Hi Jo, I’m also a September starter, I’m going to the chemo ward tomorrow. Also have ER+ PR+ HER2- which has spread to my lymph nodes but they are doing the mascectomy after the chemo for me. Also have two young children, single mum. Incredibly worried about infections. Found some lists in these forums, I’ve amalgamated those…i know the consultant recommended a plain moisturiser like aveeno, but I hadn’t thought about shower products yet! Xx thinking of you x
Hello all, I will be starting FEC-T on the 11th Sept. I was wondering if anyone is planning on taking any supplements during chemo as i know this is often advised against in case of contraindications? X
Thank you Sue and Nikki for that advice, We’ve had a lot of support from friends with kids and food post mastectomy so didn’t want to overburden people with additional childcare duties if unnecessary, but sounds like it may be wise to prepare for the worst. My husband is around but finds the kids hard work on a normal day… Unfortunately we are hosting a kids birthday party at home in middle of month. Would be a shame if I have to retreat upstairs, but hope people will understand.
And thanks for advice re parabens- will save my toiletries for the post chemo phase after Christmas. I was advised not to take any supplements. And no grapefruit or Seville oranges.
Michelle, I hope all goes well for you tomorrow (or rather today- I’m not sleeping well). That must be tough doing this as a single parent- I do hope you have family and friends to help out? I would have had chemo up front but at that point the drs didn’t realise my cancer was so big or aggressive. At least you will know whether the chemo is working if tumour shrinks.
My other query for the old timers is around black nail varnish- is there any evidence that it works please? There appears to be a lot of conflicting views, I have bought something called Evonail which is a nail strengthener but wondered if there is value on painting nails on top?
I’m also a bit concerned about the steroid induced weight gain- being fat, bald and one boobed doesn’t feel like a fun prospect but guess it is a minor issue in the scale of things! Better to be alive.
Love,
Jo
Hi everyone,
Early start today for me too - think it’s due to the steroids I started yesterday in preparation for chemo today.
I don’t know how old everyone on here is, but i certainly didn’t expect to be losing my hair and in and out of hospital before my 40th birthday!
With regard to weight gain on chemo I am hoping that by eating loads of fruit and veg and fish I will not gain too much weight. There is a great site foodforbreastcancer.com with a recommend food list for people with breast cancer. Also the penny brohn Nourish cookbook has amazing healthy recipes for people with cancer and on chemo. I think weight gain is only likely to be a real problem if we feel so nauseous we reach for the white carbs and cake! I am going to try and do yoga at my local maggies centre and keep up walking the dogs daily too(hopefully).
I haven’t had my surgery yet - I am trying not to think too far ahead but veer between wanting minimal lump removal plus lymph nodes to double mastectomy! My boobs were well past their best after breast feeding 2 kids for 20 months each! The mammogram lady laughed as her hand got stuck in the machine as my boob was squished thinner than her hand!!!
Jo and Michelle, and any others of us with kids - we just need to learn to say yes to any help offered and call in favours if we are bed bound and unable to do our mummy duties. I know I will find that hard. I’ve put some food in the freezer but otherwise it’s hard to know how well we will feel until after round one!
How are you doing Jaqui? Hope you are feeling ok and the bucket is redundant!
Well, off to the Christie at 11am for my first full chemo. I had pertuzamab iv yesterday and feel pretty normal so far!
We will get through this, and come out the other end even stronger!
Cath x
Oh and thanks Anniej for all that great advice! It definitely a learning curve!
Morning all
Wow…we’ve had a few early starters this morning!
Just wanted to welcome Gooders Gold to the thread.
I think supplements are generally a no no, but maybe others can help me out here?
Nail varnish…i used Hard as Nails strengthener which is just a clear nail varnish. I found my nails were abit brittle throughout and sometimes they split. So I just kept them short and the varnish did it’s job.
Weight gain…i think the steroids can increase your appetite but that’s short lived. I think sometimes because of the nausea, you don’t really feel like eating much. So I would say, overall, the weight evens out. I remember my chemo nurse saying to me, eat whatever you fancy and keep up the calories because some days you might not want to eat much. Unfortunately(or fortunately) I didn’t really have any of those days, so I did put weight on!
Best wishes Cath today. Take it easy.
Sue xx
Hi
I had a tumour removed and three lymph nodes, at result day it was found that cancer was in one of the nodes so two weeks later I had all the nodes removed and they were all found to be clear. So it was very good news for me. However, I still have to have chemotherapy and radio therapy. I see the chemo nurses next week so will know more about the regime.
I have been reading so much about what will and could be coming up for me. Can anyone offer any advise on the cooling cap and having a picc line (I am needle phobic). Thank you.
Hi all,
Hope everyone who started chemo yesterday is ok.
I had my first TCH and felt fine in the hospital and when I left apart from gassy guts from the steroids. Over night I had stomach pains and diarrhoea but the loperamide seems to have sorted that out and since my morning steroids kicked inim back I good form.
Lazy day - bath with Epsom salts now, lunch then an afternoon reading in the hammock - if I can keep the kids from jumping in with me!
Cath x
Ps. Geordie - So Sorry to hear of your diagnosis so close to your wedding. At least it was not before the big day and you have a loving partner to support you through this battlefield.
Jo - enjoy your weekend - go out, have fun, take you mind off what’s to come.
X
Hello ladies, went to hospital yesterday, also starting next week, PICC on Thurs and chemo Fri x good advice on wig fittings, thank you as wasn’t sure how to approach that, although have contacted my hair dresser already for my chemo-cut. Have decided no cold cap, it’s complicated enough already. Too tired to do something exciting with the kids this morning…but will tomorrow, feel the need to make the most of it xx Michelle.
Hi everyone. I am starting on wednesday 6th with picc line being put in on the day before. Im really really nervous of what is to come. I live alone and i am really hoping i can get through ok without being too ill.
Hoping to get some much needed support on here x
Thank you all for your lovely supportive messages 
Day 3 now and still doing fine - just hoping it stays this way when I come off the steroids on Monday!
For those of you asking about PICCs, I recommend having a PICC line right from the start. I did a lot of research before getting mine and decided it was a better option for me rather than attempting to get in through veins every time and risk collapse etc. You may find that your medical team recommend you have this or a port anyway as some regimes are safer this way. I didn’t fancy more surgery and am not bothered about swimming during chemo (infection risk!) so PICC was better. The procedure was nowhere near as bad as I thought it might be. The only minor pain was the local anaesthetic injection and the rest was no big deal. And once it’s in there’s no more injections needed - everything just screws on and off the tube. You need to keep it covered up but the nurses bandage it all up and you can then buy a PICC line cover for when you’re out and about and a Limbo cover for when you shower (you cannot get it wet). I used Livebetterwith to buy mine.
I have also also gone for a cooling cap. Can’t say if it’s working or not yet as it’s only day 2 but it’s only slightly uncomfortable and you get used to it after the first 15 minutes. My oncologist recommended I try it as even if it saves 50% of my hair the regrowth will be much easier. It’s worth getting some pure conditioner, a water spray bottle and a wide tooth comb to prepare your hair, an Alice band to protect your forehead and ears and also cut your hair to above shoulder length before hand.
If you’re worried about hair loss, I’d also recommend having your eyebrows done with semi permanent makeup (you need permission from your oncologist) as soon as possible before starting chemo. It is expensive but I am glad I did this as will look more like me when my eyebrow hair goes!
Hi Cathysid - and everyone who’s joined since Wednesday. It feels like ages since I was last on.It’s been lovely reading all these posts in one go. Sorry to those who have found themselves on here, but welcome too and let’s hope our treatment is smooth and successful!
I’ve had a rough couple of days after my first FEC on Wednesday but have come through the other side now - I hope! I managed to crawl to the bathroom to avoid a sick bucket in my bedroom sanctuary! My sickness med’s just didn’t cover it so I needed a brief stay in the day unit for some IV fluids and stronger anti-sickness yesterday, and they found a water infection too, so all sorted! Becuase you have no idea what to expect, sickness and nausea, I assumed, was just something I had to struggle on with, and tried to until it was unbareable. Needless to say the BCN was appalled that I’d not rang earlier to sort a shift in the med’s - now I know that most side effects can be managed.
Somebody mentioned earlier about the first cycle being scary because of the unkbnown - so true. I found that loss of control feelingso scary & overwhemlimng - bit like childbirth (but without the after fun!). I thought all the genning up I’d done before hand would prepare me - and whilst it did help inform, it’s true to say that no chemo experiences are necessarily the same!
For those talking about PICC’s - I too am needle phobic so it was a must for me! It’s not yielding bloods but everything is swimming through fine. Apparantly this can happen, but they’re not worried - so I’m not. They say they are happy to do another chest x-ray to check next time, but used an analogy - something about a little ’ net curtian’ can sometimes gather at the end of the line in the vein to prevent blood getting up but still letting fluids in…grossing me out even talking about it! Anyway, I’m hopeful it will behave next time! And anyway I am so proud to have handled the GSFC (?) stomach injections daily since - a doddle and for a needle phobe, that it amazing!
Only advice I have - don’t just suffer any side effects that you don’t feel that you are coping with - just ring/ talk to your unit/ BCN immediately and don’t think you should just battle through. I just assumed that feeling bloody awful was inevitable - it seems that most things CAN be managed well. I was stupid (with hindsight) thinking it was part of the course & I had to put up and shut up!
Good luck to those going through the first cycle - and the older hands! Can’t wait to be one of you!
I’m an eighth of the way through!
Hugs galore to you all -
Jacqui xoxoxoxo
Sorry that was a bit of an essay!
Oh - promise last thing! Do drink lots of water - I didn’t and suffered! x
Hi lovely ladies, only just coming through the post chemo fog to be able to re-join this thread. Had my first FEC on Friday and been feeling really rough since. Sickness and nausea the main side effects but also diarrhoea, hot flushes, night sweats and muscle pains mainly in my legs. Because it’s the weekend the out of hours phone service said the only option for me is to go to A&E which I really don’t want to do, so am going to tough it out 'till tomorrow. I’ve also had a splitting headache which I think might be due to the cold cap. I took a blanket with me to the hospital and I’m glad I did as they only had those thin cotton “holey” ones and I was freezing! ? I’m not convinced the nurse put the cap on properly, there was a lot of faffing about and she didn’t seem very confident about what she was doing ? I’m going to wait and see how much hair falls out at the 14-16 day point then decide whether I want to continue with it as I found the whole experience quite painful and uncomfortable (the headache afterwards was the worst though). The other ladies around me who weren’t cold capping seemed to be having a lovely time chatting and laughing and drinking tea, whilst I was swaddles in my blanket unable to move much and couldn’t really talk with the tight strap around my chin ? Anyway sorry for the long moany post, despite 3 hours sleep last night I’m actually beginning to feel a bit better today so hopefully the worst is over. Good luck to everyone 
??xxx
Hi Sue thanks for your advice. I’ve been taking ibuprofen and paracetamol which I was told was ok as long as I check my temp before taking anything, and to go to A&E if it goes up to 38 degrees. There’s no other services in my area at the weekend apart from calling 111. Fell flat on my back this afternoon and whacked my arm quite badly but the district nurse who came out to give me my injection thinks it’s just swollen and bruised. Been putting an ice pack on it and arnica cream. I think I’ll be ok now till tomorrow then I’ll ring my GP and try to get a prescription for cyclozine to see if that helps with the nausea. Just feel like I need a good nights sleep tonight to get through this xxx
Daisy
I think the first cycle is always a shock to the system, both physically and mentally! You will gradually feel better over the next couple of days. Just take it really easy. Xx
Hi all. Im really starting to freak out about this picc line thing. Can someone reassure me. Do you have to have xrays or is it all done by ultrasound. It it really awful…im getting myself in a right state.
Sarah
Hi Sarah
Please don’t worry about the PICC line. I am so pleased I did it - it really was one of the easier things I’ve had to go through so far on this journey and saves so much stress with canulas etc for chemo. A doctor will lie you down on a scanning table and inject you once with a local anaesthetic in the arm. They give your arm a really good clean as the procedure has to be totally sterile then inject you once more with a needle with a tube attached but you don’t really feel anything after the local anaesthetic as they feed in the tube. The doctor and nurse talked to me through the whole thing and put my mind at rest and I didn’t experience any pain or discomfort apart from the initial anaesthetic injection which just slightly stung (and let’s face it - one sting now vs injections every time you have chemo is a great grade off!). They then apply a dressing to it. There was a very red bruise afterwards but nothing too bad and I got used to having the PICC in very quickly - they put them out of the way under your arm as far as possible so you can pretty much get on with life as normal apart from keeping it dry (limbo cover needed). Once it’s in, they can take blood and deliver chemo simply by removing the dressing, unscrewing the top and screwing on the syringes i.e. no needles and no discomfort at all and it protects your veins.
In the interest of full disclosure, I developed a blood clot after having my PICC but there were plenty other risk factors for me and it was picked up quickly by the team as I reported all side effects promptly (slight chest discomfort in my case) - only consequence for me is to self inject daily anti coagulant injections in fatty tissue which I would still far rather have than the trying to find veins for chemo - these injections hurt a lot less than those in the arm! I really hope this doesn’t worry you more as it’s not a big problem for me and it is unlikely to happen to you!
Ange x