Hello Darling Buds, Easter Bunnies, et al !
Please forgive my flaky wuss episodes earlier. I am starting to feel better now, although I am trying to post this on my mobile from a hospital bed.
Pixie etc are quite right - don’t suffer in silence. The SE advice lines are there purely for YOU. If there is something they can do to help, they will!
Special hugs to the Easter Bunnies coping with their first TAX cycles !
Hugs,
Merc
xxxx
Hello Darling Buds, Easter Bunnies, et al !
Please forgive my flaky wuss episodes earlier. I am starting to feel better now, although I am trying to post this on my mobile from a hospital bed.
Pixie etc are quite right - don’t suffer in silence. The SE advice lines are there purely for YOU. If there is something they can do to help, they will!
Special hugs to the Easter Bunnies coping with their first TAX cycles !
Hugs,
Merc
xxxx
Morning All,
I am finally feeling a bit better today 
Nearly put a smiley face there but can’t figure out how to use the emotions, struggle with sight, may be that i’ve just not been up to it! Had a really bad time of it and am going to phone onc to see what i can do? Didn’t sleep last night because of panic attacks about another five sessions to go through!
Merc and Amdrose seems you had it bad too, hope you will come out of it soon! Sending all my love and strenght today as i feel i may have a bit to spare for you guys.
On a lighter note Lizzie (my 17 yr old daughter) had a great birthday party at home and i stayed over night with my bro and wife. So i am a hero in her eyes I surpose they are the really important things.
Birthdays trump chemo!!! Luv viv x
Hi there all my May buddies. Merc - in hospital!!! what happened, you were doing so well to begin with, you ok now? Vivibell - glad your daughters birthday went well - can’t let this cancer thing spoil the good times…X Like Merc said its about dancing in the rain!!!
Wish i felt like dancing today but I’m feeling petrified - got my pre-chemo assessment this morning at the hospital and every time I see a doctor i get more bad news so I am dreading it…such a wuss…Hope all you other May ladies are ok, Em xxx
Hi Em
Hope your pre chemo assessment went well. I understand how you’re feeling mine is next Tuesday.
Hope all you Darling buds are doing ok.
Take care
Gillian xx
Special note to Em- good luck. Although we all seem to have had a rough patch, hopefully, the fact that we are slowly recovering will be a reassurance. Remember everyone reacts differently. I think you might be surprised how positive you feel after your visit to the unit, and it certainly feels good to get started.
Merc- sorry to hear you have been so ill. I too was really hopeful for you after things started so well. Hopefully, you are on the mend now. I am trying to hold on to the fact that it does pass.
Ambarose and Vivibell, glad to hear you feel a bit better now and that your daughter’s birthday celebrations went well. I know what you mean about coping emotionally. I find that this is just hard as the physical symptoms.
I am still feeling poorly, but in a ‘I have a bug’ kind of way. Going to try and venture out this afternoon for the first time since Thursday!!
Anyone else with a picc line? No one wants to look after mine- the district nurses say ‘no.’ The Practice Nurse says they are not insured! So, going back to the hospital tomorrow. How has anyone else managed?
Take good care and lots of love,
Rattles, x 
Hi all, I will be having my pre-assessment on Thursday 10th May, and I think I will be started chemo next week, feeling very scared, but look forward to 6mths down the line, all being well and no delays, the chemo will be finished, and just rads to have. It’s a great comfort knowing that I’m not alone, although it feels like it sometimes, se’s permitting I will come on hear as often as I can. Hope u r all ok ( ish) speak soon take care, Toni x
Rattles and Gillian - thanks for you messages and yes I am feeling much better after my visit today, despite waiting 2 hours for an appointment which only lasted 10 mins!! Was told (finally) my hormone status which is ER pos (7/8 what ever that means!) I already knew i was HER2 neg. Doc said that at least they could treat me with tamoxifen.Just went over all the likely SE again and had to sign on the dotted line! Rattles - Sorry can’t help about the PiCC line - i’ve not been offered one.
Hi Bikerchic I’m looking forward to being 6 months down the line too but we will all get there and hopefully be able to support each other alone the way. It is exhausting just keeping the emotions in check - i wanted to scream and run out today especially having to wait for over 2 hours and everyone else seemed much older than me (i’m 47 so not exactly young but felt positively youthful !!). Also feel abit manic/depressive at the moment - can’t seem to keep on an even keel…
Ambarose - hope work went well for you today - you are brave to be going in. Not sure I want to face all my colleagues when I’m going through chemo - don’t want any pitying looks lol!! Take care all, love Em X
Hi ladies - I’m not working today which is good - I feel ready for a lazy day! Just got a bit of sewing to do - finishing off my daughters dance costume - needed to shorten it by 6 inches! I’ve been to choose a wig this morning - tried a few on and have 2 possibles going back next week with a friend to make a decision and try some more on that the lady is going to order today. Today I have found out that I do not suit long hair! Day 7 after my first EC last week and still feel OK although my hair is very lifeless and I seem to be turning into a spotty teenager! Hope all those feeling poorly are feeling better soon. Julie
Good luck to all the ‘Darling Buds’…I have got my pre-chemo appointment next Wednesday (day after CT scan which I posted about before) so will probably be joining you ‘officially’…you all sound incredibly strong and I hope I can take inspiration from you all!
Hi Anni, the times when I have been feeling low I’ve come on this forum and it really helps to know you’re not alone and It’s soooo good to have the support of all these fab women. Hope your pre-assessment is ok and they don’t scare you too much
Only half my post appeared again- grrrrrrr!
Hope all our May buddies are ok and not feeling too poorly. Getting my first dose of juice tomorrow
Hi May ladies
I hope everyone who has been poorly over the last few days is feeling better now.
Emylou - My first juice tomorrow as well, for some reason I am not having a preassessment, they are just hitting me straight away with the max dose of everything, so this time tomorrow I will probably feel like I’ve been pickled!
Good luck everyone
Squeakymouse
thanks Emylou!
Hello May Ladies
Just recieved my date for my first chemo, I start on the 23rd May.
Hope you are all feeling well
Gillian xx
Good Luck, Em and Squeaky Mouse- I didnt have a pre-assessment visit either, but everyone was well-prepared for me and it was very reassuring. If I am right, you both start on the same date? I will be thinking of you. You will be fine.
I too hope that the buddies who had their ‘golden light’ last week are faring okay. I have been slowly picking up. Just had my first cuppa and ate some lunch out on the way to having my picc line ‘serviced.’
My main issue now is stomach cramps that come and go- when they are gone, I feel okay, but when they come they are debiliating. One of the doctors on the unit approached me as he said I didn’t look well, and had prescribed something (wasn’t that nice?) so I am hoping this will help. Everyone seems clear that they can do something to help with all SE’s except the tiredness.
To be honest, I felt very miserable 
at the weekend when I was feeling poorly, but didn’t want to put anyone off. But, hopefully it helps to get a sense of what to expect, when to get help and the fact that it will pass and get a bit easier.
I am still struggling to use the new system and to keep up with everyone’s names but I am thinking of you all.
Have courage and hope.
Rattles
Hello darling Buds,
Well we do seem to be suffering but at least the professionals are very helpful. I have stopped being sick but still have awful nausea and hardly fancy any food. I have now been advised to take the Domperidone all the time to try and combat this.so will see if it helps. It has helped with the indigestion which wass crippling at night. I had dreadful pregnancy nausea and vomiting and the BCN says that can predispose you to this being worse after chemo.
Only other SE has been tiredness +++. Managed to go into work for 2 hours yesterday and 3 today but come home and sleep on the sofa for 2 hours. I used to go running as a stress relief 4-5 miles was my thing but the thought of a mile walk with the dog is a challenge. So demoralising!
Hope next week-wk3 is better.
Went to a recovery after breast surgery class yesterday which was good. Lots of info on being active(some hope at present), preventing lymphodoema and general exercises after surgery.
Lots of love to all who are starting and those of us who are existingXX
Wow squeaky mouse we’re in this together!! We can compare SE’s on a day by day basis- lol!! I’ve just eaten a massive curry and drinking copious amount of red wine to pay homage to my soon to be destroyed taste buds…might regret it tomorrow when I’m vomiting it back up but what the hell!!! Goodnight my May buddies, Xxxx
Hi to all the darling buds, i’m going to take a lot of the advice that I’ve seen on here, will defo ask about the picc line, and take some sucky sweets with me, going by what everyone says it looks like I’m in for a nasty time, but looking on the bright side, no more shaving underarms or legs etc lol, and just think of all the money saved by not needing to wash, condition or colour hair lol, I had my hair cut short short, and I love it, didn’t think I would, as I’ve had long hair for years, but I’m pleased with it, don’t know whether to go for a wig or bandanas, not sure yet,ok that’s just about it for now, hope u r all feeling as well as can be expected, keep smiling, virtual hugs for all of u Toni xx
Hi everyone
Em - hope your first chemo went OK yesterday. Way to go, with the curry and wine!
Mine went OK and its probably tempting fate to post this but I am not feeling too bad at the moment. Just fatigue, spaced out and a couple of dizzy spells and hot flushes. It feels a bit like altitude sickness or jet lag. I am even feeling guilty about having phoned into work sick! However I am not assuming I’m out of the woods yet in terms of side effects and will see what happens over the next few days.
A few tips for other newbies:
-
They try and use the arm on the side where you have not had surgery, to minimise post-surgery swelling etc.
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Bring a big bag with you to the hospital as they will give you loads of meds to take home.
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Tell them all other meds you are taking, even vitamin/mineral/herbal supplements. If in doubt bring them with you to the hospital so that their pharmacy can check them out. I was told off for taking multivitamin and minerals with ginseng and gingko biloba (one of those menopause / age 50+ ones) as apparently these contain antioxidants which can reduce the effectiveness of the chemo I am on.
Best wishes everyone
Squeakymouse xx