Metaclopromide works for me, but I only took that after I had used the high strength stuff given for the days following chemo. Have they given you Emend? If not ask for it. Good luck! Kx
Hi pat, I had akynzeo and metaclopromide during my 6 chemos and no nausea or anything and kept my taste buds too. Everyone is different and everyone will have different antisickness meds combos but you need to tell your teams if things aren’t working so they can tweek them to suit you personally, keep ???they will find a combo for you ???
Shi xx
Hi MoDo. I finishe my final T yesterday ? and am due to have rads next. I am also having bisphosphonates starting in November. These are just to strengthen your bones to protect from the longer lasting effects of chemo and menopause.
Aneebel, don’t worry about the chemo. It is very doable. You will be monitored throughout and can ring the help line at any time night or day. If you want to your local charity can also arrange support in terms of a ‘someone like me’ person to talk to or even som counselling if you want. Why don’t you give them a buzz.
Love to all you starters. Stay strong. You have got this. Kxxxx
Oh my darling, please speak to your bc nurse that’s been assigned to you and tell them how this is making you feel. We have all had the fear of the unknown as we started chemo, it’s normal to be feeling this way. People do get through chemo, break it down into 3 week slots, it makes it easier to cope with, you will settle into a routine with it, put a post it up in your kitchen and tick each one off it give you sense of achievement and you will achieve it my darling, we are all here too ???Shi xx
MoDo KEEP AWAY FROM GOOGLE!!! You really must must must talk to someone. Please ring your BCN. It will take them time to ring you back so do it NOW!! They will talk you through it and direct you to someone who can help. It is all scary to start with but as Shi says the fear of the unknown is the problem. Everyone is different and Google will always give you the worst case scenario. Just look on these threads to see that we have coped and come out the other side more or less unscathed! Please please get yourself some help today. Kxxx
Thank you i will ask for that one i wish I could find something to drink other than water any suggestions x
Good idea. A walk will help clear the mind. Glad about Google. Defo find someone to talk to. Sometimes a stranger is better than friend as they fan be more objective. Given your history, is it worth contacting your GP and getting something to calm you down or at least help you sleep? Much love Kxxxx
Pat, a bit of cordial in the water helps and I found sparkling water more palatable. No reason not to drink tea and a glass of wine every now and again won’t hurt!! Kx
How was your picc line insertion, Aneeebel? Thinking of you and wishing you well for your first chemo today. You’ve got this! ???
I hope you’ve managed to get in touch with someone from your team, MoDo, to help with your concerns. We’re all here to help each other through!
The emergency removal of my implant went well. Wound is healing nicely, no more signs of infection. Fingers crossed chemo can finally start next week! (Or, failing that, on the 19th.)
Xox ?
Hi everyone, I hope you don’t mind me jumping on the thread, I found out yesterday I’m due to start Chemo Thursday, we only found out a few days ago I would need chemo and I think I was in complete denial it would happen.
To say I’m terrified would be an understatement, I have so many questions that I’m not actually sure what they are anymore ? but it has been really helpful reading others experiences, I’m not sure what I would have done otherwise! I think my biggest fear is the whole loosing my hair, where do you even start with wigs and scarfs? Has any bought them already do you wait?
Hi sar_ah, sorry you find yourself on here. Ask away on here any questions and if you go back a few pages mai7’s blog is very helpful too. On the wig front if you have a luv u babes dressing up shop near you have a look at their big wig selection that they have (not the fancy dress ones) I was happier in my £14.99 one from there than my real hair one that cost £1,000, just thought I’d let you know so you can save money. A tip for wig trying on is, get the one where you see you, you will know when it’s the one, but saying that I ended up with about 20, coloured ones, tinsel ones at Christmas the works, it was all steroid induced mind, but I have already warned about the shopping frenzies ???Shi xx
Hi Sar_ah. Have you talked to your oncologist about cold cap. It can preserve your hair if you are prepared for the discomfort of an ice pack on your head for a couple of hours! Your local cancer support will guide you toward wigs. You get a voucher towards the cost from nhs. Personally I decided not to bother with a wig. Hair falls out about two weeks in if you don’t cold cap and you should be prepared to brave the shave rather than let it fall out in clumps around the house! I was lucky as my chemo hair loss was in the middle of our lovely summer so I just went bald! Now it is colder and my hair is starting to grow back fluffy I tend to wear semi shaped scarves from Amazon. Again your cancer support centre will probably stick some.
The thought of it all is far worse than the reality. Take all the help and support on offer and ask anything. Are you having FEC-T? Kxxx
Dear MoDo,
I’m popping in from the June 2018 chemo starters thread. Right now in my chemo day unit getting cycle 5 of 7 – and chemo is the first step in my treatment journey.
Reading your posts brought to mind the work of Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, who was a professor of psycholgy at Yale. She wrote a book maybe 15 or 20 years ago called Women Who Think Too Much that offers some concrete approaches for ending overthinking / ruminating spirals that can lead to anxiety and depression. It is complementary to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), though Susan’s field was happiness research (she studied with Martin Seligman, U believe). I found the book very helpful and eye-opening. [Disclosure: I worked with Susan as an editor on one of herlater books, but not on this one, and not with her UK publisher, Piatkus.]
Even with a little arsenal of tools like this, I remain prone to anxiety. For instance, between the time of my diagnosis and presentation of my treatment plan – a very long 36 days – I started having a burning sensation across my chest into one of my shoulder, and I feared that it was the cancer spreading. It felt like my skin was feverish, and it was getting worse each day. During a lymph node biopsy I told the nurse and she demonstrated to me that my skin wasn’t hot by placing her hands on me; in fact, my skin was noticeably cool in comparison. I then did visit the google and discovered that this was an anxiety response – and as I worried about it, I became more anxious, setting off more nerve signals. Knowing this helped break the feedback cycle, and the burning sensation hasn’t returned. It was especially helpful to talk it through with a professional counselor. I saw one at a charity based at my hospital (Helen Rollason Centre in North London).
I have also found some comfort in the rhythm of treatment – and in asking the doctors and nurses questions to help me better understand both treatment and prognosis. At the same time, I’ve had to learn to accept inevitable delays and uncertainties; safety is foremost, and sometimes chemo must be delayed to give you body time to recoup before the next cycle. Rest easy, as you can, if this happens. The doctors’ goal is to kerb the cancer, and they will always have this goal in mind as they set and reset your overall treatment plan.
I am so glad you are going to the drop-in clinic and am sure they will help you find tools to calm and quiet the brain.
Hello ladies I would like to join this thread please!
Quick info I am grade 3 IDC hormone negative, 36 years old with a 4.5 month old baby x
Had my first of four EC chemo’s today, it was much better than I expected and glad I have done the first one now, I think I was working myself up with the unknown.
I tried the cold cap and didn’t find it too bad although it did give me a bit of a headache and still have one now, I was expecting it to be worse than it was so am just hoping it was all on properly and doing its job! I have already bought a wig from my local hairdressers incase my hair does come out. Am very wary/nervous of what the next week will bring in terms of side effects as we all are i guess!
Also wondering how it is going to be looking after my
Baby boy, I have plenty of support and my husbands work has been great and he has plenty of time off with me, just wondering how other people coped with the side effects with young children?
Anyway I look forward to getting advice from others on this thread, and if I can offer any support to others, we have got this ladies! Xxx
Thanks Ktk it’s helps having some idea of where to start, I’m going to def try the cold cap and get some scarfs in preparation and see how I go.
Purp22 I have a 2.5 year old daughter (and a 14year old son) so not quite as tiny we like you have lots of support but it is daunting thinking about day to day life! I’m just trying to look on the positive she may get extra time with the people who she loves and make the most of time we do get together 
Sar_ah thanks for your reply, in some way the children can be a good distraction from chemo and side effects, that is what I am hoping anyway!
I took a towel, fluffy socks, scarf and blanket in preparation for the cold cap but didn’t actually need them, the hospital provided a towel and blanket and they gave me a heat pad for my hand which seemed to be freezing too, that was enough and it was totally doable, I know everyone will find it different however but I am pleased I have given it a go and am keeping my fingers crossed I can keep some hair, we shall see! X
Hi Purp22 and Sar_ah, I have a little one too! My little girl is 14 months old. Hopefully we can share ideas on how to manage chemo whilst caring for a little person/people! Minimising infection risk will be interesting… ??
Xox
Hi Modo
Just popping into the thread…
It’s perfectly normal to feel anxious at this incredibly difficult time. But I just wanted to reassure you that it will be OK. The chemo nurses have to go through all the potential side effects, but the reality is that it is all very unlikely. The chemo nurses will be with you every step of the way. They give the chemo very slowly and will watch for any adverse reaction and will be able to deal with it immediately. Most side effects afterwards, are fatigue and nausea. Not nice but very doable. You will find that after the first cycle, you will feel much better. It’s the fear of the unknown which makes us anxious.
Try to focus on the positives. You are having the medicine to kill off any random cancer cells and that’s good right?
You will get through this.
Sue xx
Hi Aneeebel, thanks for sharing your experience. Well done on getting through it - one session down!
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Glad to hear your first session went well Aneeebel.
It’s so helpful to hear from people who have actually been though it.
I have my pre-assessment Tuesday and start Thursday. What happens at pre assessment? Is it just bloods, weight etc?
I suffer from anemia and a little worried what impact this will have on how I’m feeling, I forgot to ask the consultant when they told me I was having chemo ?♀️