I’m 38 with 3NBC, 6 weeks into first round of chemo. Tolerating it ok mostly - I suppose. The worst is the after filgrastim injection days. I seem to get every side effect under the sun and they seem to be getting worse with every round.
First round I was admitted with a temperature which they seemed confident was a filgrastim side effect.
Now on my filgrastim checklist I have bone pain, upset stomach, a bloody nose, shakiness, dizziness and chills. They also make me feel generally unwell, which makes me anxious on bad days on whether it’s an infection or whether it’s just the filgrastim.
My current approach is if I feel particularly bad, eg am having chills I take my temperature, if it’s high, I wait 30 minutes to see if it dips/goes back to normal, it generally does. If it goes back down it’s filgrastim, if not it’s infection.
Is anyone else having a similar experience? I don’t want to be ringing in/going to a&e for every peak but I have to say it’s fairly nerve wracking.
Dear Tilly,
So sorry to read how you are feeling with your treatment, Firstly, please never feel you can get help along the way or you’re wasting anyone’s time you’re going through serious treatment which isn’t easy. If this was me I would be contacting my breast cancer team today, telling them how you’re feeling and hopefully they’ll come up with some help for you, you don’t have to suffer like this.
Wishing you well, going forward. Please come back when your feeling better and let us know how you are getting on.
biggest hugs Tili???
Thank you so much for your post @TillyN I’m really sorry to hear what you’re going through. If you have concerns, our breast care nurses are always here to chat - over the phone 0808 800 6000, over email, or on the Ask Our Nurses part of this forum. ?
Hi Tilly, as you are now a year on. Please can I ask how you are now? My daughter is going through exactly the same at this moment. I feel sure it will help her, if she had something positive to focus on once she is through it all. She too is 3TN, and only 30 yrs old. Needing filgrastim to support her neutrophils too (2nd time she’s had to have them). Thank you I sincerely hope you are well and starting to build up your strength again xxx
Hi, I’m new to this forum but on my 4th chemo cycle, each with 7 days of filagristin from day 4. Two observations. Firstly on my first round i had really bad side effects. I too felt it was the injections as they got worse then. Many were as you mention but the team put it down to the level of the chemo and reduced my dose from the 2nd round. This did help and I’m still getting results with tumor shrinking at midway check. Secondly i got awful shakes and weakness on day four on 3 cycles that that i now put down to lack of white blood cells. This round i asked if could do the injection the evening before and this has helped prevent the shakes, and i feel energy levels are better.
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