Hi Lou, thank you so much for the welcome! Yes, oddly I’m really looking forward to Christmas here (despite the chemo), today I treated myself and hubby to a big Quality Street advent calendar! Also in overdrive now I feel up to things, although I have had a few dizzy spells when I’ve been rushing around.
I did find that although I haven’t felt sick, I have been ravenous at times, and my stomach feels like it is rumbling from lack of food. I’m belching a lot too, not a great thing.
I have my wig, picked it up this week, an exact colour match to my hair and a slightly shorter style, really happy with it. I didn’t have too much choice as the wig lady asked me what I wanted and brought a small selection in, THE one was in that first batch of wigs, thankfully.
Will be thinking about you next week, as we gear up for round 2.
Had my results back from genetics yesterday and I have the mutated BRCA2 gene! Didn’t think for one minute it would come back positive ? So, once all this chemo is out of the way I’ll be looking at ovaries and boobies surgery, probably just have the whole lot removed - in for a penny and all that ?
Braved the shave on Monday. I honestly thought everyone was exaggerating about the quantity of hair loss - they were not!!! Since I stopped the cold cap it shed like an animal, I would never have believed how much if I hadn’t experienced it!
I’ve got a crimbo dinner with my wonderful work family tonight so will be nice to slap on a bit of make-up and wear my new wig that they all clubbed together and brought for me. They have been amazing and I feel truly blessed to have their support. I will raise a glass to you all ?
I hope you are all doing well and are looking after yourselves.
Hiya ladies and welcome to the new arrivals. Thank you Lisa for checking in on me ? On my 2nd cycle on the trial so had a double dose on Tues (Carboplatin & Paclitaxel) Had to go to bed for a couple of hours when I got home as it did wipe me out. Had indigestion yesterday but rang the chemo line and they prescribed me Lanzoprazole which has done the trick. Feeling good today and going to do some Christmas shopping this afternoon. I agree with feeling ravenous and have actually put 2kg on since starting my treatment on 6th Nov ? I have a good husband who cooks lovely meals and piles it on my plate (a feeder) and I can’t be rude and not scoff the lot ? I also stopped smoking from being diagnosed so could be a factor too (a pity it took that to make me stop) However, it’s the least of my worries and will address it next year when this is all over. I am making an effort to start eating the right things, fruit, veg etc. Altho, from not having any salt or pepper on my dinners at all to using it to add a bit of taste is strange. If anyone is starting to suffer with dry skin I can recommend Aveeno moistourising body wash, I’m finding it’s really lovely on your skin. Some positive info, from having quite a prominent 5cm lump I can barely feel it now which is promising after just one cycle. Take care everyone xx
Hi Lisajane, sorry to hear your BRCA2 test result. ? I know you were doing surgery after chemo anyway, but yes a bigger hurdle to face. I have a friend who opted to have the full mastectomy and ovarian surgery with immediate reconstruction (from her tummy) in the summer and is as right as rain now. I guess your treatment will depend on other things too, like like when they do radiotherapy etc. I have just done the gene test too (think the chances are higher with triple negative BC), but not expecting the results until after Xmas. Have you already had children?
Hi ladies, we’ve gone a bit quiet, hope you are all OK.
Sorry to hear about your BRCA diagnosis Lisajayne. All you can do is take it one step at a time but they will sort you out I’m sure.
Lou, I’ve not seen that book, might have to look it up for company in the dark days, thank you.
Juzcooper, good news on your lump shrinkage, hope that keeps up, good riddance to the lump!
Went to see oncologist the other day and mentioned the healthy appetite, he said it’s a steroid in one of the anti sickness pills and he will tone it down for round two, otherwise I might be found on the kitchen floor, emptying the fridge contents down my neck!
Hair falling out by the handful at 14 days post chemo, I haven’t cut it and am not going to. Got wig at the ready and will just use a wig cap when it thins so much you can see. Surprised at how much I’ve lost and it’s not noticeable yet.
I’m gearing up for round 2 on Thursday, have almost finished Christmas present shopping and most of the wrapping, just cards to think about. It’s nice to have Christmas to get excited about actually, it’s taking my mind off things.
You are good Holeinone to be so Xmas prepared already. Guess I should be doing something about it with my good days (got EC #2 on Weds so making the most of every minute til then) but have been catching up with people instead, going out for coffees and eating cake ? , so glad that the end of this cycle has been a return to normality. I hope it works the same way again next time that I am ok for Xmas week. Have asked my family to send me links to anything I can buy them online as haven’t got the energy for trawling round the shops and think I have a valid reason for not doing cards this year. Will send a donation to The Royal Marsden who are looking after me for the amount I would have spent in cards & postage and ask my friends to send me a WhatsApp greeting instead and do the same. So one less thing to think about when I am crawling from bed to sofa next weekend. Could get a tree before that too, but seems a bit early this weekend…
Hi this is my first post on the site, but I too have triple neg breast cancer and am having chemo first then surgery (as waiting for braca result) then radiotherapy. I had my first chemo two weeks ago and next one this fri. It really wasn’t too bad and I have had a portacath fitted but was under general anaesthetic so all fine. Good luck
I had to wait nine weeks after surgery before I saw an oncologist, she said it was a month waiting list for a port if I wanted one and she was quite keen to get started on the chemo, so I started chemo 11 weeks after surgery. It was a worry, but two oncologist had left and there just wasn’t enough to cover the work load.
I seem to be coping with the dressings better now, just have to wait and see how I get on with the third cycle on Wednesday.
Hope it’s not as bad as the second one was.
Hi Milo, I too have triple negative. Had my surgery first and am just about to have cycle two next week. I hope I don’t end up in hospital again! Hang in there my friend. You are not alone. We are in this together. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Hi Kate day, you are amazing and strong. I too can’t show my daughter anything other than a brave face. Let’s stick together… We’ve got this! One down 5 to go!!!
Hi All, we did go a bit quiet there! Hope everyone is bearing up as most of us are heading towards or just past #cycle2? Sounds like for most of us the side effects have been similar to round 1, to be honest I was expecting worse, woke up to the horror yesterday morning that my 15 year old twins have stinking colds and have woken up this AM with a sore throat and blocked nose so I guess I just wasn’t strong enough to kick that one to the curb, hoping it won’t be too bad, I had my 2nd cycle on Tuesday. Getting in well with the Xmas organisation but very disappointed that I don’t seem to be able to get more than 1 glass of wine down me - i’m usually much more professional! My next one is 18th Dec just hoping I can recover enough in 7 days to enjoy the day - although like you holeinone there will be no problem eating the dinner I find days 3-7 post chemo I can’t stop eating just trying to keep walking too to balance out the weight gain?
Keep well and keep strong team, remember every day is a day closer to your last treatment and we need to get there as physically and mentally strong as we can.
Keep posting it’s great to hear how everyone is doing ?
Day 19 and my hair is coming out now, would have thought sooner as I didn’t cold cap, but still no bald patches so quite presentable. Having family and friends over for a Sunday roast this afternoon but think I’ll leave the cooking to my husband (he likes doing a roast anyway) as I don’t want to risk getting hair in everone’s food ?. Have just watched a tongue-in-cheek YouTube video with my 15-year-old son on how to hoover, so that’s his job for the morning to make the house shipshape and hairless. Hey, if having chemo means I can raise a son who hoovers, that’s not bad - ok, desperately looking for plus points to this crappity crapness but that might be a little one. ?
Milo, hello I’m new too, joined just a couple of days ago. My chemo started the day before yours so our treatment cycles are pretty close.
Sals, hope you hold off that cold! I’m hoping to handle the appetite if the oncologist has tweaked my anti sickness meds for next time, it’s the steroids in one that are the cause of it.
Have had really bad headaches these past few days, I’m waking with them. Trying to up the fluid intake this week and see if it makes the first week of chemo easier. Not looking forward to no sleep and sweaty nights for a week!
Hair loss, I’ve stopped brushing my hair and am washing it gently, as long as there’s still enough to stick out from under a hat I’ll be OK for now. Really hoping to lose leg and armpit hair, like Liloc I’m searching for good points in this :smileymad:
Hi all
I’m still plodding along , trying to fight a cold or whatever it is , no temp at present just that ache sore throat headache so on o have a week to get over it though before next cycle
As for the hair loss we’ll after having so many patches and braving the shave, my hair is now well I’m scared to say appears to be growing and is so blonde it’s nearly white , no leg hair no underarm hair very little lady hair, now will my head hair continue to grow or will I hit day 15 of this cycle and it bloody fall out again let’s see xx
Kateday, keep holding off that cold, you can do it. I keep getting a mini sore throat, it might be the weakened immune system? Good to know about the head hair growing back already, thank you. I’m scrubbing my legs like razy in the shower trying to get the leg hairs to fall out, haven’t shaved in ages especially!
Pigeon, yes my taste buds went very strange for the first week, actually could not stomach a cup of tea and other things tasted odd so stuck to bland and squash for a while. Thank you for the hair info as well, interesting to read it concurs with Kateday.
Tbird, I have no experience of chemo through the hand. Hopefully someone else in the same position may be able to offer better advice. If not, maybe phone your chemo unit if it is causing discomfort?
Think I’ve lost about half my head hair since 14 days after first FEC, although as yet you can’t tell, the bathroom bin knows the truth though!
Hi Tbird
I too am having a cannula in the back of the hand for chemo, although I haven’t had any problems the nurse will only put it in if my hand is warm so they use a heat pad, are they using one on you ?
Tracy x
Hi T-bird, I too have thechemo through a Canucks, I’ve only had 2 cycles but my nurse won’t use the same vein twice - god knows where she will find another 4 as i’m not meant to have anything in the mastectomy side arm, so far she used back of hand, side of wrist so we have inner elbow and then who knows!
I think it’s more about how the cans goes in and where rather than the hemp drugs as I have had 3 operations this year ? 1on my back and 2 for the BC and for these I found the after effects of the canula were one of the most painful!
See if they can use the cans in your inner arm next time I think it’s the boniness if the hand that hurts.
Back to work today for me after my 2nd cycle last Tuesday - not feeling it!
Take care all ?
I’m from the August thread and have just finished my 6 chemo treatments - I had rubbish veins too but they did manage to find enough for me to have all my 6 treatments in one arm. A tip I was given was to drink lots of water the day before and the day of treatment. This is supposed to plump up your veins which will help. As such I used to drink around 6-8 pints of water the day before (plus my usual coffees / juice etc) and then as much as I could manage before my treatment on the day. Keep your hands warm too just before your treatment - the cold makes the veins hide!
and eating cake ? , so glad that the end of this cycle has been a return to normality. I hope it works the same way again next time that I am ok for Xmas week. Have asked my family to send me links to anything I can buy them online as haven’t got the energy for trawling round the shops and think I have a valid reason for not doing cards this year. Will send a donation to The Royal Marsden who are looking after me for the amount I would have spent in cards & postage and ask my friends to send me a WhatsApp greeting instead and do the same. So one less thing to think about when I am crawling from bed to sofa next weekend. Could get a tree before that too, but seems a bit early this weekend…