Hi Ladies, I’m from the May 2012 thread and was you are this time last year. I just wanted to wish you all well and hope you all draw on the great support and humour and friendship from each other that I did from my chemo buddies. You will, like us, all get through this tough time and come out the other side and be where I am now - got my hair back, albeit shorter than before, my energy levels are returning and I feel like ‘me’ again. I’ve just returned from a fantastic holiday to Thailand with my lovely oh and children. Take things one step at a time and get all the help you can during your chemo journey. Wishing you all the very best, Em Xxxx
Hi melrose hope you are recovering well from your op and things go ok for your appt
Redcap i knew you would find your way here hope your ok
pauline hope chemo is going ok for you
emylou i love to hear stories like yours im already thinking of a holiday for next year. must confess shed a few tears this morning when got bone scan appt through for 2wks time but have just enjoyed lovely long walk and nice lunch with my sister and my youngest son xx caz
Hi, I’m from the December chemo thread - we are all just finishing and emerging blinking into the sunlit uplands of Life After Chemo.
We did it, and when times were bad we helped each other through ! So will you ! Best of luck to you all xx
I noticed that several of you are quite anxious about nausea; you may know this already, if you’ve been reading the various chemo threads, but if you KNOW you liable to suffer badly from nausea, and are having FEC, which tends to cause quite severe nausea in many people, then it’s a good plan to ask for intravenous Fosapprepitant (which is the IV form of EMEND) BEFORE your first chemo.
It’s expensive, so normally they use it as a second line anti-emetic - ie you have to prove you really need it by vomiting a lot after your first dose of chemo, and then you get it for your second dose.
I’d already had major vomiting problems with other drugs before chemo, so having read about it on this forum I insisted on having Fosapprepitant up-front before my first dose of FEC, and they were fine about it. That stopped me actually vomiting, but I still had bad nausea, and ended up taking Ondansetron (also expensive) for the entire first week of every cycle (they usually only give you it for 3 days) PLUS Cyclizine PLUS Domperidone - it took all four drugs, plus the steroids, to keep the nausea under control, and each cycle it lasted for nearly 2 weeks.
I was a pretty extreme case with the nausea, and hopefully none of you will be the same, but just in case it may be useful for you to know what it took to get the nausea sorted.
Hey ladies,
I would love to join the May thread! I’ve just been going through egg harvesting which is due to be done Monday!! Fingers crossed there will be a few eggs there to go in the freezer!! It has been a great distraction in the last couple of weeks, feel like I’ve been doing something constructive for my future!!
Now just waiting for a chemo start date in the next couple of weeks! Pretty scared in truth ladies and my oncologist just made me feel that she wanted me in and out which didn’t help!
I would really love to go through this experience with some of the fantastically brave ladies I have seen on here!! I will be having 3x FEC and 3 x Tax then 15 x rads and 18 x Herceptin!
I’m 32 and finding it really hard to be with my friends at the mo, they are getting on with their lives, having kids etc and I just feel my life is on hold!
Would be great to have some support, my family are lovely but we don’t really talk that much and not sure how they are going to cope! Just going to do my very best to keep positive and take each day at a time!! 
Big hugs to all of you
Xxx
Hi sunshine welcome on board gosh youve been going through a lot on top of all of this but as you say when it is something as positive as egg harvesting you at least feel you are doing something
Sorry to hear your oncologist made you feel rushed hopefully just an off day for her,though thats no excuse !Have you had surgery already ?
Stay positive sunshine lots of love caz xx
Hi everyone, there are a few of us for May already and all in the same boat. So glad we are here for each other.
Just want to say a huge thank you to all of you who have already been through the treatment and giving us your support.
Caz, I laughed at the vajazzled.
Does anyone else cry when anyone is nice to them? xxx
I’m overwhelmed by how lovely everyone is to me Redcap. Don’t feel I deserve such attention really.
Sunshine, you have been on a journey already. Amazing what science can do for us nowadays and such promise for your future after you’ve beaten the beast!
Caz, have we decided on a name. Will need to rename the thread Poems so kindly started for us ladies. The AAA’s have been inspirational. I too like May Moonbeams(shining through xx)
Emma x
Hi Caz,
Yeah I’ve had my surgery, had a MX and the surgeon took 4 lymph nodes, 2 of which showed micromets so they did a full ANC!
Thankfully they were all clear!! I have quite enjoyed the fertility treatment, it has given me something to focus on which I’m hoping will bring happiness in the future!! keeping everything crossed that they get some eggs tomorrow!
Hi Redcap, I’m so grateful for this site and the support and words of wisdom too!! I know I will need it as I have been feeling pretty lonely lately! The temptation is to shut the rest of the world out until I feel more like me again!
My husband has been fab but his Dad has been in hospital with a chest pains and a blood clot so I don’t want to dump all my crap on him!! I am trying to go into work as much as I can for now as this helps to pass the time and at least makes me feel as though I am being constructive!! on my own though, it doesn’t take much for me to be I tears - guess I can blame hormones though!! Fab excuse!!
Emma, I love May’s Moonbeams for a name!! Sounds perfect!!
I think I need to make myself a shopping list ready for chemo! Going to read through the fab AAA thread again for tips!! I see black nail varnish needs to be on there!!
Love to all you strong ladies - it will help hugely to lean on each other and to not be alone on this journey!!
Big cyber hugs to you all and to all those who popped in from other threads to wish us luck!!
Jill xxx
Morning everyone will be thinking of you tomorrow jill
,looks like mays moonbeams is becoming popular(like the idea of shining through- emma)
Have been reading through lovely AAAs threads for ideas and tips and its been so useful .Could i just let u know one thing i found out i had said to my sister that i was going to get licorice for constipation once tment started and she told me she had seen an article about possible side effects esp for over 40,s so googled it and low and behold certainly does sound that for some people it may cause probs (they will be selling it on the top shelf with lads mags at this rate lol)
Its lovely to know that we have this forum and my family, friends and girls from work have been brilliant i could not ask for more. xx caz
Hi all,
I had heard that some of the drugs can give you the runs so we won’t know if we are coming or going LOL.
For constipation, I find the best thing is a spoonful of Linseeds. They taste nice and nutty and are gentle on the old stomach. Don,t know if it is ok to eat them.
Have a brilliant day everyone. Redcap xxx
Caz would love to know what is in your vajazzeled kit? (Can’t spell lol )
May moonbeams sounds lovely
have a good day everyone and enjoy the sun if you have it
Marie
Marie im a good irish girl the vajazzle will be going on my bald head and nowhere else!
enjoy the lovely weather the sun is out and just back from a lovely beach walk with my dogs weve another few days grace before we become bald, vomiting, bowel obsessed mad women 
xx take care everyone caz
Hi Cazd, Marie, Deb, Emma, Redcap and Sunshine - so there is six of us now then! Just catching up - I might be tempted to get a verjazzle kit (I’ll try anything once!), don’t like liquorish though so won’t be going there.
I Like the name May Moonbeams, seems to conjure up a picture of fairies dancing around toadstools in a moonlit glade for some reason, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
Hope everyone’s doing okay today.
I managed to plant some Aubrietia today, only three plants, i have a very large garden and its mostly me who does it, so I will probably overdo it at some point, but its so frustrating to see the weeds growing and bushes growing untidy! Sorry, calming down now.
Anyway, like I said, I’ve just caught up with everybody’s posts and was wondering how those of you who have had node clearance are doing? I’m 3 weeks post op now, most of the swelling from the left over fluid has gone down now, but does anyone else have that cording thing? When my arm is at full stretch you can see something stretching in my armpit and I can feel the stretch right down to my wrist when doing the walk up the wall exercise. It’s strange and then there’s the numb bits they’re weird too, still feels like I’m squashing something under my arm, anyone know what I mean? It’s not painful, just strange.
Alex
Hi lexi funny you mentioning cording its driving me a bit mad i have thin strip about a cm across from my axilla down to my wrist normal activities are no bother but if i stretch or do the physio exercises it is very sore feels very tight i feel if i could just snap it all would be ok(wont be trying that anytime soon)
It isnt raised but when i press gently on that area the whole way down it feels v bruised im going to hosp on tue to see physio as i only had the 4 glands out i need to get it sorted before i head back after chemo for the full clearance xxcaz
Hello everyone, like the May Moonbeams, shall we ask the moderator to change the thread name?
Alex & Caz, I had cording, and found the exercises tough and it set my teeth on edge to feel it pull when if I forgot and reached out for something. Strangely though after my second op it really improved, and I think when I was under they must have had to move my arm out of the way and managed to stretch it for me! That might seem mad, but I can’t find any other explanation for the sudden improvement. The cording then moved between elbow and wrist and had gradually improved so now just a tiny bit now and again. Still a bit of stiffness in my shoulder though and have another pysio appointment.
Hi Pauline, hope things are going well for you and all the Angels.
xx
Afternoon Ladies
I’m from the december 2012 thread and im at day 12 post my last chemo. you can do it!
If you want some tips from an old pro as it were here goes:
1 You will get a sore mouth and Difflam is fab but i found that using corsodyl mouthwash the day before chemo and for 10 days after really helped
2 ask your doc for omeprazole as it really helps with the stomach probs
3 i wasnt sick once - but was very nauseous. sipping full fat coke through a straw and eating haribo really helped
4 ask your doc for movicol - gentlest constipation cure !
5 Rest rest rest ! do what your body tells youto do!
good luck!
QD
Morning everyone,
Feeling jittery this morning and haven’t even seen the Oncologist yet. It’s the waiting game.
Love your profile pic Queen Drama.
So I have been teling myself, I may have a sore throat, dry eyes, be or feel sick, feel shattered, be constipated or have the runs and lose my hair.
We can cope with that ladies xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Morning everyone - sunshine i hope you come on tonight with great news re your egg harvesting today 
Redcap all the best for your appt at least you will know exactly whats happening treatment wise .Im up for my preassessment on 7th may i have seen the onco and now the delay seems to be the ward actually being able to get me started which i find bit frustrating.
im heading out to see love is all you need apparently its a" slice of sheer life-affirming magic" just what the doctor ordered i think -Take care caz xx
Hi May Moonbeams!
I hope sunshine and Redcap’s appointments went well. Let us know.
I’m not having a good day. 6 days after mx and feels like I’ve a new boob growing. And the pain and discomfort is nauseating. Off to hospital to hopefully have it drained and get some relief. Talking of relief I still haven’t ‘been’ ( said in a quiet whisper!) since my op. Tried loads of different things and am expecting to explode at a given notice. Who suggested linseeds? Can I get them from the supermarket?
Luckily no otherproblems at the moment. Good to know about cording, although obviously notnice for those who have it. Its good to be aware of what to look out for.
Xxx
Talking of relief I suffered from this it is probably the painkillers ask if there are any alternative painkillers also obtained sachets from gp I totally sympathise with you it makes you feel far worse although not of serious concern to the medics. Hope you get sorted best wishes Pam