I am currently receiving weekly paclitaxel and every 3 weeks perjeta and herceptin for early stage breast cancer. This is for 12 weeks and I only have 4 to go! I’ve already endured EC chemotherapy.
At first I was finding the weekly treatments a lots easier, as I really suffered during EC. However, the last couple of weeks I feel like I’ve aged 100 years. I ache all over, and have lots of niggling pain in my back and chest. I have terrible acid indigestion and diarrhoea all the time.
Is anyone else suffering like this? Is there anything you can suggest that has helped you?
Firstly, big hug - and sorry you find yourself here!
I was in the same place as you 2 years ago. And that sentence almost says it all - those days were hard - dark days of horridness. I’m really sorry but there is no easy solution - it’s just a case of getting through - you will get good days - make the most of them - you get a lot of bad days.
All I can say is stay positive - smile whenever you can.
I too suffered with acid indegestion (I got some great pills from the oncologist which I used to take for the first few days of each cycle and then stopped) - I’m sure the steriods caused this particular problem for me. Diarahea was also a great problem - I did again have some great tablets but I tried not to rely on them. What I found helped was to cut out all fruit and veg (really difficult) and I ate stodgy almost unhealthy food - white bread, rice, mash potato, custard, noodles and ice lollies to help my mouth and tongue problems.
Today I find it hard to remember how awful it was.
I guess what I mean is although for you at the moment it’s all awful (and I really do know it is) - there is light at the end of the tunnel - you’re very nearly there - keep going… the targetted therapies are amazing - they actually do work. The percentages of ladies with HER2+ cancers survival rates are excellent - whereas only a few years ago, it was one of the worse breast cancers to suffer from).
I still get aches and pains from all the treatment but I get a lot of really good days now for which I’m truly thankful and this will be you in only a few months time… xx