Hope you’re all keeping warm. We’ve had a couple of inches of snow and despite the forecast the gritters hadn’t been out, so it was like a skating rink this morning.
Jill - Christmas Eve? That was a bit of bad planning! Glad you’ve kept the chemo fog at bay so far this time. Hope it continues. That got me down more than anything else.
And Liz so glad your feet & hands are a lot better. You’re right I’m planning to have a really good Christmas this year and can’t wait to toast 2009. As for not drinking for 5 years, I think that will be impossible!
Hope you’re feeling better Fiona,
After being on such a high last week, I’ve been in a black hole the last few days. Don’t know why. Just snappy and tearful. I’m hoping it’s just the tablets. They do affect us in unexpected ways sometimes, don’t they?
Went through ‘bad’ patch re emotions last week. A real downer so know how you must be feeling Mal, but I wasn’t on any tablets though…residue??
Had bloods re done on Friday and hoped that my haemoglobin count had gone up otherwise blood transfusion on cards (felt v uneasy about having someone elses blood - grew up when blood banks went thru bad patch re passing on infections etc., !) So was mightily relieved on Mon when count gone up - not hugely but over the borderline.
Also saw Onc who has dropped the dose by 500 ( 1 large tab) so now on 1800mg instead of 2300mg . Hands recovered enough to carry on but they are so dry and look like a 90yr old. Still sore and some feeling sort of gone from fingertips.
Gone and cut myself 2 x because holding things feels so different.
Liz glad to hear your hands and feet doing much better. I’ve been through 1 x Aveeno hand cream (good stuff);, 1 x e45 hand cream and now trying Lansinoh (used for cracked nipples) but have to use gloves afterwards as really sticky. Awaiting this Udderly cream. The BCN at local hospital said I should even try the Manukah honey smeared on, so will give this a go too!! Might be interesting on the bed covers etc ha.
Jill, good that the second Epi went well but Christmas Eve’s a bit of a bummer! Also hoping the side effects are minimal for you too.
anyway gotta go and pick up children (10pm) from school after their marathon singing effort at MEN arena.
keep well eveyone will post again this week.
Fiona
Have had a few days of feeling grotty…mostly tired and achy …in bed by 7.00pm !! Think I am starting to pick up again now…hope so anyway. You’re right this is not going to be the best Christmas…but hopefully next year will be better …fingers crossed.
Glad to hear you have escaped the blood transfusions Fiona…hope things improve on the lower dose…
Mal sorry to hear you have been so down…it plays havoc with all the emotions doesn’t it …lots of virtual hugs being sent to you.
So sorry you’ve been having bad times girls. Things can only get better.
Fiona, hopefully your blood count will stay OK. Luckily I never had a problem (swear by Manuka honey, although it could be coincidence). I’ve heard before that the honey is good applied externally for cuts, leg ulcers etc so it may be worth a try on your hands. I had my dose reduced from 2300 to 1500mg and it made a big difference so hopefully it’ll be the same for you.
Jill, I remember those grotty days well although it’s a bit like labour and they are going to the back of my mind now. Hopefully you’ll be picking up and maybe you’ll be better next time. It’s just a matter of battening down the hatches and going with the flow for a few days isn’t it? No point in trying to fight it. Epi - yuck.
These black holes are weird. I never suffered all the way thro’ chemo til the last week but it’s hardly surprising when you consider all the rubbish we’ve been thro and what’s been done to our bodies. Still, only 3 days of tablets and then they’re done.
Got the boots and shovel behind the front door after seeing the weather forecast tonight. We’ve still got a couple of inches of snow/ice from yesterday morning.
Hi everyone
Mal sorry about the black hole. Our snow went and we missed this weeks load, just had rain today so quite lucky.
Fiona glad blood count is up
Jill I get my last load of tablets on 24th but have told me I can delay taking them for a couple of days to miss christmas
reduced by dose from 2000 to 1750 am and pm so hope will make a difference
Liz
Been busy but then have also been looking after house full of colds, sore throats etc. youngest came down with acute sore throat and looked like death warmed up, then eldest came down with it and ended up at docs mon - she’s got bad sinusitus…and guess what…I’m now down with it, and while at docs they checked me out too and i’ve got viral conjunctivitus which I thought was just runny and sore eyes from cold… so feeling pretty cr*p! At least temp not gone up just got to get body to fight it…not easy when on 2nd week of xeloda. going to come back to this arguing children…, one is getting better
Oh Mal , how wonderful to be finished…hope you soon feel back to your normal self.
I have started with a cold today too Flo…runny nose and dry tickly cough…had bloods done today ready for 3rd Epi tomorrow…so don’t know how they will be . Hope the cold doesn’t delay it…my temperature has been normal so I am hoping all will be well. Fingers crossed.
Colds and flu seem to be doing the rounds. Hope you’re all feeling better. Can’t believe I’ve not caught anything yet.
Well Jill only one more epi now. Hope the 3rd is being kind to you. And Fiona half way through xeloda now. Hope the reduced dose has worked.
I’m now a week past my last tablets and am feeling much better, just still really tired at times but I suppose that will take a while to go. Took 2 grandkids out for tea on Friday, had 5 yesterday while my son went Christmas shopping, and had another 2 today for lunch. Back to work tomorrow for a rest. So can’t be feeling too bad can I?
Although my bloods were fine, they suggested that I wait until Monday to give my cold a chance to clear , also so I wasn’t coughing and sneezing all over the other poor folks having their treatment . So fingers crossed it is all go for tomorrow now .
Glad to hear that you are feeling much better Mal…wish I was there too…one day !!
Everything has been put back to Monday 22nd now !!! When I got there , because of the cough and the cold , they had the Doc check me over…and she said " No Chemo " , put me on antibiotics for 5 days…so now have to have bloods done again on Friday and try again for the following Monday . I will now drag on with my Epis until after New Year …and I was so hoping to have them all done by Christmas…still better than being in hospital with an infection I suppose.
So sorry Jill that the chemo was postponed because of your cold. It’s a real bummer having it on Monday. You’ll have to make up for it and celebrate New Year in style. I think we’ll all be sharing a glass to welcome in 2009 and a better year for all of us.
You’ll soon be out the other side of treatment and picking up, but I know you build yourself up to the treatments and any setbacks upset things.
Had my third Chemo yesterday and my injection today ( arm 4 ) , and so far have been quite tired…this has hit me earlier than on the last two occasions…so Christmas looks as if it will be a low key affair LOL.
Thanks for the kind thoughts and wishes Mal…
Hope everyone has a Good Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year too…
Sorry to hear that your 3rd epi has hit you sooner. Hope you’ve got someone else cooking Christmas dinner and doing all the running round so that what energy you do have can be spent enjoying some quality family time. Hope your taste buds are OK too to enjoy your dinner.
Hello everyone…Happy New Year and hope Christmas went okay with you all. I did have help as my mother in law was here and she did loads of veg prep with me etc and did the stuff like stuffing and bread sauce and xmas pud while i did the rest so all in all wasn’t bad…but I still cooked dinner.
New year was a wash out for me and I ended up having to go home at 10.45pm as was feeling SO sick and apparently looked ghastly. SO OH took me home and then he went back to party with kids and I saw them the following morning.Felt the worst for a long time, but ok now.
Lavendersblue - Jill - been thinking about you since checking the forum and seeing that the 3rd Epi was on 22nd, Hope you are ok as I remember that my 3rd was the hardest for me. You will find xeloda easier than Epi…It’s as Mal says it is really so much better and as they start with full whack and then reduce (apparently it’s protocol -as says friend who works for Astra Zeneca in bc research) you end up feeling more human and out doing things - hence why I haven’t been on for a while.
Mal - Tks for the thoughts. They have reduced my dose to 1800 (1 x 500 tab less each go) and oh what a difference. Hands improved immensely after 1 weeks rest and the reduced dosage means minimal SE. Do get tired and the further i go along the more SE’s become… my hands are getting sore again and the digestive system gets a bit hammered and I am starting to get quite tired but it does come in waves… but only 3 more days until last of 3rd cycle, so assuming this is all the build up before week off…1 more cycle to go. Back to hospital on 12th to get next box of drugs.
How’s the zapping going with the radiotherapy? How long did you get between chemo and radiotherapy?
Lizziemum- last xeloda nearly gone you must be so wanting the last tablet to be swallowed…oh I am SO looking forward to finishing chemo.
Trojan - Shirl…are you still ok not heard from you in a long time.
So hope this finds you all in good spirits and look forward to catching up with you soon.
Happy New Year everyone and here’s hoping that 2009 will be a better year for all of us.
Fiona, so glad you were able to enjoy Christmas even tho’ it got to you at New Year. It makes such a difference when the dose is reduced, doesn’t it? Tiredness does progressively get worse. I was just started to feel as though I was cracking that, 3 wks after my last cycle, and then I started Femara (hormone therapy) and back to the feeling of nausea, tiredness etc. I was thinking ‘no way I can do this for 5 years’ but then the SE started to wear off and now I’m OK, just a little tired.
I started rads on Friday and it was a doddle although I do expect to get some soreness and tiredness (again) as I get more sessions under my belt. It was just 4 weeks after my last week off. They arranged my rads planning session when I went for my last xeloda tablets. But rads will be finished by the end of January and can’t wait to ‘get back to normal’ (if we ever do).
Jill - hope you’ve recovered from your 3rd epi. I expect Christmas was a quiet affair for you but hope you managed to pick yourself up for New Year. Is it your last epi tomorrow? Yippee.
Liz - you’ve finished now? Hope you had a great Christmas. What next? Rads, hormone therapy?
And yes Shirl - hope you are OK and just hitting the sales.
We had a great Christmas and New Year. My step-daughter was married two days before Christmas in a lovely country hotel with marquee etc. It was a great chance to get dolled up and was a really lovely day.