Hi well I have to say I did sleep last night only up twice to pee and it’s back to its normal colour today I have managed to take all the meds this morning along with my own 13 tablets in total and another 4 after a little lunch and I have more this evening and the injection. I worked this morning and had a little nap at lunch now going back online to do another hour. I had a small runny 
earlier but I suspect that’s all the meds but temp still normal. So in told I feel reasonable. I might not be after my injection tonight but we will see. Again guys if my posts get too much I can tone them down just want to help you all through. But remember we are all different and react differently take care xx
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Your posts are making me more confident tbh
Thanks for the update 
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Me too, thank you @lilo1973 it’s helping keep me calm and good luck to ladies starting this week lots of love to all xx
Glad you seem to be coping well so far @lilo1973. Thanks for posting. Good luck with everything ladies. @idcand49 i know how you feel. We put our hols off till next year. I feel like writing summer off. But will do what i can when i can. Xxxx
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Hope your doing ok as you had chemo same day as me just checking in ? You got this xx
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@lilo1973 how are you doing?
This time next week I will prob be done & heading home as we spk
The anticipation and nerves is getting unbearable for me
Hello my lovely! Im ok thankfully. Had a bit of a palaver with my picc line last night but other than that all good. The chemo side affects haven’t been as bad as i thought they would be. Felt nauseous and headachy on the day i had it (a few hrs after) but just slept the from 4.30pm to the morning lol. Woke up ok. Think i slept most of it off so that’s my plan going forwards. How are you getting on? Xx
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Hi everyone
I started chemo yesterday w oeth a Picc line. I had pembrolizumab paxitaxel and carboplatin for triple negative bc.
I didn’t sleep well- it could be a side effect or it could be not being used to the line. Ill see how it goes tonight.
Good news- no other issues except stomach gas!
I tried scalp cooling which was bearable but added 2 hours onto my infusion time but that additional time does vary with whatever drugs you have.
I was well looked after and just so thankful to be getting on with chemo and finally on the road to getting rid of cancer!!
Best of luck to all summer starters!
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Hi all, hope you don’t mind me popping into your thread from the June starters! I’ve been reading the posts and just wanted to add my experience from my first two treatments. In my experience so far the reality is not as bad as your brain imagines it to be. A lot of the scary stuff is due to our imaginations putting together the bad scenarios. This is certainly what I found - nowhere near as scary as I imagined. I’ve got HER2+ breast cancer so I’m being treated with docetaxel and Phesgo for 4 cycles then another drug combination for the other 4 cycles followed by surgery and radiotherapy. Minor side effects so far of tiredness, lethargy, sore dry mouth and tongue and obviously hair loss. I chose the decision to shave it off having donated my long hair to The Little Princess Trust that makes real hair wigs for children and teenagers going through cancer treatment. I wanted some good to come out of losing my hair. I know other side effects may come but this so far is perfectly manageable. My sore PICC line for the first two weeks was the biggest pain but that has settled down now. A piece of advice I was given which I’ve done is drink loads, on the day and afterwards. Also you can feel very alone but treatment days allow you to meet people face to face going through the same thing as you, the nurses are lovely and you are in the best possible hands. And of course this forum is great!! One thing I didn’t realise at the start is that you don’t necessarily feel bad the whole time, for me the main effects are really in just the first week then the side effects go away to a big extent. Onwards and upwards ladies and even in the darkest times that we all get, remember “this too shall pass”. Xx
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Thanks for these words
This time next week I will be day 1 post treatment & I still can’t believe this is happening to me
I hope it’s not as bad as my imagination is running away with
X
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Morning ladies. Thanks @jane13 your post came through at a good time. Im just getting ready to go for my 1st session. Im trying to keep calm think im doing ok atm. I’ll post as soon as I can afterwards. Im cold capping but i think im prepared for it not working. Will be a long day 
love and support to all you lovely ladies xxxx
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Good luck! Hope it goes ok for you. My chemo has been postponed for one week. Unfortunately, a post surgery infection not sufficiently cleared up so not happening. Comes to something that I was disappointed yesterday that I wasn’t able to go ahead today?!?! Figure that one out!!! Let us know how you get on. x
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I hope today when well and your home resting now xx
New here but finding the posts really helpful. I was diagnosed at beginning of May just before my 60th birthday after finding a lump. I have ER positive cancer and had a left Mx + implant recon and ALNC at the end of May. My results came back with Grade 3 tumour 27mm with high grade DCIS. They also found another tumour that was 9mm. 8 out of my 20 removed lymph nodes had cancer with extracapsular spread. They said my cancer was early Stage 3. I am having PICC line fitted on Wednesday and start chemo on Thursday 11th for 18 weeks then 3 weeks of radiotherapy. I’m going to try the cold cap but preparing myself for it not working (although I haven’t actually bought any wigs or hats/scarves yet so maybe I’m not really prepared for it to not work). I’m trying to stay positive as I’m sure that will help but I do feel bitter and angry that I have got this horrible disease. I have always eaten a healthy diet, I cook from scratch and rarely have processed food. (I do have chocolate occasionally 
) I drink alcohol about once a month if that and only a couple of glasses and I’ve never smoked. I go to the gym 4 to 5 times a week and I’m not overweight so I can’t help thinking this is so not fair. Because of all the treatments we need to have I am now going to end up with weak bones, possibly osteoporosis and I’m so scared of all the side effects we are told we can get. I feel I was so fit, healthy and strong before I was diagnosed and I will never get that back again (although I know I’m lucky that the treatment will hopefully save my life so feel that I should be more grateful). I am also being tested for the faulty BRCA genes which worries me as I have 2 daughters and that would mean they would have a much greater risk of getting breast cancer too. (My mum died from breast cancer).
Sorry for the long post and the whinging but I feel this is the first time I have been totally honest about how I’m feeling. I am putting on a positive face for all my friends who keep telling me they are so proud of how brave I am being when really I am absolutely terrified of going through the chemo and radiotherapy but I feel that if I tell them how I’m really feeling I will end up breaking down in front of them which I don’t want to do and it won’t change anything, I still have to go through it all.
I would be grateful if anyone could pass on any tips about taking care of ourselves during chemo in regards to using any specific moisturiser, shampoo, shower gels, toothpaste etc and if there is anything we can use to help keep our nails strong.
Also do the chemo after effects stay similar after each treatment or get worse / better each time?
Apologies again for the long post.
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Hi @angieb1
Your post is so honest & tbh how I feel most of the time too.
I have been researching the hell out of what works and things I see inc:
Getting a soft toothbrush / kids one and sensitive toothpaste
Polybalm for nails
Daniel field products for hair & skin
Margaret Dabbs foot care
Suzi pads if you’re on a Taxane
Strong electrolytes - hydration a couple days before & after apparently helps
And just about to buy protein powder as been reading that protein helps rebuild your body
I’ve spent a small fortune as this is the only thing I can control and most of this may be anecdotal but I have nothing to lose.
I start my treatment next week. Still can’t believe it’s happening
Xx
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Hope it went well today x
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Hi @idcand49. Thank you so much for your reply. I will definitely check out those products.
I notice you start your treatment next week too, I hope everything goes well for you. x
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The words you are saying could be coming out of my mouth, I was diagnosed April, just before my my 60th in May, instead of all the lovely things I had planned for celebrating I find myself on this journey instead. I like you find it easier not to tell my friends how absolutely terrified I sometimes feel si they all thing I’m being very brave and I’m really not like that inside. This forum and reading everyone’s posts is so helpful to me as we all know what we’re going through. I too am looking for any practical ways to get through, I read on another thread about polybalm for nails so have got some, costs a fortune but guess I’m not going to be spending much money elsewhere over the next few months!
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Thank you for those tips, hope you manage to do something nice this weekend before starting your treatment next week
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Thanks for your reply. It helps reading everyone’s posts.
We will just have to delay our 60th celebrations until next year.
The one thing this journey is teaching me is to enjoy every minute I can with my family and friends and not worry about the small things. x
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