Starting Chemo in December.2012

Going through breast cancer treatment Chemotherapy monthly threads
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Morning ladies, hope a few actual crackers were pulled. I got a wine stopper, when wine tastes of vinegar. Humbug.

First let me encourage those of you with Chemo tomorrow - Sarah and Maire - anyone else? The quicker you get them done the quicker they are gone.

Cathie and Shaz and anyone else who found Xmas Jollity a bit hard work - I refer you to my earlier suggestion of Christmas party in summer. I see no reason why these things have to be done on speficic days. Celebrate early or late. Humbug to waiting for stuff or to not enjoying it cos the time was wrong. Big christmas party in the summer with a load of people who know the value of life and want to have a bit of fun? I’d want to go.

Bit more serious - Sarah, Wendy and MZ thinking about Mastectomies. I was devastated to need one (massive 10cm TN tumor) but I also seriously considered having double. I could not see piont in one (large) boob. All the medics looked at me as if I was mad and ignored me. They obviously thought I would change my mind. I gave up - I had enough to worry about. Anyway - the point is I am sort of gald I did not have double cos it was tough enough having op on one side on top of chemo. Everyone will tell you the op is the easy part, and it is compared to chemo, but it still takes it out of you. I think I have recovered better physically from just having one done. I can always get the other off later when I am fitter. For TN girls - if you are under 50 you can get the genetic test done on NHS without family history. I am having it - that will make up my mind for me - if I am positive then the other one can go.

Teal - I think the answer to will I lose my hair on FEC without coldcap is a resounding yes. Everyone I saw at chemo 1 was bald by chemo 2. I was the only one doing cap. However, most of them said they were very upset when it happened but said they got over it suprisingly quickly.

As for me - it seems that Gemocide is not as bad as Carbuncle, so it looks like I get to feel sh*t 50% of the time and just knackered the rest. I’ll take that. Actually tasted Xmas dinner after piled on black pepper and then followed it with Baileys. Mmmmmmm.

xxxx

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Merry Christmas from me and Cher.
Had a nice relaxing Christmas thanks to an extra chemo-free week. Had quite a few wines both white and fizzy and red, and all varieties were palatable. Could not have had any had I had chemo last week. Managed to keep Cher on for a wee while but whipped her off and stuck on a tammy after meal
Cressida, your sprout recipe made my day. Classic! Will you be bringing some with you to the summer Christmas party?
Alpal-my lump was discovered in August and I started chemo at the very end of Nov. I had to have MRI which took a while and bruising from biopsy delayed surgery so chemo timing was o.k. Also they had to do quite a few tests before the HER 2 status was confirmed.
Anyway, have just popped my steroids in anticipation of Taxotere tomorrow. Off to get bloods done now. Getting flipping scared again.

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You look fabulous darling, xxx

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Marie not sre what your hair looked like before but you do actually look stunning with Cher on . Looks really good on you x x

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Thanks folks. I think it helps that it’s dark. Underneath Cher, lurks my Prodigy firestarter look!
Bloods done, steroids started and Omeprazole, henceforth known as omnipresent. Side effects can include diarrhoea, constipation,nausea, thrush, hair loss, aggression etc-but at least I wont get heartburn!

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Great got all that to look forward to on 31st.

marie how many tax are you to have ?

Wendy x x

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Cybele - my hubbie is now a fan of your blog, he would tell you himself but he is stuggling with the concept (so, it’s a kind of diary, only anyone can read it?). You should hear him rant when someone asks for his money to do the trip/experience of a lifetime. Why not (a) just pay for it, enjoy it and don’t be self righteous about it or (b) don’t do it at all and just give all the money to charity? 2011 was a year full of loss and death for us and we promised ourselves we would make the most of 2012, cos you never know what life will do to you next. I found my lump on new years day 2012. But the breast clinic told me it was benign so we booked a fantastic holiday. Of course, I didn’t quite trust the blundering idiots at the clinic due to the 4 different explanations I was given, so I had to go back and shout them. How we laughed when they said I had cancer after all and needed to be admitted to hosp immediately. The insurance company said it was a pre-existing condition and did not give us our money back. When a friend recently asked for money to go and cycle the pyrenees (after doing the same in the rockies last year) he was pleased to tell us it was for a cancer charity - hubbie almost just thanked him and took the brown envelope straight off him. I am aware I am ranting on a charity website, one which has helped me and I am grateful for it. I am not against charity, but I love the idea of being sponsered to do something you really don’t want to do. Good for you.

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Hi all.
Today is day 20 and I feel almost as rotten as I did in day 3. Was expecting to feel great. Maybe too much rushing around and thinking I was going to sail through it. So am in bed with hair all falling out! And have FEC 2 tomorrow.
Cathie - was so repeated (sorry) that you said you too had backache! Thank you for replying x
Cybelle - am gonna try those lorazawhatever as I am desperate for some sleep.
Good luck to everyone else for tomorrow and to everyone else. Just off to Cybelle’s blog now!
X

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‘Keeping the home fires burning…’

Today’s post on chemonights.blogspot.co.uk/

Sorry I just keep dropping off links to new blog posts and then running - the whole Christmas thing has been keeping me rather busy.

Hope you’re all ok, and will start catching up and posting properly again tomorrr0w

C xxx

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Wendy -I’m getting 3 Taxotere with 3 cyclophosphamide. I’ve already had one of the c doses with fec but they’ve dropped my other 2 F E doses as it seemed to affect my heart. This was purely based on my reporting of mild symptoms and I can be a wee bit sensitive to evey twinge so i feel I’ve cheated a bit and am worried I might not be getting the full statistical benefit. Having said that the fec hit me pretty hard. 6 days of nausea (which I found quite bearable but the nurse said was not on and was going to up the meds) total hair loss-head, lady garden and starting on armpits, legs and possible arms. Eyebrows thining , eyelashes ok so far. blisters on hand and feet (palmer plantar syndrome-look it up-very mild though) WBC dropped and took an extra week to go up. Soooo I’m hoping any stray cancer cells imaginary or real have been hit as hard. Starting Herceptin next time. Getting my TC today.
Mandy P Good luck with your treatment today.
Cybele -off to read your blog.
Will be truthful about the Taxotere folks but will also not try to be scary.

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Hi Marie

Hope it goes ok today I don’t think TC makes you so sick more muscle aches etc. Not had snb results as yet so might have to have 6 !! Help !!

yes let me know how it goes we will have to compare notes but perhaps by pm!

Sending my love Wendy

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Mandy -If it’s not too late. tell them how you’re feeling. My extra week off the poison was fab and I feel great today…so far.
Maybe they’ll delay yours.

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still haven’t read back properly , but briefly

Cress: HUGE HUG, how f****** awful re your start to 2012 xxx When I found my lump I had just spent 3 months working very hard at swimming, to make me fit and healthy, after being hospitalised with respiratory problems ilast spring (my lungs are rubbish), plus some other minor health problems, including slightly high blood pressure that was becoming borderline for medication - So I was all ‘the next time I go to see the doctor I will have brought my blood pressure down AND improved my lung capacity by swimming miles and miles and miles’. WRONG. By that time I must have already had breast cancer for at least a couple of years, and next time I saw the doctor, it was about the lump. Have put all the other things on hold for the moment… Still at least I now have really great arm muscles.

Also, your sprout recipe had me hooting with laughter the other day, and was also laughing just now at the image of your husband struggling to come to terms with the concept of a blog - a friend of mine, similarly blog-innocent, wrote to me helpfully last week to ask whether I realised that the posts were appearing BACKWARDS, so that you couldn’t read the story from the beginning… :))

Maire, you look utterly fabulous in Cher - good luck with the TC today xx

Mandy - v.sorry to hear you are still feeling so rough at day 20 - people kept telling me that you do get the each third week when you’re not feeling so bad, and that made it sound bearable, but not to get any break at all is awful. I’m on day 16 (??), so just into the third week, and still have the nausea, which is my constant companion, and the sleeplessness, but otherwise not feeling too bad.

The Lorazepam are BRILLIANT, they just knock me out, and I sleep for 8/9 hours. I’m trying not to take them too often, because they’re highly addictive, but I reckon if I allow myself one every third night, that is enough to make up some of the sleep deficit without getting addicted.

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Hello Crackers
so am now 9 days post and kinda feeling OK- really tired and having lots of duvet days! Had a central line fitted today as they hava been having so much trouble with my veins- so should make things a bit easier come next chemo session. Have been loving all the posts although I have been only lurking!
Hope all the ladies having treatments and results this week go as well as possible.
xxx

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Hi unfortunately i will not be having chemo in Dec will now be Jan 2013, di=ue to having crappy veins, have to now wait to get Hickman line fitted !! disappointed but having a loine will be less distressful for me and the nurses !!

Sarah66

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Hi All, hope you all had a good christmas, Am at day 15 now. Cressida thanks so much for the marmite sprouts recipe cheered me up so much today when I needed it. Hair started falling out today just a little bit but know is the start of going completely. Know Im going to be a mess when it starts properly - mind bit of a shock that hair in nether regions fell out first hadnt even considered that.
Suffering quite a bit with aches and pains and am knackered all the time apparently normal wiith TC and seem to have got a bit of cold, luckily already on antibiotics as bloods were a bit too low and temperature borderline when checked before christmas.
Hoping to be ok to go out new years eve - hair or not - need to have people contact other than my boys (2 sons in 20s) who have been brilliant cooked christmas dinner and spoiling me rotten.
So if I dont get on before Happy new year to all

Debs x

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That’s my first TC done. Nice and slow and no shaking this time. Will keep you posted.
Had horrible sinusy feeling when c drug went in. Took longer to pass this time.

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Well done Marie glad it wasn’t too bad

Wendy

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!4 days now since I had my first chemo FEC I know I will lose my hair and am dreading it I think then I will have a good cry when this happens, I have not cried for weeks when I was diagnosed that is all I did (actually I felt better when I had a good cry) I having my next chemo next Friday 4th dreading that dreading the sickness etc hope the anti sickness tablets kick in this time. At least it will be 2 down only 4 to go :frowning:

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hi christmas crackers,
just to let you know i had my picc line put in today, was a quick and painless procedure, i was only in the treatment room for 10 minuets so was really ok, not looking forward to the 31st not sure what time my appointment is as i have not heard from any one for a couple of weeks so hopeing they will call me soon as to what is about to happen to me as i feel left in the dark at the moment, dont want to call the bcc as i am sure they have more important things to contend with than me wanting to know all the ins and outs of what i am going to find out anyway.
going to go for a shorter hair style on saturday so will prob change my profile pict with new short hair cut, as not going to do the cold cap, feel abit of a wimp but really thought hard as to wheather to go for it or not so therefore ive decided to cut my hair short for the fall out i will go through.

hope you all had a good xmas as best you can are looking forward to your new year xxx

lolly x