Bless you all. Sleep tight.
MMM x
Hi Sandi, good luck for today hun, ask them to slow down the drip, they did on my first and as it was burning and it was ok after that, perhaps it will be for you too. Big hugs. x
Morning all xx Fec3 day ?? But it’s my good week
so sorry to hear youre having a bad time Mandy & granny P , big hugs to you both & anyone else who wants one ! Hang on in there we all know it will pass .
Do we get chemo every 3 weeks to allow for the good week , for me it gets me back positive feelings, I’m having a " I CAN do this crap " day today & it’s such a relief , took a bit longer to get there this time but its here !
Off into town today to put some of my cic payout into an isa before I spend it , going to look for a soft, pretty bra that doesn’t dig into my scars or resemble a sports bra & may buy lots of chocolate , strange but I’m craving it ( Angie your not helping lol !! ) & I never used to be bothered before was always a savoury girl , god help my ever increasing thighs !!
Love to all
karen x
Off for pre-chemo bloods today (next FEC due on Thursday). I still have my cold, hopefully that won’t delay things. After my last cycle I kept thinking I could smell the chemo chemicals in my house, it was driving me mad because the smell turned my stomach, I realised the other day that the bathroom cleaner that we have at the moment strongly resembles it (how reassuring we’re being pumped full of bathroom cleaner)!! I’ve bought one with a different fragrance hopefully that’ll help.
Sorry to hear about your job Mandy, what crap timing, not that there’d ever be a good time to be made redundant, but still.
Angie, Galaxy caramel is lovely, not sure there is a cure to being hooked on it 
Good luck with the bra shopping Karen, hope you find something nice.
Hugs to all
Jo
Thanks featherbird
My daughter is coming with me today for 3rd Fec…last session I asked them to administer it slowly… it still burnt so Im hoping today it wont be so bad…Im still not got dressed yet… its as if Im delayinge the obvious 
…least I get to cross number 3 off the calender…halfway there :-))
Wishing all ladies having sessions this week an OK time xxxxx
Good luck for today Sandra and yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to being half way! well done x x x
Good morning Valentines. FEC 3 day 8. Slept ok, minimal SEs again but feeling very bloated (that’ll be the Galaxy caramel). The fog is lifting now so the weekend and next week should feel much better. It’s a bit hectic here with all the comigs and goings. My eldest son goes back to Cyprus tomorrow and my younger one is going out there for 10 days on Monday (their father lives there). It’s my OH’s birthday on Saturday and mine on Sunday. He’s 10 years younger than me though! OH’s son is back from Cardiff uni so he will visit at the weekend and if I’m up to it we might go out for a meal. Phew.
Karen - let me know how you get on with bras. I have some full cup non wired non sports M&S bras which are ok but very functional. I’d like something a bit ‘prettier’ but haven’t found I anything suitable yet.
Jo - hope your bloods go ok today. I’m with you on chemical smells. I can’t stand the smell of cleaning products now so avoiding using them.
Sandra - hope today goes well.
Mandy - you may find the redundancy thing is an opportunity in the longer run.
Hope everyone has a reasonable day.
Angie xx
Hi there my lovely Breast Friends
Kath thanks for your concern. I’ve had a few power cuts, one of which lasted 10 hours & wasn’t pleasant, but I’ve no snow. 10 mins up the road and they’ve 20ft of the stuff, so Im very lucky to have none. I think Kim may well have more than her fair share though but I’m sure she will tell us once she checks back in. Kim are you snowed in?
Mandy just before I was dx my company went into Administration and we all got made redundant so I know how you feel. I worked for Patton’s, a large construction company for 7 years, which has had a major impact on the local community, so much so that there was a documentary about it last night (and that’s the second one). I have worked all my life, so am very uncomfortable being unemployed (& skint lol), however it’s not the end of the world so keep your chin up and as I keep telling myself, this time next year I’ll have new hair, a new job & an new holiday!!!
Angie how’s your arm? The hot water bottle has made no difference to mine and I have a small lump on my vein now. I dread the idea of a PICC line however I’m scared to think of the pain I’ll be in next week when I get more poison poured into them. I’ll see what my onc suggests next week.
Karen like you I have 2 sh_tty weeks where I’m fit for nothing, and then by day 12/13 I’m ready to rock ‘n’ roll.
Hope everyone is surviving, we’re getting there girls, we’re getting there.
Dyane
FEC 2/6 Day 14, Antrim Area Hospital
Morning Valentines,FEC2 Day12
Funny thing happened posted on here yesterday,read it through all ok.Came onto here later and it’s nowhere to be seen!!! Doesnt matter,was just wishing those due treatment well,and those feeling down and lift in their mood.Loved the poor fairy poem Kath.xxxx<3
FEC2 day 6
Good luck for today Sandra. I tend to put off the moment of going to chemo too. So much so that my BF now comes early to make sure I get out on time.
Dyane, looks like we’ve both got a whole new life ahead!
Karen, try Genie Bras from BHS (around £25 for pack of 3). Plain, not pretty but good if you’re not to big. I’m big but still like them for around the house and even occasional shopping trips.
Smells are really getting to me. My fabric I conditioner makes me feel sick and I bought several big containers of the wretched stuff when it was on offer last! Everything smells sickly sweet. Yuk.
Have a good day.
Mandy x
Good luck Sandra
Angie good that your birthdays fall this weekend when hopefully the se’s should be less, hope you get out for your meal.
Bloods been taken, now just wait to see if I hear anything. Popped in to work whilst I was there (my department is about 20 paces from the chemo department). Was nice to see people, my boss is going to see if there’s any work I can do from home on my good weeks (preparing a presentation of some work I finished just before I went on sick leave being the main thing he’s thinking of, may not be allowed as it’s patient data, but it is all anonymised so he’s going to ask his boss. Would be nice to have something to tax my brain a little more in my good weeks, and keep my hand in.
The nurse thinks my cold might be an allergy, which I was wondering about as my eyes are bugging me too and the snot whilst almost constant is clear, I’m to take some anti-histamines and see if that helps, otherwise they’ll re-assess on thursday. I thought I had some at home, but just been and got out 3 out of date packets, (one went out of date in 2011!) so I’ll have to pop out to the shops again after lunch.
Jo
x
That’s the spirit Mandy. Just before my company went into Administration I qualified to work on the rigs, so was planning a whole new career anyway. I am just hoping that this illness does not mean I will fail the medical which would be another blow (after dx). The thought of my new career is the one thing are keeps me going through the dark times. The one down side that being made redundant has made is that my oh (who also work on the rigs) can’t take time of to look after me, so spends more time away than at home, as we need his wage.
Mandy I love yankee candles but have found that the first two weeks after chemo I can’t bare them around as they’re way too strong, it’s only now in week 3 that I get to enjoy them again.
Dyane
Jo I though I had a cold but its (snot) a cold… sorry I could resist My eyes are constantly streaming ( as if I was walking in to the wind) and I have clear water running out of my nose. I took some antihistamines last night and it really helped. X
Hi All
Just had my last TC treatment yesterday. Strolled in, over confident and blase, only to remember seconds before the infusion that I had forgotten to take my morning steroids, DOH! Debated whether or not to inform the nurse but with another patient having a severe allergic recation beside me, decided I should. So, instead or a 2 hour appointment, I spent a lovely 5 hours, being given steroids which delayed treatment for an hour and then being drip fed my concoction for about 4 hours. Fun times!
Thanks for your supportive messages regarding my bilateral mastectomy - a scary but, I feel, a necessary decision. I just can’t wait to return to work and resume my previous active life - although perhaps at a slower pace.
Angie K - Wow, what a hectic weekend and week you’ve got ahead of you. It’s week one for me, so all I’m going to be capable of is lots of lying around and moaning about my side effects.
Sandra51 - Hope your treatment goes well. I’ve now got two chemical burn marks on my arm which flare up during my second week.
Jo80 - Hope your blood test are fine. I’m finding the smell of antibacterial gel turns my stomach and can’t wait to throw out all the bottles once all this has finished.
Karen - Have a good day shopping. I’ve been overdoing the online version rather a lot recently - sort of dreading the credit card bill!
Granny P - Hope your side effects lift soon.
Kath - More great poems - keep our daily fix coming. I used to try to write poetry when I was younger - very maudlin and full of teenage angst, though!
MillyMolly - So sorry you’re going through such a bad time, and to receive a redundancy notice too - such a kick in the teeth.
Funki - Glad you are all set for your next treatment.
Hope everyone has a good week. My side effects are beginning to loom now but hopefully by Easter, they would have started to subside.
Diane xx
Oh Diane your poor thing! I bet you wont forget to take your steroids again prior to chemo that’s for sure. I hope your SE are minimal and that you have a good SE free Easter X
Dyane - I have had FEC administered in three different veins. The first and third are sore and a little lumpy but no redness and the consultant said they were ‘open’. The hot water bottle treatment definitely helps as before I started using it I had difficulty straightening my arm. I can now straighten it and the soreness has decreased. The consultant said to contact the hospital if it got worse. My next chemo will be Tax which should be easier on the veins.
Angie xx
Just a quick post to say sometimes a simple comment on how everyone is feeling really can help , I’ve been going mad thinking the bathroom smells of chemo & makes me shudder on bad weeks , so now I’m going to buy a different cleaner & give it a try … Don’t know why I didn’t realise it before !
No joy on bra front , I was that long in the bank I only tried one shop then realised I was tired so came home , it’s one of my missions so will let u know
Sorry about your redundancy Mandy , you never know it might turn out to be a good thing , although a fresh start is a bit scary , as I’ve posted before I am considering giving up my career despite loving it but its scary thinking of starting somewhere new , especially at minute when my confidence is a bit lower than normal
Hope everyone is ok today x
Thanks Angie I will keep at it as it does no harm & can’t make my arm any worse.
Dyane
Hi Valentines,
Iam due to start Fec-t next week but Iam a bit concerned about my veins having read how a lot of you have had sore arms.
I had ANC so can only use my left arm, had my Muga scan last week and both nurses had a problem with veins in my left arm. I ended up getting one needle on my hand and the other on my wrist. Just thinking if these are the only places they can get a vein am I going to struggle a bit, what do you think?
Take care and love your posts
Xx
Thanks Linda, will speak to chemo nurse x