Have been on the January surgery buddies thread which has been a huge help getting through the Mx and clearance. Am starting 6 FEC regime on 29th Feb. Was in a state after yesterday with the oncologist and everything coming so fast, but phoned the bcc help line this morning and she was brilliant at meking me feel calmer and more realistic. Still scared though!
Joan, so sorry to hear your cat is poorly, and hope she is comfortable. I know how awful it can be with our beloved pets and now doesn’t sound the best of time for her to so ill.
I may be one of the oldest? Am 62. Had grade 3, 3 small areas and the sentinel node affected so advised to have chemo.
Anyone else in Devon?
Looks like I will be one day ahead of some of you on 29th (is that really a date or can I pretend its not a leap year?!!)
Hugs and love,
Maggie
Thank you for your kind words, yes, she is comfy at the moment.
I know what you mean about things happening fast. I felt like I was in limbo for a while before I saw the oncologist, but after that I had my date to start and it all seemed to happen really quickly. I have my pre start checs on 27th then first treat on 1st. I think you can get away with pretending it isnt happening as yours is on 29th!! I am in Herts, so quite a long way from Devon, but next door in the virtual world!!
Joan: so sorry about your dear cat. My elder cat is 19 and she has kidney disease and now an overactive thyroid, so now another tablet for her to take. You’re right, they give you such comfort - ask no questions - tell no lies. I talk to both my cats and it’t as if they take it all in and then say, don’t worry mum, I’m here for you.
I feel as if I’m in limbo too, don’t feel ill, but everyone expects me to be ill. I suppose when I start next week I’ll be on another rollercoaster.
Di, thanks for your understanding about my cat! She is quite comfy at the moment so we will just wait and see how she gets on. She also has an overactive thyroid so we have stopped the meds for that.
I went out shopping for a while this morning, and am just about to go and get ready as we are off to the cinema this evening to see the Muppet Movie. No kids to take, just me and OH, with another couple. Should be fun and a bit of escapism. I loved them when I was a teenager in the 70’s, especially Miss Piggy, although I feel more like one of the grumpy old men these days! Imagine if Miss Piggy had BC! I bet she would be done up to the nines throughout her treatment and would certainly carry on wearing those wonderful false eye lashes!
So sorry to hear about your cat Patchit, I went through something similar with mine four years ago and it’s so upsetting.
I’ve got quite a few hospital appointments before March 1, to see the pharmacist so he can work out the doses, the nurse for something I can’t recall, physio, CT scan and something else. Nearly every day will be busy.
I suspect I will get a permanent line for the drugs, that was talked about a while ago so I’ll need to find time for that.
My last appointment was to see the oncologist at 3.15pm and I was well over an hour late going in so incurred £4.20 of car park charges. I’ve now found that cancer patients at my hospital can get their card stamped so they don’t have to pay, I wish someone had told me that before I started treatment, I’ve paid for lots of visits to this point. Might be worth everyone else asking if their hospitals have any concession.
KC
Hi got my appt through today for 2nd march with the Oncologist. I decided to get my hair highlighted today as I am guessing I won’t lose my hair for 6 weeks or so!
I was fine until I asked the hairdresser about wigs and then burst into tears in the middle of the salon! Poor hairdresser - I wander if everyone thought I was unhappy with my hair!! - and if so if only they knew!
Hope you enjoyed the Muppets Joan, love them! GeorgieB good for you getting your hair highlighted, and hugs for the tears in the salon. It seesm to be one of the things of this journey, never know when the fears and tears will come on. Today I was reading the January chemo thread. They are a lovely supportive bunch but some of the side effects and the horrible stuff some were going through after chemo sessions just reduced me to a blithering wreck!! Blubbed all over my hubby who looked like he was going to do the same.Not sure it’s a good idea to read but some are reassuring as well!! Wish I could run away from all this. As my wonderful Mum would have said when she was alive “Be a brave penguin”!! Now for a glass of wine!! Or two!
Hello! I started my chemo last June and finished in September. I just read Margaret May’s comment and just wanted to send a bit of reassurance as some people sail through chemo without many side effects. I had dose dense chemo and was one of the lucky ones. I was petrified at the start but my breast care nurse promised me that I wouldn’t be sick (a big fear of mine - but she was right) and whenever I did have problems (nothing bad - dry skin flaking off and indigestion) there was a magic tablet to cure it! So when the time comes, and if you do get any side effects, don’t suffer in silence!
This forun is fantastic for advice and support but it can also cause a bit of worry regarding expectations of different medications as you tend to hear the bad (as they are the ladies needing support) rather than the good (as those ladies are skipping along and not coming to the forum to say how great they feel!!).
The cold cap worked for me despite my onc saying it wouldn’t as I was on the dose dense regime.
Hi
Feb lady from chemo
Re car parking - in nottingham we get a pass for the
Whole time we are having chemo.
I asked my having my chemo intro
Good luck
With love
Rosie x
Sandytoes thank you for your post. Am sure this is the worst bit waiting and imagining the absolute worst from chemo. Encouraging to hear from you and hopefully can just be really positive and take it all one day at a time. Thanks for taking the time to write on here. I really appreciate it!
Maggie
PS On way to Church this morning suddenly realised I had forgotten to put “softie” prosthesis in.Luckily had a large coat and scark on!! Help I now have to remember not just glasses, handky etc but also boob!! And that’s before chemo brain kicks in!
Sandytoes, thanks for popping in to give us some encouragement. It’s very kind of you ladies who are further down the path to light the way for us.
Maggie, how funny! I know what you mean, I am often at home without a bra or my sofie in, heaven knows what they would say if I turned up at work like that!!
Muppets movie was great last night! Just fun and familiar!
Hi March ladies, i’m just popping in to offer some reassurance as well. As Sandytoes says, a lot of the time people only post when they have a problem so it can seem a bit one-sided. I finished 6 x FEC in January & had very few side effects. I too was dreading chemo & can remember the evening after having my first cycle, i just sat there waiting for something drastic to happen. But nothing did.
I would say make sure u take your anti-sickness meds as directed as they prevent not cure & also the meds can cause constipation so again prevention is better than cure. If u have any problems ring the chemo unit anytime esp if u feel unwell or had a temperature, mine were insistent on that & never minded, that’s what they’re there for.
I lost all hair but i bought a wig with a fringe so people didn’t really notice my lack of eyebrows, i never had very good eyelashes anyway & my hair is now growing back.
All in all, the fear of chemo was way worse for me than the reality,not everyone is able to carry on working but i managed to work part time throughout when i felt up to it & i think mentally it
did me good. Wishing u all few SE’s & im sure you’ll find this thread a great support, love to all xx
Oh Margaret May, you’ve just cheered me up! I suppose a kneeler would have been too big!! Lol! I haven’t been back to church yet as I don’t want to get the spluttering colds from the congregation.
Thanks previous post ladies for keeping in touch; we need all the help we can get!
Hi Ladies, just thought I’d add myself to this thread as will be joining you.
I am Angela - Aged 43/44 (turn 44 days before Chemo starts), Single mum of 1 teenage boy and live in Hertfordshire. Will be having Chemo at Mount Vernon Hospital and expect I will start on either Mon 19th Mar or Mon 26th March.
Not received the “Welcome to Chemo” letter yet but weirdly have received an Oncologist Appointment for 18th July - which I presume is the “light at the end of the tunnel” date for when it’s over and he wants to do the Pre Chat before Rads. So working back from that date I am know my estimated start date (I should be a detective).
Had WLE and ANC on 7th Feb - Grade 3 IDC with 8/19 nodes affected.
Chemo will be 6 x FEC-T (which I understand is 3 x FEC and then 3 x TAX).
Worried about the Sickness, Nail Loss and then the “Tax Truck” that I’ve been reading about as need to work at least 2 days a week during the entire treatment as still have to pay the mortgage.
Currently struggling with the exercises as can’t fully straighten my arm or raise it completely over my head but then it’s only 2 weeks tomorrow and I am very impatient. Otherwise feeling very well and mentally prepared for the treatment.
Well I’ve just had my results from my ANC and only a micro met on 1 node out of 15 so i’m very relieved, I definately need chemo so am now waiting for my oncology appointment, I expect to start towards the end of March once i’ve fully healed from surgery.
Hi angelherts, like you and everyone else i’m very scared and have had a little cry (even though I knew it was coming) but realise it’s a necessary evil, I too am hoping to continue working throughout my treatment - albeit part time.
I’ll be having my treatment at the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton, does anybody know of any wig shops within the Midlands/Warwickshire they could recommend?
i am glad there was no more bad news there is a wig shop in lutterworth if you try googleing lutterworth wigs i found it by chance I may need to go too so might see you there hope you feel a bit more settled
Hello Angelherts I’m having my radiotherapy at Mount Vernon but chemo at Lister, so might meet up
towards the end of the journey.
Good news for you Lydia hoping you heal quickly then join us later in March. I don’t know about your area ( and Poppy) but I rang my local wig place but was told I had to have a referral letter from the hospital then proceed. Bit of a bummer really as I’d got my head around the wig and will have had one treatment before I even get to wigs but never mind.
Thank you for all those adding support and who have been through it, I’m looking forward to eventually joining that club.
(I should be a detective).