Hello dear friends.
How are you all coping ?
im fine. The nausea has gone it only lasted 1.5 days after my first chemo cycle. Since coming off the steroids I’ve been ok though slight less energy than normal. However, I’m managing a decent 30 min walk a day which is keeping me active.
No hair has fallen yet - I did wear the cold cap but im quite expecting clumps to come out over the next cycle.
i’m managing the filgrastrim injections on my own (self injecting). The first time it was a bit daunting but it needs to be done. I haven’t experienced any side effects from these injections yet. Tonight will be my sixth injection.
My family have gone abroad and the house is strangely quiet. I’m using the time to write my diary, read and watch things on catch up. It is a changing life thing this cancer. I am enjoying watching children in a park, looking at trees in depth and meeting up with friends for coffee or a walk. I’m truly blessed.
Thinking of you all on your difficult journeys. Keep smiling!
Glad you are finding solutions for any side effects and that your first treatment went ok. Yes the injection takes some getting used to after overcoming initial trepidation. I get some bone pain but not enough to warrant painkillers. I had my 3rd EC on Monday - you settle into a rhythm of knowing what to expect first few days then it eventually settles. My ‘joy’ periods are the last 3-4 days before next cycle (no injections!!!).
You are doing well managing walks and being proactive when house is quiet. The ability to distract self from overthinking is key.
I agree ‘it’s a changing life thing this cancer’. I feel the same - reflections, wanting to live life fully, appreciating the pauses to observe trees, skies, people going along with their life, are they struggling as well, do they know what’s round the corner, are they worried about the ‘things that don’t matter’ in a grand scale of things that could go wrong (like we used to before our respective diagnosis).
Stay well, stay active as much as you can and carry along a positive mindset. It’s a process we all have to get through to fight this cancer one step at a time.
Best wishes to all on this forum and stay well - keep the light on and harness the gratitude attitude (small wins adds up) x
@Dhillman @Beeza66 So pleased EC isn’t serving up anything too awful although I’m sure its not plain sailing.
how our lives have changed. Yet the world still spins and we all seem to be finding pleasure in nature, silence, children. I often wonder how I will emerge from this.
hugs to you for being my dose of inspiration today as I get 9/12 weekly carbo taxel tomorrow - and edge closer to the finale of 4 EC every three weeks.
xxx
**[quote=“rachel60, post:163, topic:110711, full:true”]
@Dhillman @Beeza66 So pleased EC isn’t serving up anything too awful although I’m sure its not plain sailing.
how our lives have changed. Yet the world still spins and we all seem to be finding pleasure in nature, silence, children. I often wonder how I will emerge from this.
hugs to you for being my dose of inspiration today as I get 9/12 weekly carbo taxel tomorrow - and edge closer to the finale of 4 EC every three weeks.
So there is a reply button at the bottom of a person’s post and one lower down. I clicked on the person post and it has added my comment at the bottom but changed to my profile at the top Insteon the original post. I have added this from the lower reply. It’s gonna take some time to get used to! Especially for those of us whose brain is fuddled!
I’ve been able to edit my first reply and delete my comment but it still has my profile even though I think @rachel60 made the original post?? This reply box is so small you have to rely on it to scroll up and down.
Hi everyone. Well the forum appears to be back up. I had to reset my password. It’s changed so much.
How is everyone? It must be hard going through your treatment and not being able to get support.
I’ve had the pathological results and my tumours were localised within the breast with no lymph node spread. So now just waiting for oncology finally give me a start date!
Hello! Still here and missed you all. The new layout seems confusing but that might be my chemo brain! I’m on week 11/12 tomorrow before starting EC. But first rescan this morning showed shrinkage!!!
Hi everyone 
there are still tweaks to be made to the forum and the mods are working on these so please do raise anything you need to, I’ve raised that having latests posts at the top rather having to scroll through messages right from the start of threads would be useful then you all have most recent conversations immediately in front of you? What are your thoughts? Anyway sending big to all of you and please bear with bcn while it tweaks things to suit all the firm users bcn’s here 
Shi xx
Hi Shi
Could you let the team know that I am not able to access my account? I’ve had to set up a new account just to get access! Very frustrating.
Sue C. ( Community Champion )
Hi Sue, I’ve emailed mods asking them to get in touch with you directly to help you, hopefully they do asap, if they’ve not got back to you by tomorrow night please pm me again and I’ll give you their email address Shi xx
Hello All,
I hope you are all well. I had my first Phesgo + Docetexal on Monday. If you recall I was quite worried about starting this after x 3 EC. I think I tolerated it well supported by doses of IV steroids and anti-histamine. Will see what happens once the steroids etc wears off or delayed reactions. 2 more to go (please).
I am also waiting on results of mid treatment MRI scan hopefully know more next week. I hope the 3 x EC has made some difference.
Love & Best Wishes to All
Well done for getting through EC! I’m starting in three weeks…. Rather dreading it! Fingers crossed for MRI
@rachel60 good luck with the EC and I hope you have mild symptoms like I did. The medication they give you should help with any symptoms and you may need laxatives at the ready, plenty of fruit + fibre and more than 2L of fluids a day min. Rest plenty as needed. After your first one, you will know what to expect and be prepared for next cycle which gets easier to manage. Take care xx
Ooh we are back 
How’s everyone doing?
I’m currently on day 8 of my second EC and haven’t landed in hospital yet (as per first cycle) so counting this as a win!
Hair is moulting but I still have enough to pretend it isn’t (thank you cold cap!) and I’ve def found this cycle a bit tougher than the last in terms of side effects (metoclopramide is my saviour!)
One more EC to go, then on to the dreaded docetaxol and phesgo…
It’s took me 24 hours to notice the text box has some choice to move it and make it larger.
On the top pink line there is a grey tab you can drag up to make the box bigger.
In the top right hand corner there is two arrows that extends the box. The arrow down minimises the text box.
The bottom right expands width wise and shrinks back.
I’m sure they have designed it to be intuitive but when your brain is fuddled it makes it more difficult.
Hope this helps.
Thanks and hope you are doing ok with the side effects. Fingers crossed for your scan! X.
Hi Rachel, thank you 
@Vanelliope you seem to be having similar treatment to me. I am pleased you are not losing much hair. I discarded the cold cap as I went for a shave (so much easier).
I had my first new treatment on Monday (Doc + Phes). I was ok until Thursday. It hit me - whole body ache and pain/tummy trouble/sore tongue + throat and sensitive mouth. No ulcers I believe because I gargle with salt. I can’t taste, or have much appetite or even look at food. I am eating small amounts of bland food I can stomach, drinking lots of fluid & high quality bone broth etc.
It has definitely turn me off my favourite food. I really enjoy food and this is not making me ‘happy’.
Today is day 7 still with symptoms (mouth same, tummy churning still but not rushing) not as bad but still very much frustrating me. After having it relatively ‘easier’ on EC, I feel the cumulative effects leads my body to say ‘wtf’ M !!! Why you doing this to yourself?
I was definitely warned about this and hence my nerves pre transition of treatment. I was told I had to put on my ‘big girl pants’ 
- My big pants were already so big from day 1, with loss of weight -it goes up and down and that’s not just because of the multiple washroom visits 
Now I know why we need the 3 weeks! I hope my side effects don’t carry on to most of next week as I will feel cheated out of the treatment ‘honeymoon’ period.
I still have my sense of humour 
, albeit verging on the dark.
The whole thing, as it’s almost 3 months since diagnosis, is affecting my hubby as I have stopped working as hard (simply because I haven’t the energy and feel fatigued) ‘trying to appear ‘well’.
I remind myself that many that have gone, or in poorer countries have no access/option to the treatment I am having today. For this, I am grateful.
I hope everyone else is doing ok and sending love and best wishes your way xx
Hi everyone! Glad to have the forum back. Hope everyone is doing as well as can be and taking it one day at a time. I have finished my 4 cycles of EC now. As much as I found the first 2 cycles grim, I felt like I got into a good routine and knew when my bad days would be and what side effects I would have on which days. I feel a bit apprehensive starting 12 weekly cycles of Paclitaxel on Thursday as it is the unknown again! Anyone who has already had this drug, let me know if you have any tips/what I should expect? I’m going out for a family meal tomorrow to celebrate me finishing the EC cycles, trying to add in a treat after each cycle to keep me motivated. I had my mid-chemo ultrasound last week which showed a slight reduction in my tumour size which gave me a boost aswell (wish it had shrunk more!! but happy with any reduction at this point). Looking forward to the sunshine which is going to hopefully bless us this week 
Well done finishing EC. I start that next and rather dreading it. 4 x 3 weekly. I have just finished the weekly packitaxel and carboplatin, felt ok. Fatigue set in gradually and I got some bone ache on day 3 but no more than a paracetemol and epsom bath salts couldn’t tackle. It was more the going in every week that got bit much. But I also kept active and working, as well as lots of yoga! Hope its ok for you and hopefully manageable
Thanks Rachel, it sounds so variable - some people breeze through EC. The reason I struggled at the start was nausea but once they changed my sickness meds and added in another one it made it much easier. Yesterday I ordered 10kg of epsom salts as you aren’t the first person to recommend a nice soak to help with Taxol I’m hoping to be able to continue working too, it’s a good distraction. Well done for completing your Taxol, it’s a milestone to be celebrated x