This thread is for anyone who starts chemotherapy in September 2022 to share thoughts and experiences.
Hi - this is going to be me.
Had a therapeutic mammoplasty in June for O & P positive grade 3 tumour (discovered during first routine mammogram). Healed well. Oncotype tests came back showing high chance of recurrence so due to start chemo after my first meeting with the Oncologist on the 6th. Radiotherapy will follow afterwards.
Took a good few days of internal debate to decide if it was the right option but I’m now happy with my decision to go ahead.
Done lots of reading and research in preparation as I feel it’s the best way to take a little bit of control.
Looking forward to sharing our experiences 
Starting chemo in a couple of wks and very terrified of the unknown, trying to stay positive and look at it as it’s in ther to kill any remaining cancer cells but the side effects of what is it to come is still giving me anxiety
I’m hoping this will be me - got diagnosed at the end of July and told it has spread to my lymph nodes. Had an ultrasound on my neck today which shows it hasn’t spread that far thankfully! Meeting my oncologist on Thursday for the first time so I’m hoping that will start the ball rolling
Hi everyone
I am 42 and am starting chemo on 16th Sep. I have ER pos, PR neg, Her2 neg, grade 3 IDC, in at least one lymph node. I had a mastectomy with immediate diep reconstruction in Aug and recovery is going well.
I’m having accelerated EC for 4 cycles followed by 4 cycles of Tax. Every other week for 4 months. Then radio. Eeek. Feeling a bit nervous but keen to get on with it and get this all behind me. It will be so nice to share experiences with others going through chemo, though I wish none of you were! Hope you are all doing as well as possible so far xx
Hi everyone, I start chemo on Monday. Nervous, but ready to start this journey and hoping I can manage the side effects. I have ER+ PR+ HER2+ breast cancer with lymph nodes. Wishing everyone on here all the best with your treatment.
I’m starting paclitaxel weekly and carboplatin every three weeks on Friday. Also booked in for a bronchoscopy next week to check for possible spread to chest lymph glands. I’ve read a lot and have an army of supplies ready, 2 wigs, beanies, scarves, nail oil, moisturiser, thermometer etc. Had a meltdown yesterday after a 2.5 hour wait to sign consent forms. Looking forward to sharing expereinces, hopefully the good as well as the bad! Good luck to all September starters.
Hi! Can i join your club!
I am 43, married (just!) with 2 kids aged 16 and 12 and 2 English bulldogs. Based in North west England. I was diagnosed with breast cancer on Aug 5th. Started chemo today. ( it was delayed by a week so I could get married!)
I’ll be honest - I have stayed away from the specifics of my diagnosis….it will give me too much to Google! I know I am stage 2, hep2 positive and I have no spread to lymph nodes. Oncologist says it is treatable and they “aim to cure” so I remind myself of that every day. My plan is chemo then surgery.
I had my first chemo today. I have 4 rounds of EC every 3 weeks then 12 weekly sessions of paclitaxel. Simultaneously i will have targeted chemo of Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab. After all this, a lumpectomy is planned.
Chemo was fine today. Everyone was so lovely. I am trying the cold cap so I was actually in clinic for almost 6 hours even though my chemo only took about an hour. I was quite relieved to get started today although I feel wiped out tonight.
Happy to keep on touch via this forum. Hopefully it will help us all through this “bump in the road “ as I like to call it.
Sending loads of love & positive vibes xx
Hi Everyone, I should be starting chemo later this month - it has been pushed back twice this month already and is now pencilled in for Thurs, 22nd (was delayed from 1st and then 8th due to wounds not being healed sufficiently enough following surgery in August).
I will be having 3 x EC followed by 3 x Docetaxel spaced out every 3 weeks, with G-CSF (Filgrastim) throughout too.
I’m hoping for the best but trying to prepare for the not so-nice side-effects.
Hoping to pick up lots of helpful hints and tips to get through this part of the cancer journey and we can be each others virtual support and cheerleaders as we tick off each cycle of chemo treatments.
Wishing everyone well during their treatment. ??
Morning all hope everyone is doing ok. So my chemo was supposed to start Tuesday but couldn’t go ahead as my liver levels ALP were too high suppose to be just over 100 but was 600, so had 2nd lot of bloods done and then told again it couldn’t go ahead Thursday as levels still too high as now 800 so oncologist is referring me to see a liver specialist form next week so he look at my results and how to do the EC chemo. I may be able to start on the palataxal chemo and do the EC once ALP levels are lower so fingers crossed I can start soon. So now on a detox having lots of citrus fruits, more veg, salmon and chicken, walnuts, almonds to get the ALP levels down……No choccy or cakes for me.
Hello all, anyone else started on these filgrastim injections? Blimey day 2 and I feel dreadful.
After seeing my liver doctor this week I’ve had more bloods taken yesterday and he has given me the ok to start my chemo (was due to start few weeks ago). My ALP liver levels still high but he thinks he knows why - possible liver autoimmune problem whereby the bile ducts block, but can you give you tablets for life to slow it down, so will get the results next week. My first cycle will be on Thurs 22nd sept got to be there at 9am. Now having weekly cycles x 12 of palitaxel then approx 3 week break then 4 cycles of the EC. Hope everyone has a restful weekend x
Hello everybody <<slides in late and cheerful as usual>>
I started my chemo on 6th September and have my second dose tomorrow. I am having dose dense treatment which is EC x 4 then Paclitaxel x 4 fortnightly.
I am still in shock as I seem to have signed up to the BOGOF for breast cancer. My first cancer was found in June 2020 and was triple positive. The chemo (FEC-T with Trastuzamab and Pertuzamab) saw it off and it has gone. Last month I was diagnosed with a small grade 3 triple negative cancer on the other side. No relation apparently and no nodes or other spread. I have no family history and no known risk factors and am too old at 62 for genetic testing. It is just a weird freak of fate.
I opted for a port to save my veins and won’t bother with cold capping. My hair all fell out then grew back stronger last time, so I am going for comedy hats this time. I have a wig but it is hot and scratchy.
My hospital is small and friendly and close to home but doesn’t allow visitors to the chemotherapy unit. I don’t mind as DH hates hospitals and gets a bit faint when he visits. I know most of the nurses anyway from last time round. Also my SIL works there and is very good at bringing me coffee and cake from the hospital cafe when needed.
So far I am relieved to find that EC is much gentler than FEC so I am quite well this time.
The aprepitain antinausea drug gives me a headache and the steroids bloat me for a few days. The evil bastard filgrastim injections previously gave me awful chest pains but this time are easier. (I take them out of the fridge an hour before use and take an antihistamine with them. This seems to reduce the side effects). I have been slightly breathless and had to have a lot of naps but I have ridden my ebike to hospital and weeded my allotment and tried to carry on normal life once the first few days are over.
I am lucky that I am now retired, have grown up children and a very helpful DH so I am able to rest when I need to. I am basically gritting my teeth to get through the next six months so I can get back to all the things I love to do, mostly outdoors and adventurous.
Nancy Blackett - Amazon pirate
Hi I’m Karen and new to this site, I am 53 I started my chemo on 1st September 2022. I was diagnosed with Invasive ductile carcinoma tumour nearly 3cm. I had 2 biopsy’s one from tumour and other from Lymph node. It appears that lymph was clear but truly won’t know until surgery. I am Oestrogen negative, progesterone 5/8 positive and HER neg. I am essentially close to a triple neg, bit because of progesterone positive I am not entitled to a gene test. My treatment is weekly PAClitaxel for 12 weeks then 4 rounds of EC every other week then surgery then radiotherapy. I had my 6th Paclitaxel yesterday and so far not so bad. I also had my 1st infusion of Zoleacid for bones. I have been told I am going for a scan on 27th October to see chemo is working and shrunk the tumour. I am really really anxious again now thinking it isn’t worked when I’ve been so positive. Has anyone had the same diagnosis as me? Hello to everyone through this terrible time xxxxxxxxx
Hi, I’m fairly new to this forum. I’ve replied to others, but how do I add my own post, please? Thanks.
I’m very late to this party. Hope it’s ok that I gate crash! I’ve tried to get to know your individual stories and I’m hoping to connect especially with anyone with a similar diagnosis and treatment plan as me.
I was diagnosed 9 August with grade 3 IDC/DCIS HER2+, ER-, one affected lymph node detected. Treatment started 13 September: 3x EC, then 4 x Docetaxel with Phesgo, all 3-weekly with 7 Filgrastim injections on days 2-8, to be followed by lumpectomy and radiotherapy. Phesgo will carry on for 14 more sessions pre- and post-surgery.
I coped with EC really well apart from succumbing to an infection on day 8 of the first cycle. Hospitalised for five days. Neutrophils down to zero. Next 2 EC doses reduced to 80% as a result. I had 3 extra Filgrastim injections in hospital. Worst side effects for me were some loss of taste for a few days (went off sweet food as they tasted odd, Anything savoury/spicy was great), and fatigue, but both were tolerable. I think daily exercises really helped - I took walks every day between 20 and 60 minutes as fatigue allowed.
First Docetaxel on 15 November went well. I had a bit more pain from the Filgrastim, managed with paracetamol and codeine. Taste buds went the other way. Some savoury food tasted foul (inedible) so had to experiment a bit to find things that were palatable. Sweet things were better so I lived on porridge, ice cream, pop corn, etc for a few days! Fatigue after first Doc was much much better. Had some diarrhoea for a couple of days, managed with Imodium.
Second Docetaxel was yesterday. Went well and felt 100% afterwards, lots of energy. Feeling good this morning too. We’ll see what the next few days bring…
Hope you’re all doing as well as can be expected. If you’re struggling, I’m sorry and hope things get more bearable. Most important thing is getting through and getting a good outcome despite the challenges.
Reading through some of the early previous posts, it looks like @MajesticTiger @KMS2022 @Aliwoo82 are possibly in a similar situation to me?
Sorry for long post! Look forward to following everyone’s progress.
Amy
How’s it going @Aliwoo82 ? I tried to wish you luck but the forum was read only all week. @FayeL have you finished yours?
I am through round 3 of Cape but very tired and sore. Nearly half way through and haven’t missed a dose or reduced it yet. It’s hard work though.
Best wishes to all
Nancy
I started abemaciclib 3 months ago. Everything I read said first few weeks worst. I was surprised when my oncologist gave me cycle 2 and said the symptoms would worsen. I went from diarrhoea every 6 days approx to every 3. My third cycle has continued and I now have most days. I dont leave home without my new best friends, wipes and loperamide. Sometimes I need two, usually only one. Going to the cairngorms next week so still thinking about that one ?
A few days very crampy and set up base in the toilet but only a few occasions. Think I still need to work out diet maybe but so far not found pattern with food.
i’m nowhere near giving up but it certainly takes more thought on days out? Gone off food a bit too which has helped shift last few stubborn pounds but need to stop now.
that is my experience, sure there are some worse than me and some better? I’m persevering whilst working full time so can’t be that bad yet. Hope you sail thro your treatment
laura
Hi Laura
Thanks very much for sharing your experience. Sorry to hear that your side effects have worsened, but its good to hear that you’re able to get one with working/ living. I guess we adapt, don’t we?! I get the impression that they have limited experience with the drug where I’m being treated, so whilst it’s not great news that side effects can get worse, I can’t say I’m surprised. Fingers crossed that you continue to manage the side effects. Take care and thanks again
Lisa x
H @Nancy.B well after another failed start (they hadn’t changed my appointment to weds like I requested) I finally started on Thursday. The plus side is I only need 5 (higher) doses now so I’ll be finished on Wednesday. I feel ok on it so far, although they’ve said the fatigue will hit in a couple of weeks. My left breast (where they’re treating) feels a bit swollen and sore, like it did a few weeks ago (post surgery) but we’ve been decorating as well so I may have just done too much! And because we’ve not had enough of hospitals my daughter slipped getting out of a friends hot tub on Friday evening and broke her collarbone! ? so we’ll be factoring fracture clinic visits in with my trips too.
Hope everyone else is doing ok xxx