I will commence my chemo treatment as soon as my wound heals and I dont really know what to expect. Is chemo painful? Are there particular things I should watch out for? I know my hair will fall out but what else? Will it make me weak? How do I deal with the effects?
Any advice will be very much appreciated
Thanks,
Peace
Hi Peace and welcome to the forums
Our publication ‘Chemotherapy and breast cancer’ contains information about what to expect from this treatment, you can read it via the following link if you wish:
breastcancercare.org.uk/docs/chemotherapy_07_web_0.pdf
Hope this helps to clarify this for you, I am sure that your fellow users will be along with valuable information and support very soon too.
Best wishes
Lucy
Hi Peace
Welcome to the forums.
I can honestly say I don;t think I’ve ever heard chemo described as painful. It isn’t nice sometimes but it is certainly do-able. I have had 6 sessions now and yes there are inevitable side effects - the most common being the sheer fatigue I think - there are a myriad of others that affect some people and not others - such as a the hair loss, nausea etc etc. We are all different in how we react to it - and ntil you have had your first you’re not going to know how it will affect you.
there is a good thread on the chemo section - Top tips going through chemo - which will give you some idea of the kinds of things it will be handy to have ‘in stock’ at home for when you have your chemo - and several others where people have given their experience of particular chemotherapy drugs. Hopefully these will help you.
The best bit of advice I could give is to listen to your body - if you want to sleep - sleep, don’t fight it - just go with whatever feels right.
Good luck with the chemo - keep us posted how you get on
Margaret x
Hi Peace
No it’s not painful as such… everyone has different experiences on chemo it depends on so much, including what combination of chemo drugs you’re given and your general state of health and fitness and wellbeing etc etc. I am receiving my chemo drugs through a canula in my right arm (as I had lump and lymph nodes removed from left breast so not allowed any needles in left arm) and the only “uncomfortable” bit is when the nurse is finding the vein to insert the canula. But I don’t know whether you might be getting a hickman line as you mention you have to heal up first? I don’t know anything abot them, sorry.
my advice is get yourself organised before you start. Get a wig that you like (good link from this site to Direct Wigs, not expensive and very good customer service) and get your hairdresser to give it a bit of a style for you, get some scarves as well (Tie Rack have excellent selection or look in John Lewis accessories dept if there is one in your town) then IF your hair starts coming out you don’t have to panic-buy headwear. I got one wig and one scarf in advance and shopped round for loads more later on.
also get organised with “stuff that needs doing” eg I made sure that my flat was as clean and tidy as could be, all laundry up to date, and that my cupboards and fridge were well stocked so that if I felt rough after chemo I would just be able to sit on my bum without worrying that there was housework or shopping that needed doing.
my perception of chemo was that I would feel exhausted and be throwing up constantly. I have not been sick at all, they give you anti-sickness drugs before the chemo and some to take home, which you can take if you want or need but I am not bothering I only need to take one or two on the evening of chemo-day but that’s just me. I have had 3 out of 6 FEC and this is what I find, but again this is just me…
Feel OK when I come back from hospital but a bit lethargic due to boredom of sitting on arse all morning waiting for my turn. DO NOT eat your fave foods on chemo day because if you get queasy you will develop a bad association with them and not fancy them at all for ages and ages. I always have a pizza on chemo day cos it is my least favourite food so if I go off it I don’t care. I haven’t had a curry since Feb 
First couple of days after chemo I find I get tired and have to go to bed early. By the end of the week I am not going to bed quite so early.
Nasty taste in mouth a bit like after a kebab if you go to sleep without brushing teeth, yuk, I find eating sweets like sherbet lemons helps.
You might need to drink loads of fluid and you will wee a LOT and your wee might smell stronger than usual, this is commonplace.
Week 2 better than week 1, week 3 feel almost normal, then it all starts again.
Oh and you will fart like a goodun as well.
Come and see us on the chemo board when you’re about to start, and let us know how you get on xxx
someone I knew got mouth ulcers and bad indigestion. If you tell the doctors they can prescribe some medicines that help with these side effects. chemo works on cells of the body that are rapidly dividing and this includes cancer cells but also the linings of the mouth and stomach, hence the side effects
Mole
Thank you so much. I appreciate your advice
So far I’ve had one session of TAC with five more to go. I think that as the others say you have to listen to your body, and rest when you feel you need to. I was told to drink loads on days 1 -4 as this helps flush the chemicals out of your body which will help your recovery. I can honestly say that whilst it is not pleasant it has been a lot better than I imagined.
Best of Luck
Hi Peacebie
I had FEC No 2 on Tuesday and feel fine. One piece of advice I will say is that get a nurse to look at your veins in your useable arm and ask as to whether she feels you need to have a central line, hickman or picc line inserted before you start chemo. Tuesdays injections of the chemo hurt me and I am awaiting portacathe insertion on Wed 19th and to be honest - can’ wait. This way it will stop all the prodding and poking for veins.
I have had a little walk today but now I know the exhaustion is creeping up on me - sleep when your body tells you - don’t fight it. It only last a few days then you start to feel back to normal.
Hope all goes well for you and keep in touch
Anita xxx
I was reading that post by Clarabel and thought that was going to get to the end with no bodily functions mentioned but was wrong. Farts and Poo get big laughs in my house too. Keep them coming you Crazy Chick.
Love Andrea xx
Hi Peace, I’ve had my first two chemo sessions and have had no nausea or sickness, hair is thinning but still there for now, main side effect is being sleepy in the afternoons. Constipation the first weekend responded to Senokot and this time I have omeprazole capsules for heartburn, which is even better than Gaviscon. And I’ve put on a stone. Sucked sherbet lemons and drank lots of water during the chemo session, and as my veins are hard to find I had a port inserted in my chest, absolutely brilliant - it’s under the skin, no dangly bits, and bloods are taken from it as well as drugs delivered through it - if you are offered one I’d recommend it. Check out the ‘Top Tips’ thread in the Undergoing Treatment - Chemotherapy section for lots of wonderful ideas. All the best to you. Lyn xx
I found it painful when having paclitaxel/gemcitabine. It’s apparently the gemcitabine that’s the problem (my veins did not like it), but if it happens you can just get the nurse to slow down the drip to the point where you can cope. Takes longer but who cares. Heat pads are also useful. I think they help it dissipate quicker.
When I had the EC I never felt it go in at all. I think it depends which concoction you’re having but most people don’t seem to have a problem.
mousy
Hi Peacebie
Just want to re-iterate a few comments here, I’ve just had FEC N0 2 on Tuesday and my experience is much the same as clarabel34, it’s not as bad as I expected. I have a portacath in and it’s an absolute godsend, can’t praise it enough. This time I turned up with Emla cream on (numbing cream) and I promise I hardly felt a thing throughout the whole treatment period, they took my blood from it too. I’m using the cold cap and so far my hair is still here which I wasn’t expecting but so far it seems to be working for me so my wig is still in the cupboard for now!
Hi Anita67 glad Tuesday went ok for you too, good luck for the 19th. Are you on Fec 3 on 27th like me too?
Cheers everyone
My doctors were happy the wound is healing pretty nicely meaning I’m moving closer to starting my chemo and thanks you everyone who’s shared wonderful tips, I’m not as scared as I was when informed begore the surgery. I read the comments with my husband and he was so touched because it helped him too; he said we’re like sisters without boarders and I thought that was a very sweet thing to say.
Thanks everyone!
Peacexx
Hi peace
I had 4xFEC and 4xTaxol - i preferred the latter but both were doable. Felt very queasy (although wasn’t sick) after the first but next day they changed my anti-sickness tablets to another brand, and after that was fine. Minor problems like not being able to sleep because of steroids, constipation etc, but I felt better than I might have done with flu or a stomach bug - just a little under the weather /tired as you might be after a late night on the town!
If you feel unwell ring the nurses, there is lots they can give you to help so don’t suffer in silence.
Sarah