Cybele - glad to hear your spirits are on the rise and that you are feeling more positive about the remainder of your treatment. I agree that each cycle can bring different side effects. Up until FEC4 I’d had no problems re: fatigue but at FEC5+7days I suddenly felt as if I’d been clouted by a sledgehammer the fatigue was such. This thankfully only lasted 2 days and my energy is back to normal. I don’t know what dose of Omprazole you are on. I’m taking 40 mg daily and have been fine on that throughtout until this week. I’m now experiencing acid stomach which produces painful wind under my right rib and thid occurs during the evening period. Will speak to onc about it on next meeting before last FEC as I certainly do not want to develop an ulcer. As to you nose blister - I’ve devloped horrible scabs in one nostril which is a new thing. Maybe I missed seeig them at the blister stage.
Cressida - thinking of you. You are really going through it at the moment and I can’t begin to imagine how you must be feeling. Hope it improves soon.
Mandy.p. As to my treatment I’m being treated at Chelsfield Hospital in Kent. A delightful little place in a country village. Had my op. there and was able to lie in bed and watch the wild life playing in the beautiful hospital grounds. I’m very lucky.
Hope every feels better soon. I have FEC6 in 11 days and that tunnel light is definitely looking brighter!!
The pain is unbearable. They have stopped my chemo and I am waiting for some morphine to be delivered. Just when you think it can’t get any more sh*t, it does. 
Oh, Cress, that’s awful xxxxx
Thinking of you GIGANTIC ENORMOUS HUG xxx
Cress, I wish I could be with you to give you a hug, I really do. Maybe the break from the chemo will give you some time to pull it all back together like it did for Cybele. Are they going to make you stay in hospital?
Cybele, the mad energy’s the same with me and has been for a few days now. Even though I feel like I’m wading through treacle my house is like a new pin and I can’t settle down to read or watch TV. I keep going in the garden to do things then coming back in because it’s too cold. I’ve completely run out of things to do.
My nose has had scabs on the inside for a few cycles but no blisters unless they went unnoticed. There’s very little hair in there and my nose runs without warning, not a good look! My nose bleeds sometimes when I brush my teeth, I don’t know why.
Does anyone else have the horrible hurty nose feeling when chemo is being administered? For me it wears off quite soon after the session has finished, but it’s horrible.
Border Collies, you nearing your final FEC makes me feel my last one isn’t that far away. When you get there please help Maire shine that light at the end of the tunnel, we need the encouragement.
My Mum has just informed me today that she is involved in an investigation concerning hereditry bc. I asked why she hadn’t mentioned this before and she doesn’t know. My Mother (bless her) has bats in her belfry. She’s spoken to the specialist at the Royal Marsden Hospital today and the specialist has asked me to email her my details. She’s going to look at my Mums case but says she thinks I should have a bilateral mx because there’s bc in 3 consecutive generations of my maternal line. She may have to speak to my surgeon, I hope he’ll listen.
Hamley, I keep confusing you with Ripley in the Alien, so when I think of you I get an image of Sigourney Weaver looking bald and beautiful…
Cybele - Just reading what Hamley said read scabs in nose (mine bleed when I clean my teeth as well Hamley, odd isn’t it?) and I wondered if your nasal blister could be the start of a cold sore. Does it tingle at all. I am inclined to get cold sores sometimes and I now remember it did have a small blister just inside my nostril a couple of FECs ago but from experience of the horrible things I recognised the tickly tingle as the start of a cold sore, caused I think from the continual dripping nose which gets sore from mopping up. I used Zovirax cream at first but the dripping nose meant this was constantly being wiped off so I then used an invisible Compeed Cold Sore plaster and stopped the thing in it’s tracks.
Just a thought because the RED Chemo Book says to expect cold sores.
Why do some of us get the FEC T and not just FEC. is it anything to do with the Grade of tumour?
Cybele - am very jealous of your success with cold cap and eyelashes and eyebrows…! I have attempted to apply some very natural looking eyelashes and although I’m not a bit one for make up, if ever i wanted to look like id made an effort, i would just put a splash of mascara on…i don’t know but when i look in the mirror, i dont see myself…
…And yes only one left…how wierd is that?
Boarder Collies, your hospital sounds lovely… a nice place to be if you’re poorly. and OMG you will be done in 11 days… what are you having after that?
Cress - what is going on? are you being looked after ok? am worried about you?
Hamley - lots of love - cant say my senses have been heightened although my sense of taste is quicly subsiding.
waiting to see really what it’s like having 80%
Will let you know…
xxxx
hi
Sorry to hear all of you that is have a Sh*t time, it is not good ,if the sun was shining we might be able to get out a bit for the warmth.
I had my bloods do again today, they are still not good and got to have a blood transfusion on Tuesday, it takes about 5 to 6 hours to do, gona be a boring day.
Hi Cressida , hope you have recived your dose of Morphine by now, cant belive this is putting you back but im sure they know what is best, maybe if you can drive and feel up to it we should meet again soon, think we need to cheer each other up, just drop me a texted if you feel up to it.
Big hugs to all you Crackers out there.
lolly
x
Mandy P-Good question. I would love to know why some have fec and others fec t. I had no lymph nodes affected (but one breast node) but I also had an overexpression of her2. Think that might be why I got Taxotere but am just guesing. Would also love to know why I’m getting 20 doses of rads when others are getting 15. As Toyah would say ‘It’s a mystery’.
Cressida-They have got to find some way to help you. You need some kind of advocate fighting your corner!Lolly-you’re having it bad too.
Wish time would pass more quickly for all you Crackers.
I just googled about FEC vc FEC-T and found this:
‘D (doxetaxal) and T (taxotere or taxol) are roughly equivalent, added to the FEC regime (3 FEC then 3 D or T), usually in cases of aggressive cancers, positive nodes, triple negative etc. The D/T works differently on the cancer cells and has been shown to be highly effective’
Hi Mandy.P. Yes only 11 days until my last FEC although I’m mindful that I’ll still have the usual few weeks of side effects to get through and mine have got more unpleasant since FEC4.
Last FEC 12th March - Rads pre-assessment 20th March. Start Rads right after Easter, I think it’s 3rd/4th April for 15 sessions. Then I’m done. Whoopeedo!! Not having hormone treatment. Surgeon says she wants to see me in May and then every three months for the first year. Then every six months etc. However, if I’m worried or find (God forbid) anymore lumps, then I can go straight to her for an appointment. Annual Mammos and I think that’s about it unless my Oncologist has anything else to tell me.
Good luck with the rest of your treatment. It feels so good mentally, if not bodily, to know that you are approaching the end.
Cybele, I’m not usually given to jelousy, but I have to admit to it this time. I usually have short hair so wasn’t even slightly worried about the baldy bit, but brows and lashes aren’t so easy to disguise. I want them back terribly. My husband is a big fan of Sigourney Weaver, I’ll ask what he thinks and report back!
Mandy, I asked my chemo nurse about FEC and FEC T, she said that it’s FEC if there’s no lymph node involvment and FEC T if there is. I’d been a bit worried about it because she noticed that on one page of my records it said I was having FEC and on the another FEC T. Mine’s FEC and indeed I had no node involvment.
Lolly, take care of yourself, it’s a real bummer. Take a good book and lots of nice snacks. Calories don’t count on days like that, I’m sure they don’t.
My husband has just come in the room bearing gifts of ginger beer and biscuits. Apparently I don’t look like Sigourney Weaver any more than he looks like George Clooney (I’m a big fan of him). Charming. I asked ‘aren’t I gorgeous then?’ he says ‘oh, er, yes’! Perhaps I should confess that I’m currently sitting here in my (leopard print) PJs and a red wooly hat!!! How can he resist me?
Love to all. Night night, I going to bed to stay awake for most of the night. I might smuggle my Kindle into bed and accidentally leave my light on.
Border Collies - guess what, you were SO RIGHT about the cold sores!
In a new and truly humiliating development, MY NOSE IS FULL OF COLD SORES.
Ah, FEC, the gift that keeps on giving and giving and giving…
My strange ‘blister in the nose’ has blossomed overnight into a cascade of cold sores descending from well inside my right nostril down to the edge of my nose. I had absolutely no idea that it was even POSSIBLE to get cold sores in your nose.
I think as part of my chemo preparations I got some Zovirax, so as soon as I’ve finished writing this I will try and find it. I have to say I don’t like it one little bit to be developing new side effects at this stage. I feel I’ve paid my dues with the frigging side effects, what with being the 2013 All England FEC Extreme Nausea Champion, not to mention the 74 days of suffering before getting relief for my Toxic Swamp Stomach.
But no, now we’re getting the Free Bonus side effects… lovely.
You haven’t lived until you’ve sprouted a cascade of cold sores in your nose…
Hamley, this is probably my punishment for still having hair and eyebrows, which is manifestly unfair on all the other girls - just to even things out, the Chemo Gods have sent the Fecking FEC Fairy to wave her magic wand over my nose…
OMG Cybele your “Feckin FEC Fairy” remark made me laugh so hard my drink came through my ‘bloody’ nostrils and tears rolled down my legs! I thank you for causing such indignity - it was well worth it.
Cybele - so sorry to be right on this occasion. I’ve had the occasional cold sore all my life, even up my nose, so when I had my small blister I jumped on it with medication immediately having recognised the signs.
I started with Zovirax as it’s what I always use but found because of the constantly runny nose the Zovirax didn’t stand a chance of remaining in place. Compeed cold sore plasters worked a treat. They are virtually invisible when in place andf I would wear the same one all day and all night replacing it with a fresh one the next day. You must make certain that the inside of your nose is as dry as possible before you apply them or they don’t stick. Of course if you are lucky enough not to be suffering the constantly dripping nose Zovirax will probably work.
Hi, i don’t get on here much so have tried to catch up a bit. Big hugs to all of you going through this crap. I got my 2nd Tax and 1st Herceptin on Thursday and everything went well. I even got a lovely reflexology treatment when the Tax was going in, which really cheered me up. After my 3rd FEC and 1st Tax i had been feeling really down and really was not looking forward to the 5th. I don’t know if it was because the sun was shining or i went on a wee shopping spree but i felt quite upbeat before i went for my round of poison this time. I know that it’s just a matter of time before the side effects kick in and i sometimes wonder if i’ll ever feel back to my old self, but i’m sure i can see a glimmer at the end of the tunnel. So sorry for everyone having the sh*t side effects and stuck in hospital, a rollercoaster ride right enough, just sometimes wish they could put the brakes on a we could all get off!!! Is anyone else getting herceptin injection? I feel more tired than usual after getting the Tax, herceptin and the neurolasta jag, maybe it’s the herceptin, the joys!!! Only another 17 to go.
x
Marge, I’ve had 3 lots of Herceptin. I was really worried about the 3rd dose because I was having it on its own with no chemo and I was worried that I might have side effects that I’d mistakenly attributed to taxotere. But so far so good. I am tired but I think that’s to be expected after all our bodies have been through and as I’m also getting radiotherapy. So far the herceptin has been fine.
I should be starting my Tamoxifen but, stuff it, I’m giving my body a break. Will start after radiotherapy.
That’s good to hear Maire. I’ll be starting the Tamoxifen soon, i think, and have 4 weeks of radiotherapy to get, when will it ever end!!! How can you possibly know what is causing side effects when you have so much crap running through your body. Not looking forward to Tamoxifen but might be ok you never know!
x