Hi @naughty_boob and others. I’m putting most of my hot flushes, aches and pains, tiredness (mainly due to not sleeping well) etc down to the letrozole which I’m giving 3 months as apparently for many the symptoms subside by then. Let’s see. Yes Ibandronic Acid tabs daily is similar to the infusions. There are pros and cons to both but again I’m persevering for now. Radiotherapy has been relatively straightforward so far, but I’m told issues can appear after treatment ends, so I know I’m not out of the woods yet. With so many things going on still - Letrozole, IA, Rads, and ongoing Phesgo it’s hard to know what’s causing what in all honesty. To be honest I’m a bit fed up with it all, but committed to solidering on for a few weeks yet. Did I mention the over-active bladder that’s appeared too?..!!!
@salbert well done for getting through cycle one. You asked about hair falling out. It will depend on your treatment and whether you are cold capping so unfortunately as is often the case it is different for different people. I was on a different treatment to you (Docetaxel, Phesgo and Carboplatin) and I didn’t cold cap as one of my treatments said universal hair loss (so it felt a bit pointless). I started to lose my hair about two weeks after the first chemo. It was pretty much all gone before the second chemo. I had cut it short before treatment started but it was still a difficult few days. I finished chemo on 11th January and it is starting to reappear very slowly. Think I might have a full head of very short hair sometime in April (Fingers crossed). I hope that helps. Remember you might be different. Some of the women on my monthly chemo forum managed to keep all or most of their hair. Good luck. I hope you are one of the lucky ones and if not that you managed to cling onto the fact it is temporary.
@aroja086 sorry to hear of your diagnosis and good luck with your treatment. You sound like you are doing great.
Hi @salbert
You asked about hair loss. I had 12 weekly Paclitaxel with cold capping and only shed a bit and had two patches above my ears. My scalp was very sensitive, needed to wear a hat outside as the breeze felt weird and a bit sore. I’m now 8 weeks post chemotherapy and the sensitivity has only just passed and I’m going to the hairdresser week. They wasn’t anyway I could have anyone touch it.
I was on a different regime to you so can’t say what may happen with your hair. Your team have offered cold capped so there must be some success with it.
Paxman the makers of the most common scalp cooling have a website where you can input your regime and give possible results based on studies.
This is the link from the above website.
https://scalpcoolingstudies.com/efficacy-calculator/
My percentages were very high.
But as always you should to talk to your team about the success rate. 
Hi guys
Oh my goodness, did I crash yesterday! Those two days pumped up on steroids were great but then yesterday was horrendous. I couldn’t do anything but lay on the sofa. I’m a bit better today and am working from home but I feel tired and emotional and I’m getting ratty with everything. I have 3 more cycles of EC and then 12 of Paclitaxel.
How have you all got through this?
Salbert
xx
Hi @salbert
Just one day at a time. That’s all I can say. I know you’ve probably heard it before but it’s true. You don’t know what you will feel like from one day to the next.
I can only comment on the 12 weekly Paclitaxel and the first few weeks weren’t too bad, I even did a cancer research sponsored walk 100 miles on October but then I had an infection and the cumulative effect of the treatment meant I had 2 good ish days a week, one of which I was back in the chair and out of the house for 5/6 hours.
I’m so impressed that you are still working. I haven’t worked since my diagnosis but as you know teaching is harder than some occupations.
Just take care of yourself and let others care for you.
@naughty_boob The only reason I am able to work is because I can do it from a sofa! There is no way I could still be teaching. X
It’s still impressive.
@frazzledmcsazza Hello! Lovely to hear from you. I have my 2nd EC tomorrow 
so at the moment I feel great but know that I’m about to whack myself again. I am ready with my favourite Musical Theatre tracks for this time round as they instantly lift my mood so that’s the plan. I’m going in armed!! Armed with Liza Minelli!
@salbert you sounds like you are in as good a place as you can be. I hope tomorrow goes well and the next cycle is not too bad. Hopefully you’ll start to understand your body’s routine and can plan the best ways to cope with the side effects. One down already. I kept a chart on my fridge of the cycles I had to get through and marked each one off as I completed it. At the start it was daunting but it did help me towards the end as I could see how far I had got and think if I have got that far I can do the rest. Good luck again. Be thinking of you.
Hello darlings
EC number 2 done and steroid craziness taken seriously so these have almost been cut out altogether as I’m not suffering from sickness. I’m ok today but know that the worst bit will kick in Sunday/Monday if last time is anything to go by. Have wigs and wig stylist booked ready for the anticipated shedding. All good.
Love to you all, you wonderful bunch.
Salbert
xx
Glad to see your starting to feel better. Good luck with the wig fitting, hope you manage to find something nice xx
Well done 2 done! Take it a day at a time. Be kind to yourself and remember to ask for help if you can ( I know from experience you don’t always have the energy and want others just to do it for you without asking).
Goog luck with the wig fitting, have fun with it.
@chellebelle How is it going with you? We are on Feb Chemo Starters together so it’s good to keep up with you on there too.
@naughty_boob - YEESS!! 2 x EC done so only 2 more to go and then it’s on with the Paclitaxel. It was a bit of a sofa weekend for me but perking up today. My husband did everything and I realise what a bloody good bloke he is even if he did eat more than his fair share of my Mothering Sunday Ferrero Rocher.
I haven’t heard back from wig lady but not too worried as she says she can get any wig with 1 day’s notice so I think I will wait until I need it and then call her. She must be busy!
Happy Monday everyone,
Sal
x
Hey Sal. My treatment ended up being delayed…I’m actually having my first session tomorrow so not sure how well I will sleep tonight lol!!
@chellebelle Everything crossed it goes really well for you. I’m feeling ok again now just 5 days after 2nd EC apart from weird mouth. X
@salbert try sucking on ice cubes during chemo. I still had bad taste when i did that but it wasn’t as bad as when I didn’t do the ice cubes. Worth a try.
Thanks Sal. Treatment went as smoothly as it could though dang that Herceptin was painful when it was injected in my leg. I iced my hands and feet during Docetaxel as much as I could and sucked on frozen grapes so let’s see what the next 72 hours bring!
I haven’t been on here much lately, not sure why. Anyway I had my 3rd EC a week ago and at the moment I’m feeling much better than the first 2 rounds where I managed to pick up infections which took ages to shake off. Even with cold capping I’ve lost 95% of my hair but fortunately no bald patches. I’ll be starting Docetaxol and Phesgo in 2 weeks and feel anxious regarding allergic reactions. My biggest concern is the spread of the cancer especially as it can spread through the blood-stream. I’m probably not being very clear but I want to ask, if you don’t mind, is how people found they have lesions elsewhere in their bodies? is it because of symptoms or tests that I haven’t been offered and should I be pushing for them? My oncologist isn’t very approachable but I have a list of questions I mean to ask him in 2 weeks particularly regarding the association with BC and thyroid cancer and bladder cancer and how I I will be monitored. Any advice on dealing with the side effects of Docetaxol and Phesgo would be very much appreciated. Thank you so much my sisters in adversity. I wish you all well. xx
@frazzledmcsazza Thanks for the tip. I did freeze some grapes in advance of my first session so I may dig them out for EC No. 3 next Thursday then.
@chellebelle I’m glad the first one is out the way. Keep us posted. Really hope you are ok. I’ve yet to have my first Herceptin as they wanted to check my lymph node tissue to make absolutely sure it was HER2+. It is. So now I will have the injections. I’ll be braced for the leg pain!!
@pinklizzie1 - Hello again. Good to hear that you are feeling much better after your 3rd EC than the last ones. I have EC number 3 a week tomorrow. I had a cold with number 2 and of course my dreadful reaction to steroids with number 1 so I hope I will be like you are after number 3. I have started to shed hair today and noticed that I largely have no armpit hair left so it’s begun.
With regard to lesions, I was given CT, MRI, NM and PET-CT scans which is how they found I have two tiny lung nodules and a tiny liver lesion. I was told they were ‘too small to characterise’ which was why I was sent to Guildford to have the PET-CT scan which is apparently the one which will light up anything cancerous. I was given the all clear, thank goodness. I was also told by my new consultant at Marsden that even if the lung nodules were cancerous, the chemo would ‘mop them up’ which was great to hear. I am told the chemo kills anything in the bloodstream. EC is particularly harsh but particularly effective.
I haven’t yet begun my Paclitaxel or Herceptin so cannot yet comment on those. Or of course on how we are monitored after we have finished treatment. However, I bet that some of the fantastic women on here will know more. Their good advice since the blessed day that I started this thread has been nothing short of a lifeline.
Today I am going to Marsden to do the Look Good, Feel Better Skincare & Make-up Workshop. I’m looking forward to meeting some other fellow BC sisters.
Love to all
Salbert
xx