Hi
Salsasuzi - did you get the other results you were waiting for yesterday? As expected? Hope all well (in the circumstances!)
Sue
Hi everyone,
hey I am well enough to be up and typing!Had first session yesterday, really not as bad as suspected. My oncologist prescribed me lorazapam ( i think thats what its called, will check the box and correct myself if its wrong) which i took an hour before going to the hospital and i think that calmed me a lot.
3 attempts at getting a vein, but even that wasn’t as bad as i thought it would be. Cold cap didn’t hurt me,and i even asked whether it was actually working, although the ice on my head afterwards suggest it was! It was cold but not painful. Freaky seeing the 4 big syringes going in my arm and also seeing the red wee afterwards. My sister says my wee is now party political, blue after the SNB, red after chemo, and yellow the rest of the time!
Was nauseous a few hours later, had one episode of violent sick which just came over me and i couldn’t even get to loo quick enough, but i actually felt better after it. I am Miss Sick anyway so fully expected it, travel sick, morning sick, general anaesthetic sick, stub my toe sick, so now i can add chemo sick to the list.
Good nights sleep, feel ok-ish today, had shower, didn’t wash hair!!! Bit sicky, especially when lovely nurse jabbed me with that bone marrow injection in my tummy, but even that wasn’t as bad as i thought.
Maybe this is the calm before the storm but I am gonna appreciate it whilst its here.
Can’t get my head round the fact that I have had chemotherapy. Me. Never thought i would do, never dreamed it in a month of sundays, thats what other ill unfortunate people have. Feels really odd to be the person who is having CHEMOTHERAPY for CANCER . CHEMOTHERAPY for CANCER. Really surreal, think I am spending most of my life being a different person looking into my "what if " life and thinking, nah its not really real. Think that after all this treatment is hopefully finally over, there will be a bit of an aftershock when I try to rationalise it. So much has happened in just 2 months.
Hope your chemo went ok Tedoris,
xxxxxxx
but i do have a bit of a yellowey, reddish flushed tinge to skin? any ideas anyone?
Hi Tors
Commonly known as “chemo face” - no seriously nothing to worry about - another known side effect - it’ll pass ina day or so.
Cheers
Lynn
glad first one over and done - well done.
Hi tors
like yourself not as bad as I was expecting! Bit surreal at mo to think I have had Chemo!
I was told to expect skin colour change bright red this morning daughter thought it was funny! Now look tanned! Just one of the many side effects!
I had a PICC line fitted which all went smoothly as my veins not good and was scared they wouldn’t find one, but all went well. Nurse came out today to redress and check!
Didn’t sleep to well as kept getting sicky feeling and chemical taste in mouth, so off for a nap ina bit. Got out for a wee walk this morning as sun is shinning in North Scotland.
Eveything crossed it continues this way although expecting SEs to get worse. Hope not!
What was injection for Tors we all seem to get slightly different treatment?
Take care hope things continue well for you to!
Hi Tors and Tedoris,
well done both of you for getting past chemo number one…hope you’re here for me when I get to that stage…still at the dreading it stage yet!!
Wednesdays results were good but incomplete still!! The 3 nodes from sentinel node biopsy were clear so that’s brilliant news, the report on the right side mass not complete yet so have to go back again ob 14th May for them.
I asked about results of my bone scan which came back clear weeks ago bit they mentioned some wear and tear… so, out of interest I asked about where the wear and tear was and consequently was sent for a spine xray as precaution so get results for that on 14th also.
I dunno why the lump report not done after 3 weeks and the left side results were available after 10 days…my guess is they dropped it on the floor and lost it or something and are too scared to tell me!!!
Off to Wales for the weekend in a lodge in middle of nowhere, pity it’s raining but that’s typical bank holiday weather I suppose.
I hope you stay feeling ok(ish) and the SE don’t materialise or better still exist at all.
Hugs to all
Sue xxx
phew, chemo face, relief! Thanks for your comments as always everyone!
Am pleased about the results you got Sue, though must be very irritated at having them drip fed to you. Enjoy your weekend away.
Tedoris, chucking it down here so no chance of getting me outside! The injections are to boost my bone marrow apparently and you have one a day for 5 days, will look at the name when my husband comes in ( they are up in high high cupboard to escape climbing children), glad your SE not too bad so far, lets hope it stays like that for us both.
The injections the hospital gave me for the district nuse to aminister are called lenograstinm given in my tummy , one a day for 5 days, didn’t hurt too bad at all despite it being a needle to my tummy.
friend whi is a hospital consultant came round and checked my skin and says fine and quite within range of things to expect.
they are all eating spag bol in the dining room whilst i am nibbling dried mango and pineapple, and i just refused a french fancy, god this is wierd!
The injections the hospital gave me for the district nuse to aminister are called lenograstinm given in my tummy , one a day for 5 days, didn’t hurt too bad at all despite it being a needle to my tummy.
friend whi is a hospital consultant came round and checked my skin and says fine and quite within range of things to expect.
they are all eating spag bol in the dining room whilst i am nibbling dried mango and pineapple, and i just refused a french fancy, god this is wierd!
Hi all,
I agree:the WHOLE THING is wierd! The way normal life goes on (which is great), but odd in that I feel as if my whole life has been turned on its head, but I’m still going to go and watch my daughter play in a hockey tournament tomorrow. I’m actually fine when doing stuff with them, but in quieter moments my head starts spinning again. It’s amazing how few miliseconds it takes to remember you’ve got BC when you wake up in the morning too (after being awake several times in the night thinking about it too!) Maybe sleep will be better when treatment underway…???
Congrats on getting the first chemo ‘under your belt’, Tors. Fingers crossed for mild SE’s too.
and Tedoris too!
I call it living in a parallel universe, life changed to a different reality in feb when a confident happy self confident mum changed into a bc patient. Looking at my bald head, large scar on back and chest and now a thing under my skin it’s just surreal! xxx
totally agree Tina, feel like have been thrown off my happy life track onto some parrallel track, and i keep imagining what i would be doing if this hadn’t happened to me.
Emotional side effects kicked in yesterday, I feel like i am at the bottom of a huge hill, all seems too big to climb, and i feel sick now at the thought of more chemotherapy being injected into me. Have had a lot of tears and ranting at my husband, my mouth is starting to go sore and i cannot poo. Still a bit queasy too, and nibbling food all day. I think its harder to be emotionally positive when you feel physically down, but at the moment i just feel like if this is how i look and feel after number 1, what am i going to look and feel like towards 5 and 6?
sorry if i am upsetting you reading this and scaring you, yet again its the emotional stuff thats the hardest to deal with rather than the physical.
Hi Tors, I think it’s an emotional rollercoster, one day I’m fine and cope ok, next I just can’t believe this is happening to me, I really struggle since the hair is gone, never thought about how deeply the chemo would affect me, the outward physical changes, and the thought of this kicking me into premature menopause, straight into middle age! I wonder what sort of “normal” my life will be after all this? xxxTina
Hi evereyone
Couldnt agree more emotional rollercoster! At the moment I want to get off!! To think that yet another stage has just begun! how many stages do we have to get through! Agree with you Tors the thought of another 5 lots injected into me scares me silly!
Feeling better as far as the sickness goes but just low emotionally. Back from reconstuction sore and stiffened up hopefully this is normal but what is these days?
Have just sent OH out for more laxatives no sign of movement not in the slightest any tips welcome!
I am dreading the hair moment it just seems to be a sign to eveyone that you have the C word! even if I still dont really believe it myself!
Hoping to go see Florence and Machine in Edinburgh on Wednesday. 3 hour drive but something positive to look forward to.
Lets hope we will be all joking in a few days!
At least this forum is real you can tell from the feelings expressed!
Hi, my back wound from the recon went ver sore and stiff after the first fec, onc warned that this may happen! Got better towards end of first cycle now. Will see how it goes in next round! Enjoy your concert! X Tina
Just thought I would update you on my progress since first chemo on 21 April
Have had minimal side effects by way of sickness ect, some bone pain which is side effect of the blood boosting injections but not too bad.
However on friday noticed a ‘swelling’ on my arm, it was a bit sore and think its my veins playing up a bit (I think I am going to have problems with injections in the future) - I phoned the help line who asked me to pop in so they could look at it - and whilst there they took my temp and did blood test.
My temp was 38.7 and my neutropons count 0.3 (very low). I was admitted to hospital with neutropenic sepsis, had IV antibiotics immedately. I have been in a isolation ward since Friday (got out today). I feel fine now but it has frightened me and brought home how serious the side effects are chemo can be…
My temp is now normal although blood count is still low but they have let me out. So feeling a bit down, a bit scared and dreading the next 5 sessions…
Hi saffronseed, so sorry to hear about your ordeal! It just brings home the seriousness of the whole treatment! Shocking this happened despite your injections, too! I hope your neutrophils stay up! Sending you a big hug! Xxtina
OH Saffronseed,
What a rotten time you have had, bet you thought all was going well, up until Friday, that must have been one hell of a shock for you!
What do they do with regards to the low blood count?
Can understand you feeling scared and dreading the next sessions. Can they put a line in? not sure what the procedure is to who can have it and who cant!
I ‘hope’ you find others that have had similar problems, helps ease the worry, when you hear how they coped.
Well poor you, missed the Bank Holiday weekend!! mostly rain! well where l am anyway.
Hope you will soon bounce back
Take it easy, you have had a big shock
Sandra x
Hi everyone, a bright new day the sun in shining and I am feeling more upbeat - sorry about yesterday just felt really down about being neutropenic(sp?) even though I was well and had the boosting injections!
Tina they told me that even with the injections you can be neutropenic as a side effect of chemo is low white blood cells and that will happen - the problem I had was that I had a temp and infection (although I didn’t feel ill, just hot and shivery) I am now waiting to see if my blood count rises enough for me to have chemo next week (its due next Tues)- they don’t want to give me any more boosting injections so its just down to my body to recover - I don’t really want my chemo delayed.
Sandra thanks for your comments. You have your results today so good luck and fingers crossed you get your Mastectomy done quickly and start your chemo and there is no spread.
Hope everything is going well for Tors and Tendoris - you’ve now also got one under your belt.
tina I may consider a line as my veins are not good - let me know what its like and does it hurt? good luck with your 2nd Chemo.
x