Hi,
is anyone starting chemo in February, have just been given my start date as the 9th Feb.
Sarah.x
Hi Sarah, I will also be starting chemo in February, was at the onc yesterday, and she thought my first session would be in 10 to 12 days. Not too nervous about it yet, have to go and get a heart scan first, then a visit to the chemo ward, I’m sure by then I’ll be extremely nervous!! I’m getting 6 FEC’s, what about yourself? Donna x
Good luck Sarah, Donna and anyone else who’s standing in the road waiting for the chemo truck.
Hi Donna,
Am 6 x Fec too. have got echocardiogram on Monday & then blood tests, ecg & chest X ray the following Monday, 1st dose on the Wednesday.
Am a little nervous but only because my results were considered borderline so final choice to have chemo was up to me & has taken a few days of lots of tears & fears before deciding to go with it.
Thank you Cm, hope your results go well today.
Sarah.xx
Hi Sarah,
I’m been given an estimated start date of the 9th too, 3xFEC, 3xTaxotere.
Haven’t had any prelim checks yet as I’m going through an IVF course to bank some embryos before kick-off. Seeing my Onc next week, and I’m getting really anxious about going through all this. Really don’t want to sign that consent form, or the disruption to my life with side effects and no work!! It’s all just a pain in the a*se!
Still, we’re in it together, so keep in touch and we’ll get through it together.
Kate
Hi Sarah,
Same day same name 
would be nice to have someone to chat through it, so yes will keep in touch for sure.
Sarah.xxx
Hi Guys
Sarah, Have followed you on the other treads and chatted to you but just thought Id offer my support to this thread. My first chemo was on 7th January. I will be totally honest and say that the first few days were not too good for me. The worse part was insomnia but the chemo nurse has reduced my steroids for the 2nd chemo (28th) and hopefully it might make me sleep a bit better. Sick twice. Woolly head, sore mouth, body hair and head hair gone (Day 18). It really is doable, it is not as scary as I thought and the last two weeks have been really ok. Drink plenty, avoid caffeine, take the tablets, rest, rest and more rest. Keep coming on this site and talk about all your good and bad times, it really does help and the support is fantastic. I know we are all different but bc is treatable and you will all be fine, I can feel the vibes.
Lots of hugs Alison x
Hi Alison,
Thank you, your kind comments & support are always greatly received as was the hand holding ( which i still need at times, not ready to let go yet)
Are you on Fec or fec & Tax ?
Sarah.xxx
Just thought of something for you, Beverley Hills.
You know sometimes the “you’re so brave” comment is a bit galling because there’s nothing brave about getting breast cancer? Well I think you HAVE been brave, because you MADE THE DECISION to go for chemo, even though the SEs are scary. Sarah, you are a very brave lady and your kids would be very proud of you if they were a bit bigger and able to work out what a tough decision you’ve made.
Massive gold star in your bravery copy book, Sarah.
CM
x
Hi Cm,
Thank you, what a lovely beautiful thing to say.
Have just tried to do whatever i can do to stop this bloody Bc in its tracks, I have 4 gorgeous children that i adore & friends & family supporting & loving me & we have a date to be sat in our purple dresses when we are 90 drinking a gin 
Am also so grateful to you & many others on this forum that have made the journey not so scary as it was at the beginning & would never of been able to reach a decision without the advice & guidance, some of which was given by people who have not had choice( all of us have choice but you understand what i mean) in their treatment & i thank all of you.
Hope your 2nd op went well & rest of results go ok & if you have to join me on this trip, we shall do it together.
Love
Sarah.xx
Oh, I’m already joining you, though I don’t have a date because I have to wait for the results of the second surgery. I’m up for:
WLE (done)
re-excision (done, waiting for results)
Herceptin (definite)
Chemo (with Herceptin AND Grade 3, no decision to be made, but I don’t yet know the regime)
Radio (knew that before)
Tamoxifen (knew that before too)
And if the re-excision still comes back with unclear margins, there’s always the possibility of mastectomy being added to the list.
BUT MY NODES ARE CLEAR!!! And no lympho-vascular involvement either, both of which are fabulous news.
I am just so glad those cysts came up, because it wasn’t the tumour that I felt when I felt a lump, and couldn’t really feel it after the cysts were drained either. It could so easily have sat their growing and I wouldn’t have known about it until it was a lot worse. I shudder to think!
I feel so lucky. (Relatively speaking of course.)
Hi Cm,
we best both start getting the supplies in for the woods as that lot dont half get through some stuff & they have had the both of us up till now to supply & replenish ;).
Bar the clear margins your Dx reads like mine, i too had widespread Dcis but they found out that at biopsy so managed to take alot during surgery & I too was upgraded, I am Her 1 so assume they consider that negative as my Er is 7 & Pr is 6.
Sarah.xx
Herceptin’s going to be a nuisance. I had hoped that 2011 would see the end of all the active treatment leaving just the tamoxifen, but no. I think that was actually the biggest disappointment once I’d got over the shock.
I’m going to ask if I can have a portacath as I’ll have to have it for a year, and three people so far have said I have tiny veins, so that’ll get past that little problem. I’m going to try and get back in the pool myself rather than just watching the kids, and I gather you can still swim with a portacath in. And it would make the chemo so much easier too, or so I’ve read - on here probably! Still have to read through the leaflet about various delivery methods, and I’ve downloaded the full NICE guidelines to plough through. Interesting reading but it’s a PDF and I can’t figure out how to zoom in on my Kindle.
Do you know what your chemo regime is yet? Obviously I won’t see the onc until I’ve been signed off by the surgeon, but I’m getting the impression that Tax is reserved for those with node involvement, or is it down to other things and what individual oncs think? Right now it’s more out of curiosity that I ask, as just having chemo at all is the biggie.
Hi Cm,
Dont quote me but am pretty sure you are not allowed to swim when on chemo because of infection risk.
My Onc told me 6 x FEC no TAX as of no benefit to me but because you are Her + you may receive it, am sure i have read that on here.
Sarah.xx
Bugger! Tax sounds like a total pig. Will have to wait until I see the onc (once I’m signed off by the surgeon) before I will know. But there’s no point fretting, chemo’s pants whatever sort it is. Do-able, but pants.
I shouldn’t think I’d be terribly bothered about getting in the pool during chemo other than for a bit of relaxation, wouldn’t have any energy to do any number of lengths. I was thinking more after the chemo when it’s just Herceptin.
I’m starting FEC on the 3rd February. Didn’t feel too bad about it, but now it’s getting closer starting to worry about all the possible side effects. Sup pose you just have to wait and see how it will affect you and hope you will be one of the people who don’t have it too bad. I’m just trying hard to be optimistic!
Hi girls
I had 2 cycles of EC and then another MRI scan that showed the tumour was not responding so I then had 6 TAX
When it comes to side effect everyone is different mine were very bad and have given me long lasting problems but I know others who sailed through with no probs at all
xx
Hi All,
I’ve got pre-chemo talk on Mon with 6 FEC to follow at 3 weekly intervals. I gather it will all start week beginning 7th Feb so probably be about the same schedule as you.
I’ve had a load of stuff prescribed to bring home after treatments and I really like my onc as Emend was mentioned somewhere in the list!!
Think of you all,
Lots of love
Helen xx
Choccie, you might just have FEC not Tax. I’m HER2 + and am half way through 6 FEC. TAX was never mentioned.
Sorry, meant to say good luck to all of you. I’m half way through and the first half has gone quicker than I thought, so before you know it, you’ll all be thinking only 3 more to go.