Hi there little owl. May I ask about your breast reduction? Is your surgeon reducing both breasts?
Yes, I have one lump in my right breast near the top, which will likely not fare well with radiotherapy as Iām a DD, so needs reducing. So Iāve been offered a mammoplasty on the NHS on both to balance me out. At least thatās the plan ATM.
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Great news youāve already shrunk by 50%. Good to hear you havenāt had nausea on EC. Iām on week 7 day 4 on paxi and carbo and now feel ok, but thatās because I get nausea days 2-3, you may not get it. Also bad constipation, but thatās sorted with Laxido. Plus Iāve got the paclitaxel rash on my face, so I use cetraben and antihistamines for that, seems to be keeping it under control. Iāll feel much better days 5-7, still tired, but can go out. Itās a bit relentless on the weekly chemo.
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I hope everyone is doing okayā¦ Iāve had a bit of a break as my picc line became infected and I have a blood clot in that arm. 8 days in hospital on IV antibiotics and stomach injections for thinning the blood. I now need a portacath which Iām dreading but have heard lots of positive things about them. I should be on Paxlitaxel number 7 now but only had 4. They are weekly so a third of the way. Also Herceptin injections every 3 weeksā¦ 3 done. Iāll need a cannula next Friday for treatment as the port will be quite new so canāt be used. I hate cannulas as I have terrible, terrible veins. Iām so over all this! Sorry about the moaning! Hang in there everyone! xx
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So sorry to hear this sarahc_123.
I had a portacath from the beginning. Inserted on a Tuesday and used it on the Thursday for round 1 of EC with no problems. Might be worth asking your team?
It is quite intense when having it inserted but itās bearable. I had a lovely nurse by my head who kept making me chat whereas i thought maybe i should be super still. Did tell them when i needed to clear my throat/cough so do warn them if you need to make any sudden movements.
Itās the easiest thing having bloods and chemo with a port.
I did find the dressing can make the skin feel irritated after a few days when it gets wet so once I was sure it was healed (ask them how long) I got rid of it. Same with the plaster after blood draws/chemo- I remove it the next morning.
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Thank you for replying. Iām looking forward to once itās in and easierā¦ I hated the picc line, it always bled and every week they would say I might need another one. Iām hoping this will be it and I can have my 8 remaining weekly chemos hassle free (apart from the cold capping!) Iām so done with treatment, it seems to be really dragging on now due to the hospital trip and makes you realise how much can go wrong. Also, that no one has any idea whatās going on in the insideā¦ We just have to trust the medics! Thatās interesting that you used it 2 days later. My oncologist told me that they like it to settle for a week but Iāve read it can be used straight away. I will ask againā¦ Anything to avoid a cannula next Friday! xx
Re portacath, my daughter had hers fitted on the morning and it was used the same afternoon for bloods and chemo. Other than being sore, as to be expected, she had no issues at all other than skin reaction to the dressings. I suppose different hospitals have different policies but it really does make a huge difference and is so much easier to manage than picc or canulas. Hope this helps.
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Thank you so muchā¦ another vote for a portacath! I had it fitted yesterday which was quite daunting and itās painful today. I declined the sedation as I didnāt want a canula. Thatās interesting about using it. They took bloods from it yesterday but have said it needs 10 to 14 days to heal and I will need a canula for this Fridayās chemo and poss next Fridayās. Dreading that as all my veins have disappeared. Iām looking forward to it healing and cracking on with this! Thanks for your reply. xx
Iām halfway through my chemo 8/16 and had a mid treatment check today with my consultant. The lump has reduced by 66%, Iām so happy the chemo is working. Itās so tough, but this gives me strength to carry on. Keep going everyone, weāll get there x
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Wow. Lots happened. Sarah, so sorry to hear about the piccline and the subsequent issues. I have a weird relationship with my port, I know it makes things easier, but I am also not yet reconciled with the fact that this will leave me with lots of scars. So subsequently I am unhappy with the scar. Not its appearance, but its entire existance. And the knowledge they have to get the darn thing out again. So it is my āChemo buddyā, that I canāt wait to get rid offā¦ eventually.
And I hope they used it for the Chemo on Friday, and didnāt subject you to another cannula for no real reason.
I wasnāt allowed to shower for 3 weeks. That wasnāt fun, since I still had hair then. And washing hair in a bath sucks.
Other than that, I am living my one week of normality, before I go in again next Monday for round 3. My bloods are not great this time round, bad thrombos, and elevated white and neutros. They decide on Friday if I am fit for treatment. Last week was (subjectively) tougher than the first round, no fever, which is good, but more āniggling discomfortā in the fatigue and āis there anything I like to eatā department. I can see myself not eating much for the entire duration of this treatment. I lost 6kg already.
I also had to physically force myself to drink. The mechanics of drinking were revolting. Solid food, no problem, liquid - stay the heck away from me! Which isnāt a good thing. I wish I could ride out the first two weeks after chemo in a comaā¦
Hang in there, everyone, I wish everyone a side effect and pain free week! Xx
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I have had my treatment delayed today because of low neutraphills and white blood count. So had because you psych yourself up and then it doesnāt happen. Now to keep an eye on myself for signs of infection for the next week until we go again
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So sorry youāve got delayed, hope you get through the rest of the week ok. Iām borderline every week on my neutrophils and am expecting to get delayed soon. Itās such a rollercoaster this chemo
Thank you, itās so frustrating. To be honest they have just said mine have been fine each week so far. I do feel quite run down and have a bit of a cold so hoping that it will just go and I can carry on
Still delayed because of neutraphils and my red blood count is not great either. Anyone else had this problem? Iām on injections now for 5 days to boost my neutraphils so hopefully treatment can start again next Monday 
Iāve not had this happen yet, sounds as if youāve had an illness thatās taken a hit on your immunity levels and itās good that they are helping you to get back on track. What kind of injections are you having? Do they have any side effects? Hope you are recovered soon x
Yeah something has happened they said my neutraphils were just stuck and not coming back up. I have injections for 5 days to boost them. Side effects so far are bone pain, I have had a migraine both days exactly an hour after injecting, fatigue, bit of nausea and headaches. I just want to get restarted now so I can finish!!! Hope you are doing ok little_owl
Really hope it works for you this week, we all just want to get through this as quickly as possible. I missed a treatment a couple of weeks ago as Iād started to get pins and needles in my left hand. My oncologist concerned about neuropathy reduced my dose to 75% for the last 4 treatments. I had my 10th paclitaxel and carbo this week, much easier with alot less side effects, able to eat much better. Hopefully I have a couple more easy weeks before I start 4xEC. Take care x
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I was borderline last cycle for neutrophils, despite having had 5 days of filgrastim.
Iād be interested to know do they ever do more than 5 days or a further 5 days later in the cycle ???
Makes sense to me, but wondered if there was a limit to how much they can stimulate the bone marrow.
Iām dreading being below 1.5 next cycle and being delayed
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I will let you know the side effects are horrible so hoping they wonāt give me more. They have lowered my threshold to 1 because I think they know I just need to carry on with treatment which is also scary in itself but Iām sure they wouldnāt do if it wasnāt safe to. Such a strange time constantly symptom guessing. Fingers crossed you are ok for next cycle, the last two weeks have been so hard I just want to get on with it
My neutrophils have up to now always be between 1.1 and 1.4 and theyāve always given me treatment. Only in the last week have I been above this at 1.6, maybe because Iām eating much better now. I am worried about what will happen on EC as I think they want you on a higher threshold for that, so am concerned I might end up with lots of delays. Let us know how you get on x