This thread is for anyone due to start chemotherapy this month. I’m sure others will be here soon but please introduce yourself and you can all help one another through this phase of your treatment. If you have any questions please post away on here and others in the community will watch over you whilst you are getting started. Once you are into it you’ll be pretty good at helping each other. You can also ask the nurses on this forum if you have any concerns. In the meantime, the top tip is always to stay well hydrated throughout chemo, aiming for 2 litres of water per day and get a thermometer and check your temperature every day.
I finished my chemo in October 2017 and doing very well again now. Here is my story which has some chemo tips on how I coped which were collectively shared from others who had gone through the same from this forum:
If you decide to set up a private group its good to stay on here also during treatment as I know from experience there are some people who watch but don’t immediately pluck up the courage to join in. Your conversations can be a real comfort to others.
If you’re new to the forum, here’s the “Getting Started” advice:
I had my surgery 4 weeks ago and I start chemo next week and the fear of the fear is crippling me. I’ve been told I can try a cold cap for the first 4 session but the second 4 sessions are a different type of chemo so the cold cap won’t work so I’m feeling like is there any point to it? I’ve read so much about the cold caps and just wanted to ask what other people’s experiences of them were.
I had a PICC line put in on Friday, and though I haven’t been given a date yet, I’m pretty sure my first chemo session will be Nov 8th. I’m nervous ! Will be good to connect on here. Am being treated in Hereford.
Hi everyone. I was diagnosed 9/27/21 with breast cancer. Chemo starts late next week. Had a double mastectomy 3 weeks ago. Stage 1 and her2+ With clean lymph nodes. Taxol weekly for 12 weeks along with herceptin. Then herceptin every three weeks for a total of a year. Very nervous about chemo coming up. Anyone else starting a similar treatment plan?
37 years old. ERPR+ her2- stage 2B IDC. I had a lumpectomy on October 20th. During surgery three lymph nodes were tested and two came back positive for cancer. Starting first chemo on November 12th. 4 rounds of AC and 4 rounds of T after that. Trying the penguin cold cap as well. Any advice helps. Thanks.
Quick intro from me - 40 years old, diagnosed end of September with triple positive BC, had mastecomy with reconstruction just over 3wks ago. Recovering well from that. Met with surgeon yesterday for post op results, and in summary I will be having the full shebang with the treatment - due to start chemo this month, followed by lymph node clearance op (they found 2 positive lymph nodes when they did sentinel mode biopsy with mastectomy), followed by radiotherapy. Plus a year of hormone therapy, monthly injections to switch my ovaries off, plus 10yrs of estrogen blocking meds. Will be meeting with my oncologist in the next week or 2 for my chemo plan.
Head is spinning, so much to process! Emotionally/mentally I’m pretty fragile, feels like I’m grieving, but doing my best to hold it together for my kids and loved ones. It all feels so surreal.
You’re all incredible women, and we will help each other through this. Stronger together. We have got this, it hasn’t got us x
I had breast conservation surgery on the 10th of October to remove an oestrogen receptor primary tumour, DCIS and 15 lymph nodes which came back with 11 including cancer cells. Grade 3, stage 3.
I am on a 3 x EC and 3 x Doc, 21 days apart cycle. Then Radiotherapy (not sure yet how long between 1-3 weeks) then Tamoxifen for 10 years.
The first week has been a bit of a rollercoaster - first night nausea, then my neulasta injection which sent my body into an acute high - with a crash on the Sunday like the worst hangover ever, only I hadn’t enjoyed the party the night before!
My sickness has been well managed by the meds (although my husband has become a pharmacist in training as chemo brain meant I really couldn’t get my head around the instructions). No temperature spikes so far, but headaches, lots of headaches. Very interested if anyone else with headaches suffered from migraines previously?
Going into week 2 feeling not too bad, a bit spaced out - but I have felt like I am living in a bubble since diagnosis so that’s nothing new!
x