Starting chemo (FEC followed by Tax) today! Should be interesting/weird/a riot (depending on how I behave!) 
Ann x
Good luck Ann, hope all goes well for you today.
I’m one day behind you, and will be starting my FEC tomorrow (eeek).
Cathy xx
Well, that’s the first FEC done, phew.
I know I’m bound to regret saying this, but for the moment I’m feeling fine. Ive drunk about 3 litres of water today (so far), and am taking Emend, so I hope they’ll keep any nasty side effects at bay. The portacath made the whole process completely pain free too.
The pink wee is kind of interesting though.
Hope you got on well with your 1st FEC today CaptainHaddock, and good luck to all those who start in a few days!
Cathy xx
Hi Cathy,
Glad you feel ok. Me too so far. Brilliant pink wee, you’re right 
The ward sister said it’s the steriods that make us feel good at the start and it might get more tiring later on, which is a fair point, but I’m enjoying it whilst I can!
Ann x
Hi again, I think from other forums I will likely be on Fec as no node involvement. You dont think drinking lots of water dilutes the efficiency of the drugs do you? That probably sounds like a daft question doesnt it? Has anyone been given details of diet to follow whilst on chemo or advice about excercise? How long does chemo take to administer/ drip through?? So many questions so little time (til I meet oncologist that is, not on this mortal coil!!!)Rachel
Rachel
- Interesting question about diluting drugs and water - all hospital staff say drinking lots of water is vital; before chemo to keep hydrated so they can find the veins easily and afterwards to keep stop drugs settling in kidneys and bladder and to help veins cope with the drugs. My veins are still sore after finishing FEC for a few months and the advice I got was to keep drinking water - and they are getting better. I think the drugs are targeted and so dilution is not a problem - but I’ve not medical info on that.
I’ve been told to eat healthily and keep exercising as much as I can - I’ve found my own way into eating with help of some of the ideas in books mentioned in the Research, Diet and BC thread on this forum. McMillan and BCC have some good booklets online about diet and exercising and cancer that I’ve found useful.
FEC took about 2hours to administer - some with individual support from nurse and some with drip as it involves different drugs and then the anti-nausea drug and a “flush” to clear the veins inbetween some of the different drugs.
Good luck - you will cope ok; just be prepared to ask for medical help if you are worried along the way
Fran
Hi everyone iam to start chemo in march just waiting for a date but i go on monday to see chemo nurse so she can tell me about the chemo i agree it is a scary place to be i have signed my consent form on thursday when i went to see my chemo doctor for the 1st time so if its ok for me to jump on board it would be great to be in contact with others going thru it at about the same time good luck to all going thru this maxine xxx
Hi I’m back in the land of posting messages - I had made myself so worried before first chemo that I burst into tears with the nurse but I’m sure I’m not the first.
I had wanted a PICC line put in before 1st chemo because they struggled to find veins during surgery and for blood tests since and had same prob on Thurs with 1st FEC. Apparently, I should have been given the choice to have it fitted before the 1st cycle, but at least it’s booked now for before the 2nd one. Others may wish to note that if they want one they prob have to ask for it before the first session. It’s only if, like me, you have really poor veins before even starting because they had to try several times to find one and then, because it wasn’t a brilliant vein, the chemo was quite sore going in. The nurse was lovely though and took longer to push it through with more fluid so it wasn’t so bad once I’d told her. Unfortunately, like some others on this site, I’m really prone to sickness so even the ondansatron didn’t stay down (I was sick Thurs eve, but only once). Since then I have been ok, just queezy but part of that I think is pyschological because you’re just waiting for the side effects! I did ask for the best/strongest anti-sickness but I’m told ondansatron is one of the most expensive ones. I mentioned Emend but the nurse said that was generally for other types of chemo (I don’t know if that was a fob-off!) but I rang the hosp the next day and told them I’d been sick even with a combination of ondansatron and domperidone so maybe I’ll get something different next time. Have been finding it hard to sleep, I think my mind just can’t switch off so awake every couple of hours. I’ve had the odd doze in the day to compensate but hope to get a bit of exercise and fresh air in the next day or so which might help. I’m told the steroids can keep you awake (I’ve only be prescribed them for 2 days but with the advice not to take the 2nd one any later than after lunch because it stimulates the mind). Very best of luck other soon to be starting FECers. It hasn’t been as bad as I expected - let’s just hope the other cycles are equally not as bad!
Welcome back CaptainH!
I had my FEC1 on Thursday, like you, and this morning I feel considerably less icky than before.
Don’t let them fob you off about Emend and FEC, they prescribe it for FEC here (in France) but it is very expensive at around £67 a pill… so that’s £200 for the 3 pills that make up the treatment for each cycle of chemo, multiply that by the number of FECs you’ll be having and you get the picture. Ondansetron is considerably cheaper.
Having said that though, if you were only sick once, and felt queasy the rest of the time, I don’t think Emend would help much. I have a pretty sturdy stomach, and never suffered from morning sickness/travel sickness etc, but even with Emend, although I didn’t actually barf, I spent 3 days feeling quite nauseous anyway.
Glad they’re going to be giving you a PICC, that’ll make FEC2 easier for you. Will yours be 24th March like mine?
How’s the mouth? Mine tastes like the bottom of a budgies cage, and feels as if the budgie has been dancing all night in it wearing hobnail boots, yurk!
Ann, how are you doing, now that the steroids have worn off? Hope you’re OK.
Cathy xx
I go for my 1st FEC on wed 16th march got my date today not really looking forward to it but it as to be done maxine xxx
good luck to everyone starting or started chemo
Blimey, when they say “steriod crash”, they mean it! Even with a gentle reduction over the 5 days, today was 'orribly tiring. Been asleep in bed most of the afternoon which is so Not Like Me At All. Still not unbearable or appalling, but a real surprise. Felt like I had really really low blood pressure and blood sugar - that kind of ‘on your last legs’ feeling of having no energy. Feel a lot better for the rest, though.
Mouth also feels like some budgie’s been partying!
Good job I have a sense of humour
Ann x
Hi everyone it’s really good to be back on the site again, just in time to post a message to all March starters before my 2nd chemo. Yes, Cathy, it looks like you and I are travelling together, because my second one is 24th March too. PICC line is going in on Monday but has been an absolute headache with my GPs who have said that as none are trained, neither they nor the practise nurse nor the district nurses can do the PICC line care - flushing and changing the dressing. It’s apparently v. easy and my husband can be shown how to do it, but like me he feels that it should be a medical person just to ensure no infection etc. Apparently because so few people ever need PICC line care in my rural neck of the woods, it’s not worth training anyone to do it. So much for patient care. It’s been really upsetting having endless conversations that amount to the same basic advice that I’m not important enough to warrant training. Next time someone in my (very big village, nearly a town) needs the same thing, I’ll tell them that the medics can’t do it but my husband can - perhaps he’ll start charging!
I’m worried that I may be tempting fate but my 1st chemo hasn’t been too bad and I’ve felt really well recently - it almost makes it harder to be zapped again and go down hill again. I’ve had no ulcers or mouth problems and only just the (fairly sudden and violent!) sickness the night of the 1st chemo. My hair is now coming out everywhere - I keep leaving a trail, but I’ve got a lot of it so I can still go out without looking too different as yet. The wig is waiting and my 9 year old daughter has decorated my polystyrene wig head with eyes, lips, rosy cheeks etc - I keep getting startled when I come in the bedroom and forget that it’s there! I imagine the next chemo will finish off the hair though. Good luck the rest of you March FECers and I’ll think of you on Thurs 24th too Cathy.
Fliss x
Girls, i had the same treatment as you about 18 months ago and although not pleasant it is doable and you will all be fine!!
The advice about drinking water and lots of it is a good one!! For sickness I nibbled on ginger biscuits and pineapple lollies were great! There is a thread on here somewhere called top tips for chemo, its worth a read as lots of advice there. Good luck to you all Debs xxx
Dear all,
I have attached the link for the top tips to help you through chemo thread:
breastcancercare.org.uk/forum/top-tips-to-help-get-you-through-chemotherapy-t19110.html
I hope this helps
Very best wishes
Janet
BCC facilitator
Thank you for posting this again - I found it by chance and took it as a shopping list before my first chemo; it’s a brilliantly helpful and detailed list. Huge thanks to the person who first compiled it. On Sat I took delivery of my new headscarves - I ordered a really good one which has a stretchy head band with an already tied scarf attached, as I’m not that creative with scarves. I also got my polystyrene head for my wig. My 9 year old daughter has been a bit upset about the thought of my losing my hair although it hasn’t really gone yet (lots coming out but I don’t look much different yet). She hasn’t wanted to talk about it and just keeps saying she doesn’t want me to look any different, so I had a brainwave - the polystyrene head comes with the shape of eyes nose and mouth but just white, so I gave her the job of decorating my ‘head’. It now has blue eyes, big pink rosy cheeks, lipstick, eyelashes etc. She loved doing it and it helped her to feel involved - it is sligthly scary when you come into the bedroom and forget it’s there 'though!
My second FEC is 1 April, im in mid week of my FEC1 but apart from sickness from Onadestron no se;s yet, are they on their way. still got hair. having cut tomorrow and i will cry its so long and thick and its criminal!but i read about carrying around a chemo card - whats that i dont have one of those?
Hi Silvershar
I was given a chemo booklet and a card which I was told to carry at all times in case of emergency, the booklet contains pages for treatment , what and dosage ,and also pages with SEs to tick so treatment can be given and any adjustments to dosage can be made , basically its a record of treatment.
I start 1st tax on Wednesday.
Jean
Hi everyone, I have my first FEC on Friday…silvershar, I also had waist length hair and had it cut very short yesterday. I don’t love it, but it was a lot less shocking than I thought it would be, just couldn’t face a whole head of long hair on my pillow! Going to try the cold cap to see if I can save the rest. Reading everyone’s posts makes me feel this treatment is going to be more manageable than I imagined, everyone seems so very brave and strong. An inspiration.
Fingers crossed! xx
Hi everyone.
Yesterday I had my first of 3 FEC cycles before going on to 3 cycles of T. At first I thought FEC-T was a bit aggressive for a stage 1, grade 2, node negative IDC of 1.1 cm but I had an Oncotype DX test done on my tumor (its very common for early stage, node neg BC in the US) and it scored at 29, which is the very high end of intermediate chance of reoccurance. Actually, it corresponds to a 19% chance of reoccurance within 10 years. With FEC-T, rad and hormones, the docs all feel I can get that down to around 5%. Thats a big difference, so chemo it is.
Have to say, I am doing extremely well. Its not even been 24 hours since the last injection, but I feel totally fine - no side effects at all. Did the cold cap after cutting very long hair to above shoulders and adding tons of layers. It hurt like hell in the beginning but after a while and with 2 paracetemol, it got better. Talk about hat head!!
Today I’ve got to return for my PEG injection. Anyone have any experience with that? Then its off to look for wigs.
These posts really help. Would love to hear stories, tips, advice or just good jokes.
x
Hi, Adangel, how did you get the oncotype dx test done? Are you nhs or private health care as I guess that would make a difference? Is it something we could ask for or is it done at the same time as the original histology, or are you actually in the States as thats a possibility.! My onc said the T of FEC_T is usually for node involvement. I was stage 2 grade 3 second primary breast cancer and am on E-CMF and now am wondering if they arent being aggressive enough!!