hi guys thank you all for the kind words and worry, rang a&e monday night, was seen and just given piriton for the itchy skin, no bloods taken and they said my temp had dropped so i was fine, got up tuesday morning, couldn;t even swallow my own spit, temp was 37.6 and my skin was red raw. so off to chemo ward. admitted me straight away on iv anti bioticsm, fluids drip and lots of cream. after day 2 hands all swelled up and bright red and imflamed. saw oncologist on the ward and he says it is a severe reaction to the taxotare so im going back on fec for last 2 chemo. on thursday doc said my rash looked like it was tracking up my veins, so sent me for an ultra sound, wow low and behold i have a blood clot in my arm too. so they wanted me to stay in till monday. but no me being me i have come home with the antibiotics and the clexane injections for the clot with the understanding that if my temp peaks again or i feel unwell then i am to go straight back in. this is the 1st time that i have actually looked in the mirror and thought omg you now actually look like a cancer patient and i dont like it.
i hope you are all having a better time and not to many side effects on tax, it really was a killer for me. i flew through the fec so im hoping that i will be fine for the next ones too.
phew!!! jelly so glad to hear from you but obviously not your news. Glad you’re now home and just keep a careful eye on that temp. Been pretty rough myself for a few days. feel little better today so hopefully over the worst - fingers crossed.
kasacks - dont panic - I know alot of people who have found tax alot easier than fec. fingers crossed you’ll be ok.
Love to all. col xxxx
ps do you know about the younger breast cancer network on Facebook? it’s also a really useful place to get support and it’s secret so totally private to its members.
Great to hear from you Jelly (been so worried about you)!! Welcome back to the land of the living; just concentrate now on getting stronger and cracking through your remaining treatments.
Wish I was motoring through the FEC treatments. I had my 3rd one last Thursday and have spent the last 4 days feeling like I was in a black hole barely able to crawl out of it (so knocked out and exhaused). Anyway, today thankfully I feel somewhat more normal, so once I am back on my feet I will start my countdown for my last 3 FEC treatments.
Hello Sparklers
Lovely to hear from you jellymould but so sorry that you have been suffering with the Tax. Make sure you keep up the antibiotics and clexane to clear that clot. I think I would have been the same and wanted to come home, I think I recover better at home and you probably do too. Have they given you any cream for the rash? I know what you mean about looking like a cancer patient, I never look at myself in the mirror without a hat or wig as I don’t want to see myself as a cancer patient. But by the end of the year, we will be better, our hair will have grown back and we won’t look like cancer patients any more.
Kazacks - my aches after Tax are mainly nails, ankles and wrists, and have upped the Difflam for the bad mouth. Nothing tastes good at the moment, Eating lots of ice cream. Hope your aches are not too bad.
Supersusan - hope you don’t have to have the blood transfusion, but if you do, it might help make you feel better.
Lucy - hope you are feeling better. I have not been out since Thu because of the snow, but do feel like staying in bed all day. I am trying to get dressed each day as that still counts as an achievement.
Santa’s helper - hope your FEC was Ok yesterday.
Col - hope your temperature stayed down at the weekend.
Deeh - not managing to do the injections myself as I am too chicken. My friend, a former nurse who lives down the road, visits me each evening to inject me. Yesterday she showed my 14 year old son how to do them so he might give it a go this evening. I have them in my hip at the back so I don’t see the needle going in.
Pascal - any side effects after your Tax on Thurs?
Love to all. Keep sparkling, keep strong!
Hello Everyone
I had my 1st TAX and Herceptin last Thursday. Haven’t felt sick at all, which is wonderful, I was very tired over the weekend but seem to be coming round now. Sunday night my joints, especially my hips were really aching, even my feet! I woke up Yesterday though and felt much better. My mouth has been quite sore but the Difflam helps. I haven’t had nose bleeds but tiny bit of blood every now and then from my nose.
And my hair seems to be growing back, may be wishful thinking but it is a bit bristley.
Tomorrow I am off to see my consultant to see how I am getting on and an ultrasound I think. I haven’t seem him since starting chemo so I am a bit nervous.
hi girls, yes jenny got trimavate and dibrabase for rash.
off to see onc tomorrow to see what else i can have instead of tax. bc nurse said possibly more fec just stronger dose. yea more bloody sickness. getting tedious now, want it all to end. xx
How is everyone doing? I still feel rough although better than last week. I can’t believe next treatment coming round so quickly next week. I hope I have some good days soon. What do people use for mouth I still can’t taste anything… I also have sores all round my mouth…Grghhhh tax is horrible:-(
so rubbish that lots of sparklers are having a tough time. I haven’t posted ditties fir a while as they got quite dark and definitely wouldn’t make anybody laugh!! I’ve posted below the least depressing of the latest ones. I’m sure they’ll pick up as my mood does.
Love to all. col xxxxxxxx
This bloody FEC is a pain in the neck,
And I’m told with tax there’ll be no need to wax,
So many SEs and with the coldcap you’ll freeze,
If you’re not being sick then it’s an infected picc,
You worry about when to take your pills and your level of neutrophils,
From a horrible taste to an expanding waist,
From an MRI that made me cry,
To a CT that made me feel like I’d done a wee,
From talk of a clearance to a faded appearance,
If it’s not hot flushes then it’s news that crushes,
There’ll be surgery, rads and tamoxifen for 5 years or maybe 10,
Because of these lymph nodes I don’t know how it bodes,
But I’m halfway through now and will get there somehow,
I’m sick of sympathetic looks - this cancer really sucks,
And I just want to be ‘me’ again but I can’t help wondering when.
Jingle bells, dodgy cells, I feel like running away,
It’s not much fun this chemo ride but a very small price to pay - hey!
Dashing through the woe, worrying every day, over the hurdles we go, crashing along the way. They tell you it will sting, making you feel shite, how crap it is to fight this fight when you feel a dreadful sight - hey!
Chemo and cabbage, chemo and cabbage,
Go together like a horse and carriage,
But they make you farty,
So nobody wants you at their party!
Silent night, holy night, lack of sleep just makes me feel shite,
These bloody steroids are keeping me awake,
Oh good God just give me a break,
Then I’ll sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night, with the lack of sleep I look a right sight,
I’ll try a few tipples from my newly installed bar,
Then I might get some sleep - oh hallelujah,
Right the way through til dawn, right the way through til dawn.
These bloody steroids are doing my head in,
I just want to sleep but in my head there’s a din,
From ringing ears to persistent fears,
I think I might resort to the gin.
I could try nytol, night nurse or even lorazipam,
But I don’t have any in - damn and double damn,
It’s a battle with my mind but the steroids aren’t being kind,
Think I’ll get up and have a sandwich - now cheese or ham?
oh God it’s tricky when you feel so low,
This tax is shit and I’ve got a sore toe,
But there’ll be good times ahead you mark my words,
Birmingham will be fun with such a mad bunch of birds.
In the middle of chemo the days can be dark,
And I can feel myself turning into a nark,
But let’s be brave and bold and make a big stance,
And if all that fails we can always try a merkin dance!
Hi Everyone
Good news! Went for an ultrasound today and saw my surgeon. My tumour has shrunk from 37mm to 22mm, and I still have 2 chemos to go. My surgery is due end of March but I have been told that it will be a lumpectomy and not a masectomy as first thought.
And my hair seems to be growing back!
Lots of love
xxx
Pascal 48 that’s what we like to hear. Have had 2 Tax now and will be scanned after 3rd. Seems they are leaving mine a bit late as only have another 1 after that But hopefully there will be a change.
Great news pascal:-) i anyone had their steroid dose lowered on tax?
My insomnia is destroying me and wondering if onc will lower my dose. Also I have read about bone and liver scans etc- I won’t get any scans my onc said I’m wondering what other people get? I might just go private for scans but not sure what to ask for so wondered what scans others having.
i also think its time I saw a counsellor… A job to organise today I think… GrgGrghhhh. I feel so rotten still I just want to hide in the corner and comr out in 12 weeks when this part is over. I wonder how long until we start to feel better after last chemo? I think I will be a broken women by the end!
Glad to see you back Jelly xx
Col love them cheered me up:)
Got my first round of tax in just over an hour really not looking forward to it not slept for a couple of days stupid steriods:(
Stay strong and I feels better soon xxx
Col - lovely versus; they put a smile on my face (so rare at the moment!!!).
Yvonne - good luck today with TAX. Remember everyone reacts differently and it might not be so bad
Pascal - FAB NEWS. You go girl!!! Hopefully everyone else waiting for similar news will also get such positive feedback. These guys really know what they are doing, and the success rate is amazing…so keep it up everyone!
Tax for me has been ok a couple of sofa days on day 4/5 and then the usual aches but very very doable so don’t worry before it happens it’s not all bad on Tax. Hope I haven’t jinxed it for either of us !
Wendy x x
had the tax today just feel like a walking zombie no se yet putting it all down to lack of sleep mind have to start giving my self the injections that is going to take some something in me but it has to be done and no one else will do it for me.Looking on the bright side 4 chemos down 2 to go !!!
Keep strong we are nearly there
love and hugs
yvonne xxx
Hello Sparklers, I have just popped across from the January Jems with a couple of questions if you don’t mind??
I just wondered if your side effects seemed to follow the same pattern after each FEC or if they were different each time? I have had one FEC and the SE have been bearable so I’m hoping that you will say that they stay the same!! I can take the truth though if not!
Also Col123, you mention in your very good ditty that you are using the cold cap. Has it been successful? I am using but it is horrible.
Thanks and keep being strong Sparklers.
Sarah
