I was diagnosed with Grade 3 non oestrogen feeding breast cancer in August. I had a free flap tramflap reconstruction on 6 October. The tumour removed was 7cm along with 15 lymph nodes out of 23 infected with cancer.
I started chemo on Friday 13th November which was delayed due to probs with the ab scar not healing as quickly. I am having 4 FEC and 4 Taxotere followed by 5 weeks daily radio then a year of herceptin.
I felt ok after first FEC but later got worst headache ever had and overwhelming nausea so ended up in bed. Was fine after that day though until i got a nasty stomach bug this Tuesday past which am still fighting off. Thing is Doctors arent sure now whether the runs i still have are more down to chemo now than the bug.
Anyone else had any experiences of this with FEC and also when did your hair come out??? I have my wig ready but its not started yet X
Hi Signet,
I am a little bit ahead of you - due my third FEC on 3rd Dec. Hair seems to start shedding anytime after about the second week of the first chemo session. Some start a bit earlier and some hold out for a while later. Mine started to shed a little about day 16 after the first session and carried on fairly steadily, but not in clumps like some. I am on day 13 of the 2nd session of FEC and am holding onto a little but enough pink scalp showing to need a hat on when I go out! Lots take positive control and go for the ’ shave ’ when it starts as it really does become a nuisance and make a mess everywhere. A few, like me, have decided to hold out to the bitter end - one less day without having to wear a wig is a bonus! Its good you have the wigs and hats already, chance to experiment before you actually need them.
Not sure about the runs - seems to be a common side effect (as does the opposite way with constipation!) A good tip to me was to make a diary of all side effects as and when they happen and go through it with your next oncologist meeting. You tend to forget about a side effect when the next one hits!
Good luck with the rest of your treatment. We are all managing to limp our way through it!
Karen xx
I had 1st FEC on the 13th but was lucky to have no side effects. My hair still intact and wig is waiting. I expect it to go after the second one, but who knows.
Hi Signet,
Sorry to hear you have had a bug on top of your chemo. I have heard that the runs can be a problem, I have the opposite, don’t know which is worse!!!
I have had FEC x 3 and am due to have my first TAX in a fortnight.
I think I have been lucky with my SE’s so far but the worst for me was the thought of losing my hair. It started coming out 12 days after my first cocktail and when it actually happened I wasn’t as bothered as I thought I would be. I used my OH shaver and gave myself a number 4!! Like you I had a wig ready and have never looked back. I’ve had so many compliments that I could get used to not having a bad hair day again.
Hope you are feeling better soon,
Jane xx
Havent got online as our internet connection crashed and just got it back just now. Well i have just been and had the shave and am now wearing my wig!!! when the lady brushed it she made me look like Les Dawson in some dodgy sketch so i had to run to the car at top speed in case i saw anyone i knew. Have brushed it since i got in and its much nicer now. I didnt find it as harrowing as i expected.
In line with what most of you said, mine started shedding yesterday which was 12 days after first treatment and it was just driving me nuts. In my food, on the floor and all over the bathroom so it just had to go.
I also woke up today with a line of blisters along my bottom lip, irritable itchy skin and a nice mouthful of ulcers lol. I think i am just one of those unlucky buggers who will get lots of niggly little things.
Anyway I hope your all doing ok and managing to get by xxxx
Really glad i joined this as its really nice to speak to others having same treatment xxxx
Hi Signet,
Make sure you tell your oncologist at your next meeting about all the side effects, no matter how niggly you think they are. They can tweak your meds and give you new ones to minimise most of them, mouth washes etc. I have been given two mouth washes to use four times a day. They taste disgusting but really helped this time round. Still got a majorly sore tongue and throat but no ulcers this time round which helped!
Karen xx
just been browsing posts as i finished chemo sept (3fec 3tax) and noticed yours, I suffered badly on 1st fec with sore cracked tongue on the 2nd i thought id got thrush down below saw gp he gave me some pills and i didnt get sore tongue so on each of my treatments my onc gave me them again and didnt suffer with sore tongue again. oral thrush can also cause a sore throat too.
hope this is of some help to you
take care and you’l be through the other side before you know it.
Like Sally I am only just out the other end, I did 4 x FEC and 4 x TAX and had my last chemo on 16th Nov. My first FEC was by far the worse, the other 3 were ok. I tended to have 4 ropey days and then 2 good weeks, enjoy the times when you feel well! Again, with the TAX, the first one was by far the worst for me, but the tiredness after 7 and 8 has hit me like a steam train, I think it just accumlates! Everyone is different. I was talking to a lady at the support group I attend and she did 6 FEC and worked throughout!
Regarding the runs, I fluctuated between constipation and diarhoea and not much in between I’m afraid. If anything the runs were easier to handle and helped with the piles! Again, I got lots of stuff from the GP which certainly helped.
Take care, rest up, drink lots of water (at least 2 litres a day), listen to your body and take all the meds they give you - don’t be a hero. The time will go quickly…
thanks Sally and Jaynie,
2 FEC down and 4 to go then 6 weeks rads plus booster!- not having tax though. Oncologist said I could but prob not much benefit to me as no lumph gland involvement. Coping ok but will ask about the sore tongue tablets when I see her on Monday prior to 3rd on Thursday! No thrush or runs for me but will be aware in case they hit next time!, just the constipation but movicol helping. Not sure I could work outside of home throughout this, luckily I work from home with my own business so can do it pretty much as and when, so really am lucky! Im always on a high for about 3 days after chemo, then feel rotten for the next 10. Last week is fine and I make up for the last two before the cycle all begins again!
Thanks for all the advice, it makes it so much easier when its someone that has actually gone through it! So glad you two are out the other side!!
karen xx
Karen, thanks for your reply. I saw the macmillan nurses today and got mouth wash and saw two doctors but nothing for blisters as they arent sure what they are. My skin just feels dehydrated and tight and its splitting and bleeding in various areas. Its very unpleasant. Got results of my stomach bug and it was C Diff which they say is hospital contracted so looks like i brought it back home after having my line put in.
My line is a mess and they are talkiing about removing it as the skin around the site is so inflamed and raw.
Good for you getting so far with very little complaints tho. People like you are an inspiration for us beginners and i am so grateful for all the advice and comments.
I think if anything i have found the whole thing a bit frustrating because in my area the population is mainly pension age and being a young mum with cancer makes me pretty much an outsider. I have three wee ones, 18 months, 3 years and 10 years. I am 36. This forum is a godsend.
Hi Signet,
Glad you are still sounding so positive - how is it going now?
Must be hard trying to carry on as normal with 3 little ones! Really admire you!!!
One of the advantages of being a bit older is that my two daughters are being a great help to me - taking it turns to take me to chemo and sitting through it with me!! OH is gret and supportive but think girls in their 20’s are more sensitive to the emotional side of things and with the worry of hair loss and looking rough!!!hope its still going well with you!
Karen xx
Hi Signet
I am at the same stage as you with same treatments, I think I must have been really luck as my symoptoms have not been too bad. Did have gluggy tumms but was able to go to doc and he gave me some tablets to stop me burping and quieten down my stomach and it is better. I too had headaches but I have had headaches in the morning before so put that down to the lack of body sugars - I read that your body needs body sugars and as I was sleeping so long overnight I was not eating for about 12 hours. The solution apparently is to eat some small carb snack an hour before going to bed, porrige etc. So am trying that, maybe it will help.
I am in France and it is not easy to get to actually talk to current an local patients - so this venue helps enormously.
Have had my hair cut really short and am starting to look out for hair loss.
Have had small blisters in mouth and cracked corners of mouth and salty taste in mouth constantly even wheneating yoghurt!
Does anyone know how long- on average - it will take to return to a reasonable (visible) length?
Hi and thanks again for your replies. Karen that sounds lovely that your daughters are doing that for you cos they are still young and it says a lot for them both. I hope your managing ok x
Its been tough but found out the stomach bug was actually C Diff which i got in hospital getting hickman line in.
Have to rush off as my 3 yr old is now trying to get on the computer xx i will finish this post later xxx
Hi fellow sufferers
I had my first FEC last Thursday- it was probably my worst ever experience. I had terrible sickness and ended up in hospital for three nights on a drip. Trying to put it all behind me know as I am now beginning to feel human again and I’m starting to eat. All the anti-sickness drugs have made me constipated but thats a small price to pay for feeling better. No other side SE’s thankfully and they have promised to modify my next treatment.
Hope you are all keeping well.
Hugs
XM
Miss M and Mammie, its so nice to meet others at the same stage. Sorry your going thru it at all but i suppose thats life and thank god for forums like this. I think my horrendous time is really down to the C Diff. I had my chemo Friday 13th and was ill the first night with nauseau and headache then the next four days i felt fine till i got the bug on the Tuesday night. My next treatment is Friday so i am a bit apprehensive cos i dont really know what to blame for my ill health. The blisters and ulcers came last week so that was two weeks after chemo. I am thinking maybe thats my bad time.
Miss M sorry to hear you had such a bad time and ended up in hospital. Thats awful and i hope its not put you off for good. My doctor is brill and set against me going into hospital at any cost as he feels its so open to infection. Says a lot for the NHS.
Hope we can all keep in touch and go thru this together. I will post after treatment friday and let you know how i am doing. But hey after the C Diff i think i can handle anything. It was worse than child birth lol x the pain in my upper abdomen was horrendous.
Mammie, sorry i meant to reply about hair. My friends mum had cancer two years ago and hers is still very short after growing for a year. Apparently according to most people it comes back in very curly and frizzy ha ha lucky us. I think i will use my wig longer than i thought. It itches like mad and i swear it creeps back thru the day. But anyway i think from what i hear it doesnt seem to grow that quickly.
I compared it to my baby girl who is 18 months and she had a full head from birth. She has had one haircut and now has just below ear length bob. Not sure its a good comparison but babies are healthy and if it takes them that long i suppose same goes for us. x