i have posted on here prev but didnt get much response as added to an ongoing thread, new to all this so not sure what im doing, (thanx midge for your response as you can see taking your advice,lol.)
Im 35 married mum of 3 , diagnosed with bc on 3rd june this yr. i had a snb on the 24 june one node had tumor the other 3 were clear. i have grade 2 cancer and started chemo in june, they are hoping to do lumpectomy and i will be having the rest of my lymphnodes out followed by rads. i have already had 4 fec and 1 tax, due for my next dose on weds which im really dreading as i really suffered with my last cycle.
i am finding it harder and harder to go back and have been in tears knowing i got to back on weds i would love to hear from anyone who is at same stage as me give me a bit of encouragement, i know i only got 2 left after this week but it just seems like an eternity!.
Just thought I would add, I am 38, grade 2 had 1 node affected and started chemo in june. I think you are at really hard part on the roller coaster ride. I found my first tax hard, but had lots of potions and pills ready for tax2 and it was a lot better. Hormonally I have been all over the place, very weepy and sometimes v angry. I hope your next one is better. Only 1 and a half left to go. As one poster on here says the last one only counts as a half because every day after that is a day getting better not a day getting ready for the next chemo. Good luck debx
yeh im hoping they are all ready with the pills as they have been corresponding with my doc and was admitted to A&E so hoping they are prepared and if not im going armed with a list,lol.
you must be so relieved to be at the end i know i’ll get there but right now it dosn’t seem close.i too have been so tearfull then overcome with rage i just feel my life has been taken over and everything that was me has been stolen away and im struggling with that. I’ve been signed off work so job routine gone and dont trust myself driving as i get so heady and tired.
Yes rads then herceptin for a year. It still feels like a long road ahead. I am on long term sick and find it hard to imagine going back. My children are still quite little, 5 and 3 so all my energy goes on them. It is hard work. I hope you are getting lots of support. I found Macmillan the best for all sorts of services, children’s counselling, financial advice, and complimentary therapies. It has kept me sane. Also have you heard of the willow foundation it organises special days for anyone age 16-40 in active treatment. Quite a few people on this site have applied and got some nice special days for them and their family. just google them. Debx
Hi millymix hope you feel beter after next tax it may have just been a one off . as i had a bad one after my 3rd and was dreading the next but i had Emend and for the last 3 i was totally fine ( wished id had it earlier on )i finished mine Aug 19th we had a big Pink Party on the sat night its such a great feeling when chemo is over. Im onto my 8th Rads now. ( having 20 )Just think after this one you’ll only have 1 more and its your last so you never have to feel like that again . your 2/3rds there girl you will do it xxxxxxx Hugs Julie
You are nearly there, keep fighting, i know its easier said than done, i had a WLE and full node clearance in March, i have had 6 FEC and 14 rads, only 6 more to go.I have been really lucky, yeah i had niggely SE’s with the chemo, i have had none with the rads , and i can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, stay positive, you are nearly there, when yer chemo is finished, yer rads will flyby.
I hope all goes well for you, chin up, Take care Sandrae x
You can do it! I have bumped up an almost identical thread called moral support after first tax which you should read. I posted it a few months ago when i was at your stage. I felt awful after my first tax, just like you. I had an allergic reaction to it as it was being administered, then had rotten side effects, and i really did not know how i would get myself back into the building for the next lot. But I did go back in, you find the strength. And the last two tax were nowhere near as bad. Plus Deb is right, the last chemo is only really half a chemo, which means you are already over two thirds of the way there!
Vickie
Ps, the woman who told deb about the half chemo theory is v clever and v wise, and v beautiful, if a little bald and knackered.
I’ve had 3 FEC and 3 TAX and have to say that the first of each was by far the worst.
I think the first one is really hard as you get the standard bag of tricks to try and stop the SE’s but they aren’t yet tailored for you. My following treatments were much easier. I’ve just had my last Tax (on Thursday) and have to say whilst still feel it I’ve been 80% better than I was after the first one.
My advise would be to tell your ONC everything no matter how insignificant it seems as mine has picked up some things just from me rambling on.
I think also I found my fourth one very hard as although I knew one type was over it still felt like a long way to go.
I promise though that after the fifth, it does feel alot easier as Vick says, then you know you’ve only got half a one to go, and mad though she is, it’s good advice as it already feels like that for me. (Sorry Vick couldn’t resist but I didn’t think you’d mind)
I am a tad ahead of you with chemo. Finished FEC-T (4+4) just a few weeks ago. I remember feeling awful at just the point you are. It feels as though it’s stretching wa-a-a-y too far into the future doesn’t it?
If it helps at all, I can say for sure that even though it was only 8 weeks or so ago when I was where you are now, it feels like a lifetime ago; hang on to that. I found Tax a walk in the park compared to FEC, especially the last 3; hardly knew I’d had them.
Your chemo will be over well before the end of next month. You’ve (almost) had 6; you can do it. Everything else will be easy by comparison.
I was diagnosed in January this year (see profile), still have still rads, another 2 ops and Herceptin to finish.
I’m having my first radiotherapy session on Wednesday, when you’re at chemo, so will think of you Five weeks of driving 100 miles a day to the hospital every day-there has to be a kinder way to treat cancer patients :-(.
crikey 100 miles thats awful there was me moaning at 40 miles,lol, rads are everyday arnt they ? i have to have rads after op not sure how many as havnt been told as yet, beginning to think i should just move in to the hospital ,lol.
i will be thinking of you to welcome weds you have to let me know how you got on.
thanx everyone for your words of encouragment they really help, didnt sleep to well as getting my self in a state hoping i dont spend the hour of chemo throwing up again,lol, but after reading what you have all put im feeling more positive that it wont be as bad.
only thing i got to worry about now is my mums driving,lol
I know what you mean about just moving in to the hospital. I seem to be there far too often: oncology for chemo and radiotherapy, breast clinic for surgeon and expander fills, medical photography for before and durings of recon., then there was medical assessment unit when I was admitted with neutropenic sepsis (just once, and about the only s/e from chemo), ward stays for that and for op, cardiology for regular echocardiograms for Herceptin… um, PICC line and Portacath shenanigans…
Of course they never manage to co-ordinaate the appointments either do they? At least I get Herceptin done at home now. Yeahhh!!!
Yup, radiotherapy is daily. By the way, I didn’t have any sickness with the FEC or Tax and took no drugs to prevent it either. Someone told me not to eat the night before or morning of chemo, just to drink ginger tea, then to drink loads of water after the chemo has been done and eat nothing for 2 hours. Worked for me.
Good luck for tomorrow; be over and done with before you know it.
well couldnt sleep soup major early! hopfully i’ll nod off whilst they poison me,lol
suffered really badly with sickness whilst undergoing fec and sick whilst being given tax but didnt feel to sick afterthe first day with tax jus hurt all over.
i will give the no eating thing ago jus drinking my tea at mo laced with mahuka honey apparently helps with white blood count…
have you heard of mahuka honey whats your take on it?
I had manuka honey everyday thru Chemo on basis that doesn’t harm and might have helped keep me on track for Chemo. Bloods stayed ok , few ups and downs but Chemo was never postponed. Good luck!
hi milly,
hope this message reaches you having a better day! sounds like we’re in a similar situation. I’m 35, married with two young kids. i was diagnosed 4th june , surgery e.t.c. I’m dreading the next few days cos i’ll be due for my 5th cycle of EC chemo. don’t know how i’m going to do it to be honest. i seem to becoming a regular attender to hospital with vomiting and migraine. I’m not sure if i’m being a bit of a “wuss”, especially when you here and read about so many women that seem so strong and positive!! Anyway wishing you lots of luck for your next cycle, love nicki x
you are not a wuss, chemo is bl**dy awful! Everyone has different side effects and also not everybody is comfortable postiing the depths of their misery so sometimes you only hear about the easier bits. I felt a wuss too though so i know how u feel. By the way, i was dx in march, had just turned 36, 2 young boys aged 4 and 2. Have finished 3fec 3 tax, and got 4 out of 19 rads left. Thinkm we are similar too!good luck with rest of your treatment,only 1 and a half chemos left…!
Hi Roseyred I’m a nurse as well and everybody knows that we are the biggest wuss’s of all especially when we are on the receiving end I am actually terrified of needles so if i can do it anybody can xxx take care Julie
you are feeling exactly how i felt , i had my 6th chemo weds and yeh i feel absolutley awful again! cant move my head without wanting to throw up.i to thought to myself corr come on nikkii stop being such a wuss especially after reading some of the posts as the women were so strong so positive but as tors says people arnt often comfortable writing about the hard bits (may not wanna put people off lol)
i have had my good and bad days and the fact you are sticking with it and fighting this awful thing you should be very proud as its bloody hard, chemo is bloody hard!! let alone all the other emotional and physical stuff you have to put up with as well!!
i to jus couldnt face it when i went for my 5th cycle and i literally had to drag myself there crying and from the comments ive had from the other women on here i think many were the same , but you do it cause every chemo you have is one less to go and one more closer to getting well and getting on with your life, and im a stubborn cow i wont let these critters win! lol,
keep posting on here because when i was really down last week getting myself in a state as i knew i had to go back for more poison ,lol, the comments on here really spurred me on and i went on weds minus the tears ,lol.
take care and good luck with your next cycle and remember im here if ya wanna chat.
Five weeks of driving 100 miles a day to the hospital every day-there has to be a kinder way to treat cancer patients :-(.