Hi ladies, I had a mastectomy in August and am starting chemo on 4th October. Am very nervous and would love to hear from any one who is starting around the same time as me. x
Hey
I’m having my first tomorrow, a week or so ahead of you. Feeling a little nervous now it’s actually arrived! But also pleased to be getting on with it and closer to the end.
Had a PICC line fitted on Monday, which I’m not loving but the alternative of having to go through the canula fitting every 3wks isn’t appealing either… I’m a needle phobe.
Good luck for the 4th, sure we’ll have a few new experiences to share on the way through this trip.
Lucy xx
Hi Mum of three - just popped in to send you lots of good wishes for starting chemo and for your recovery. I’ve no doubt some ladies will come along soon and offer to be your chemo buddies - its so helpul to share experiences with women on a similar timeline.
I know its easy to say but try not to worry too much about chemo - its the fear of the unknown that makes it worse - like everything else with this s****y disease it appears the best coping strategy is to take things in very small chunks one thing at a time. Chemo appears to have a hugely varied effect on each of us and so very very difficult to predict. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst! there is a “top tips to get you through chemotherapy” thread somewhere - i found it particularly helpful immediately before chemo ( i know you’re a wee bit away from that just yet )
Thinking of you - good luck
Lynn
Bumping this up for you. i hope you’re coping today.
Lynn
Juno hope it went well for you, I had my pre chat yesterday and they have now decided my veins are not good, so will have to have a line put in hopefully before my 2nd dose. How are you coping with your line?
Just want monday to come now so I can get started. Good luck to all xx
Hi,
I know what you mean about wanting to get started, it’s a nice to tick one off & get closer to the end.
I’m just over a week after my first (last Thursday)and feel completely back to normal, that said I struggled with quiet bad neausea for about 3/4 days which started within in 2hrs after the chemo. They give you steriods that stimulate your appetite so have this weird combo of feeling sick but ravenous! My advice is stock up on nice healthy food in prep as you do raid the cupboards otherwise!
My PICC’s been in nearly 2wks and can honestly say I don’t notice too much, but did take a while to get comfortable with it. It made the adminstration of the chemo absolutely stress-free, you can’t feel anything and that to me is fantastic as hate needles!. Definitely recommend having one.
Good luck for Monday, will be thinking of you xx
Hi girls i finished my chemo 19th August and was petrified at 1st one but must say it hasnt been 1/2 as bad as i thought and have been able to do my normal daily routine without problems and still enjoy nights out and meals etc . i did have some vomitting at 1st usually starting about 6 hrs after chemo but i was given another antisickness tablet called Emend and since then nothing ( i wish i hadnt suffered in silence and had it earlier ) so please let the drs know if your having nausea or vomitting you dont have to suffer in silence and its really effective xxx take care all Julie anyone please message me if you need any tips and advice xx
Hi mum of three,
I started my chemo yesterday, I had a line fitted on thurs and it was fine, felt a bit funny at first but it has a tubey grip over so doesn’t catch on anything, I was really nervous about starting chemo but the docs and nurses are lovely, there were lots of people to chat to which was nice, the chemo itself was fine, I didn’t feel anything with the picc line, felt abit queezy last night and today but popping the anti sickness tablets does help !!! will be thinking of you,
Belinda xxx
Hi mum of three,
Hope your chemo went well yesterday. I start mine today (5th). Pretty scary stuff isn’t it? I think I will feel better after my first cycle when I know what to expect and when.
Everyone seems to have had lines put in. I asked about one as my veins are awful but they want to see how I go with my first treatment.
What chemo is everyone on? I’m starting TAC today, Anyone else on that? Also on steroids which I started yesterday. Have had 2.5 hours sleep and now wide awake!!! Not good.
Hope everyone is doing well.
Becky xxx
Hi all, well yesterday went well apart from breaking a tooth in the morning and having to rush off to the dentist before my chemo appointment, did help my dentist is drop dead gorgeous lol. My appointment was at 3 but didn’t make a start till 4.30 so the waiting around did get to me a bit. Just waiting for mount vernon hospital to get me an appointment for the picc line.
My treatment is FEC 75 have been feeling sick since 7pm last night but it comes and goes in waves, have only managed a slice of toast when i need to take my pills, but not worried have enough weight not to worry about starving myself!
Good luck to you all and keep in touch xxxx Nikki xx
forgot to say Becky, they advised me to take my last steroid about 1/2pm so that it doesn’t affect your sleep xxx
Good Luck Becky, hope it goes well today xx
i did fec too, finished mine in Feb this year. The time will go quickly, in a way…
can you tell your onc nurse how sick you feel?? i had lots of anti sickness meds which worked well.
eva
Thanks Eva, I think I will speak to them as the sick feeling has stayed with me for the last3 days, really watery mouth and a tummy ache, going to bed with a hot water bottle seem to help it last night. Am going to go to work for the morning so fingers crossed it would of subsided lol. Nikki xx
Hope your feeling ok Becky xx
Hi Becky
I had nausea for about 5 days, but felt fine after that. I’m due for 2nd FEC next Thurs and thinking they’ll change my anti-sickness tablets if that’s unsual.
Lucy xx
Hi, I just wanted to wish everyone all the best going through your Chemo. I finished in august and am on rads now. Just wanted to share a chemo countdown with you as it helped me. If you are having six cycles and have just had the first, then with your next one you are a third of the way there already! After your third you are half the way there. Atfer the fourth you are two thirds of the way there and after the fifth you only really have half a Chemo left as the last one doesn’t count the same, as every day after it you are properly getting better, not just getting better so you can be made Ill again.
Hope that helps a bit. You will get through.
Vickie
Ha Ha Tors that calculation definately got me through im on Rads now aswell hope your going ok xx Julie
Hi all
just to mention that if you are feeling sick, contact your BCN as there are lots of alternative anti-sickness meds that work in different ways, and you don’t need to feel rotten. I did for the first few days of my first cycle but they swapped my pills and after that I never even felt queezy again. The stronger ones are a bit more expensive I think, so they start everybody off with something basic, and unless you tell them you won’t get a different prescription.
Sarah
totally agree Sarah i wished id asked for Emend from the start then wouldnt have had nausea at all . so dont suffer in silence girls xx Julie
Hi ladies, I started chemo on the 4th, FEC x3 Dox x3. The process wasn’t as bad as I’d thought. Started at 11 am, then the nausea kicked in around 4pm. Vomiting started half way home! Much to the horror of my dear friend who was driving!!Luckily I’d asked for a bag before I left the hospital! The sickness and nausea lasted about 48 hours, then a day of just nausea. Only managed to eat a little dried toast to take the meds. Then started to feel better, just very tired.
9 days on, my biggest problem now is oral thrush/ulcers and acid reflex. Last night was awful as my gut was going into spasm every time I swallowed anything. Not nice! I phoned the chemo nurse this morning and popped back to the hospital for some new meds - omeprazole (tablet once a day) and Nystan (medicine dropper to use as mouth wash and then to swallow). Tonight my stomach is feeling much better. Managed to eat some food tonight without any discomfort. So things are looking up again. Did have a bit of a tearful day today, but feeling much improved!
Someone on another thread suggested keeping a chemo diary. I think this sounds like a good idea. Anyone else doing that?
Hope you’re all doing well. Karen xx