Docetaxel is commonly known as taxotere, which is a trade name.
There seem to be quite a few of us who have have had sessions this week- either first(a big step), or further down the line. It is HARD- and that seems to be a common thread this week- That feeling of ‘oh no, not again…’ It is hard, but let’s just recognize what an amazing job we are all doing. Getting over diagnosis’, surgery too in many cases, supporting friends and family, children, unable to recognize that person looking back in the mirror at us sometimes…All this, and chemo as the icing on the cake! We are doing fantastically! Wow! And I would like to give us all a collective cheer, as well as thanking all of you for your words of wisdom and support over the last few weeks,
Tracey xx
Hi Tracey
Well said that woman!!
Hear, hear
Love to all
SJ xx
Morning everyone very cold get those double hatters out !
Tracey- well said x
LIF - that make sense about TAX being one drug if it was 3 they’d have to come up with on begginnig with X!
Noticed a few ladies have a picc with FEC must be very hard on the veins the cell booster injection are ok I have mine in my tummy every morning for 7 days get a bit fed up of them by then but they do great work !
Well chemo at 10am so better get up ! OH has the week off so should be looked after this week !
Shell x Brrrrrrhhhh {{:-). Thats my double hat !
Good luck Shell…hope it goes ok! Tracey…well said we are bloomin heroes and need to pat ourselves on the back sometimes!
Go girlt we can do this…
Have a good w/end everyone xx
Tracey, that’s a lovely message, thankyou. I was feeling fed up at not being able to have chemo yesterday and frustrated I’ve now got to change some plans I had for next week, and your words have cheered me up. I think we’re all doing really well. I admire those of you who have families to look after - at least I only have me to think about!
Yes, it’s definitely hats on today.
With love,
Amanda
Thanks to Tracey and everyone else for your support this week. You are so right about us being too hard on ourselves sometimes. What a lot we have come through! And on top of that there’s the mangle the chemo puts our hormones through!
Big hugs
Lilac x
Hi all,
sounds like everyone has had a tough week. Hope everyone has a happy healthy weekend.
Best wishes to all
Julie
X
Hello All,
Long time and no post… am getting on ok. When we moved into our house the BT line didn’t work so had to have the drive dug up and new line replaced and we are just getting the internet- hurray…as I need to crack on with the Christmas shopping now I have all the shops at my finger tips. Since I last posted I have 2 Tax - which has been good as no sickness but awful bone pain and weakness. Also ended up neutropenic and in hospital for days, silly be just though it was the side effects of the Taxotere and i’d keep getting better but after 5 days of struggling I made it to the chemo unit and both myself and OH were properly told off!! Luckily the injections worked a treat and I was home in 48 hours and not the 4 days they initally said. So I had number 5 on monday and now use the injections precautionary and am finally feeling a bit better today.
My Mom had bought me down to Devon and this morning we ordered my wedding dress- I cried alot!!! Everything seems to be very emotional at the moment. The hot flushes have started, so not sure if its hormonal, feeling crap and weak and pathetic most of the time doesn;t help one bit. And I’m now at the point I can;t remember what its like to feel well …sorry to moan!
Going to carry on reading the months worth of posts now. Hope that you are all well over the weekend and the snow has not caused you too much havoc.
Love Emma xx
Hello chaps long time no post on here but I have been following your progress, hope everyone is well today. I was due to be having my last chemo this week but it’s been put off, bloods too low apparently. They nearly went ahead, with the promise of a booster injection for the blood but in the end the oncologist was called and the treatment vetoed. Boo, I was all geared up for it, ready to start thinking about getting better and rads in the new year… Oh, well, rearrange the calendar… What can I do this weekend, wasn’t expecting to be up to anything.
Bird are you on this thread? You mentioned you were in oxford, are you having rads at the Churchill in January? I might see you there! It is a fairly long round trip for me, about 75 miles, but it is my nearest hospital with the equipment. Glad you enjoyed London, btw, read it on the other thread, I took my OH for a similar day in the Smoke for his 40th a few years ago and we went to the Queen show too. I saw them play live in about 1982 (not showing off at all :/), but he hadn’t seen them. It was great, everyone singing along! I wouldn’t mind going again!
If you enjoyed that one, go and see the Aussie Floyd if you get chance, they do a fantastic show, better than the original some say.
Love to all
X
Rusty
Hi all how you all getting on? How you feeling Julie and Shell?
Hi
lif - Just got round to phoning lgfb as last week disappeared in a haze of coping with a cold and a 600 mile round trip for YD’s uni interview and now all booked up for 7th 
Am going on 25th Jan so if you feel up to it how about a meet for coffee am? and any other locals who can make it as well, the more the merrier.
Rusty - so sorry to read of your delay, hope bloods go up enough for you to finish soon.
Emma - know what you mean about being told off. I had to change appt. because of uni interview and ended up having a full obs check and long list of do’s and don’ts from chemo unit before they said it was ok!
Lilac - hope you are feeling better this week. Understand what you mean, sometimes it just all seems too much.
Julianne - hope chemo can go ahead soon.
Hugs and positive vibes to all, we can do it but this site helps sooooooo much,
Ali.
x
Hi all,
Hope everyone is getting on ok with this weather. I had so much planned for the next week before my next chem, but can’t get my car out the drive - oh well will just have to hibernate, but at least I feel alright!
Julie
x
Alicats…have pm’d you re meeting up!!!
Rusty-hope u get next chemo soon. Good 2 be done 4 Christmas. My last chemo is on 15 Dec.
Found FEC 4 tough physically, FEC 5 less so, thankfully. But emotIonally a real rollercoaster. Tears at the drop of a hat, taking offence at everything (not me at all). It’s as if some alien, not content with taking over my body, is invading my mind and emotions. Am I going a bit mad or is it just chemo induced menopause?
Lilac x
Hi Lilac, if you’re going crazy, you are in good company! I though I was a bit unbalanced during my 3 pregnancies, but that will pale into insignificance in my husband’s mind! It is very hard not to let how you are feeling physically dictate your emotions isn’t it? At the moment I am on good form, 9 days after FEC2, and buoyed up by the fact that they are going to tweak my meds for next time. Nothing if not optimistic! But coming up to the New Year, it is difficult not to think, of what this year has brought, and what a challenge next year will be. But, saying that, it staggers me how quickly we have all come to terms with this, and are just getting on with it! And those feelings seem to change at the flick of a switch! Am not looking forward to the menopause on top of that!
Hope everyone is ok this week, and those with treatment delays go ahead quickly,
Tracey
Sorry you’re feeling emotionally low, Lilac. It’s having bc which is a lot to cope with, then the physical and emotional battering of going through chemo. Hopefully by the time you get to 25th you should be able to enjoy some Christmas dinner - with the thought that as you improve, you won’t have to go back to the chemo suite for another dose.
Sorry you had your chemo delayed, Rusty, I did too - but at least I’ve had a good week to get ahead with Christmas preparations.
Hugs to all. Stella
Hi everyone,
Not been on to post lately 6 days from TAC 3 and it hit hard this time, as soon as i got home it was straight to bed exhausted woke up late following day feeling really nauseous been like that for the last 5 days but feel back in the land of the living today ! hope it doesn’t get worse every time is anyone else having TACx6? on the good news front i asked if i could have xmas off and my ONC said yes ! its delayed me 2 weeks but at least i will feel well travelling up North to spend xmas with all my family. so next chemo 31 dec don’t mind though.
Lilac - i too have been really emotional this time and quite snappy and pull my poor hubby up on everything he does wrong! even when he doesn’t, it is not like me at all.Think i get fed up with the bone pain and nausea after a few days but onwards and upwards !
No snow here yet kids are very disappointed!
Shell x
I know how you feel folks…have bitten everyones heads off in last 24 hours including poor dogs…roll on summer!
Welcome back Shell, I guessed you were suffering as you’d not been posting. Hope you have some better days ahead and I’m pleased you’re getting a Christmas break. What do you take to help with the bone pain?
I’ve been a bit snappy too, guess it’s the thought of FEC 3 tomorrow. SEs not as bad as TAC and TAX though - at least I hope not.
Good luck with FEC3 tomorrow LiF.
Stella
Hi Rusty
Am very jealous that you saw Queen!!! My one biggest music regret not seeing the great Freddie. Mind you I was a bit too young and my parents were not into the music scene - shame. Oh well. I have seen Brian May twice and a rather fab appearance by Roger Taylor at the Foo Fighters in Hyde Park a few years ago - I got so excited I nearly stopped breathing!!! Got a massive thing for Roger Taylor!!
Anyway bit of a bummer that your last chemo has been delayed - will they do it next week instead? I will be having my rads at the Churchill in Jan, just waiting for a start date. Cool that we might see each other there! Bit of a trek for you though - 75 miles - good grief!
Well I hope you come up with something exciting to do this weekend now your plans have changed. If you have tons of snow then maybe a snow ball fight!!! It hasn’t really snowed here - just a light covering. Bit disappointing really! I want to make a snowman!
Anyway take care and keep warm. See you in Jan 2011!!
Bird
xx