Way hey Gennie!!! You’re getting there!! Glad to hear it…mary x
thanks girls and gennie i am so delighted for you. it took about 45 minutes to administer drugs which was fine, just sat in chair while nurse injected one at a time, 15 mins with doctor and the other 4 hours was spent sitting round waitin. gennie you wont have that problem, lucky you. i am having 6 FEC. i drank as much as i could before and during and after chemo. they also provided me and my husband with free soup and sandwhiches and tea or coffee. all in all the care is superb jus the waitin that seems a bit much.
martina still feelin suspious
Thanks everyone…
I guess is just goes to show how things can vary from unit to unit as i hear other people with tales of how breast cancer nurses have loads of time to discuss things etc…
Gen - I’m sure you must have said before - what do they do about the blood test results when you are treated at home? Do they pop by the day before to get a sample…?
The treatment time really varies depending on the type of chemo… both of mine seemed to take about 2 and half hours…
Chemo Crib Sheet
Tuesday - chemo day - all that happens is I start getting a dry throat and mouth with a resultant wee cough. It’s a dryness that comes from inside, so drink lots, suck sweeties, whatever helps, but the dryness is the chemo drying you out. You’ll see and feel it in your skin as the days go by, and maybe get a tongue coating, and very probably constipation unfortunately. Steroids will keep you awake tonight, and tomorrow, and you won’t sleep properly because of either drugs or steroids for the next 5 or 6 nights. You’ll probably get a good night somewhere just 'cos you’re so tired you can’t not sleep.
Wed - feeling the tiredness, dryness, but otherwise normal. However, it’s hard to describe, but you know that your system is working to deal with something. If you go for a walk you feel your heart going harder, even if you aren’t. Oh, I give up drinking tea till Day 6 now. It tastes of nothing, and it’s better to drink water stuff anyway. I found the first time that some food tasted different now, but that didn’t happen this time. I haven’t had mouth ulcers at all, but both times my gums at the back near my teeth got rough by Wed/Thursday. Very strange, and goes away in Week 2. Keep up the good mouth hygiene.
Thursday - tired, dry, and starting to feel not like me. A bit of nerve tingling, and I get a strange numbness through my buttocks and back thighs if I sit too long - but, I’ve been wierd with legs since a knee operation, so that’s probably just me. It goes away once the drug goes out of you anyway.
Friday - Constipation City! I took meds for it this time and it didn’t help. Diaoreaha, oh bums, flopbott for the first two days and constipated anyway on Friday. Now I feel odd. Tired, but even sleep doesn’t help, irritable, and this is when my deep black funk starts. The best thing is just to ride the storm here. Sit down and watch a movie, even though you’ll just stare at the screen. I go lie down as often as I need to, sometimes catch 30 mins sleep, sometimes just lie for an hour. You might spend quite a while lying down! This is when my eating started this time, but the first time I didn’t eat much for two days. Do what your body needs to do. If it doesn’t want to eat, give it soup and yoghurt anyway - and keep drinking.
Saturday - same as Friday. Bad day.
Sunday - Wake up feeling bad again, but by dinner time I know it’s passing, except for the dangnabbit constipation. Depression lifts in the course of the day.
Monday - Suddenly the constipation moves on and my system starts to work again. This is the couple of days when you know the drug is now moving on and out. You can almost feel the change in you by the hour. I feel pretty good, but still tired. Don’t over do it. The drug is still in you a bit and your system still needs rest.
Tuesday - today. Overdo it and you will pay! However, you now know it’s pretty much over, and you no longer have an excuse to over eat, so stop, or buy a size up!
Week 2 - take it as you find it. Monitor yourself for the whole 3 weeks in this first round, till you see how it’s going to work for you. Your skin will hydrate again in week 2, spots, cuts, nicks, that haven’t a hope of healing in week 1 will now start to heal up.
thanks carol gonna read that all over again and take notes. will keep record of my days too like you said.
later
martina
I’ll see the Onc at the hospital just as each cycle ends and have bloods done there about an hour before I see her so she’ll have the results to refer to. I think that’s how it goes anyway - I don’t think they come out to home to take bloods, but I will double check that tomorrow.
Thanks for the crib sheet Carole - I’ll keep a note of that. The diary is a good idea too.
Martina - sorry i keep getting confused - chemo brain… believe me we all seem to end up with chemo brain… lol
I think it is you who was starting AC chemo this week…? if so i agree with what carole said but i found i tended to feel sick until the next wednesday… when suddenly magically at lunchtime a little switch would flick and suddenly i didn’t feel sick anymore…
That sounds about the same as me for time Martina.
Gen, it only takes about 20 mins to actually put the Epi in. I’m in for about 45 (not including waiting around), but I’ve got to get the vein up and stabbed. You’ll probably be quicker 'cos of the port. It’s really easy. You might feel it a bit cool as it goes through the vein, then you get a tingling in your arm, I feel it a wee bit in my face, then ZOWIE! it hits your nether regions! Whoa, that is a wierd thing. About 20 secs of extremely wringle inducing tingling, then it goes away. I could learn to like it! After that, just wait till the nurse is done, say thanks, and go get a cup of tea and a huge piece of chocolate cake. Let her know if you feel anything that is actually uncomfortable. For example, my last dose had been in the fridge overnight so it was really cold going in and started to hurt my arm. So I got a lovely warm pack to sort that out.
Oh yes, the sickness. I’ve had no sickness at all, just a tiny, tiny bit of a notion that nausea might start, just before I take each does of anti-sick meds. That’s totally gone by Day 4 and I don’t take the anti-sick Day 4 or 5. But if you over do it anywhere you might end up feeling stress sick. Can I say it often enough - don’t over do it for this week. Rest. Listen to your mother! 
The nurse has just phoned me, her name is Kate she sounds very nice. She’s got to go and pick up my drugs from Colchester at 12-ish and then she’ll make her way over here so it’ll be some time between 1 and 2. She said we’ll be finished by the time the children get home. She also said my having a port makes things nice and easy so let’s hope so!
A joke made up by my hilarious hubby:
What do you call a woman with a tube in her neck?
Cath.
Boom boom.
He is such a card!
I’m starting to get all excited! Peeps doing the chemo at the same time as me.
I can’t believe I’m actually saying that. Lol!
I must admit I feel a sort of trepidation mixed with just wanting to get on with it and get it started. I didn’t like the idea of being left behind while everyone else is moving forwards.
You’ll be fine, really. Think of it as a roller coaster ride (a rather long one!). You don’t want to do it, you’re scared, but you can’t get off once it starts rolling to the top. So you close your eyes, hold on tight, and know it will be over soon, and you remind yourself never to go out with another guy that you have to put yourself through this to impress.
And at least you’re not in the coaster car by yourself. 
reading you loud and clear carol. gonna just sit with my laptop and pester anyone who is on. angel started my FEC this morning. know all about brain drain. just tryin to know what to expect in the next few days but lots of good help from all the friends on here
martina
Love the joke Martina, but i thought you were going to say that the 6th foor was populated by gay men!!
Gennie, I’m so glad your chemo is finally getting started tomorrow. I know exactly what you mean about feeling left behind. I’ve felt like that for about two months!! Wierd.
Had to go to the clinic today. I had a good feel around in my armpit, which is really giving me gip. It feels like I’ve got a large, pointed stick there permanently and now and again someone gives it a hard jab and a twist. Bc nurse thought I might need some fluid drained, so off I went. The doc ultrasounded it and said there is some fluid there and in the breast, but he felt it was not enough to justify being drained, so I guess I just have to put up with it. Came home and went to bed, 'cos I haven’t slept very well for a couple of nights and slept for two hours! Now I feel all woozy.
Storewoman, on the exercise front, your bc has a point. I’ve had to do physio on my shoulder for the best part of three years. It is hard to exercise when you’re in pain, but you really do have to. You will benefit from it. My shoulder got slightly frozen because I had broken it as well as doing lots of other damage and it therefore had to be immobilized initially for the fracture to heal. I eventually had to have a manipulation under anaesthetic, the after-effects of which are not pleasant:( Try breathing out as you do the part of the exercise that hurts. A slow breath out, whilst consciously trying to relax. Imagine the pain being blown out with your breath. Just remember that the pain is fleeting and you will gain long term benefit from it.
I know that pain Sal. I had it sharp for about 2 weeks then it started to settle out to occasional twinges. Hopefully it’ll sort out soon. I’ve forgotten, is that you signed off work for the duration?
Oooh it was my armpit and arm that really gave me gip too, the breast never really hurt very much aside from when it swelled up with the seroma. The good news is that, 2 months post surgery, it’s now pretty much better. I have full mobility, the cording is just about gone and most of the numbness has faded, although it’s still there in patches. I did my exercises every day and I notice I still stiffen up a bit if I leave it for a couple of days so it’s obviously important to keep them going longer term.
Yes, that’s me off until I finish (hopefully just) rads.
I like the photo Carole. You certainly know how to tie a scarf! My photo was taken at a fancy dress party last year. The theme was Music Icons. So I went as Shirley Bassey at Glastonbury - complete with sequinned wellies! I don’t usually wear hot pink, backless dresses - honest:) My daughter went as Amy Winehouse, complete with tattoos drawn by her arty friend. My husband went at Noddy Holder (remember him?) and my son went as Slash from Guns n Roses. Funny, neither of them knew what the other was going as, but husband and son both ended up in a long curly wig and a top hat. Should I be worried about that? 
Martina I have had 4 FEC and found the first one was the worst when I felt really sick - days 3and 4 I felt really tired and after that not felt too bad at all.
Tomorrow I have my first TAX and I am worried about that after reading diffent horror stories about the side effects!!
pp
x