Hope everyone enjoyed yesterday as much as they could. I think I will enjoy future Christmases alot more and I hope to not take feeling good and healthy for granted anymore its a most precious of gifts
Hope all had a wonderful Christmas. I had a lovely day with my family. Played with games and had lots of fun and laughter
kay x
Happy Boxing Day
Christmas day was good, lots of time with family and loved watching the next generation paying charades with such enthusiasm!! Girls beat the boys AGAIN at the annual trivial persuit contest and even my chemo brain was able to contribute 
Very tired today, didnt sleep more than about an hour last night and cant blame it on steroids so donāt know why. I really feel like I need to take Berocca today but I am sure I read somewhere that I cant have that while on chemo. Meeting family in town soon for my neiceās birthday lunch then home to chill for the rest of the day.
Hope everyone is enjoying their Christmas and here is hoping next year is very different!
Jayne x
Hi Pumpkins!
itās good that weāve all seem to manage some good times celebrating with family - despite everything! I think I have been better for all the distractions of Christmas in my first week post-chemo! Raonaid, I agree, good health is the most precious gift which I intend never to take forgranted and to live life to the max when this treatment is through.
Jayne, I hope you sleep better this evening.
Happy Boxing Day wonderful Pumpkins xx
Wide awake at 4am. Got my 1st taxotere tomorrow.
I have taken 8 x steroid pills today and am not at all tired. Have done all the post christmas clothes washing, cleaned the kitchen. Also am attempting to empty the fridge I am so hungry.
Am starting to wonder whether the directions were Correct. 8 steroids is a lot, I have only been taking 3 per day after 3 cycles of FEC.
Busy day as got to leave home 8am. Bloods at 9. Consultant at 10. Then T chemo at 1pm but am hoping they can fit me in a bit earlier. I guess they will be busy though fitting in all the ppl who missed their chemo days on 25/26th
Then back Friday for 1st Herceptin.
Am worried about the side effects. I have got away fairly lightly with FEC. I have just had 2 weeks where I have felt almost normal. Had a great christmas, ate everything and drank 1st alcohol since October. I did fall asleep after 2 small glasses of wine though! Apart from being bald I still find it difficult to comprehend that I am so ill. I understand taxotere less likely to cause sickness and stomach upsets. But can cause fatigue and joint or bone pains.
Dont want to go to bed and lie there tossing and turning. Thing a blanket on the sofa will do for a couple of hours
Hi
slept much better last night but took a sleeping pill. I really donāt want to rely on them so will try again without tonight. Feeling better now day but but FEC 5 has been the toughest so far for tiredness, tummy trouble, insomnia and hot flushes! Having said that I have not had the rest and quiet that I would normally have so maybe that is the payoff for having a lovely Christmas surrounded by family - if thatās the case it is worth it!!!
i may not feel so charitable if I catch a cough and cold after two days with my sister and her son coughing and spluttering but she did offer to stay away and my view is you canāt avoid all germs and it was only a cold and I would rather take the risk and see my sister (she reads this so I have to be nice!). We are going to a hotel in Bournemouth for New Year so more germ risks but I refuse to lock myself away and have no fun - just hope I donāt regret it!!
good luck today Catzooo, I hope T isnāt too bad for you.
jaynex
Back from FEC4ā chemo unit really quiet. Thought it would be really busy.
off to sleep now (always makes me sleepy)
good luck catzoo
hope you get a better night jayne
kay x
Jayne m Iām off to Bournemouth tomorrow for a few days x
Hi Catzooo
I had my first Tax last wednesday and had to take 4 steroids twice the day before the treatment, 4 on the morning of treatment, 4 later that day and two doses of 4 the next day.
I had no nausea, one day of diarrhea but the joint pain started on day 2 and by day 3 I was having to use tramadol to control the pain (I do have seronegative and osteo-arthritis anyway), the pain began to receed on xmas day (day 6) and is now controlable by codeine. The other horribly timed side effect was that I woke xmas day with oral thrush so have barely been able to eat or swallow over the whole xmas period. None of which was helped by being away from home, in a valley with no phone signal! I got through it by using one of the anti-septic/ anti-bacteria thrat sprays, corsodyl mouthwash and toothpaste plus gargaling regularly.
The car is now packed and weāre soon heading home and Iām at the hospital in the morning.
Nonni
Hi Gail
Hope you have a good time, are you staying in the town itself?
We are actually staying in Boscombe right above the pier from Saturday to Tuesday. It is a lovely spot, we have stayed there many times and it is right on the cliff so I can while away the time staring out to sea which will make a great change from my living room walls!
If you see a person wuth a bad hair day avoiding anyone coughing and spluttering, it could be me!
Jayne x
hi all
hope you are all starting to feel a bit better from the last lot of chemo and catzoo good luck for yours tomorrow. Feel like I have almost recovered from first tax now although I am in bed already and still have some back ache. nonni like you I ended up with oral thrush over Christmas, it seems almost better now but was v painful right over Christmas day when I wanted to enjoy my yummy dinner! Gail and Jayne am v jealous of you going to Bournemouth, I grew up there and I love it down there, would love to be there now by the seaā¦
xxx
Hi Nonnie and ALfie. Good to hear from you
Nonnie you seem to be a few days ahead of me. Hoping your pains soon calm down. And that you get the oral thrush sorted out at the hospital.
My 1st Tax went well, feeling fine, no sickness or headaches. but soooo tired yet canāt sleep. Flippin steroids. Back to hospital at 9 am for 1st Herceptin. Then got to stay around for 6 hours to make sure Iām ok. Have made lots of packed lunch and charged up my kindle. good News is that my tumour is shrinking - now 5 x 3 cm - reduced from 8 x 5 cm after 3 FEC treatments.
Was given no anti sickness drugs this time but am feeling ok. Has sausages n mustard mash for tea. Got the stomach injections filtrastim again. And told to take paracetamol or ibuprofen as required. And to call if i need anything stronger. Also given stock of nystatin oral drops as I did get oral thrush 2 weeks ago. That stuff is a miracle medicine - instant relief.
Noticed my remaining hair is now falling out. I did shave it but it has growm back a little dark n fuzzy. Also eyebrows coming out too. Looking patchy.
Gosh itās 4am and my alarm is set for 7. Gonna try get some sleep.
Catzoo, glad you have got no pains, hope Herceptin goes well. BIG congratulations on the good news about out tumour shrinking so much. Makes all the discomfort more worthwhile.
alfie and Nonni poor you with having thrush over Xmas! What rubbish timing. Hope new year is better for you.
have lovely breaks aLl of you that are going away for new year. Hope the sea breeze wafts away all our side effects and we face the New Year and the end of this chemo with renewed energy
kay x
so sorry Nonni, that it has been rubbish for you, hope you can enjoy something better to eat in a few days, and remember its just one Christmas, hope today is better back at home.
Anne xx
Happy (belated) Christmas to all Pumpkins.
We all seem to be getting ready for our next lot of treatments!
Nonni how was your next treatment? how is the oral thrush now? I also had that with my 1st Tax - so horrid! was also given nystatin mouth rinse which did work really well.
Gail and Jayne hope you are having a great time in Bournemouth, great place.
Has anyone else had āfoot & hand syndromeā with the Tax? Iāve had really hot, swollen & tender hands & feet, my hands are now peeling/ flaky! Apparently this can happen with Tax. Great I now feel like a lizard! lol. Also on a more personal note Iāve also had some splitting ādown belowā! I mentioned it to nurse who said āoh yes this can happenā¦ā & no suggestions! Hope it stopsā¦ Does make you wonder all what it is doing to us.
Catzooo - Brilliant news about the tumour Fantastic. Hope the herceptin went ok today.
I have also noticed since Tax 1 my eyelashes have thinned & I have less of the small amount of hair I did have left.
Thinking of you all
Andie xx
Hi all Pumpkins!
Jayne and Gail, have a fantastic time in Bournemouth!!
Catzooo, such good news about the tumour, hope the Herceptin went ok. I have Diclofenac for bone pain after injection, I just take one at night for two days, but I think it helps.
Kay, hope you are feeling ok after chemo 4.
Nonni!! Youāre having a hard time, hope you got on ok at hospital.
Andie, I am on TAC x 6 and have peripheral neuropathy in hands ie I canāt feel my finger tips - worse on cycle 4! My finger ends are sore and cracking - I just use lots of hand cream. I have used CCS cream on my feet, you can get it at Boots, and that has really helped. Oh the joys of this chemo!!!
Had a lovely Christmas, but EXHAUSTED now and got 7 in-law type family coming today - eek eek eeeeek!!! Off to bury myself under the duvet for 10 mins before I can face it!!!
Have a good day if you can Pumpkins. Hurrah for us!! Xx
Little bear I dont know how your doing it 6 tac I am finding it harder than the FEC although the nausea on the FEC I found awful.
Andie J my eyelashes and eyebrows are pretty thin too, I guess theyāll go in the next round.
That L Glutamine I am taking is supposed to help prevent peripheral neuropathy and can help reduce symptoms if your already suffering from it apparently. So far so good but its only been one cycle of Tac.
Evening Pumpkinsā¦ its great to hear good news on here Catzoo!! Sympathies to those on TACā¦ x
Doing ok myself, cold just about on its way out - in time for FEC 5 on Friday! Tickly cough (went to docs on Thursday to get chest checked out & all was fine). But been making the most of my good days again. Took Princess out on Xmas Eve, treated her in Claires Accessories & then a (decaf) Costa (shes her mothers daughter!)ā¦ then yesterday we went into town. Spent 1.5 hours in Build A Bear shop due to queuing out of the door (my oncologist would have been very cross with me). Then bought her 1st pair of (small) heeled shoes (again, shes her mothers daughter!), then coffee & chocolate strawberries!! Today she had a playday with her friend which gave me & my friend plenty of time to catch up & gossip (& yes, cake was involved!). We are off to the see Cinderella at the Grand Theatre tomorrow evening so while shes at her dads during the day im gonna chillax so i dont fall asleep mid-panto, then im taking her to the pictures on Monday to see the new Tinkerbell film!! I know im gonna be completely exhausted by mid week but its the school hols so im determined to do as much with her as i am able. Iāll rest after Friday!!
SEs are ok this time (or is it just that im getting used to feeling pants!). Fatigue lasted longer (bearing in mind i had a cold), pins & needles every now & again, waking up silly oclock in the morning (so i have a book, bics & a flask with tea in by the bed!)ā¦ Just generally feeling fed up now - not in a depressed way but as in, wanting to get the final sessions over & done with. I am not the most patient of people!! Still waiting for my date to go to Preston to be measured up for rads (the ladies i have become friendly with at the Unit have already had their dates through for end of Jan) so need to mention that to my Onc on Thursday. Also, when to expect to have my Hickman out - the sooner the better as far as im concerned!!
Love to all Pumpkinsā¦ XXX
Hi Ribby great youāre feeling better and making the most of your good week. I also went shopping with my kids last week although Iām not sure I could have managed an hour and a half q for build a bear, that shop drives me mad when Iām well!! Isnāt it great to be thinking of when you can get your hickman line out, it just shows we are on the downward part of our chemo yeah!!
Raonaid sorry you have been feeling so rubbish on the taxol, I think I got away fairly lightly this time, my bone pain was controllable and although my mouth was sore and my tummy upset I could just about cope with it. I think the next dose will be worse for me based on how I was with FEC.
Little bear my skin on my thumb is cracking SO painful! Hope youre feeling a bit better in time for new year??
Catzoo hope your tax and herceptin went ok?
xx
Good morning pumpkins. After 1st Tax and herceptin on Friday I am feeling a bit weird. sooo tired and my limbs feel very heavy. Not actually aching though. .
My mouth feels strange. Kind of mild toothache in all my teeth and jaw. Lost all taste too. And I think the oral thrush may be coming back, but I got supplies of nystatin mouth drops for that.
My hands too feel weird. Tingly. Slapped loads of E45 cream on with cotton gloves last night.
My arm is sore too. They use the same arm for all my meds and I think its complaining now. Trying to keep the other arm good for after surgery.
Been reading up on herceptin. My MUGA score was only 45. Which seems low when other ppl have been taken offit if MUGA goes under 50.
its a lovely day out there in East Yorks. May try to manage a little walk later