Am due to start chemo today, first one of 6xFEC, am very nervous!! Haven’t been to hospital for few weeks (four weeks since my mastectomy and n/c) and was begining to get lulled in to false sense of pre-breast cancer normality I think.
At same time am feeling glad to be starting, to be getting on with it and getting it over, but really am feeling very nervous. Have huge fear of needles which doesn’t help (have put in request for numbing cream already - how much of a baby do I feel!)
Two lovely friends are looking after children for me today so don’t have to worry about doing anything much later, my husband is also around and is being really supportive, even still am feeling bit lost! Any advice out there?
If you feel like a chat to one of our helpline team before you go for treatment please call them on 0808 800 6000, the line opened at 9am and is open until 5pm.( Monday to Friday 9am-5pm and Sat 9am-2pm). It may help you to feel a bit more in control and they will be able to give you some ideas about helping you to cope with the day ahead.
You’'ll be absolutely fine my lovely. The first chemo is always nerve-wracking, but the nurses are so nice and will put you at your ease. My first chemo was done in a side room - I was sat in the comfiest of chairs and my husband was with me the whole time. You’ll be given steroids and anti-sickness tablets (or intravenously) before they start, and they’ll run through all the do’s and don’ts whilst on chemo - I felt like I was pregnant all over again ! Don’t worry about the needles, I hate to say it, but you’ll get used to them. One Nurse always told me to take a sharp breath in as she put the needle in, then breathe out slowly - I swear it worked !
The session took around an hour in total, and was much better than I thought. They sent me home with numerous tablets to combat any sickness I may get, but everyone reacts differently - honestly. Whatever side effects you do get (if any), the hospital tell you not to suffer in silence, and will always help.
I started my chemo on 27th April, had 8 sessions, and finished on 31st August. It was hard, but do-able, and I’m so glad I did it - it worked brilliantly for me, and my tumour disappeared.
Louisa, good luck for today my lovely - as I say, you’ll be fine. Please post back to let us know how you got on - oh, and look out for the red wee ! You’ll know what I mean later (LOL!)
Sorry you are feeling really scared about your chemo, but it is doable honest. I have now had 4 out of 6 session, 5th one next week. I had 3 x FEC and am now having 3 x taxotere. I was perfectly fine on FEC, no sickness, nothing, just the hair loss. It is doable and does not hurt. I sit in an arm chair, feet reclined while the drugs are intraveneously put into me. My hubby comes with me and we farm the 3 yr old out to her best friends and my neighbour normally looks after my 11 month old. Just remember, if you do suffer any form of sickness either actually being sick or just feeling really sick, tell your chemo nurse or bc nurse, and they can change your antisickness tablets. Do not just think you have to suffer, cos you don’t.
The needle doesn’t really hurt. I hate needles and my hubby passes out, so he is sent off for a walk and I look the other way, takes about 2 mins max.
I think once the treatment starts, it does make it easier to cope with all this crap and also help you to be positive cos you know you are fighting back big time.
Take care and good luck. Let us know how you get on.
Thank you so much, think am just thinking about it all too much! getting myself in bit of a state, know once the first one is done I will feel more in control. Will try the breathing thing for the needle (the nurse who took my drains out when I had surgery suggested similar thing for that - now that is horrid!!).
Will let you know how I get on, probably go on and on about how I get on!! Good to talk to someone who’s been there, have no friends who’ve been through this, thankfully, so good to have you!
I just wanted to wish you well on your chemo today. Everyone on here is wonderfully supportive and will help you should you need to rant or rave or laugh or cry!
Let us all know how you get on as Lynne says about, we have all had a laugh, rant, rave or a cry on here and everyone understands are are fantastically supportive.
Just hoping today has gone well for you - the first is always the worst. Best advice is listen to your body - you’ll find it will be in charge - if you need to lie down then do it - (if you can!!)
Well one down, five to go! Like you all said, wasn’t as bad as I’d worked myself up for, had lovely nurse who talked me through everything before and during the treatment, altho’ couldn’t have the numbing cream for the cannula that the consultant had promised, apparently I had to be able to feel if the needle moved in the vein, so had to grin (or rather cry) and bear it!
But straight after treatment was feeling quite perky! - went shopping for birthday presents for my little boy (nine in November), tidied house, told Paul (husband, not nine year old!) to go out for beer with mates as I was feeling fine - then seven oclock down to earth with a bump! awful nausea and headache which continued all through the night. Paul arrived home about 10.30pm with fish and chips which nearly tipped me over edge!!
Am feeling much better this morning, am taking copious amounts of anti-sickness tablets and have put ginger tea and travel sickness arm bands on shopping list, worth a try?
Thanks for all your kind thoughts yesterday, helped me be lots more positive,
I am so glad you found your first chemo to be ok. I started chemo in May and finished a couple of weeks ago. I don’t mind telling you I was shi**ing myself before I went for my first session!! However, like you say, I found it to be nowhere near as scary as I had imagined it to be.
Well, thats one down for you, and believe me the time will fly by! Be sure to take it easy and don’t expect too much of yourself too soon. I was always careful to take things really easy the first couple of days after treatment. Travel bands were my best friends and they really worked for me. Another great pal is good old lucozade, I couldn’t function without it!! I started a thread on this page titled ‘top tips going through chemo’. Loads of people have contributed and you may find it helpful.
Take care, and I wish you well as you continue this journey,
gald your first chemo went well, i like you begin mine on Tuesday so we can travel this lovley journey together.
Thankyou Kelly for the thread above i will take a look.
Shall have a look at your thread for surviving chemo Kelly, have already been out to get sickness bands and ginger tea which my chemo nurse said may help. Frankly I’ll try anything, am still feeling quite sick today, will it wear off after few days or does the nausea stay around all through the cycle?
Hope everything goes nice and smoothly for you Tuesday Cath, I’m on FEC at moment, think for six cycles although am discussing with consultant whether Taxotel might replace two of the FEC or just get added on as an extra couple - are you similar?
I had 6 fec, and i remember when i had my first one my friends & family said to me , that is one down and before you know it will be one to go, well at the time i thought they were talking rubbish, but believe me they were right, after that i used to say that is ANOTHER one over with, i found that this helped. I had my last one on 12th July, then went on to have radiotherapy which ended 26th September, then i went abroad at the start of this month for my daughters wedding. So hang on in there and just remember every ONE you have is ONE less to go. I still can’t believe how quickly it all went.
love & best wishes to all of you that are just starting.
Mary
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Have felt better today, thanx. Have found eating something small every couple of hours helps, just toast or bit of plain rice or cereal bar (shall be the size of a house by end of treatment!) Am drinking cranberry juice by the gallon too, it’s nice and sharp and good for preventing urine infections which I read somewhere may be a problem whilst on chemo.
I’m not sure about the Taxotere at the moment, it’s something my consultant is considering, but I may end up just(!?) doing the 6xfec. I didn’t go for the cold cap in the end, was worrying so much, even tho my consultant said the chance of scalp mets was absolutely tiny and he’d never come across one, anyway, my hair will fall out and it’s one less thing to worry about. Right choice for me. Also, if I do end up on Taxotere it wouldn’t work for that anyway (I think?).
Thanks EVERYONE for kind thoughts, and for helping keep me positive, it’s good to hear how many of you have got through this and stayed so strong and to feel am not alone starting out here. Have good restful weekend!