Horsemaddoglover - I had EC (don’t know about the 90!) as did a number of my BC friends in this area. Like you I was a little concerned about NOT having more side effects, as I had read a number of threads regardeing FEC/Tax and some of those ladies seemed to have a hard time. Don’t get me wrong, it was not pleasent and I know of a couple who did feel quite sick and nauseous but on the whole I managed well. If this is the same treatment and you want to ask any questions, feel free to PM me. Best of luck. Marli
Thank you Marli. I really dont want any side effects obviously but I cant believe how well I have been feeling. Good to hear you got through ok. Did you lose your hair. Mine is just starting to fall so I have had my hair cut short and have just started wearing the wig. It would be good keep in touch with people who have gone through the same.
Yes I lost my hair and that was one of the worst things for me, I must admit. Good thing was that it was over winter, my first chemo was 19th Nov.2009, so was able to wear a hat a lot. My head got so cold in bed! Lots of “little” side effects that I learned how to cope with eg. constipation, slightly sore mouth and gums, very tired and cold. Took all my steroids before 8.30 in the morning to ensure I slept at night. Keep well. Marli x
Had my second chemo today all ok so far but obviously early days. Did have trouble this morn when docs had returned wrong bloods and I had to postpone for several hours while they did more!
I found travel bands good (sort of) for nausea as well as anti-nausea drugs so not sure which worked best!
I find Propolis Throat Spray great for a sore mouth and ulcers.
I also find a heated pad (bought for my husband’s bad back) really soothing for the upset/sore stomach which comes for me with Taxotere.
Ginger ale good for sickness but not for wind!
Real Housewives of New York City for daft distraction therapy.
Ask for the fluorouracil (5FU) and cyclophosphamide to be given in drip form (infusion) rather than via a syringe. Unfortunately the epirubicin has to be given in syringe form because I found the cyclophosphamide hurt as it entered my veins but didn’t when given by infusion, PLUS when everything was given via syringe I would vomit in the evenings but after I switched to the infusion method, I wasn’t sick.
Crystallised ginger is good for nausea too.Does not give you wind!
Don’t know if it has already been suggested but jelly is good when you have a sore mouth too. BBB
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Thanks for the tips, some of them are really useful.
I have had 4 FEC which went reasonably well,suffering hair loss and messed up veins, so I’m waiting to have a port fitted.
I’m having my first Taxotere next week, and dreading it, just hopeing it goes as well as the FEC. Next month I start Herceptin ( if the results of the heart scan are good)This will be followed by surgery (mastectomy). I am dreading this most of all.
Anyone else having the same treatment ? people seem to think it is strange to have chemo first, but I guess it’s all to do with diagnosis. I have Grade 3, neg. nodes and HER2 Tumor is huge at 5cm, so they need to shrink it first.
Good luck to everyone fighting this horrible disease.
hi ceebee
i had my first FEC yesterday, doin ok. also had a port fitted (they call it a powerport!) it’s great, or it will be when it’s settled. i’m having 4 FEC then 12 TAX (basically the same overall amount as you probably but lower doses and weekly rather than every three weeks). last month i had WLE and ANC then mx a week later after path results found extra tumours and affected lymph nodes. it was fine, really, not nearly as scary as chemo!
tell me, how many days after FEC did you feel worst, and did you find a cumulative effect over time. a lot of people only have 3, so i was wondering if 4 would be a killer.
quite a few people here seem to have chemo first, not so unusual. in my dull moments i debate the pros and cons (not from a medical outcome perspective, just patient experience) and i sometimes think i’d rather have gone into chemo without mx wounds and a challenged arm and not being able to sleep on one side and then have to remember to do the arm exercises as well as take the chemo drugs etc. (which reminds me…) but i can imagine if you’re doing it the other way you think that your body has been so weakened by chemo and rads and whatever else has been thrown at you that you don’t want to confront major surgery. would they do the rads first? cos your skin might be damaged by that too. not that these are the things that matter, it seems the decision is taken medically.
good luck for port and tax
xx
my tips:
as others have said, drink loads. i don’t feel human till at least a litre of fizzy water in the morning.
and the most delicious gazpacho soup in the world, so fresh, so healthy, so good. i have a feeling it would be fantastic with vodka too.
ocado.com/webshop/product/Alvalle-Gazpacho/50093011?from=search&tags=|20000¶m=gazpacho&parentContainer=SEARCHgazpacho_SHELFVIEW
Jude’s … glad you found FEC not too bad. I was only slightly nauseated on day two to three and eating got rid of it.anti sickness tabs taken for three days although I didn’t really think I needed them - but better to be safe than sorry. I did get constipated because of the anti sickness pill. So sorted it with Movical and senna plus glycerine supps … Sorry too descriptive!!! I drank ++++!because cyclophosphamide can irritate the bladder badly.
CeeBee --you are having the Treatment that is the best for You. It is normal Gold Standard Treatment to give chemo pre surgery to shrink some tumours. The hair loss and bad veins are yuck poor you. I long for my hair to grow back. They tell me it can start when you are having Tax. Have you thought of giving the Helpline a ring and talking things over with them. They can help so much. There is also Peer support available for you and your partner if you have one. My husband found it do helpful to talk to another man whose wife had had chemo. The Helpline can sort this for you.
Cackles x
CeeBee. At risk of scareing others. A 5 cm lump is not ‘huge’.
I finished chemo a month ago, and I had it pre-operation so I could see what it was doing to the cancer. This really helped me put up with the chemo SEs. The chemo worked fantastically well. My lumps were shrunk so much by the chemo that I have been able to have a lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy which I would definitely have needed if I had had the operation first.
Hi To anyone who may read this. I am on Chemo, had my 3rd cycle 3 weeks ago. The past couple of days my veins have been really hurting in my arm. It`s getting painfull just to straighten my arm now. Has anyone got any ideas of anything i can do about it please?
Hi Andy 3965,
Chemo does have a nasty habit of wrecking your veins, if it is really bad/uncomfortable mention it to your team & they will probably offer to fit you with a picc line which will make the administering of chemo much easier, can also be used for all your blood tests too.
Sarah.xx
That 2-3 l drinking business, for how long do I have to do this? I had my first FEC yesterday, wonder if I need to drink this amount every single day till I finsih the whole six chemos (3xFEC & 3xTax?
I’m bumping this up for the veins Q. I’ve had a painful vein for a couple of days now and am worried re next chemo as they have struggled everytime I’ve needed a venflon to get one in - as it is they now resort to my lymphoedema arm.
My vein feels horribly prickly when I reach my hand out to do anything - should I continue to use it and stretch it out or should I try not to use it at all? Had similar problem after my SNB but wasn’t given advice then apart from to tell them when I went in for my Mx the next week so they use a different vein. Of course I wasn’t having regular chemo then!
What to do? Next Chemo Weds - don’t want any delay this time otherwise it will clash even more horribly with Christmas!
Sue
Thanks for the encouragement, dumpthelump - I start chemo on 23rd to attempt the same result. Sentinel node biopsy first. Did you have that too?
I am having 6x EC then 2x Docetaxel, or at least that’s the plan now, but if it doesn’t work after 2x EC they will go to Docetaxel earlier. Has anyone experience of this mix? Advice on how to manage it will be useful.