deliberated over the decision, even though family were saying to do it. I wanted to understand all options.
And yep, I told a breast care nurse that surgery had been so much easier to deal with than this.
Thankfully the nausea feeling has gone for me, but I know its because I dont have the best of digestive systems anyway. Ginger really helps to settle, and plain crackers. As somebody whose always busy doing things, its tough not having the energy. But I know its a phase, and it will get better.
I got slight mouth ulcers from day 6, so rinsing with bicarb soda & using Bonjela.
Glad you are feeling better today 
… wishing you a good rest of the day. Take care & lots of hugs xx
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Apologies – some of us are new here…what is EC? Type of chemo? who needs chemo ? as I thought surgery and radiation was often enough…
Hi pg92, pleased you are managing the side effects alittle easier and finding ways to ease them. I defo didnt prepare myself for the level of fatigue ive experienced. Thought id be back at work by now lol. I to am a keep busy person, dont like to sit for long periods.
Thank you for the tips on sore mouth, have an awful taste all the time and very sore.
Can i ask if you have tried the cold cap and if so any tips on getting through that initial 15mins of sheer pain:face_with_peeking_eye:
Lots of hugs xx
Hi, EC is 2 x chemo drugs given each session, 1 of those is red in colour and called the Red Devil! i have 3 sessions on these, I then go on to have 3 sessions of another drug called Docetaxel.
These sessions span out over 18wks,
1 session every 3 wks.
I had the choice to take the chemo treatment because when my cancer tumor was tested it came back with a borderline recurring score, they said chemo would help mop up any cells that may have been left after the mastectomy.
With regards to just having radiotherapy, i think it would depend on that score coming back under the 26 mark, the tumor is sent off for testing, takes 2 weeks to get back and then they tell you the best treatment from there.
This is my experience, im sure others may have different outcomes.
Hope this helps alittle, im sorry if ive confused you and just to say not everyone will have to have chemo, depends on the type of breast cancer and other factors.
