Hi MaryAnn glad you found us. I found the time after diagnosis difficult mentally. As you say worrying that the lump would grow - it didn’t! Once you get your treatment plan you feel more in control and once treatment starts you feel better knowing you’re actually doing something to get rid of it. I read the posts for a while before I joined in and I’m so glad I did, it’s been an invaluable support.
I’ve got my genetic result, I’m BRACA 1 but at least they can target the chemo now to treat it and other family members can do something so they don’t have to go through all this if they’ve got the gene. It’s worth chasing it up as I rang on the off chance to see if the result was there and they gave it to me over the phone.
Hee hee when I was reading about the lady garden I thought right away, these are my kind of people ?
So glad you are all coping and being positive, so glad I found yous I honestly feel better about dealing with this after the read ? I’ll keep popping in to see how you are all doing and let you know who I get on
Sending strength and love xx
Good to hear your blood count picked up and you could have FEC 3. It’s scary how much the white blood cell count drops. I’ll have to take it quietly over the next cycle. Glad you found us Mary Ann. I’m a Mary too. A few food tips are green tea 3 times a day, lots of broccoli and cabbage and enjoy all the raspberries and strawberries as all of these are have cancer fighting stuff in them. Even better, chocolate is good for you (so long as it’s 70% or more cocoa). X
Thanks Mary, will definitely do that although I have tried green tea and didn’t like it, need to acquire the taste now, I drink far too much regular tea!! Xx
Hi tree house. I had a lumpectomy before surgery, so chemo is just to make sure it’s mopped up any strays. Followed by 23 radiotherapy sessions. If there’s anything left after that I’ll be well miffed. ?
MJK it is good to be at this point. Have the 3 week recovery then it’s def 1/2 way through. I was told by nurse today that there’s nothing you can do in terms of food or rest/exercise for the white blood cells. It’s just time - to let the body build them back up or injections. As I’m on 6 FEC they don’t give injections unless it results in a big delay in giving next treatment.
Maryann - welcome to the group. Hopefully you’ll find the posts helpful and supportive. I dont post too often but i do check in daily and I wouldn’t do without it now.
Big hugs to everyone. xx
So green tea. It’s brilliant stuff so good for you and can fight cancer.
However, and please don’t quote me because this has not been given via doctor etc only google search so can’t be sure.
Some people say drink lots of green tea prior to treatment and after but not during. It’s possible that it can hinder the drugs???
I didn’t know what to do so just incase I have temp replaced my green tea with peppermint and ginger (although more often than not hot chocolate these days)
It’s so hard knowing what is fiction or fact so much conflicting information out there. When I ask my doctors for advice they just tell me eveytbing and anything in moderation they don’t like to commit or or comment.
Evening ladies, feeling OK after round 3. My last EC and week of injections woo hoo! I can’t quite see it as half way yet. I start weekly paciltaxol x9 on 5th July so still feels long way although will work out the same as every 3 weeks! Just wondering how new drug will affect me . Chemo nurse reassures me weekly is easier and she would definitely take that over same drug every 3 weeks so we will see!!!
I stopped taking supplements during chemo too as I heard it can interact with drugs too. I also don’t like green tea Mary so i took it as a supplement.
I find green tea with lemon or jasmine easier. I generally love mushrooms but can’t eat them when I have nausea. Green tea is fine with chemotherapy drugs as is the AHCC supplement that I take. I checked both fairly thoroughly before starting. I’m on the 7 injections with FEC. X
Feeling OK morning after round 3 . Just tired from steriods and my eldest son suffers from sleep terrors which aren’t normally this bad but it’s been every night now for 10 nights!!!
How you feeling today busybee?
If you dont mind me asking Mai7 hows your hair holding up after round 3? Just wondering if I will be bald and bright white this time or continue as a patchy white hatchimal!
Hi Katie. I’m doing ok today thanks. Face is a bit flushed but it’s keeping me warm, so I don’t mind. ? you sound like you’ve kept a bit of your hair in patches. Mines fallen out pretty much evenly all over, with just a bit of fluff left over.
Does anyone know when the eyebrows and eye lashes fall out? I keep having a bit of a tug at mine but there doesn’t appear to be any loose ones.
Hi. I sound the same as you busybee. Fluff all over with visible shiny scalp . Eye brows still normal. Have not needed to shave underarms for days and leg hair grows slowly. There are some benefit ?
Just gate crashing your conversation here but I’m about to start chemo at the end of June and wondering whether or not to go through the faff of cold capping. I suffer terribly from the cold so it really doesn’t sound appealing. I’ve got pretty short hair already and am having it cut shorter on Tuesday. How many of you bothered with it, persevered with it or gave up on it? Terrified of hair loss but thinking I’ll probably have other things to worry about when I get going. Any advice gratefully received.
Hi Alice, I have had two rounds of EC I did the cold cap both times. It’s bareable. The first 5 to 10 mins you have to grit your teeth and get into abit of a zone but after that it just feels numb.
I was also terrified of loosing my hair, I felt if I did do the cold cap at least I was trying and it gave me abit more control!
However it hasn’t worked for me and I have had to shave my head after the second session. It does work for some and not for others.
Good luck
Annie x
Hi AliOG, I didn’t bother in the end. All the way up until I went for a tour I wanted the cold cap. When I went around ward and chat with nurses she let me try it on and I really didn’t like it. When I weighed up pros (not many) I decided not too. The drugs I had for first 3 cycles are very unforgiving on the hair and I move to weeklys next so cant use it then anyway so I was just prolonging the inevitable. Maybe ask to try it on and see how you feel and decide how important keeping your hair maybe a bit longer is? Ask your nurse how long it will add to your treatment too. It’s quite surprising how quickly you want rid of you hair when it starts coming out its really annoying more than anything.
Hi Alice, I cold capped for the first two treatments and still have a very thin, very short blonde bob so maybe it helped a bit. It’s quite fluffy, like baby hair and since round 3 (where I didn’t cold cap) not much more has come out.The cold cap has to be worn half an hour before treatment and 2 hours after so prolongs treatment time. The cold didn’t bother me ( it’s prob better in the summer) but cap is heavy and gave me a headache. To be honest although I have some hair you can’t do anything with it and like Katie when it was coming out I found it really annoying and was glad to get it cut and start wearing a wig as it made me feel more like me.
Have lost leg hair and under armpits is thinning so that’s a benefit. Ha ha - no border strimming for me either.
Eyelashes and eyebrows are hanging on too - I really don’t want those to go.
Katie - must be tough when you get sleepless nights on top of everything else. I admire all you ladies with young children to look after, it can’t be easy, at least my daughter can look after herself!
Thanks so much for all of those responses. I’ll see what they say when I go round the ward and try it on but the more I think about it, the more I don’t think I can be bothered with it. We’ll see. I am having my hair cut next week by a woman who is the same age as me (46) and has been cutting my for about 7 years. We have daughters the same age and we’re pretty close now. I spend more time in that salon than I do with my best friends! She has been great and is going to give me a shorter cut on Tuesday. I’m hoping for Annie Lennox circa 1982 but will probably look more like Prisoner Cell Block H! Anyway, thanks for all the comments. It really does help. I’ve been keeping a bit of an eye on your conversation (sorry if that sounds like stalking) because I’m due to start at the end of June and it’s useful to know what you ladies have gone through so far.
I’ll keep you posted on the cold cap front but my chilly bones are already quaking at the thought of it!
Round 2 done. I don’t cold cap as with stage 3 I wanted it to get everywhere. That said when the air conditioning wasn’t working properly today it might have been quite pleasant… I have a fine fuzz on my head. Onc said that eye brows and lashes are the last to go. Big sympathy with the night terrors Katie, my lad gets them and they’re bizarre and distressing. Even though he’s asleep (while sitting up screaming and thrashing) I find talking to him settles him down after a few minutes. X
xx