Sooo beautiful 
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Hi all, @susan501 sorry to hear that you have bone pain 
. I hope that the morphine is helping and you are able to sleep. @misha you look so beautiful.
So really not having a good week. I had to give blood yesterday which is always a bit of a nightmare as they struggle to get enough blood even using a butterfly needle. A few attempts and got some from my hand. Then today I went to have picc line inserted but it kept getting stuck so they had to abort. Needless to say that my arm is now very bruised and sore. They decided that they going to give it another try again tomorrow but Iām really not sure what the point is and that Iām just going to be even more bruised and sore. Has anyone else not been able to have a picc line inserted? I was also due to have the 4th EC tomorrow which was postponed from last Friday so another week with no progress but lots of stress. I understand that I might have to have a port instead. Has anyone had a port fitted?and if so what was the procedure like? I understand that I have to go under for this? Iām feeling so fed up now. I donāt feel like Iām ever going to get to the end as no matter how hard I try everything just seems against me. I hope everyone else is having a better week!
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Hello, I am from March starters.
I had a port fitted and I was aware of everything ,they apply local anesthetiser and small dose of sedation .
It took short time and I went home straight away.
The IVAS team on my hospital are brilliant and so nice and helpful as they keep checking on me almost every 10 days as my scar was healing slowly due to chemotherapy and I am totally fine
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Thank you @sunflower9 I am feeling much better now and ready for 4th paclitaxel next Monday. So sorry to hear about the week you have been having though - what a nightmare Crossing everything for you for a better week next week and sending big hugs x
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@hasnae87 Thank you so much for the reassurance 
.
@susan501 thank you. Iām definitely hoping for a better week next week 
.
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Aw you must be so stressed with all of this. Bruised hands from needles are the worst. Not that painful but justā¦ so invasive. Stay strong tomorrow! Or notā¦ just do what you need to do. Have a cry if you need to.
The hardest part of cancer is to ābe okayā with the unknown. We are so used to plan, execute, have some level of certainty. All the uncertainty around the treatment can definitely make you feel like the world is collapsing, but just remember day by day, you too will get through it!
As for the port procedure: my port got inserted before chemo started and my experience with it is very positive.
The port insertion procedure is scary on paper, I was frightened, but in reality they put you under and you donāt feel anything. Itās just a local anesthetic and a sedative, so you get very sleepy but then you wake up after the procedure and youāre back to normal very quickly (nowhere as woozy as after full anesthesia). Itās like having a good day nap. The procedure itself is about 30min. + ofcourse all the wait time for pre-checks etc. they were able to admin chemo through it the same week as the insertion.
I had to take a few days easy, but then it healed very quickly, and now I still feel it, but I barely notice itās there. For you, given youāre already on chemo thereās a risk it would take longer to heal.
The good thing is they can take bloods through the port as well as give medicines, so they donāt need to look for veins all the time.
Theyāll take it out after chemo and it will leave a small scar just under the collar bone. But who cares about one more scar at this point anyway 
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@sim2 thank you so much for your lovely message 
. However, yesterday turned out to be a new day and although I went in wondering what the point was, the lovely radiologist (I think thatās right) was amazing and able to insert the picc line 
. I did cry but they were happy tears this time and even made the poor radiologist cry too. I literally went from there straight to chemo suite to have my 4th and last round of EC 
. Itās the weirdest feeling of joy at being half way and getting my picc line in, with the dread of knowing that from today I am going to feel like absolute pants until the end of the week. I hope everyone is doing well.
Ps I am sure that the really informative information you have provided will help a lot of people who may be about to have this procedure. The unknown can be scary and itās great to have the reassurance from those that have been there, so thank you.
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Glad your pic line is in and you managed to get your last EC done. Almost half way through now!. Well done.
I too had my 3rd EC on Friday. One more to go, but Iām feeling pretty well so just trying to do smth enjoyable 
although I know come Monday Iāll be just sleeping a lot.
Have a lovely day!
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That is amazing xx
Iām from the March starters. Iāve had a picc line now for 17 weeks and touch wood Iāve had no issues x
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Thatās brilliant news @sunflower9 that everything got sorted and you are halfway through Im the other way round and have my fourth and final paclitaxel tomorrow and then on to EC. Hope everyone is coping in the heat 
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@susan501 thank you. Psychologically itās so nice to get half way and feel like Iām on the count down. Although, the anxiety of wondering what side effects I will have moving onto Paclitaxel are still at the back of my mind. I hope tomorrow goes well for you and that you are enjoying the sunshine.
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Ah I have this anxiety too. Although my doc says paxitaxel should be easier than EC because itās a smaller dose and therefore they can admit it weekly without adverse reactions. However I hear side effects are not as predictable as with EC. We can just hope that it will be smooth sailing.
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Hello lovely ladies, hope everyone is coping in the heat?! Im day 5 after TC and its baaaad this time, hoping i pick up fast after these weepy, tired, sickly days.
Just pushed self to call hospital repeatedly. So cross and finally talked to an angel who may actually have helped me. I need BRCA test done but no one scheduled it. At last picc flush i was told to walk up to Breast Services and ask. They were clueless about what I wanted and told me to write a note on scrap paper and someone would call. No one ever called. Their lines didnāt answer so ive emailed and they already replied to say has been passed on to a nurse.
Then had to book picc flushes and bloods in - whats that all about? They only book 3 and the rest you do yourself. Seems weird as needed weekly. Anyway. Done that.
Then called consultantās secretary to ask about Zoladex injection, which consultant said at first and only appointment would start before chemo. No info since. Asked last consultant call - but with nurse - and no one called back as promised. Secretary really rude and told me to call onc day unit. After 30 mins pressing in 3 different extensions finally spoke to someone who was utterly baffled that i would be asked to arrange for a drug as thatās totally wrong. She has now sent a complaint email, kept me on the line while she went back to secretary, and has now told me secretary will contact me about Zoladex as it was never actually booked in by consultant. Im to call back to this woman if i dont get a call from secretary in a week. First person to actually say āthis is not stuff you should be having to chase, im sorryā.
So. See what happens next. Just got to get through these few post chemo days. Urgh. Xxx thanks for reading my rant! Xxx
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Hi @fancyhooves good to hear from you and hope turtle is doing well. But no need to apologise for ranting - how annoying for you having to deal with all the stuff above not least when youāre suffering from chemo side effects and itās so hot!!! What a nightmare - hope it all gets sorted and you get an apologyš”
I had my 4th and last fortnightly paclitaxel yesterday so halfway through now and on to 4 fortnightly EC. I thought Iād feel good about reaching halfway but the session yesterday was probably the worst - not sure the heat helped as the AC meant everyone in the chemo unit was freezing and for some reason the infusion was uncomfortable for the whole 3 hours although Iād never really noticed it before. I felt really miserable all the way home but at least itās done and feeling better today on my steroids. Thinking about what crazy purchase Iāll make tonight 
. Stay cool xx
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Thank you xx Sorry it was a rough one. There does seem to be so many ups and downs on how you think youll feel and the reality. Still trying to learn the letting go of control, its so hard! X
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@fancyhooves absolutely rant away, thatās what we are here for. Iām so sorry that you have had such a rubbish time and you shouldnāt have to chase things when you are trying to focus on just getting through each day. It is so hard physically and mentally without the extra hurdles and stresses thrown into the mix. Remember you are not alone and there will better times ahead. I hope the turtle is doing well!
@Susan501 glad you are doing well. I hope that there were not too many random purchases 
.
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Oh Fancyhooves. I hope it will get sorted for you soon. How frustratingā¦ itās very disappointing when some staff make you feel like an inconvenience rather than a patient. Thank god for the helpful lady, she sounds like someone who is on it and will sort it out. People like that hold the humanity together
Does anyone else find that with each chemo itās getting a bit harder? Iām post my 3rd EC and I feel Iām just getting more and more tired each time. Been sleeping for 4 days now. Normally, Iād be active Sat/Sun, then sleep Mon/Tue and then start coming round to normal self. But this time round picking the head from the pillow is still a struggle today.
Nauseous feeling was worse this time round too.
Iāve been lying down so much, my bones are unhappy and I am sooo bored, but canāt concentrate enough to do anything productive. I did force myself to go for a walk once a day, but otherwise just sleepingā¦
What are you guys doing to entertain yourselves on the days like this?
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Thanks @anon31429470 9 - Well a couple of sensible purchases including some rosemary oil to hopefully help my hair grow back - but also for some reason some slinky white nightdresses - not sure what I was thinking these steroids really do mess with your head!!
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