Is anyone else starting chemo this month? I’m due to start on 11 May.
I’ve been having a read through some of the other threads and looks like I’m on a less common regimen - I’m going to be having six 3-weekly cycles of Docetaxel, Carboplatin, Trastuzumab (Herceptin), and Pertuzumab. I haven’t had surgery yet as my team decided it would be better to have chemo first - I was a bit gutted about that as I was already booked in to have it a couple of weeks ago. I’m waiting for the results of a second biopsy as an MRI scan showed that the tumour might be larger than they thought. I should get that back this week and will find out if I can still have a lumpectomy or if I’ll need a mastectomy when chemo has finished.
I’m glad that I’ll be getting on with chemo soon. Though I am quite nervous (understatement) about the side effects. Weirdly, the chance of losing my nails is pretty horrifying - I didn’t know that was a thing!
soggs Sorry you find yourself on here. I painted my nails black and kept all my fingernails and just lost couple toe nails. Others on here have used other things and kept their nails and I’m sure they will pop on here and let you know what they used Take it a treatment at a time, step by step. Ask away on here we and bcn are here for you Shi xx
Yes; I’m due to start this month too. I’m having 4 EC every two weeks, then 12 weekly paclitaxel. Not sure what to expect and panicking about the picc line as I hate veins, just trying to make a list of things I’ll need. We can do this xx
Hey I’m starting chemo on Thursday. After all the discussions and worries over the last 2 months I’m very glad to be finally getting this show on the road to get this cancer out of my body.
I’m on an 18 week programme starting with EC every 3 weeks for 4 cycles and then the last 3 cycles are Packitaxel and Carboplatin.
Nervous of the unknown of it all and feels so strange setting off on this journey when I feel well just now!
I’ve a tour of the chemo ward tomorrow which hopefully answer some of my last questions to get my list of what to bring with me together.
Hi everyone. I start my chemo on 12th May. I found a lump at the end of March and was diagnosed 19th April. ER & PR negative, HER2 positive, grade 2. The main lump is 20mm and there are some other lesions within the breast and also found in lymph node. Because of this I am having chemo first, then a mastectomy and will continue on targeted therapy for HER2 for a year.
I’m going to be having 3 cycles of EC every 3 weeks and then 3 cycles of Docetaxel, Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab.
I’ve been reading the other threads for recommendations and have bought polybalm for nails and udderly smooth extra care for skin so far and a few hats/beanies.
<!-- /data/user/0/com.samsung.android.app.notes/files/clipdata/clipdata_bodytext_220502_195023_029.sdocx –>
I am in @Soggs52 starting 10 May, 4 x EC every 3 weeks followed by 12 x weekly Paclitaxel. Not a journey I wanted to be on but happy to share the ride. I had surgery in March, wide area excision and sentinel node biopsy for an 18mm triple negative tumour. Nodes and margin clear.
Newbie here. I’m due to start on the 27th May & I’m really struggling with what’s ahead of me. I can’t calm myself, I’m struggling to sleep, and my panic levels are so high.
My first cycle will be EC x 4 every 2 weeks, then Paclitaxel weekly with a dose of Carboplatin every 3rd week for 12 weeks. It feels like a lot, will be 20 weeks in total with a 2-week break. I worry my body and my mind won’t be able to sustain it…
I’ve already started reading some of these threads and they’re helping a lot but i’m just so scared still.
Hoping being part of a community will make me feel less alone as I navigate this xx
I started on May 16th, HER2+ (as I think you are too - with that chemo regime?)
I’m having 4 x cycles every 2 weeks (EC - which seems to be known as the ‘red devil’) then 12 weekly cycles alongside Herceptin & Pertuzumab. I’m on day 10, and pretty much back to normal. It wasn’t awful, but I’m guessing cumulative effect will kick in.
how you doing? hope your nails are still on and that it wasn’t too brutal to you.
I meant to write on this earlier, but I started EC chemo on 23rd May. I’ll be doing 4 cycles, and just over a week into it now. I got diagnosed with grade 2 invasive lobular breast cancer at the end of Jan, I had a lumpectomy & SNB mid-Feb, did fertility preservation through April, onto chemo now, and will then have radiotherapy & hormone therapy. So maybe half way’ish in my active treatment timeline?
I hope everyone is managing side effects ok. For me all my side effects have come in waves, the one I am grappling with most today is bone pain from the immunity injections I am on. Well coupled with nasty period pain (which I didn’t think was supposed to happen on chemo!? Women just can not catch a break!). Potentially TMI, but at the same time, we will all have ‘flashed’ doctors/surgeons/consultants so many times by now, I feel like TMI doesn’t even exist any more
A little check in with all the lovely people who started chemo in May. I hope everyone is well and am guessing most of you have had or are approaching your second cycle (certainly those of us on 3-weekly or 2-weekly regimes).
I am on day 8 of EC cycle 2. So far it’s been very similar to the first one, with the added bonus that taking peppermint oil daily seems to have minimised the IBS type symptoms I had during the Filgrastim phase of cycle 1. On the downside, I seem to have lost the edge off of my taste this time, whereas it more or less survived the first cycle. I am still eating normally but just not really enjoying a lot of things. A couple of attempts to drink a glass of wine have left me very disappointed! Last time, I was able to build my exercise up to something close to normal by about day 11 or 12 and am hoping that is the case this time around too. We have booked to go on a short break (staying in a privately rented property) 2-3 hours drive away for the last part of the cycle to try to make the most of the better days, and to try to celebrate our wedding anniversary, just hoping our typically mixed English summer sorts itself out in time.
Hi, I’ve just come across this site and so glad I did. I started chemo on 23rd May TCH, I have had 2 cycles so far, next is 4th July. I am having 6 cycles in total every 3 weeks. I was diagnosed on 3rd March, 11 days before I turned 50… I could think of better presents! Anyway I have er+ Pr+ and Her2+, had lumpectomy on 5th April, currently having chemo, to be followed by a margin surgery and for dessert 4 weeks of radiotherapy. Still can’t get my head around the whole thing, breast cancer happens to other people right? So good to read the positivity on this thread, hope you don’t mind me joining,
Hiya everyone. I started 14th May, fortnightly EC for 4 cycles with I’ve just finished last Saturday.
due to start weekly pax/carbo on the 11th July for 12 weeks with carbo added every 3rd week. I’m really nervous about the new lot of chemo-I was one of the lucky ones and didn’t suffer too badly on EC, I was cooking the Sunday roast the day after! Had general tiredness the day after the steroids ran out, a few mouth ulcers too.
didn’t like the 7 days of filgrastim injections-the bone pain from them was horrible!
A bit about me anyway-diagnosed with stage 3 triple negative in April. Lymph nodes affected but no spread anywhere else-and my oncologist told me they are treating me to cure me. No ifs no buts-those exact words. Will be having a mastectomy end October/November then radiotherapy in January. If there is still evidence of active cancer in the cells after the op I will be on cape for a further 3 months or so.
sorry you are going through it all. The waiting is such a drag. I had the chemo before surgery also and felt a bit shocked at that. Had a grade2 2.5cm tumour without nodes. Had my bag all packed for the hospital and mastectomy and they said “no. Chemo first”. I was gutted. Same regime as you without carboplatin. Was down for 4 or 6 rounds depending on monitoring results
However after 3 rounds I fell and broke my humerus. I was devastated to be told they couldn’t do any more chemo because of the fracture. After surgery though, the histology revealed complete resolution of the tumour. So now I feel that the fracture (which healed perfectly) was the best thing that ever happened.
So this was just to say those chemo agents are soo…. powerful. You will get loads of things to help you deal with any side effects (which are different for everyone). Just keep imagining how the chemo is zapping the tumour and take some comfort from that. It all goes by faster than you think and will seem like a big blur when you are looking back years later like me. Oh, and I didn’t lose my nails by the way
