Welcome @mumto2
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Ah @bluehourd nice to meet someone with similar treatment at the same time ( well sort of no one wants to be going through this do they 
) fingers crossed for the 6th for you, will be good to know how you get on x
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nice to meet you, welcome to this lovely groupā¦ā¦ we donāt want to be here but it does give us some comfort and support and it really has helped me. Speak more tomorrow!!
Sleep well!! Xxxx
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Welcome to the fold @mumto2 
Iām on nab paclitaxel 3 weekly and I was terrified ā¦ literally terrified ā¦ I had my first infusion on 22 nd November and I neednāt have been so scared ā¦ itās that fear of the unknown thingā¦ I had a mild reaction to the herceptin jab (Iām her2 pos) which they sorted straight away and the rest was uneventful ā¦ I went home , had my anti sickness meds and face planted a pizza 
ā¦
I havenāt actually felt sick at all ā¦ side effects kicked in from two days later and were mainly stomach cramps , muscle pain and heartburn ā¦ I did get a chemo rash too ā¦ Iāll be prepared next time and will make sure I have good painkillers and antacids as well as buscopan ā¦ Iām feeling okish today and went for a walk round Avebury x
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flojo I pretended I went into a chrysalis phase during chemo and then once chemo was done and as hair grew back pretended to be a butterfly when the come out of their chrysalis and let their wings dry and as hair grew back it can be a bit like a kinder surprise you donāt know how hair will come back, straight, curly, same colour different colour itās all a surprise I found looking deep into my eyes in the mirror, I could still see me even though reflection at the time didnāt resemble me, I was still in there 
sending 
Shi xx
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Had my first dose of doxetaxol phesgo and herceptin on Tuesday the 26th Nov, had my bloods dobe this morning and they phoned to say my levels are low. Did anyoneās have this ? I think i feel okay not got a temp just been coughing and snotty. But i think this is cause of the leaky nose running down my throat x
Thank you. Thatās lovely. I just hate the way I look. It strips you of every shred of yourself. I am dreading my hair growing back curly grey - I have just hit 60 but I have very little grey hair - my dad didnāt turn grey until he was about 70 so think I got his genes on that front. So I might go from a bald potato head to a grey rinse old lady! I am working from home so interesting trying to avoid face-to-face Teams calls. I put my wig on today for the team. XX
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@mumto2 Iām sorry you find yourself here but Iām sure there will be many others joining you in the December group along with @bluehourd . I was diagnosed in May 2023 and joined the June chemo starters as I thought I was having chemo first then surgery and ended the other way around so joined the September group. I found it helpful to listen to the conversations and join in when I could and I feel it helped me when I eventually started my chemo treatment. You can be in both threads and get to know more lovely people.
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Thanks @arty1 that description of your first one gave me hope and made me laugh with the pizza face plant - may be my plan too !
Been to visit the unit today and pick up my meds for next week before having a portacath fitted on Friday - nurses were lovely so feel a bit more relaxed although I know I will be popping myself when I go sit on that chair for the first time x
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Thanks @naughty_boob - love that handle by the way. Iāve renamed my friends and family the shitty titty brigade - you have to have a sense of humour well I do to get me through this.
There are so many lovely people on here and although I would rather not need it as I am sure we all do, I feel honoured to be among such supportive and strong women x
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Just thought Iād share my experience of shaving my hair off over the weekendā¦ My hair started shedding on Thursday, so I decided that Saturday I would do it. By then my head was feeling different (canāt really describe it) so getting the hair off felt like a relief. I do quite like the outcome and am contemplating sticking with this when it starts coming backā¦ it certainly would make eating ice cream in the British weather so much easierā¦ 
Anyways, what I really wanted to share is this: today I opened the door to unsuspecting neighbours, delivery people, postmen, and the district nurse. none of them flinched, or recoiled, or showed in any other way that they found it odd seeing an almost bald woman.
I also took part in an online meeting with my team mates at work, who all were treating me like normal. I did think about covering up beforehand, but then I thought sod this, they know I am getting chemo anyways, might as well show the scars of life!
So, while you all need to do what you feel is right, it is very likely that we worry way too much about what others might think.
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flojo i was a wig girl all the way and had tinsel wigs for Christmas too, I had steriodxshopping finger during chemo and couldnāt stop buying wigs off amazon 
pink bob, blue bob, game of thrones wig tge lot 
Have you booked your look good feel better session at your local Macmillan yet? Your doing your best and thatās all any of us have done so be kind to yourself Shi xx
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Thanks Shi! I havenāt looked at that, but will do - still feels like a way to go yet! I like the steroid shopping finger idea - I definitely have that! xx
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Well done for braving the shave and being so bold about it. Youāre right, most people are more worried about themselves than what others look like. xx
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@mumto2 Honestly once youāve got that first session done ā¦ youāll fear a lot of fear ebb away ā¦ itās the fear of the unknown ā¦ but once youāve nailed that first one ā¦ you know what to expect and actually the reality is . A boring few hours at hospital (I did get two cups of tea out if it too ! )
Apart from my mild reaction to the herceptin the rest was boringly uneventful 
@couchpotato well done for braving the shave ā¦ itās true that people actually take a hell of a lot less notice if us than we think !
I twiddle my hair and while hair twiddling Iām now ending up with the whole lot in my hand having parted company from my head ā¦ I know what you mean about hair feeling weird ā¦ mine feels claggy and odd and everytime I run my hands through it , a load is coming out ā¦ so itās time to shave I think ā¦ I did cut my long hair short at the weekend but itās time to wave bye bye
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Thanks arty , was very real visiting the unit yesterday and coming home with a bag of goodies ( meds , wash for portacath Friday etc) also such a lot to take in. But we are strong and will get through this. I am also a hair twiddler so will have to strap my hands down ! That bit cannot be easy for you so big hugs for the shave xx
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second cycle of EC yesterday and thank goodness feeling so so so much better than last time. Reluctant to count my chickens and all that, but am feeling cautiously optimistic. They adjusted my dose (I think 20% less, which he said wouldnāt make a difference to the effectiveness!). Plus he has sent me home with an upped gamut of pre-emptive meds for all the side effects I has first time Constipation, migraines and headaches, oral thrush. I didnāt eat when I got home this time too which I think really helped. I only managed about 4 hours sleep and then was wide awake on the steroids, but I really donāt mind that as long as Iām not in pain or feeling sick and generally unwell.
I even think I might be milking it staying in bed today!! But again, that could be the steroids - which Iām really noticing on my energy levels compared to last time when I was so unwell. Could mean I crash horribly in a couple of days I guess.
I had my hair cut into a short cool cut properly last thursday just so I could spent some time enjoying a shorter cut as a soft start to the shave. And I went to that party and felt good. Lots of people bizarly interested in the short hair and I just chose who I expanded with about it and who I just smiled and said thank you etc. I must run in a very unadventurous croud in my middle age! I spent most of the 90ās and in fact most of my childhood with short hair. Anyway I keep telling myslef that I am not overly sentimental about my hair, but thatās very easy to say!
@Shi it did make me laugh your comment abour steroid x shopping finger - I have been driving my family mad with all the chrismas present (and things snuck in for me obviosuly!) deliveries!
A question for you all. Worst part about this second cycle was the cannula - they struggled and had to try twice, and I had a bit of a humiliating fainting āturnā which led to chronic yawning and then a little cry!! The nurses all said I was āso sweetā! Anyway what are thoughts on pic line? Iāve requested to have one, but I have quite a queezy thing more about the thought of something being implanted in me than the pain of the procedure. Will i be aware of it all the time once its in or will I be able to mostly forget about it?
Hope you are all surviving!
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