Wow! How helpful. Just coming into day 4 after FEC#1 and have quite a few of the symptoms. Chemo caddy idea is a great one as well as anti-sickness foods and drinks. I wasn’t told about the headaches but these have been particularly bad for me. Will try the chilled eye pad.
Thank you!
Loving the chemo caddy. It makes me feel in more control with everything to hand. Also 5 days post fec, and feeling ok ish. x
Hi Ya i’m starky1 and going to see my chemo nurse for the first time this thursday and have hick put in on friday feel a bit anxious about it all. I was diagnosed on 22 nov 2010 had op on 14th dec they got all the cancer out and nothing in lymph thank goodness. Have head shaved in prep for chemo and raised apprx £2000. 6 x FEC not sure how it will affect me. Has anyone any hints or tips on how to cope with it whats best for any side affects. I have printed the list off at the beginning of top tips.
Hi starky1, I have just had on Friday 21st my first FEC of 6. Not as bad as I thought but all the same felt very anxious beforehand! Felt a bit fuzzy headed when I got home and was sick before I went to bed, but did have a good nights sleep. It’s now the second day and feel like I have a permanent hangover! Just keep drinking plenty of fluids to flush out those toxins! and get plenty of rest x x
I’m now concerned is there worse to come???
Hi bramble28
I had my first fec on Jan 13th like you i felt very fuzzy headed and this lasted about 5 days, i felt sick for 4 days but luckily i wasn’t sick. I found ginger biscuits and ginger and lemon tea helped a little. Also had a really horrible mouth for the first few days i had a metallic taste then this turned into a real roughness in my mouth kind of like sandpaper. I got some toothpaste and mouthwash from boots called biotene and that has really worked well, feeling back to normal now.
Today is day 12 for me and apart from feeling tired this afternoon i can honestly say i feel normal again :-), well as normal as you can be having this c***!!!
Hope this has been some use to you if i can help with anything else just shout!!! Take care and rest when your body tells you too.
Kaz xx
Kazza…if you ask for the C part to be slowed you won’t get a metallic taste and sucking an ice lolly or broken ice (not a brand you’d usually buy as you’ll never want to look at them again!) will reduce the mouth symptoms. I had big metal first time, none the next two, and a little this time…but that was because the nurse forgot the ice cubes and had to dash to my freezer so got put off her stride.
The Biotene toothpaste is great. The mouth moisturiser has helped me peel my tongue off the roof of my mouth in the middle of the night several times!
Starky and anyone else who is sick…ask for Emend and play up how sick you were if need be. My marker was how sick you’d been in pregnancy (not much use if you never have been). I said evening sickness on and off with all five and got Emend for FEC 1, with just two ondansetron total and have had NO nausea even.
If any of you want a long read, why not dip into the Nov 15 chemo thread…some are now finished, many on FEC3 plus, some moved onto TAX so lots of useful stuff and we’ve formed a private forum for off-google support and getting to know the real people we really are (remember?!!). Drop me a message if you’d like to know more.
Best of luck on your (unsought) journeys xx
Hi Bramble28
I am like yourself i had my first fec on 20th jan and have the same symptoms as you. I have also likened the symptoms to a constant hangover- the only decsription you can really give it ! I am now on day 7 and the sicky feeling has just gone but left with the fuzzy head, it will be gd to talk to you as we are starting this fight together xx
Biff
Hi Biff, Its now my 6th day and I’ve still got my fuzzy head, but thank goodness the nausea has gone! The 3rd and 4th day was the worst for me, felt really tearful and sick. Coffee and Tea is a no no ugghh can’t stomach it! It’s just like being pregnant again, funny tastes and certain smells make me feel sick. I’m hoping now I’m on the way up and maybe I’ll go back to work on Monday (normality) until the next time… we will see! x x x
Hi Biff. I’ve just been for Fec no 2. If you are feeling like you are having a bad day, you can hang on to the fact that you WILL have good days. I was out and about last week doing all the normal stuff and feeling OK. Bramble, I used to love a cuppa but it does taste different. I’m drinking lemon and ginger tea which tastes really pleasnt. I don’t like the smell of garlic either. It is like being pregnant although no chance of that! i’m 49 and hoping this will bring on the menopause. x
hi bramble28
it was reassuring reading your post as you are having exactly the same se as me- i usually drink coffee by the gallons daily but the last cup i had was just before chemo was administered (20th jan) and then i had one yesterday but doesn’t taste the same- i have also scunnered myself drinking pints and pints of diluting blackcurrant!! now drinking soda water and lime. i am suffering more pregnancy symptoms dealing with this than i did when i was actually pregnant!!
hope everyone is coping this week and sending love to those fec receivers xx
I was feeling a bit lonely until I read these comments! I started on January 27th (my birthday was day 3 and the first one in living memory when I have not had a glass of wine to celebrate…at least the liver is getting a detox!) and have had the same pregnancy like symptoms…plus constipation and heart burn big time. I also seem to have dry eyes and a really dry throat meaning I need to swallow all the time…tiredness is an issue but I do feel better in the fresh air. I am used to running a lot and did find that going for a gentle run with a kind friend that I felt better. Coffee is a no no for me too although I have drunk gallons of ginger and lemon. The sicky feeling is going but I still feel light headed with occasional dizziness…What a way to start the year! I sure wont forget 2011! Hope you are all starting to feel better…
Hi feeC
I am just a week in front of you re treatment,this forum has been very reassuring to me and hopefully you will find that too.
I went to docs re constipation and she gave me lactolose- this worked for me after 2 dozes!! re heartburn i have it now and again and have eaten ice cream this helps- I also have peppermint cordial in fridge as I took this for heartburn when I was pregnant.
I would like to ask if anyone takes dizzy turns? The last few days I have felt really good with no se at all. This morning I got up but didn’t feel good- I just thought that was because of lack of sleep recently so I lay on the couch a wee while later and fell asleep for nearly 2 hours. Got up and felt ok then went to collect my boys from school and took a dizzy turn and had to hold onto the railings.
Should I be concerned re this or is it a se?
hope everyone is feeling ok xx
can i start difflam on day one of chemo?
thankyou
I would appreciate if anyone could advise me if it’s okay to use rennies etc for heartburn, probably a daft question?? Just had my first FEC session yesterday and had problems sleeping steriods?? and heatburn. My chemo nurse told me not to use any over the counter medicines but surely rennies would be okay?
I have also been given 3 steriod tablets a day, which means I can’t take my last one at 2pm as advised on the list of chemo tips. Does anyone have and help on over coming sleeping problems on steriods, I feel like I’m ‘buzzing’ all night. Many thanks Donna xxx
starting chemo in morning,
what can i eat and drink today tomorrow and the days after?
daft question but i dont want to feel sick, be sick or have upset tummy,
Well done Donna on yesterday,
love and hugs
Donna
xx
Donna (dmh64) tell your onc about heartburn and they should prescribe Omeprazole which is good. Otherwise I see no reason why you can’t take rennie or gaviscon. I also found peppermint tea is good.
DonnaP drink plenty of water before during and after chemo or herbal teas if you like them. It all helps to flush the chemo through your system and may help with sickness if you have any. As for what to eat, don’t have anything too spicy as heartburn and acid reflux can occur. Just eat anything else you fancy.
Good luck
Debs
x
debs thankyou.
do you mean not to eat spicy around chemo time?
love and hugs
donna
Yes its best to lay off the spicy stuff for a couple of days before and about a week after depending on how you feel with heartburn etc. I know I could have broken records with my loud belches after chemo!
I’ve jsut had FEC 3 and managed to get Emend at last! I haven’t been sick but still feel nauseaus but much brighter and able to do more. With regard to spicy food, once I get my appetite back I’ll be eating loads of the stuff as well as taking my Omeprazole which is good. I found gaviscon didn’t touch my heartburn on FEC1 and it was really bad.
Hello everyone, hope you dont mind me jumping in, i have not started my chemo yet, i dont even know what i am having, i am awaiting appointment with the onc and just know that im having 6 lots of it, one every 3 weeks. read lots of 3 x FEC and 3 x Tax or something, or could be 6 x FEC. dont know what these are or the difference. I am very worried as to how it will effect me, been advised not to work, need to work to live. hair loss dreading, my hair is my trademark, very long thick and dark, cant bear to wake up with it on my pillow, but therefore would have to have it cut off before it does that but if im lucky not to lose it it would have not been necessary… so mnay questions, and the list of things to help sickness, mouth, gums etc looks daunting so much to take in…still emtotionally recovering from being told have BC and had operation WLE and auxillery node removal stll not got feeling back in my arm and alot of of pain so high on pain relief therefore with the codiene already constipated! when can i be me again…?