Great news. Hope your recovery continues smoothly 
1 Like
Well, it has finally arrived - completed my last Nab Pac chemo and completed the chemo part of my ongoing adventure that is breast cancer. Infusion at 3:30, bed by 11:30, sleep by 1:30 which is not bad for me.
Weird sense of relief but not celebration yet…I admit to a car sob of thankfulness it was done and that my body endured and did this for me without delay or further hospitalisation. I think there’s this awareness that this is BC life, just the next step to move onto….so I will engage in Radiotherapy chat and meds. Mindset moving onto that now!
I have obvs had my Day 2/3 night of no sleep, thank you Steroids! And am back in hospital for PICC line removal at 9:30am today….I may be grumpy by noon.
I am very excited for no PICC line tho 
11 Likes
Well done to you and your body. Hope picc line removal goes mega smoothly this morning and you get some good rest in the coming days.
2 Likes
Well done @joodles and I felt the same, relief that this part is over rather than celebration. I still feel thankful for the removal of my Picc line every time I have a shower. It’s that kind of thing that’s hard for anyone else to know so hope all has gone smoothly with that today.
When you finish chemo there a sense of relief that your body gets you to this stage but also that it hasn’t quite finished enduring. It is nevertheless a real milestone and always happy to hear another of the March ladies has reached it
5 Likes
Found this while browsing and wanted to add my two cents — anyone still using cold caps have tips for making them more comfortable? I’ve heard mixed reviews on how to manage the freezing temperature. Also, any newbies here with questions about side-effect management? Sharing experiences can make the process a little easier for everyone, so feel free to jump iFound this while browsing and wanted to add my two cents — anyone still using cold caps have tips for making them more comfortable? I’ve heard mixed reviews on how to manage the freezing temperature. Also, any newbies here with questions about side-effect management? Sharing experiences can make the process a little easier for everyone, so feel free to jump in!
Well done @joodles its understandable you won’t feel like celebrating yet and you do still have some recovery to do. For me I think it was the day after my next chemo would have been. My day didnt go to plan that day as life happens haha but I enjoyed that day fully. I smiled all day 
4 Likes
Hello, the only thing I did to try and help make it more comfortable was taking painkillers about half an hour before starting. I cant tell if it worked or not because I did this every time so I have no reference to using the cap without any. The first 10 minutes are uncomfortable and there’s no 2 ways about it but eventually it just becomes cold and damp but definitely not painful.
To make the experience better in general I made sure I had my heated blanket on me. As it was just battery operated it wasnt hot but it was nice and warming which helped. I had a flask of hot tea, usually herbal and I kept myself busy with a book and occasional colouring if I could get into it.
Side effect management is difficult because until you have your infusion you just dont know what you are going to get. Some call it the side effects lottery as no 2 people seem to be the same. For me I just tried to be prepared for everything. Expect the worst, hope for the best kind of thing.
I had a good non alcohol mouthwash, a mild fluoride toothpaste and a sensitive toothbrush head that I used from day 1 before I even needed it. I think this helped keep the mouth ulcers away. For sickness I made sure I knew exactly when to take all my anti sickness medication that we are given and I took them religiously the first few days even if I didn’t feel nauseous. For skin care I made sure everything I used was for sensitive skin and had as few ingredients as possible. I used an app called Yuka to scan products and help me pick the right things.
The best thing you can do to manage side effects is stay as active as possible and hydrate as much as possible. You really need to over hydrate and flush out the chemo as soon as you can. Being active will look different on different days but any movement will make the difference.
I hope this helps a little bit
2 Likes
Agree with all of this! Paracetamol 30 ish mins before the cold cap really helped (I did compare it to a week where I forgot to do this until much later and I did notice a difference… maybe a placebo though). And completely endorse the side effects being a total lottery person to person.
I am now one boob down… had my mastectomy and TAD. Very nervously awaiting the pathology…
Hope the March crew are doing as well as possible. @katie91 how many radiotherapies left? @joodles well done on completing the chemo! @metalmole congratulations on getting through your surgery. @wibbles thanks for the bra advice - what is your date for surgery? @2kittens I hope you can get the reconstruction you would like - if not the DIEP due to abdominal surgery, is TUG a possibility?
Despite being over a month post-final chemo my lashes and brows are worse than ever and seem to be worsening! Come on… grow back please!
5 Likes
second foxgem with the small ammendnum that if like me you get side effects with knobs and spikes on it’s also okay to call the hospitals 24/7 cancer care helpline for advice and if your really struggling its definaly okay to call your oncologists secretary and ask if you can see your oncologist or at least speak with your oncologist before your next chemo. ĎO explain what has been happening to you so the oncologist can work out if they need to see you ASAP or not. Sometimes self help really is not enough and it’s not wise to try and fight through without medical help. IF you need extra drugs prescribed to help make your world a nicer place its your oncologist who needs to do it. leave it till the day of chemo to let the chemo nurses know side effects have made your life a misery and you could end up with delayed chemo whilst they track down a oncology doctor to check.
AFter I nearly pitched down the stairs as my far too big now trousers slipped down to my ankles My DH admitted Ìt could not wait till after surgery and took me out to the shops.
I now have two NEW pairs of 4 sizes down trousers that fit comfortably. I have not been that small for almost 25 years! (Yes they are cotton and I am aware my shape could change post surgery but heck what a boost after losing all my hair and wonderingif any of the bloody side effects could be positive)
7 Likes
Is anyone having reflux type symptoms get worse at the end/after chemo? I’ve been on 20mg omeprazole since round 2, but the prescription (for 4 months) is about to run out and it doesn’t feel like it’s helping much any more. I’m also super bloated out of nowhere. I’m wondering whether I call the treatment helpline or ring the GP tomorrow.
@jululemon how are you doing post surgery? Thinking of you too @clarabelle1 I think yours was scheduled earlier this week and @foxgem later this week? I’m up on Tuesday next week.
Sorry I’ve lost track of others milestones! Hope March crew are all doing okay xx
3 Likes
@felineoptimist I got that in my last couple of weeks of chemo. The helpline just referred me to GP who gave me omneprazole which did the trick. I only took it for two weeks then stopped. Maybe wait for GP?
1 Like
OK thank you @felineoptimist. Nervous about the pathology results! I’ll be thinking of you in a week! xx
4 Likes
Surgery Thursday morning. Its all I can think about to be honest! Im 100% distracted by my boobs again 
7 Likes
I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to think about nothing else come the weekend. It’s a huge thing to go through, seems quite reasonable to me that it would be taking up a lot of space in your head. Go gently. You’ll be on my mind - and all of us in your pocket if you need to chat. X
2 Likes
Hope your surgery goes to plan @foxgem . Will be thinking of you xxx.
1 Like
It would be the thing that was taking up all of my brain too @foxgem. Hope it all goes smoothly for you. x
1 Like
Well on what would have been a usual chemo day for me yesterday was actually my lumpectomy (I can thank the chemo though for making this surgery a lot less that it would have been due to tumour shrinkage)’. So didn’t get the ‘I should have been in the chemo chair and am not’ feeling as I was at the hospital for 6:45am ! I think all went ok - I managed to get home for about 5;30 so although blood pressure was low ish they still were happy for me to come home in the end. I spoke to the anaesthetist before surgery about my previous experiences and he was great and gave me something different - I honestly can’t remember what but he said I’ll go in to less of a deep sleep given my BP issues. Still took me ages to come round but he listened to me and I did OK. I bought one of the hear shaped pillows with ribbon for over your head from Cancer Research which has been helpful for the lymph node site under arm and a lovely friend got me a seat belt cover which was also great for travelling home - there are lots of bumpy roads around us ! I didn’t sleep much in the end but it’s done - results in about 3 weeks xx
Good luck for Thursday @foxgem and next week @felineoptimist - I’m not sure who else may have surgery on the horizon too. I hope you’re doing ok post surgery @jululemon - I have a date for my results meeting already and drifting between thinking about it and not thinking about it ! I hope all goes well for you x
I think it’s normal we think about surgery just before - as I guess we all did with chemo and as with that we get to the other side, bruised and a bit battered but through it. I’ll be thinking of you and sending love 
6 Likes
I too hope all goes well for you Foxgem. TBH I think you deserve the break of something going as routinely expected for the surgevenical team though I know for you Ìt is anything but.Hang in there, you have people rooting for you here.
I have bloods due Friday and an oncologists appointment on Monday to go through blood results.
Hopefully if they are improving I can still go away for a few days pre surgery.
3 Likes