Hi all. Gone from constipation to the exact opposite, can’t be too far from loos!! Other than that, must admit the reduced tax seems to have been kinder this time, only glands up and achy neck, shoulders etc, nowhere near the pain in the legs like last time, so keeping fingers crossed that things continue in this vain, (apart from visits to loo!!) Many congrats to all who have got through the chemo ordeal, one day we’ll all be there!! Still losing fillings hopefully will have some teeth left to refill, I’ve hung on to most of my teeth and don’t want to give up the ghost now!! Good luck to anyone having treatment this week x
I don’t really know where to start with this and I am worried about scaring some of you. I have a very serious cellulitis problem. It’s the sort of thing that would not be a problem for a non-chemo person. It’s a deep tissue infection that has spread all over due the inability of the idiots “looking after” me to spot it. It could have got in via any small break in the skin, but there is no sign of a break, so it could have just been lurking in my body waiting for my immune system to hit rock bottom, then got lodged in the damaged lymph system in my bad arm and set up shop. This is exactly the sort of reason you don’t let anyone mess with your bad arm.
Anyway, the only treatment is buckets of anti biotics, for a long time. Almost certainly has stopped my chemo, so now I have to take my chances with the cancer, as the chemo is now more likely to kill me than the cancer.
I almost deleted this and logged myself out, I really hope I am not scaring any of you. Just make sure you are not ignored if you have symptoms that you are worried about.
Cress, that’s terrible. The ineptitude of the people ‘looking after you’ is disgusting. Are you making sure that the senior members of the hospital staff are aware of your situation?
Please don’t log yourself out, perhaps we can offer you some kind of solace and I’d rather hear what’s happened because then I can be aware of where things go wrong and act accordingly. If it weren’t for this thread I would be having chemo, blood tests and cannulas for surgery in my bad arm because the hospital staff don’t seem to worry about it although they always seem to know about it when I ask. Please don’t leave us, we need you.
Very big HUGS.
Oh Cressida that sounds just awful. I cannot understand how your treatment team have let you get into this state which of course puts you at more risk by stopping chemo.
I only had two lymph nodes removed (clear) but was told imjmediately that I was never to have an injection in that arm again. When I had my last blood test prior to FECx6 I questioned the nursse on this point because I didn’t fully understand why. She said that it was because the needle could introduce an infection and I should be very careful of any nicks and cuts on that arm. This is going to prove difficult for me because I train dogs and when they get excited and jump up nicks and scratches are inevitable.
Before BC I had some bleeding from the womb with infection. During, 7 months I had three operations, one of which they botched, and bleeding got worse (ended up in A&E one night with massive bleeding) and whilst it was the opinion of 5 surgeons that I needed a hysterectomy my own surgeon wouldn’t give me one and kept sending me away with really strong antibiotics. John and I had had enough of this and said we were going private. As soon as those words were said my surgeon agreed that that would be the best course of action but still didn’t offer one. The NHS these days seem to do as little as possble because it means spending money especially if you are older.
Went private, job done, and the bresult was massive massive infection right up the fallopian tubes and womb. It was because of this and the difference in attitude in the private hospital that we took out Health Insurance. Just as well with what I’ve got now.
I wrote a letter of complaint to the NHS Trust, the Health Minister, the Ombudsman, etc, and the matter is ongoing. It’s not to get compensation but to try to prevent this sort of negligence. The Trust should be made aware of the shortcomings in the hospitals.
Anyway Cress, thinking of you, rest and get rid of that infection so that you can get on with your treatment and get some peace of mind.
hi all,
Cress so sorry to hear your rotton news, but pleaae stay in touch, you can’t leave us now we need to hear from you and your expereance is vital to all of us to be aware of all the symptems to look out for. HUGS to you and hope to catch up soon for another coffee and cake.
Cybele glad you are going to have a rest from the dreded dentist, you have enought to put up with and good luck for tomorrow hope it all goes well.
My FEC 4 went well eventualy had to have my bloods done again before the pharmacy would get my FEC ready i only had them donre the day before, but luckly it all came back ok so only 2 more to go as everyone keep telling me, got to get through this one first, but so far so good felt a little queasy but afer taking all my med feel a bit better, keep fingers crossed this one goes smother and i stay out of hospital.
god luck to all that is going to have chemo this week and hope thing go soother for you all we could do with some good news for a change. 
Cressida-I’m really glad you decided to post. I have been imagining all sorts of awful things. It sounds as though heads should roll. How on earth could the doctors let this happen to you? How long will you need to take the antibiotics for? What about your surgery? Is there any chance the right antibiotics could hit the problem hard and allow you to have the chemo you need?
Please keep posting. We all started this journey together, and we may be in different places at the moment, but I feel we have more in common than bloody cancer and chemo. I really hope the antibiotics help sort out your pain issue. Can hardly type this I am so teeming with rage on your behalf.
Cress - dont go! please post some more.
had my bloods done today - white blood cels too low so chemo delayed until wed. damn! x
well had a quick scroll through posts and find we are all feeling the same! tax is the PITS. i was not prepared for 10 days of feeling soooo bad. 5 days of running, well trying to run, to the loo has at least meant i have lost 1/2 stone, result! got to be a silverlining somewhere hasnt there? However now have a cold and chemo this week has been postponed till next week, but again feel a bit of a silver lining as a bit of a holiday from SE . . On the downside work are trying to put me on halfpay, so dont need this stress as no idea how i will pay the mortgage, HR seem to think i only need a couple of days off after each treatment and i should be going into work the rest of the time. As i work in a police custody block not sure how they think i can “manage” detainees at the mo!
Still time has gone quicker than i thought it would and can see the end in sight. thoughts ands hugs to all on here .
Cressida - how awful - I’m so sorry for you. My husband has severe cellulitis a few years ago and was hospitalised - he had polio as a child & thus it dd affect him more than most but he didn’t have chemo as well. There must be someone you can make a formal complaint to Please keep posting & let us know how you are.
Hilary x
Cressida, so sorry about the infection , but yep please don’t go , keep posting , can’t they give you IV antibiotics to get it in your system quicker or have you had that already , didnt it come up on bloods that an infection was lurking whilst you was in hospital , thinking of you xxxx
wendy, so sorry about the gene , I’m still waiting to be tested
coyotegi , ill also be on half pay soon, I have no idea how they expect you to work with chemo, have you tried contacting the Macmillan nurses they can help you sort out finances and also there is a grant you can claim of about 300 which I think we can all claim , do you pay any sickness insurance or would your mortgage let you have a payment holiday , you shouldn’t have to think of this at all xxxx
cybelle, glad your free of the dentist , my back 2 fillings are now starting to crumble , good luck for thurs xxxxx
Morning, all.
Have got a bit behind with what everyone’s up to, what with the whole root canal thing. Felt pretty rough yesterday, but today am up early feeling ok, and ready for FEC5 later this morning. with all the bad publicity i’ve given them on the blog, the hospital is VERY concerned to see that I don’t have anything to complain about for my last 2 chemos, so hopefully all will go smoohly this time…
Cressida - words fail me - a red mist of anger descended on me when I read your words. I know about cellulitis, it’s horrific even without chemo; the fact that they took so long to diagnose it while you were in such agony is just appalling. Don’t even think about stopping posting on here, or I will be forced to hunt you down and drag you back into our company, and you wouldn’t want to be stalked by someone as demented as me, now would you? Anyway, WE NEED YOU, you are the backbone of our December group which, as Maire has pointed out, is now bonded together above and beyond the piffling matter of chemo. We’re all lost in the woods together, and we need to stay together to stay sane (ish) End of…
Coyotegi, Lisalouw, the thing about working and chemo sucks. Anyone who doubts what the poison does t oyu should be forced to take a dose of it themselves. When I was talking to the Chemo Matron, she said they really don’t recommend that people should work doing chemo - apart from the risk of infection, it is such nasty stuff that they want people to rest and recuperate as much as possible while they’re on the receiving end of it.
Wendy - am so sorry about your news BIG HUG xxx
QD, Coyotegi - it’s a pain about the chemo being delayed, but when mine was it did end up feeling like a bit of a holiday from the horribleness, and by the end of that fourth week I was remembering what it was like o feel normal again, which was very cheering.
QD (belatedly) sorry I didn’t acknowledge your brilliant remark about the perfect murder - I couldn’t remeber who had said it - I thought it was either you or AlPal, but wasn’t sure. Talking of whom, what has happened to AlPal - I remember she was meant to be going skiing in February, which sounded ambitious, but she doesn’t seem to have posted for ages. Hope she’s OK.
QD - hope your PICC line holds out - that’s exactly how I’m feeling about mine - ‘just STAY QUIET for the last 2 chemos, and don’t cause me any more problems!’
Lolly - v.glad to hear FEC4 went well and is going OK - it’s cheering to have some good news!
Border Collies - YAY! you’ve finished! We’ll all be joining you soon on the sunlit uplands of the post-chemo world…
btw your post sounded as if you were saying goodbye, which I hope you’re not - we can keep this thread going while we all go through rads etc, can’t we? I don’t want to have to move to a new one… THIS IS OUR PLACE
Also - your thing about the hair fear made me laugh - am exactly the same, terrified that’s it’s all going to fall out at once after FEC5 or 6. The Matron and the BC nurse assure me it won’t…
Hamley - hope FEC5 went OK for you yesterday xxx
Maire - you continue to make me laugh with your Tamoxifen comments. I KNOW I will be putting it off in exactly the same way.
Sand - glad t ohear that Tax now being a bit kinder. Tax sounds GRIM
Right, off to get my Chemo Bag ready to go.
Am feeling much more upbeat about FEC5 - a combination of knowing the Matron is in charge now, the after effects of the Reiki (presumably - really have been calmer this week) and also knowing that after I come home today i will only have to go back there one more time. That is HUGE. Now really starting t ofeel therewill be life after chemo, which was difficult to imagine 14 weeks ago…
Love to you all xxxx we will get through this xxx and in the summer we wil have The Poison Free Party!!!
Cybele - you are nearly there now so keep walking up that hill a few more weeks and you wll be at the finish line. It is really rubbish how you have felt and this disease is pants in all respects but you wll get your life back soon that is for sure. It may be a different normal but you wll soon be looking back on all this nightmare journey.
Love to all
Wendy
Hi Ladies,
Hamley, Border Collies, Lolly, Maire, QD, Hilary, Lisalouw, Cybele and anyone I missed - Thank you so much. You all made me cry (again) with your support for me and your outrage at the way I have been treated. I feel a bit of a drama queen (and we already have one) for threatning to stop posting and disapear. The pain, the morphine and the appalling way I was treated in hosp (it’s a long story for another time, but it involves a ward manager who thought I was a drug seeker and had my bag searched) have made me proper mental and paraniod. I thought no-one would want to hear me going on about how ill I am and my failure to “beat” breast cancer, when you might really need positive stories about people who got treated, got better and got on with their lives. Anyway, you are all fab and have really contributed to saving a bit of my sanity (and I need whatever bits I can get). THANK YOU, xxxxx
I’m back already - you didn’t want me to leave so get used to it.
Good luck to Cybele with FEC 5. So close. Please don’t hunt me down. Unless you bring cocktails and M&S goodies…
Wendy - I understand how you feel about positive BRCA results. I am now terrified about getting a positive result. Previously it just seemed a no brainer - find out and deal with it. Now I fear the surgery and I fear telling my lovely neices. I have no female relatives over the age of 25 on my Dad’s side, except my grandma, who had womb/cervical/ovarian cancer aged 40. On my Mum’s side there are plenty and no-one has had any of the warning cancers. So it is prob on Dad’s side. I don’t want to be the one to tell 2 lovely girls aged 22 and 24 that they might have this. Especially as one has a 2 year old daughter. Oh God - why isn’t there a “restore factory settings” button so we could go back and not have this sh*t.
x
Morning , Cressida , I’m so happy to see you posting , how you feeling, is the pain any better , and are the antibiotics working yet , what you have had to go through is shocking , it would be lovely to have a time machine wouldn’t it xxxx
you all will be glad to hear I have a doc appt tomorrow for the good old farmer giles, god I hope he doesn’t have to do an examination , the shame and the pain!!!
Cybelle , I’m sending big warm hugs to hopefully warm the effects of the ice cap , thinking of you and hope all goes well for fec 5 , I’m the same with the hair , scared to say anything unless I jinx myself , I’ve turned paranoid and superstitious , and I was a little like it before all this so it’s now 10 fold
xxxxx
Looking on the bright side - people have finally stopped saying “you look well”. Now they say “ooo, you look pale”.
Cressida Hi. Im Funki from the Feb Valentines thread *holds hand out to shake. I just wanted to say that although I dont belong in this thread I come in here daily just to read how you and Cybele are doing as I love both your posts. I was appalled to read how you have been treated and what you have been through and just wanted to say please please dont stop posting. Your posts in the past have made me laugh and lifted me when I have been down and when I grow up I want to be able to post just like you and make others smile just as you have. You are one inspirational Lady and I wish you nothing but the best. X
Hi All,
Had a very mixed day today: Started off with radiotherapy, which was fine-skin becoming very faintly pink (10 rads done). Then headed to hospital no2 to see surgeon about a lump I’d been fretting about on the other side. I had convinced myself it was related to previous dcis and as I have been having pain in my collar bone I put the 2 things together and was scared stiff about spread to bones. I have been snapping at my kids and had a bleak day of not talking to husband. Now I can do angry temper tantrum but I can’t sustain huffs for very long so a whole day was some mood. Anyway it seems the lump was actually my rib or maybe some fatty tissue. Such a relief!
Followed this happy news up with a nice tapas lunch followed by a stroll through the lanes of the West End (it was raining of course but I’m hardy). Sadly at the end of the lane was a poor wee cat that had been hit by a car. It was alive and moving but bleeding and distresed with at least one leg broken. Now I can’t stop thinking about it. The SSPCA was called but I don’t know how the story ended as I had to leave to pick up my daughter from school. I shouldn’t be posting it here because all I’m doing is spreading the misery. It’s horrible to see any creature suffering and I just wish I could’ve done something to help.
I hope I haven’t put anyone on a downer.
Keep plodding on folks, sorry Pollyanna has temporarily left the building.