Hiya. Jax, I think it depends not only on “how well you tolerate the regime”, but what kind of work you do and now flexible your employers are. I work in a hospital, and my onc was adamant I was off for the whole time (as it happened, I couldn’t have done it anyway). Teachers would, I guess, be too open to infection… The difficulty with chemo is that you can never guarantee from one day to another how you’re going to feel, and I found that energy didn’t “trickle away” - it was just like switching off a light! Gone! and I wouldn’t have felt safe to drive at that point… Can you “suck it and see”? Or wait until you see how it affects you? Jane
Hi
I work in a school and like you my onc was adament I don’t go to work, even though I think there are as many germs in offices
Hi ladies
Just a quick check in from me. First chemo went ok, took longer than i thought was there about 6 hours but didnt feel a thing as it all went in apart from a bit sleepy with one of the drugs.
Ate my icelollies throughout the first couple of drugs but ran out (i took about 7 lol) hopefully did enough to save my taste buds.
Feel ok at the mo just a little headachy, im resting and drinking plenty of water and will take all the tablets as advised.
Welcome weme x
Joy - hope all went well for you too x
Hugs to all x
hello just back from 1st chemo
all went well drip a bit slow at times given a sweetie to hide the metalic taste. and loads of anti emetics determined not to be sick so far so good . didnt have cold cap so was done in just over an hour.
well done Claire glad no 1 treatment is ticked off sending hugs and thanks for support .
thank to Pat and simone for your greeting too
best wishes for a good weekend joy xx
Clare & Joy - glad your first sessions went ok, have my next one due in a week but I am feeling ok about it. Just make sure you have plenty of rest and drink plenty of liquid. The worse problem I had was trying to remember which tablet I had to take when!
Jax - Simone is right about there being no “normal”. Just take each day as it comes and be good to yourself x
My energy level has bottomed today, possibly due to me working till late last night on the work laptop. I have more work to do for them, but it is going to have to wait Initially I thought I would work though chemo, but quite honestly, I can just about cope with doing a bit of work from home. I am going to pop into the office next week to have a chat to everyone - I think I will go in on Monday if my hair is still hanging on in there
I booked a dental hygiene appointment for November in my “good” week. My mouth had felt a bit rough last week (a bit like sandpaper) but is now returning to normality, whatever that is
Thinking about having some wine tommorrow night, I deserve a treat.
hi dizzycloud i had my mastectomy just over 2 weeks ago and start my 18 weeks of chemo next week, ime dreading it myself and also going out over the weekend to buy my essentiels in , hope we can keep in touch and help each other theough xxx jackie
thanks so much for the positive feedback you lovely people have given me , can anyone one tell me when do i buy a wig and where do i get one from , i dont have a clue how to go about it , thankyouxxxx hugs
Italia03 ask your Breast care nurse about wigs. Mine gave me a couple of leaflets relating to local suppliers and my hospital gave me a prescription that covered the full cost. Lots of choices and best to get something sorted before your hair goes.
Debbie
Hello everyone,
At last, I went today (my birthday!) for a pre assessment at the hospital. I imagined that they would say all is ok and well start on monday. Alas, it seems that my veins are not good enough (typical) to have a canula and so now have to wait another 10 days for a groshong line to be put in, then first dose of chemo the day after - 25th. I’m a bit fed up with the extra wait but think in the long run the line might prove to be a good idea. does anyone have one?
The though of it is definitely freaking me out, but the three cosmopolitans that I’ve had tonight really helps!!
Keep going everyone, I’m trying to catch up! Love to all.
Hi October gang
Hope everyone is ok.
Claire and Joy, hope you are feeling ok after your first sessions and that the SE are minimal. Rest up and sleep well xx
Finally got to see the oncologist today. I do feel more settled now that I have a treatment plan - 6 cycles 3 x FEC then 3 x TAX. As I am having fertility treatment first thet are delaying my first chemo session until 2nd November. Sadly this happens to be my 34th birthday! I have decided to ‘celebrate’ a week early.
In the meantime the fertility drugs are making me very hormonal and a bit sick. I’m on the verge of tears and don’t know whether it’s just the drugs or the realisation of the chemo. I just shouted at my OH for touching my MX scar!
Time to go wig and headscarf shopping.
Right, off to bed
Love and hugs to all
Lizzyxx
Hi October Gang,
I had a Portacath fitted today, can’t sleep as feels uncomfortable but no pain thanks to pain killers.
Would love to hear from any of you other lovely ladies that have one and their experiences.
I start my chemo on Fri 22nd 3 cycles Tax then 3 Fec.
Am alittle nervous of whats in store in the way of side effects after reading some of your comments.
Hope you all have a lovely weekend x
Daysie how are you?
Morning everyoe
Had an early night last night and woke up refreshed only to find my head hair has started it’s departure (I am on day 15 post first EC treatment). Lady garden already well underway and therefore a bit itchy! (sorry if too much info)
Jackie, hope you get all the shopping on your list, I know I felt much better when I had done my shopping so i had everything to hand when needed. I bought lots of things,some I havn’t needed yet, but they will come in handy for the future. Your BCN or chemo nurse should be able to help you out with wig suppliers. I had to get referred for my NHS one and have to pay approx £60 for it, my fitting is not till next friday though. PM me if you need to chat x
Lizzy - you are bound to be undergoing lots of emotional feelings right now, so the fertility drugs will only be adding to this. Be kind to yourself and I hope the sickness subsides
Sissors & Tigger - I don’t have any experience of grosshong lines or portocaths, but I am sure someone will have
Hello October Crew
Well i had a good night sleep and woke up with ravenous hunger and a headache. Took some ibuprofen and headache fading. Had chocoloate spread on toast and some ginger biscuits and various tables hehe
I am still feeling fine, im drinking loads so hope that is helping. Its weird just waiting to feel bad. If i was going to be sicky would i have felt it by now or can it creep up anytime?
Joy - glad your first session also went well, hope you still feeling ok.
Lizzy - glad you had your onc meeting and have a plan, you doing the same treatments as me. Good for you celebrating the week before, make it a goodun, hope the hormones and sickness subsides x
Sissors - happy birthday for yesterday x Sorry you have to wait for chemo but it will soon come round. Ive not hears of a groshong line, but i had a picc line inserted wed not sure if this is similar but it was nowhere near as scarey as i thought it would be, had a tube threaded through ven in my arm to one of main veins from heart so they just connect the drugs up each time. Im sure you will be fine x
Hope everyone else is ok
Clare x
Just a quickie ladies… A grosshong line is similar to a hickman line it’s basically the se thing it’s inserted inthe same place it’s just got different ports on the end. They are both central lines. Hope every one is still doing ok xx
Hi Guys, Thank you all so much , I have never really felt so alone as I do at the moment , although my family , friends and partner are all being fantastic ,I think it is good to talk to people actually going through the same thing. My mouth sores are on there way now.
My work have been fantastic too seeing as I only changed my job in April of this year after being somewhere for 14 years … Bad timing or what ?
They are letting me work from home as I work in an open office ,but to be honest haven’t been able to even think about working to-date
(following Chemo)I too am going to try and pop into see them on Monday after the wig fitting , just to keep them up to date with how I am copying. Cant not work need the money …lol
Anyways all look after yourselves and have a “good” weekend
lots of love Jax
update - I have finally managed a headscarf look I am happy with. Achieved it by using a jersey fitted chemo scarf with ends tucked under with a contrasting thin neck scarf as trim around the bottom edge.
Unfortunately I have just realised I now need to find some plain shirts/tops to match my headwear or I might end up looking a bit “busy” if you know what I mean. What a great excuse for some retail therapy tommorrow!
Jax - hope your mouth sores are ok. Use something like corsydl twice a day and it should help to get rid of them or stop them in their tracks hopefully x
Clare - hoping no sickness yet means you will not get any. I didn’t get any x
Hi Ladies,
I discovered that the groshong line is what I previously called a central line(!) It goes in by the collar bone. At least the colder weather is coming so I can cover it up.
On sore gums, my friend is a dentist and he has recommended Duraphat toothpaste. He says it really helps but you have to get it on prescription. I haven’t started using it yet so can’t say what it’s like, but it may be worth asking your dentist.
Dizzy - I know what you mean about having to change outfit to match the scarf! I found this site headwraps.co.uk. I think they look really good and you can buy different colours and accessories.
I’ve been going back to work for a couple of weeks now, just part time as I’m usually bushed by lunchtime. It’s my business, I have a great business partner who is doing a great job of keeping everything going, but I can’t help feeling guilty that I’m not pulling my weight!
Hope everyone is managing to have good s/e free weekends. X
Hi Ladies
Sorry I have not been in touch but I was so tired after 1st chemo and wasn’t expecting to sleep as much as I have.
Anyhow, I was amused at my first session. The lovely nurse said that there was a side effect to the steroids they were putting in my line. Some people say it is a bit like sitting on a hedgehog. I nearly jumped out of my chair when she started putting it in, I held on to my lovely friend’s hand as it felt like someone had just shoved a hair brush up my poo hole. It then worked it’s way along the downstairs region. I told the nurse I hadn’t had a thrill in a while but that wasn’t what I was after!
My friend who came to chemo with me was brilliant. She tried to help by reclining my chair which resulted in me being shot out of it. I couldn’t walk in my new leopard print high heels (couldn’t find glittery ones) so had to hold onto my drip when going to the toilet, so we giggled all the way there. I asked friends on Facebook to send me happy songs to listen to so I could make a play list then we had trouble sitting still while the chemo was going in.
I took the antisickness tablets as soon as I started to feel queezy as I waited too long when I had chemo three years ago and ended up being really sick. This time, the lovely antisickness tablets sent me to sleep and I basically slept on and off for 3 days. Not much fun for my wonderful son, but much less painful for me.
I was due my second chemo last Monday but bloods were too low so have to go this week. Fingers crossed I will be ok as have eaten all the “superfoods” I can find. The trouble is, on the week of chemo I don’t feel like eating and then I get too run down for the chemo on day 8. I will force myself to eat the brocoli even if it makes me gag. I have also had beetroot and cheese sandwiches we are much nicer than they sound.
I have a hickman line which was uncomfortable to start with but a godsend on the day of chemo as I didn’t feel a thing and it was much quicker than the poor nurses having to try to find my invisable veins. I don’t like looking at the line but only have to do this when I change the dressing. I took the cable into my bra so that it doesn’t get in the way.
Anyway, I hope I have made you ladies laugh with my hairbrush up the bottom story. I will try to keep in touch and be more supportive to all you lovely girls.
Big hugs to those having chemo this week and keep resting everyone.
xxx
i’ve got my appoint with oncologist on thurs, and i think i’ll be starting chemo the next week
i was going to ask whether people thought i should take someone with me to the 1st session or would i be ok to go alone and drive myself home after, but after reading Nats experience i’m wondering whether i’ll be able to sit down after let alone drive!! (it did make me laugh tho!!)
Hi Gill
Please take someone with you. Normally you get antisickness medication with the chemo and it can make you very sleepy. Also, it can be quite boring as once you are hooked up the nurse may have to move onto the next patient.
Try to take someone who will make you smile but also someone who is great with hugs.
Good luck
xx