Soz for all the questions but any answers would be welcome!Txs 
Can anyone please clarify the difference betweem ; FEC, TAX, CMF, EPI.and why some women receive different combinations?
Also why do some women go on Tamoxifen and Zoladex and others just Tamoxifen?
Plus did anyone question the strenght of their chemo with their Oncol(minimum percentage for maximum benefit without too many SE)and had any feed back that you can share?
Has anyone found that they have maintained their original weight during their treatments and was this due to anything that you did/didnāt do?
And why do some of the women suggest painting their nails black during chemo and has anyone found this helped?
Ok I will try!The different chemos are dependent on the nature of the tumour,grade,stage,size,hormone status etc.Oncologists choose using their prrofessional assessment of what will do the job best.I was told that dosage depended on your bodyweight so the fatter you are the more you need but this has to be balanced with what you can tolerate.Re nails,this is really for people on taxotere where if the light reaches your nails they can be damaged and may drop off.I kept my nails painted with dark polish till a month after tax had finished and I only lost my big toe nail-others stayed fine.It is worth a try anyway.
All the best, Valx
PS cant help with tamox etc as I am triple neg
re tamoxifen and zoladex , Iāve just been asking the same questions this week.
Im 100% +ve for er and pr and pre menopausal and was expecting to get both as had read that a few women on here had the same, but am just getting tamoxifen and have found similar number of women just get offered that too, explanation my onc gave was that they are moving away from zoladex as seem to be getting very similar results with just tamoxifen and a lot less side effects.
She is also anti having your ovaries out because of the long term effects on bones as iām considered āyoungā she wouldnāt recommend that. She says trials and research are throwing up new things all the time re differnt combinations of what drug and treatment for what cancer,stage etc.
It just doesnt seem to be an āexactā science.Differnt oncs will have differnt takes on it all and you have got to have confidence in what you are being told knowing that your onc is doing their best for you.
Hi rosieff
If you would like to discuss your questions with otherās who have experienced different types of treatment you may find it helpful to join the live chat this evening. It runs from 9pm to 10pm on a Thursday evening and you can talk on-line with people effected by breast cancer.
If you would like to join go to the front page and click on the thursday, general live chat link.
You may also find the BCC booklet ātreating breast cancerā helpful as it is designed to provide detailed information about the many different treatments for breast cancer.
If you would like a copy just go to the following link:-
breastcancercare.org.uk/upload/pdf/bcc08_treating_final2.pdf
I hope this is helpful.
Best wishes
Sam (BCC Facilitator)
About the weight question,Once I found out that I could do without the steriods they give you to take at home after each chemo I cut them out.They really increased my appetite and I found myself eating like a horse while on them. My good friend who was going through same treatment as myself was told to do this by her sister who was a chemo nurse and that was good enough for me. I felt fine without them and hardly put on any weightā¦Iām not recommending it to everyone as we are all so different- perhaps you should ask your own chemo nurse or onch first.
Thanks for that Val, Sandra, and Sam you are a really helpful bunch and much appreciated! Josyemarie your comments were very interesting! Why do we need the steriods in the first place? Plus can anyone suggest what we ER+ woman should avoid in terms of food/drinks etc? I have always used soya milk and now wondering should i change to an alternative, any advise welcome. x
Hi
Iāve put on 5 pounds since starting chemo, but itās coming off again just by ordinary dieting (Iām half way through chemo). I reckon itās the steroid/chemo munchies and a sluggish system that put it on.
Steroids work with your anti-sickness drugs to help them work better, or thatās my case anyway (Iām on Epi-CMF). However, Iāve also found I donāt really need them except for maybe the first day. The anti-sick works for me.
I use soya milk too, and soya protein. Havenāt really thought about giving it up. However, what about rice milk as an alternative?
Hi Rosie
I donāt know what regime you are on but if you are having TAX I strongly advise you to not ditch the steroids as they help you cope with the TAX you have to take them the days before you have the TAX as well as afterwards, they keep you awake and give you a red glow! I found that during my chemo I maintained my weight more or less I ate sensibly and tried to keep to a low fat diet, you do want to nibble but I nibbled low fat biscuits or WW cheese puffs, you will find you will lose your taste for many foods, I still canāt drink black coffee! I put on weight when I went on Tamoxifen, then Arimidex, I am now on Aromasin which I am finding better I am just starting the weight battle again, like Horace said the black nail polish helps you to keep your nails I painted my finger and toes and I only lost 1 toe nail, although your nails do go very brittle and you have a ridge for each chemo you have, this took about 6 months for mine to grow out after my last chemo which was 28th May last year, my two big toe nails are still growing out!
Good luck with your treatments
Sarah x
I was also going to say please donāt stop the steroids if you are on tax as it is to help stop you having a reaction to the chemoā¦
My big toe nails are very weird as wellā¦ to be honest they look like something you would expect to see a goblin or something lol and are growing soooo slowly i canāt see myself being able to wear sandals for years lol
theresa
Hi Theresa,
I think it is the ultraviolet light which can cause the finger/toe nail problems, hence the suggestion of covering them with dark polish. Re: zoladex or not, I think an estradial test will show how menopausal or not you may be, therefore some women will be given it with tamoxifen and some not.
Jennyx
Hi all,
My onc advised me not to have soya milk, or other soya products,because im er+ pr+ this is because soya contains Phytoestrogens (which are plant oestrogens) and can mimic oestrogen, Since Dx i only now have organic milk though i know some people who are hormone + have rice milk as an alternative also.
There are quite a few past and archived threads on the topic of hormone + cancers and soya . Think there is also some information on the Diet section on here.
All the best
Lindiloo
A Big thanks to all you strong women for your prompt replies! It is a real comfort to know that there is an answer to our queries almost instantly without having to phone and leave voice message and wait for replies.
Jennywren your comment ie:- (I think an estradial test will show how menopausal or not you may be, therefore some women will be given it with tamoxifen and some not). Does this mean that if you come in high on the oestrogen test 8/8 that they might suggest Zoladex or other way round??
Can anyone please enlighten me on (or is using) the treatment of Tamoxifen and Zoladex together for homone related cancer as opposed to the administration of Chemo and what side effects does Zoladex present? It would be very interesting to see the percentage rate for both treatments.
Txs again x
Rosie
Hi rosieff
I was 8/8 on the oestrogen test. I had chemo first then surgery and rads followed by tamoxifen and zoladex monthly injection. I started the zoladex and tam at the same time so its difficult to predict which side effect is down to which drug, but i suffered form hot sweats, night sweats, vaginal dryness, dry skin and aching joints. I managed to cope with the side effects for 10 months until dx with bone mets. Have now changed to Letrazole and will continue with zoladex until i have my ovaries removed. Iām currently 42.
Hope this helps, any more questions ask away.
F X
Hi Rosiefff
I was 34 at dx 14 months ago. I have been on zoladex and tamoxifen for 13 months now. I was 8/8 for er and pr. I didnt have chemo just rads. I found no side effects from the drugs for the first 3 months, also had 2 periods until it was in my system. Since then I get a few mild flushes a day and occasional mood swings. Other than that I have been fine.