Hi Chas n Dave
Thank you so much for the offer of a donation. They are still coming in. I will pm you my address and if you kindly write a cheque to Prevent Breast Cancer. I will gladly add it to the others❤
Haha Ave Maria!!! What a good idea! I need 3 names! Sorry to hear you have been so tired, it does take it out of you.
Look Good afeel Good is a lovely course and you get to bring about £200 worth of goodies home. Enjoy.xxx
Cathysid
Dont push yourself too hard! Maybe you arent being lazy, its your body telling you to rest. Enjoy Look Good Feel Good too.xx
I had chemo 3 today and have felt veryvtired hut I tjink my charity night on Sunday and getting mum prepared for her flight back home on the same morning has contributed to this!
The treatment was fine and I talked to my drug friends again asking them to go easy on me!!!
I asked for some Aveeno cream as heard its very good. I already have Diprobase ointment which heals wounds and scars too (for my lumpectomy)
But although bloods where ok for treatment they showed a slight raised Enzyme in my Liver.
The nurse asked me if Ive done anything different in the past 3 weeks but I cant think of anything but maybe some herbal tea which Ill stop and see!
She did say however that treatment can affect the Liver and it can go back to normal.
Fingers crossed that whatever it is wont be serious and will go back to normal.
Im already on edge waiting for Colposcopy reults as it is.
But I will keep going and do whatever it takes to get mended.
The best of luck to this weeks chemoers!!!
CK well done on number 3. Hope the liver goes back to normal quickly. Take some time to rest now and recuperate. You have been a busy bee!! I am having treatment number 2 today and feel tired before i have it! I’mm going to start taking the life mel honey tomorrow in an effort to boost my immunity.
Hope your mum travels safely and you dont miss her too much. Get tucked in with some goid tv, magazines or books and rest. Big hugs xxx
How did it go today, chemo ladies?
Ck - hope you are ok after yesterday’s dose and liver is handling it all well. Rest up after your busy weekend!
Cx
3 down 3 to go… Was a bit grim on the veins today… is over though. Am very screensick tonight so will wish you all blessings and be back reading your news soon x take care all
Round two went well and quicker than first. Feeling a little sickly and tired now so tuvked up in bed watching tv.
Mrs meow hope you’re ok. CK you too.
Good night God Bless and hope everyone sleeps well xx
Well done ladies. another one down. hope you all sleep well and feel stronger in the morning xxxxx
Hi ladies!
Had a good straight 6 hours sleep last night after chemo 3 and properly rested today, well with a few phone calls and some paperwork and naps in between! Took my first injection too but not got the aches amd pains yet! Taste buds already funny and tucked into a big bowl of chilli and rice for late lunch and just fancied cheese, ham and tomatoes on toast tonight!
Still have monies and donations coming in so havent got a total yet for both charities Macmillan and Prevent Breast Cancer.
I have booked my mates in to visit in the next few days as they were leaving me to spend more time with mum who has arrived safely back in Hong Kong with her Chicken flavoured Walkers Crisps in her hand luggage which customs shaked all of the 20 bags and she told them to be careful and not to break them,haha!
Anyway, watching Housewives of Cheshire now! I used to serve Leanne Brown when they lived near us but they moved to sonewhere posher?
I hope all you ladies are coping with treatments and renember to get the sweets out to suck on for the dry mouth. Pineapple cubes are my fave at the moment! And I have my sea bands on, whether they contribute or not Im not sure but the nausea has been controllable up til now. Staying off rhe deeo fried foids for now as they give me ulcers.
Hope you have a restful night. Lots of love:heart:
Michelle
Good luck for Friday! Xxx
Meesh
Second session was even more manaeable for me, maybe because the drugs where used to my body.
After cycle 3 yesterday Im still waiting to see whats in store but up to now just tired and dry awful taste in mouth. Sucking on sweets all day!!! And the rosy cheeks but temp fine. The thermometer is by me 24 hours,lol. Good luck for next Tuesdayxxx
Glad you are ok CK. I am awake sucking foxes fruits. It is good to be able to come here when you dont want to wake anyone. I have had sleep but woke with a dry mouth! The thing about chemo is you go in feeling good and come out waiting!!
I am awake thinking about the wonderful medical staff that we meet and the constant criticism and running down of our NHS by this government. Honestly i would double their wages they are so fantastic! The nurses from Clatterbridge meet at the hospital at 8am to collect all the chemo that is set out for each individual patient. They then bring it over to Aintree. When i got there yesterday at 3.15 - 20 minutes late because the onc was running late (she said this time last year there were 9 doing the wed afternoon clinic, now there are 2!!) - there were 16 of us having chemo! The nurses are supposed to finish at 5 to head back to clatterbridge. When i left at 5 there were still 6 people having treatment. They were all amazing. Kind, reassuring, funny and most of all totally professional. A great team and a credit to themselves and the NHS. This is what we have to lose and this is what we should be fighting for.
I am very grateful for the nhs and the excellent breast cancer care xxx
hi Ali - so lovely that there is someone out there! But sorry you are awake too - I am on softmints !
Glad you have had great care - I often imagine if we had to pay for our treatment like in the US - I would have been bankrupt ages ago…
Am sad tonight as my lovely Alaskan bears on Explore.org that have kept me company during steroid or pain filled nights since July have gone as it is snowing in Alaska - my kids think I am weird watching wildlife webcams but I suppose everyone has their ‘thing’! Explore has many other options to watch but it feels like a long passage of time on this journey over seasons - it’s not a quick process is it?
Off to suck another mint - night all x
Hi Mrs M and Ali
Im sucking ginger queasy drops. Glad I’m not alone here!
Feeling pretty sick and awake having slept a fair bit of yesterday evening - had round 3 chemo yesterday afternoon with my ultra efficient nurse Maud. I had finished beside husband had even arrived to keep me company! I have all the antiemetic drugs and my sea bands on and wonder how I’m gong to be able to face any food before steroids. Someone brought round a lovely fish pie for our supper but I couldn’t stomach any of it, or anything else- not even chicken flavoured crisps CK ! Cathy, I hope your nausea has resolved?
i still have a lot of hair in everywhere apart from one armpit. Head hair is spiky from shave and I haven’t got round to washing my wig which is sticky from the spilt morohine. It’s colder down here in the south west so am hoping I won’t look so conspicuous in a hat now!
I did my Look Good Feel Better course on Tues. it was a fun time- not often I get 2 hours to put on make up- in fact since I had head shaved I’ve not been bothering with any. I didn’t learn loads of new techniques (and they have videos on website), but it was enjoyable. Im not sure I’d travel miles to get in sooner elsewhere although for one older lady in the group it was a real confidence booster. And at last there was someone younger than me- a girl with a young baby. She looked amazing. I wasn’t like that 3 months post baby, let alone after 3 rounds of chemo!
i have my dad coming to visit from Oxford today (he is 81 like your mum CK). My brother bought him an I phone 6 recently which is proving a bit of a challenge for him, but at least he has seen me on FaceTime (when he has accidentally called me) , and so won’t get do much of a shock at my new look. It must be very hard as a parent watching your child go through this. I have promised to do my best to outlive him! If only it was that easy- not sure these things are really in our control.
I think flu jabs were mentioned a while back. I had mine a few days before round 2. The kids had injections rather than the standard nasal spray (as that’s a live vaccine), and husband was done too.
My neutrophil coubf has steadily been dropping and was only 1.16 before this round (needs to be one). And I’m anaemic still. We have a lot of people come to our house and kids at school mixing with lots of cold bugs. Am trying to be careful but it’s hard. I try to squirt all visitors with antibacterial gel- the postman looked a bit shocked.
Have 2 hours to kill before the kids come up to play-not sure I’ll be up to the Twister today. Lego mag even be a challenge.
love, jo x
Gosh, I should ha e got my phone out last night while I was lying in bed not sleeping. Looks like we’ve all caught the insomnia bug! I have no idea why I couldn’t sleep - my mind wanted to remortgage the house, sort Xmas shopping, pack for half term hols, all sorts!
Hope you other night owls are catching some rest now! I certainly couldnt play twister with the kids in the week after chemo. The most they get from me is snuggles in my bed and reading! Unfortunately I get very noise sensitive so if they start fighting I just get grumpy and want to leave them to it and read my book in bed. They will have me back next week!
I have escaped the nausea this time - a weeks worth of steroids has kept it at bay. Still had intermittent diarrhoea/indigestion and now at day 6 swollen throat and nose bleeds are returning. My head is still rather dizzy and had a weird ocular migraine where I was seeing flashing rainbows the other night. Hmmm. But all in all round 3 has not been the worst - it is getting slightly better each time to endure.
I have my MRI scan today to check on the progress - haven’t had surgery yet so looking to see if the lump in my boob has shrunk and check on the multiple lymph nodes too. Hoping they are being blasted away! Can’t feel the boob lump any more so hoping the images will be positive news.
When I was diagnosed I was stage 3 grade 3 so really feel I have one shot to get rid of the aggressive little blighter!
Hope you have a good day jo, Ck, Ali, Mrs m, hope all goes well tomorrow Michelle,
Love Cath x
Ps I have nothing but praise for my treatment by the nhs. It’s been first class x
Hello Ladies and welcome to anyone new who has joined since I last posted.
I’ve had a busy time recently, but have missed reading everyone’s posts. Not sure how I found time to work! I was interested in the discussion on sick leave. I went off sick after getting my diagnosis. I don’t feel guilty as I was never off sick and used to battle on even when feeling under the weather. I think individually it’s about making the right decision for yourself, but sometimes putting your self first is what is needed.
Before I had cycle 2, I popped home to Scotland for a few days. I thought it would reassure my parents if they saw that I was feeling well and still eating and drinking okay. My dad is 92, but fit as a fiddle. He does most of the cooking as my mother’s memory is quite bad, though she still supervises. He makes great porridge, made with water and salt, then when it’s in the bowl, single cream poured on top! I know that might sound revolting to those of you who like it sweet, but I couldn’t bear the thought of anything sweet on mine.
I caught up with family members and also had a lovely lunch out with two good friends in Glasgow. I have to confess I was feeling so good, that I probably had one too many drinks. One of my friends actually called it a night before me!
Cycle 2 I had minimal nausea again, but it was a feeling of it just being under the surface. After day 8 I felt great and the bone pain after the GCSF was a bit less than cycle 1. I take the GCSF that is given once after each cycle. I’m glad I started this post as it reminded me I was still to do my injection.My bloods have been fine too. I had an extra set done before I went to Scotland and there was a spike in my white cell count, but I was told this was just the GCSF. It returned to normal before my next cycle.
My hair was coming out from day 15 and I found it oddly satisfying to run my fingers through my hair to see how much more was coming out. Although my hair was really short, I had loads of it and it was becoming a pain, all over my pillow, on my clothes, carpets etc. I decided to take the plunge and went to the hairdresser who got the clippers on it. I got my friend to do a video and it actually felt great when it was all off. I decided that I would walk home with the bald head and it felt strangely empowering. Some little kids did stare, but that was fine. I sent pictures to friends and have had a lot of compliments about having a nice shaped head. I hope I don’t sound insensitive as I know the hair loss is really upsetting for many people and hope anyone who has lost their hair is coping with it. I feel for me, it’s another step forward in the process and I’m becoming more adept at tying scarves thanks to all the youtube videos. I also like how easy it is to wash it in the morning and no need for the hairdryer and styling products.
Food wise I have mainly been eating like a horse. I’ve had loads of mince and tatties and turnips. I’m Scottish, some of us call swedes turnips! I was eating loads of bread with the laughing cow cheese or a really nice bramble jelly I bought in France. My friend was in France recently, so she’s brought me some more back. I’ve tried to cut back a wee bit on the bread as I have put on about 5llbs, but not going to worry too much about that. I have been eating toast with cheddar cheese, thinly sliced tomatoes with white pepper, really yummy. I have also been having egg, chips and beans, fish finger sandwiches so long as it’s haddock ones, ambrosia rice pudding. Basically a lot of comfort food including chocolate, even though I’d normally favour red wine instead.
I had cycle 3 yesterday. Owing to the nausea the oncologist prescribed Emend. I’m glad he did as the nausea felt a bit stronger last night and I was getting those horrible waves you get with nausea. It was tolerable and it didn’t last too long. Had the nausea again this morning, but I’m well dosed up on anti emetics including the Emend. I have discovered Belvoir Farms ginger beer. The first time I tasted it I wasn’t sure as it was really firey. However, it really made a difference to the nausea and I’m really enjoying it now. After cycle 2 eating helped with nausea, but last night I ate very light, just a couple of pieces of irish soda bread with butter and jam. I was fine with breakfast this morning. The nausea has now settled and I’ve just had lunch. Waitrose do a really nice aromatic chicken and coconut soup with wild rice. It’s delicious and had it with more bread!
I’ve had my echo in preparation for Herceptin and it was fine. I did have to laugh when the young technician asked if I had breast implants. I know that is a perfectly normal question, but I did have a giggle to myself as I had therapeutic mammaplasty and symmetrical reduction on the unafeccted side. He must have thought mine looked quite large, but I’ve gone from around a HH to a DD which for me is smallish :smileylol:
I am starting my Herceptin the week after cycle 4 (when I start on docetaxol on 8 November), so as it’s the first one I’ll be in oncology all day. My nurse and oncologist are going to go through the steroid regime and side effects in more detail. I am just trying to keep an open mind about docetaxol as I have had minimal side effects with FEC and any I have had have been well managed. I did have some heartburn and was started on pantoprazole and this completely resolved it.
I can’t believe I am already halfway through, the weeks are just flying by. Good luck to anyone due their next cycle soon and hope anyone who’s just had another cycle are doing well.
Rhona x
Ck, Thanks for the reassurance, I didn’t suffer that much last time so really hope it’ll be the same this time. I worked from home last week and have been in the office this week. Prior to this I had only been to A&E a couple of times. I am also amazed by the treatment I’ve had so far on the NHS, really cannot fault it!
Rhonaboat, glad you’re sailing through your treatment, it’s very encouraging for those just starting on their journey!
Rhona boat - glad you are doing so well and so positive about the hair loss!
Just to say, in Northumberland we agree with the scotts and call the large orange “swede” of down south a turnip, too. I have the swede/ turnip arguamebt regularly with my “southern” Mancunian partner. I could really eat some neeps and tatties actually! The chemo does make you reach for those childhood comfort foods. Loving shepherds pie, jacket potatoes, roast dinners, gnocchi was nice last night with feta, lemon, roast cauliflower, pesto and coriander.
Sorry about all the food talk if anyone is bauseaous right now - do keep pushing if your nausea has not been controlled well by the meds - there are so many anti nausea drugs to try and they have finally got mine right! It’s only mild nausea and taste changes this round.
Off for my MRI scan x
Hi ladies! Day 3 cycle 3 and similar to cycle 2 for now! Emend seems to be controlling any sickness and nausea and wearing sea bands but not sure if need them! I woke up from 2.30am to 4.30am to eat, I went back to sleep and woke up at 9.30am! This will be the steroids, so lets see what tonights sleep pattern is like!
I tucked into my first steak with onions this afternoon since treatment and oh my, did I enjoy it even though it needed to be more well done, I usually have med-rare! I then fell asleep, woke up and had a walk found the block with my ginger cat Merlot folliwing me.He thinks hes a dog!!! When he heard a dog barking he flew up the hedge! What a wuss!
Im now starting on Shepherds Pie and a can of cream soda which is another discovery! Taste buds are not liking water!
My feet are a bit tingly, so I’ve dug out my spa foot massager and going to soak them with Magnesium Flakes b4 bed.
Cathysid, hope MRI tests are good and good to hear from you!
Ali, I was awake when you were, I should’ve come on but ended up watching Four in a bed catch ups instead until I fell asleep! Hope you are coping well.x
Rhonaboat
Good to see you coping well and keeping occupied and loving the choice of food!x
Jow, hope you are coping with nausea. Glad you enjoyed the Look Good Feel Goid. Im enjoying rhe products I brought home. Bless your dad! It will be a shock but they are stronger than we know! Im glad mum saw me manage treatment up to know so she wont worry as much! She still uses the old style phone, touch screen is not for her!x
Mrs Meow
It looks like we were all awake at the same time, dirty stopouts, I wish!!! Hope its as manageable again for you!x
Chas n Dave
I still need 3 names for my wigs! Hope Ava Maria is good! Hope your not as tired but if you are just nap and rest.xx
Meesh, hipe next cycle is just as manageable.xx
I’ve already been given steroids to take a day before Doxataxol which is on Nov 8th for 4th cycle and I need to go the day before for Herceptin! The jab in leg is only a few minutes but need to stay around for 6 hours to see if any reaction, then chemo next day! Herceptin and Doxataxol cannot be done together because they can both give a reaction and if we do react then we know which one it is! Hopefully, no reaction for both:)
Anyway, changed my mind and going to have a soak in the bath instead!
Hope you all have a restful sleep!
Lots of love❤