Hello ladies,
So it’s been a week since my first FEC infusion and I started to feel much better this afternoon. What won’t have helped is that I had to have my front top tooth extracted yesterday after it was deemed an infection risk. The bed looked like a battle ground this morning and I managed to scare my nieces when they popped in to see me last night. Quite a gap; quite a mess. This has also made it rather difficult to get calories on board yesterday and today so I’ve been having smoothies and my dad also popped round and made me a soup. I’m not normally a big soup fan but that might now have changed. He made potato, onion and celeriac soup (I didn’t have any leeks) and it was delicious.
I’m so relieved to be feeling brighter – it’s been a tough week but I know I can handle 1 bad week in 3 if that’s the pattern that’s set. If I feel well tomorrow and the gum feels better I am going to make it my mission to chow down for 2 weeks solid to try and put some weight on before the next infusion.
Catch up:
Patchit – Thanks for popping into our thread to offer your support and tips. I’m taking clarityn for the Neulasta shot SEs and so far so good though I don’t know if 7 days is too early to call it.
Nipinuk – great picture. Can’t imagine what it was like living on a building site and eating processed food for that long. It’s a treat for a week and then it becomes torture. I see from your posts you’re a very detail oriented person – just like my husband. J Glad your calculations were correct. Kudos for posting during the first week. I couldn’t really manage it. I hope you’re starting to feel better and your husband is preparing you scrummy dinners.
Mungos Mum – I’ve had pretty bad constipation too. I’m normally so totally regular that it’s been a huge shock to my system. I ended up giving myself a distilled water enema which provided almost immediate relief. I highly recommend it. But only with distilled/completely pure water.
Angela G – so funny that your wig has a name. Did she come with that name or did you bestow it on her? Good to know life goes back to normal for the 2 weeks in between sessions. If I hadn’t started feeling better today I’m not sure I’d have believed it! Sorry to hear your head was so sore but pleased to hear you’ve found a swift remedy.
ScottyDog – glad you seem to be over the worst of it after a week. Hope you manage to enjoy the next 2 weeks before the next onslaught.
K26 – hello and welcome.
Lola – how very unsettling that they keep moving the date. I’m sure you just want to get moving with it now.
Suzy 52 – how was your first bout of chemical warfare?
Cybele – thanks for sharing your experiences.
Quick question for those in the know – do you think we’ll lose our eyebrow/eyelash hairs?
Also, has anyone got any good film or TV recommendations? I’m bored but restless.
Take care x
Roadshow - So pleased you are feeling better. TV Recommendations - have you discovered Nashville yet? E4 (I think) on a thurs eve at 10, drama about the political and music industries in Nashville - we find it gripping. Also recommend The Good Wife, but you have a fair bit of catching up to do if you don’t know it! Perhaps we should start film recommendations too!
Day 8 - I managed a night out with friends tonight, before a self imposed exile as the immunity departs next week. As mentioned before, I am getting quite a lot of prickly itching, which is becoming more frequent over my head. Expecting my hair to start falling out in week 3 
, but apart from periodic exhaustion, most of the other SEs seem to have abated. I’m just concerned about the cumulative effect of the SEs over treatments.
Sleep well Marchies,
Christine xx
Hi everyone hope u are all feeling better this morning im on day 10 of tax just feel like i have a cold mouth sore now getting coldsore cannot taste most foods and thats getting me down a bit also was a smoker finding it hard not to smoke my nervers are all over the place have a e lites that helps anyway nipinuk i had my line fitted did not feel a thing i have a nurse come out ones a week to clean it well i hope u all have a good day thinking of u all will pop back later to see how u are all doing today lots of love shelley xx
Hi everyone again its snowing in milton keynes xxx
Hi Roadshow, I’m Funki from the Valentines thread. I just wanted to say that I’m glad you are feeling well and genuinely do hope you manage to get 1 bad week out of 3 however, just to warn you that you are not out of the woods yet with this cycle. Unfortunately there are many little or in fact big SE that could rear their ugly head between now and #2. Just take one day at a time and one week at a time. Also, Chemo has a cumulative affect and normally the SE get worse (or change) as the chemo goes on. I’m really not trying to put a dampener or how you are feeling but just wanted to warn you from experience. I’m sorry you have had to have your tooth removed, i’m sure you could have done without that at the moment. I wish you lots of luck and minimal SE during your Chemo.
Best wishes
Funki X
Hello everyone.
Just a quick note to say I re-joined the land of the living yesterday - I feel SO good! So, for me on ths first cycle of TAC, it has been the first 9 days have been a bit grim. I’m off out to have a nice walk etc but will post in more detail later but just wanted to say hello to you all on this lovely day (we don’t have any snow in Plymouth and the sun has actually shown its face this morning).
Lots of hugs
Jess xxxxxx
hello jess gald to hear your feeling good and i hope u enjoyed your walk wish i could go for a walk snowing here good morning everyone shelleyxxx
Thanks Poemsgalore for sharing your poem brilliant x
Nipinuk sorry your parents are so far away I’ve been to Malaysia its a beautiful place. AC is the name of my chemo treatment I appear to be in the minority.
AngelaG thanks for the aloe vera tip I’m trying the cold cap treatment tommorow is hair wash day and I can’t wait!
My parents travelled across from Ireland to stay here in Scotland with me for my first week, they left yesterday and I am so Lucky, they’ll be back in
May.my poor Mumslipped and broke her shoulder last week and she still came, I was in shock shen I saw her and we thought what a pair!
I’ve just discovered Alpro its nice alternative to cow’s milk, which we are supposed to avoid.
Hope you all have a good day xx
The Roadshow glad you’re feeling better and over the worst of round 1, I hsve been applying Mavala Double Lash onto mh my eye brows and lashes to strengthen them, definitely worth a try, only £12 in Boots fingers crossed it has the desired effects. Failing ghat I’ve bought false eyebrows from www.wigs4u.co.uk only £7 for 10 pairs. Best wishes Karen
FEC 75 cycle 1 day 3
So lovely reading all your posts. My SEs so far, sickness (twice over the last 2 days), dry mouth, chills, a bit of tiredness and gurgling tummy. Was well enough to shout at boys this morning 
My appetite is still not great.
One tip which some might find useful. Try not to take too much proteins the first day as it takes longer to digest n if you’re the nauseous type, you’ll feel nauseous for longer. I was happily munching cashews, almonds and walnuts during chemo treatment and felt nauseous 2 hours later and was violently sick 4 hours after treatment.
Foods that helped me - about a pint of fresh juice (apples, fennels, carrots, 1.5 inch go ginger), melon, blueberries n lots of toast (homemade white n whole meal with 2 tablespoons of linseed to help with no. 2s) with a bit of tahini and miso.
I normally love soup but can’t bear it at the moment. Feel the same about nuts too.
Roadshow , I’ve met people who lost hair and both eyebrows n lashes. One lost just her hair n brows n kept her lashes. Another lost hair but kept only her grey brows which annoyed her to no end!
You look so comfy in your picture. We had lazy boy style chairs to sit in with a couple of pillows. Did you have brain freeze for the first 20mins or so? I didn’t use the cold cap. When they were injecting the drugs, I had a heat pad on my arm as it was really cold.
i read that the epirubicin causes the hair loss.
Karen - lol, I knew it was your chemo combination but nosy me was interested in exactly what drugs
AC is a combination of two chemotherapy drugs: doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide. Doxorubicin is also known as Adriamycin (a brand name), and this is why the combination is called AC!
Thank you for your kind words about my home country. I can’t cope with the humidity though.
Your poor mum! Hope she gets better soon. Must have been so painful.
Kath - thank you so much for popping in n cheering us up with your lovely poems! I’ve been to February’s thread n it’s been helpful. It hit me a bit more now when I see updates of members photos with no hair. Still smiling which is good.
Angela - what day r u into FEC now? Good to hear aloe vera helps. I will get that. do update us with a pic of you in your fav headgear!
Christine - I’m worried about the cumulative effect too. Well done with knitting your hat. Good that you’re getting the daily excercise!
Jess - it’s so lovely to hear from you. Glad to hear you’re better. Have you painted your nails? The taxotere drug in your treatment affects nails so you need to protect them when you’re out in the sun. Heard that black nail polish best. Got to know a lovely lady who had taxotere as part of her chemo regime.
Funki - thks so much for sharing your experience. cumulative effect’s on my mind too. Just remembered got in law’s 70th in May n not sure if I’m going to be well enough. It’s a nuisance isn’t it?!
Shelley - is it still snowing? Forecast for snow here tomorrow. Thanks for the reassurance about the PICC line. Are you having radiotherapy after chemo? Glad to hear e lites helping. If you’re having radio, I hear it reduces ones lung capacity by 10-15%.
Must go, feeling icky boo.
L xx
HI Nipinuk sorry to hear your feeling icky boo yes im having radiotherapy after chemo and no stop snowing but more on way hope u feel better later take care speak soon xx
Hi everyone, sorry to hear some of you are suffering at the moment. I thought I was over the worst too as on day 11 at the moment & feel back to normal. I also thought to myself that I can handle 1 bad week out of 3 & felt quite good about it, but sounds like theres more to come my way . Even went for a meal last night & had a glass of wine (didn’t taste as good though).
It sounds like a lot of you are doing so well & are still managing to eat so healthily, my body is craving carbs at the moment & stock piling for the next session. I have ordered the healthy eating through chemo book too, so the minds willing. Now the nausea is under control I’m trying to stop the grazing too. Only light snow here in Berkshire, just been on a lovely dog walk & the only good thing about this chemo is I don’t feel the cold, so actually don’t mind this weather.
Big hugs to those suffering at the moment, It does get better.
Best wishes xxx
Hi ladies,
Mungos Mum – thanks for the Nashville recommendation. I love The Good Wife so should get along fine with Nashville. Husband is downloading it now.
Funkilala – thanks for the heads up and well wishes. I’ve read about the cumulative effects of chemo so will definitely be taking things one day at a time.
Twinnumber 1 – welcome back to the land of the living! I’m a twin number 1 too. Born 8 minutes before my identical twin sister.
Scottydog – sorry to hear about your mum. I use Alpro too. I’ve been adding it to smoothies. I’ve never found anything to replace milk in tea so tea has had to go until I do. Do you add it to tea? False eyebrows – that’s genius, thanks for the link.
Nipinuk – I was totally cosy. I had all my ski gear on. I think I did get brain freeze for about 10 mins though. I also had a heat pad on my arm before they did the infusion. Must be to plump up the veins. It’s an old hospital undergoing renovation so the lazy boy chair didn’t work so I just lay in bed the whole day. Fine by me. My mind was really restless though, couldn’t read, watch tv/films. Was weird. Sorry you’re still feeling icky. I’ve been eating a lot of papayas too – love em.
Daffodil – I’ve found myself craving carbs too. Going with the flow and would definitely welcome some weight gain before the next onslaught.
Biggest problem I’ve got today is major tooth/gum pain. It’s day 3 so wasn’t expecting it. Have loaded up on pain meds and taking temperature regularly. Only got 3 hours sleep as pain kept waking me up. Really wasn’t prepared for this. Husband still making me smoothies. Latest one was pineapple juice, alpro, rolled oats, banana, manuka honey and cinnamon. Very nice. My niece bought me a gingerbread man but I may have to give him to my husband as not able to eat solids yet. He does look lovely and scrummy though. It’s a good sign the appetite’s back.
Was snowing here earlier but just grey, drizzly and very cold now. I’m in Surrey.
Hope you’re all having a nice, cosy weekend. Take care x
Roadshow, those smoothies sound good but hope you manage some much needed solids again very soon. Such a bad start to chemo for you too, hope you have a better couple of weeks ahead. I’m also using the cold cap too, didn’t fit very well though, will be intersting to see how we get on. Hope you have a better nights sleep & the pain subsides so you can have a carb eating day tomorrow. xxx
Hi Daffodil - I was able to poke my finger up inside the cold cap (what else to do when you’ve got an itch?) so was also a bit concerned about fit. I used a large size. Not sure it’s a reflection of the size of my bonce, I just think my hair line is quite low and they wanted to try to cover it. Will be interesting to see how it all works out. Saw my 5 year old niece this morning and she wanted to know if I’ve lost my hair yet (I was wearing a big woolly hat so it wasn’t obvious either way). She seemed most disappointed to hear I still had it. Her teaching assistant has ovarian cancer and has no hair and doesn’t bother with hats or wigs so she’s familiar with the concept of medicine making your hair fall out and is rather excited by the prospect of a bald auntie. Hope to disappoint on that front. Cheeky little thing wouldn’t give up her Jessie J wig even if I did end up with no hair.
Dentist just called and wants to put me on antibiotics for 5 days. Will see how I get on. Temperature is stable so not convinced it’s an infection. Fortunately pain meds have kicked in so my husband will get some peace this evening at least. Staying under my duvet as it’s so miserable outside. Keep thinking about singapore fried noodles - yum but will have to wait. x
FEC cycle 1 Day 2
Yesterday went smoothly. Lovely new unit at the hospital, friendly nurses etc. Infusions went well, with out drama and returned home to have a supper of roast chicken, brown rice and green beans My portacath worked like a dream - did’nt feel a thing, so all of you waiting for one its absolutly worth it!
Thanks to the Emend and IV anti sickness delivered at the begining of my treatment + lansoprazole, I avoided chucking up though felt sick during the night - but it passed.
I feel wiped out today - just slept most of the time, except for about a 20 min walk along the river bank admiring the spring flowers - its a bit warmer in this neck of the woods. Started 3 days of steroids this AM and I have cell boosting shots scheduled for next week to be given by the nurse at home.
Untill tomorrow
big hugs xxxxxx
Ladies just to keep everyone on the same page. The day of your Chemo is day 1. Hope that helps X
Suzy if you dont mind me asking, when did you have your portocath fitted? I had mine fitted last Thurs and been uncomfortable in the chest since. I had my first cycle the same day so a little aprehensive its going to be a bit sore for my next one. Thought I was feeling better but today feel like im coming down with a cold grr.
Hey ladies well I’m fec plus 15 now, body hair had all fallen out over the past two days but thanks to the cold cap I’ve still got a full head of hair. I’ve noticed a bit of thinning around the very bottom where the cap didn’t touch my scalp but I can live with that. Still got a horrible dry mouth, although all these fluids are doing wonders for my complexion. I’m on countdown now till the next round but have developed a cold so fingers crossed my count will be ok! Has anyone been advised about flying? I want to go away for a few days in may and wondered if its permitted Im a resident of the canaries because my Dad lives there so healthcare isn’t a problem! Hope everyone is having a fab weekend x
Thanks for that Funkilala, I was abit hazy there!
Suzy