I have to tell you that I am so so pleased that i finished all the treatment, all 12 and did not give up early as I planned to for most of the time on chemo. My mind has shut out a lot of the memories of those bad days on chemo when I wanted to stop and I know I would be really cross with myself and anxious now if I had given up early.So just wanted to cheer you all on over the last extra long stretch on cmf and say well done and you will be so pleased that you stuck it out. Rads are ok, you are in the tough bit now . I have had absolutely everything the onc suggested as I wanted to walk away with no regrets and know that whatever happens I have given it my best shot.
Big hugs to you brave battlers and get ready for the fab feeling when you see the finish for chemo round the corner
Lily x
Went for onc appointment and blood test yesterday. Neutrophils were still only 0.9 so have to go earlier on Monday to have them checked again to see if I can have my treatment. I will be given gcsf injections after this next treatment to encourage my wbc count to recover more quickly. I’ll be glad to get this treatment out of the way as long as my bloods hold up. Also hoping that my veins hold out as well. It took four goes for the phlebotomist to get any blood yesterday! Anyway hoping everyone else is feeling good this weekend. The sun has been shining all day here. It looks lovely outside, but I haven’t ventured out myself. Good luck with the rads on Monday Lalala and don’t work too hard Lily. I’m sure it will take a while to get back into the routine of being at work.
Best wishes to everyone Jackie xx
Lalala - great to hear that you’re on the next stage - good luck with the rads - do you have to travel far each day?
Lily - kind words as ever - I know you’re right about hanging on in there!!
Jackie - hope you soon start to get your neuts under control
Have a good snowy weekend everyone
xx
Hi all,
I hope it went ok for you today Jackie. It’s bad enough mentally preparing yourself for chemo and ‘whether they will find a vein to work’, without the disappointment of low wbc delaying it all. The injections should help to recover your wbc, but be aware of the achey bones it can cause - my last one gave me really achey bones for 24 hours, but hopefully that will be the last of them for me. I had my first rad zap today, after driving myself through the snow. I don’t have too far to go Carol, about 4 miles, but to make sure I have a car parking space I am going early, so I hit the school traffic and rush hour. The treatment itself was all very straightforward, and as Lily says, nothing like chemo!!
Big hugs to all, S x
Yeehaa!! Lily’s diet of steak and mushrooms must have done something for my neuts. Thanks for the tip, Lily. They were up to 2.9 today, so I managed to have my penultimate treatment. I think the bacon sandwich this morning might have helped as well. Only one more to go next week and then the gcsf injections for five days. My chemo nurse even managed to find a vein first time today so apart from the waiting for the pharmacy to dispense my treatment, all went very well.
Glad you’ve had your first rad zap today and it went well Lalala, won’t be long before you’re all finished as well.
I hope that you, Carol and Poppet are doing ok on your cmf. Apart from the low neuts, I felt a lot better on this than on epi.
Not sure what has happened to Carmel, but think she’s probably finished her Xeloda by now and moving on. Hope she’s ok.
Jackie xx
Hi,
Jackie just passing the tips along the line from everyone who helped me. So glad you got it done, quite a jump in neuts, very impressive. Hope the rest go well too.
Hooray half-term next week and on full pay again. I am allowed to go in at 10 if not teaching,which is really helping me settle in gently. Taught 3 lessons in a row today and was shattered but nothing to do tomorrow, so can eat all the biscuits AGAIN!!.
Hope you are all ok and if in the dark hole, will soon be out of it and much better. Lalala have you started your hormone tablets yet?
Carol grit your teeth and hang in there if you can. Know exactly how you feel as do the other ladies on here. Hi anyone I did not mention above, hope you are ok or okish or getting better.
lily x
Lalala - hooray!! Here’s to the rads being a walk in the park!! Good luck - 4 miles sounds great, mine will be a round trip of about 50 miles but to be honest it will just be good not to be on chemo. The cmf is being kinder to me now - just v tired !
Lily - full pay sounds good, hope you’re not too tired working - are you coping with it ok?
Hope everyone else is good - we seem to be thin on the ground at the mo, hopefully that means you girls are getting on ok
xx
Hi everyone sorry not been on in a while but my 2nd cmf has been anightmare sickness dizzness low bloods and on top of that having chemo in surgery arm and under my arm and the side of my breast starting to swell but only 2 more cycle to go hurray then rads.
Hope you are all moving a long nicely when i here yous are staring back to work i know this sounds sad but it keeps me going knowing it won’t be to long for me.
Hows the hair growing mine has a badger look at the minute still check it out everyday mind you skin like a elephant if anyones got any tips i have tryed e45 but think i need somethink to scrub the dead skin of first.
Well take care all another chemo for me 2mrrw x
Hi,
from one badger to another Poppet, I used an organic dye with no chemicals while still on cmf. It made such a difference to how i looked as it made the hair block together. i got a hairdresser to do it just in case it went weird! So sorry to hear you have been struggling and will be thinking of you having the next one tomorrow.
Keep chugging along, you are doing so well and it will soon be at an end. Tough time I know, we all do x
Lily x
Hi all, it sounds like everyone is doing ok now thank g. I’ve had 5 rad zaps now and all is fine. Boob is a bit tender inside but skin seems fine. I start my hormone tablets this weekend Lily, onc said i could wait a while if i wanted but i may as well get on with it! I ate lots of steak and mushrooms and it didn’t help my wbc … so it goes!
I went to a man team meeting at school on wed as the lovely ofsted have decided to visit on 24th Feb. I just went to give moral support as there isn’t much I can really do to help. It’s not a proper ofsted, they are coming to see why we are a successful school as we were outstanding last time - doh!
Not long to go now for those of you still on chemo … and spring has nearly sprung ‘some days’ too. Big hugs, S x
Hi all,
I had my first rads today,went well. I wanted to ask if anybody suffered from swollen,psinful lacy tongue symptoms? my last cmf was 5 weeks back ,i stll have no taste ,whtever i eat stings and my tongue is lacy and swollen…inspite of using clairgel…please suggest something, I am miserable.
Shammo.
Hi girls
Well that’s it, I’ve done it. 4 epi and 4 double cmf, nearly didn’t get my last dose today as started with cystitis last night, but Doc was pleased with my bloods and happy for me to go ahead. I’ve come home with some antibiotics but already feel a lot better. I think I didn’t drink enough water this week and I think cyclophosphamide is bad on the bladder!! Can’t believe it’s finally over. It’s funny, it seems as though I have been having treatment for years, but in another way it has gone quite quickly. Now I move on to Tamoxifen in a couple of weeks and then it will be back to work.
I hope the rest of you are coping well with your treatment. You’ll all be finished soon.
Take care
Jackie xx
Hi,
Go Jackie!!! Congratulations on sticking it out to the end. I found it really annoying waiting for the side effects of the last one to go. Hope you are more patient than me! Hope the bladder improves very soon, so uncomfortable and yes C does get the bladder amongst other things. You might like to think about doing some research on tamoxifen. I did and got the more expensive version called nolvadex-d and have had no hot flushes in 2 months, fingers still crossed just in case.
Shammo I had terrible trouble with my mouth. It could be thrush so then you need nystatin drops. They helped mine and I had no white patches like some people look for. I also had steroids for my tongue which was like going to bed with a slug on your tongue!LOL. But it worked really well. I got both from my GP. Non medical tip keep those squirty bottles of water in the fridge and keep having little squirts on your tongue. I used to find tap water better than mineral as some have salt in and felt sick. Also lollies can be good. Hope it improves. Lalala it is strange that oncs differ about when to start the tablets. In our area you have to time rads exactly 3 weeks after chemo and tablets start at the same time. They say it is because tamoxifen takes 3 weeks before it protects and most people here have 3 weeks rads. Not sure why there are different views as always with BC. I would start them though, as going to have to take them for years anyway.Brilliant you managed to miss rotten Ofsted, you don’t need the stress that lot bring.We got outstanding too, hope that doesn’t mean we get looked at too. Yikes!I can feel a headache coming on just thinking about inspectors!It comes from when i taught in a school in a deprived area that was in special measures and Ofsted visited every other term. Unfortunately they saw me every time as in a core subject. When I came to my present school they got me again. Grrr. How do you feel about going back? It is a shock and lovely at the same time. I recommend going back on a Thursday so you have a short week or just before the end of term,
Hope everyone else on here is ok and battling through the last few doses. Keep smiling if you can, it will end. The last bit goes much quicker.
Lily x
Hi
It sounds like every one is moving on i still have 2 more cycles of cmf but i feel iam coping ok got up this morning and i have avery sore bum its like big burns anyone else had this my sisters a nurse and she said it could be of the steriods thereas one thing bc done i dont care what i flash or talk about.
Hope you are all well.
x
Hi,
Poppet it could be thrush, I got big red sore areas which hurt to sit on but none of the usual symptoms it gives. It took 8 of the tablets before it went completely and I was surprised when my acid and reflux improved too. BCN thought I might have pockets of it right through my tubes - lovely! Good luck in getting rid of it. 2 more to go, well done that means you are 75% through chemo.
keep smiling if you can
Lily x
HI everyone
Hope you are all feeling ok and still moving along this road. It been a lovely sun day, been in the garden having a look at all the new shoots coming up spring is on its way at last.
Thanks Lily i think you were right about it been thrush, mind you on friday i had terrible stomach pains but ended up having to run to the toilet which is a change from having to pop as many pills to go lol.I have found this cycle i have been so weepy and fatigued i think its a build up of the chemo and when the sun comes out i want to do more than my body will let me.
plan a little holiday for when i have finished treatment as we were going on a cruise for OH 50th but it had to be canceled.
Take care all x
Hi everyone - Did you miss me!!!
Sorry haven’t been on for a while - eldest son & Aussie wife on a visit here from Oz. It’s been the best medicine having everyone in the family together!! I think I’ve done more (and eaten and drunk more!)in the last 10 days than I have in the last 5 months!! We’ve celebrated 2 birthdays, an anniversary & first grandchild on the way. Brilliant news.
Just going for cmf number 3a so 4 chemo to go. Hope you’re all feeling ok - a few blips for some of you but we’re nearly there on this rotten chemo. Ofsted talk gives me cold shivers too - it’s so stressful - even if you don’t get stressed you pick it up from others through osmosis I reckon!!
Was going to go back to read the last few posts again - but know I’ll lose this so just good luck everyone!! Can’t wait to be on rads
xx
Hi all,
Well done for finishing Jackie, and only 3 more to go now Carol. It doesn’t seem long since I was looking forward to rads, now I’m beginning to be fed up with the daily routine … but am just over half way through so not long to go. It’s fun people watching in the waiting room and listening the to men gossiping … yes the men not the women 
Big O visit went ok at school so panic over, but apparently having this visit doesn’t stop them from coming again for a ‘normal’ inspection in the near future - doh! I’m still thinking of returning after Easter at the mo, but part time.
I have to say I’m beginning to feel almost normal; like my inner strength is returning. I started Tamoxifen 10 days ago Lily, which happened to be 3 weeks from last chemo anyway. So far no side effects except slight swelling of ankles - but have started using my body brush again and that seems to stop ankles getting too big.
Time for a sleep methinks. Hope you’re feeling ok after chemo 3a Carol. Big hugs, Shelagh xxx
Hi all
A very busy few weeks for me with a holiday and then very busy half term looking after the kids on my own. Not that we did too much but still there is a backdrop of tiredness if im honest!! Its hit me again this week but as im on my last cycle (!!) I know its not long till the end now. Onto rads soon i suspect.
I went on my ski trip… despite the anxious concerns of my research nurse. So glad I did. I surprised myself by skiing every day and taking little napsbefore dinner. I think that is the life, chemo or no chemo!
Im so glad to hear such good news from you all about the progress you have made and the final stages of treatment- WOW! Poppet I know you still have a bit to do but as Lilly says it will be over before you know it and you WILL feel better.
Do many of you have aches and pains? I could feel a bit paranoid because i seem to have alot but don’t want to read too much into them. Im hoping they are a chemo side effect rather than something more worrying…
take care all x carmel
ps I have a very decent skin head these days that Im mighty happy with. Less of those kindly ‘looks’
Finding it hard to believe we’re all so far down the chemo road - it seemed such a long one back in October! And doing normal things which were unthinkable back on epi!! I didn’t have cmf 3a as neuts were too low - first time it’s been postponed so I’m ok about it.
Hope you all have a good weekend - Spring def sprung here today - beautiful sunny day
xx