Hi - have only registered on here today & hoping to ease some fears re my forthcoming treatment.
I am due to have my 2nd appointment with my Oncologist on Friday after learning last week that, following my lumpectomy, I need to have chemotherapy & herceptin along with radiotherapy & tamoxifen.
Although my lumpectomy results have shown that my cancer has gone (caught very early & hadn’t spread), I am fearful of what’s yet to come & that my journey remains long & uncertain.
I feel I am on an emotional rollercoaster & thought I would hit euphoria when I learned my cancer had been removed but I didn’t.
Would appreciate any support/advice to help me understand things better with regards to my feelings &, of course, the treatment I face.
Thankyou.
B xx
Hello Bevster
Welcome to the forums, this must be a very worrying time for you but you have come to the right place for support from our experienced users who I’m sure will be along to support you soon.
You may also like to talk things through with a member of our helpline staff who are there to offer emotional support as well as practical information. The free phone number is 0808 800 6000 and the lines are open Monday to Friday 9.00 to 5.00 and Saturday 10.00 to 2.00.
Best wishes
June, moderator
Hi Bevster,
It seems our journeys will be very similar apart from I don’t need tamoxifen.
My cancer was also removed with no spread but because it was her2+ which is the aggressive protein based cancer I need to have 6 chemo, 3 fec followed by 3 docetaxel then radiotherapy and herceptin for 12 months.
I remember feeling the same as you … They gave me the good news but because it is surrounded with all daunting and lengthy treatment it doesn’t feel like good news. But it is and we are some of the lucky ones.
I had my first chemo 14 days ago (I’m in the July group ) and apart from the first few days Of feeling sick I have been fine and so will you.
The time goes so fast , the staff are amazing and the care I have had has been great.
This forum is also a great place to get info, have a laugh, have a cry and help each other along our journeys.
Keep strong and together we will all get through this …
Take care
Morag
Thank you lovely ladies. I’m already so glad I decided to join this forum, your messages are really helping me.
I have been feeling so low since being told about the treatment I face & have been struggling to get my head around things. You really are are helping to ease me along my journey - thank you.
With regards to sickness/metallic taste, have you found any foods that help overcome this?
I hope you all have a good day today. The sunshine is trying to break out here & i’m going off to watch my best friend’s little girls in their local dancing competitions today.
Take care. B xx
I had my last dose of 6 x FEC-T December 2013 in fact last dose was given on Christmas Eve… Merry Feccing Christmas!
I never suffered will metallic taste in my mouth, however I suffered terribly with oral Thrush on the Docetaxel, which got worse & worse after each cycle, and everything tasted of salty soap… Don’t think I’ll ever eat Tuna Mayonaise again lol
However I found the FEC worse than the T, on fec I just felt rough as hell for 10 days it felt like a hangover from hell. The T on the other hand (other than my rotten mouth) was a walk in the park and I carried on as normal.
But everyone is different some of the girls in my group found the fec easy and the T hard some found it so hard that the T was stopped and they went back on Fec.
Unfortunately you are not gonna know what SE’s you’re going to get. My advise is to keep a record of each days se’s after chemo, so that you know what to expect next cycle and prepare for it.
Good luck, it’ll all be over before you know it x
Hi Nikki/Yankee
No worries at all…you haven’t hijacked the group…it’s nice to have the company & read what’s happening with others.
My Onc appointment went well today thanks…frustrated with a 2 hour wait for a 10 min.consultation but hey ho they have their job to do & some ladies need more discussion time, as did I at my 1st appointment. I think I’ve now got my head straight & got answers to all my questions so far… So my “ducks are in a row” ready for chemo start date.
I’m having 4 sessions of FEC which, all being well, starts 22 Aug. I’ve chosen to try the cold cap initially to see how I get on with it. Meantime I’m off for a re-vamped hairstyle…going much shorter in case of loss during chemo… Figured that way it won’t be as drastic??? Herceptin, radiotherapy & tamoxifen follow but going to take it one step at a time.
So I now have some time to reflect & prepare myself for what’s to come. Going to make the most of the nice weather now decisions have been made.
Look forward to chatting again soon.
Much luv. B xx
Hello everyone - hope u don’t mind me tagging along too! Following surgery, I too am facing TC & Herceptin treatments followed by radiotherapy and hormone therapy. I had my first treatment on Wednesday and was pleasantly (!) surprised by it all on the day. A long day because they needed to keep an eye out for allergic reactions and the cold cap wasn’t a particularly fun experience but apart from that not too bad! I’m day 5 now and felt like Id been hit by a bus yesterday with aches, pains and headache, sore joints etc etc but this morning I feel like it may be passing already so look out for day 3-5 from my experience. I also had bad indigestion and mild nausea. It seems crazy that this is actually a treatment and not actually the ‘cancer’ - presumably the ladies who are further ahead on this journey will tell us it’s all worth it ?. Good luck on Monday Macky - keep positive and tick one off the list Mondsy night. Hope everyone has a good day x
Hi lovely ladies
Thanks for all your posts on here this weekend. Your shared experiences & poems/dittys are very much welcomed & appreciated.
Hope you are all doing OK & have enjoyed a nice sunny weekend. Will check in again tomorrow.
Sending love to you all.
B xx
Morning all.
Thoughts are with Macky today…her 1st day of treatment.
Fingers crossed all goes we!l.
Love B xx
Thoughts are with Macky today…her 1st day of treatment.
Fingers crossed all goes we!l.
Love B xx
Thinking of you Macky - you’ll be fine today, grin and bear it, tick it off the list and think one step nearer the end. ?
It’s day 6 for me today after first chemo and I’m definitely feeling much better. Still weak and watery with indigestion and diarrhoea but all the aches and pains have definitely subsided
Yankee and poemsgalore - thank you for your poem and prayer - all meaning so much more when you are going through an experience alongside someone else, I think x
Have a SE free day everyone xx
Macky, thinking about you – hope it was alright!
Morning ladies.
Wishing you all a good SE free day! ?
Macky - hope you’re doing OK hunnie.
B xx
Hi, another August contender here, mastectomy and recon in June. Pre chemo assessment and pic line on the 11th August and starting FEC on the 12th August. Wondering whether to get hair cropped before the 5day pre chemo body/hair wash starts? :smileyhappy:
Hi Serenity and welcome to the BCC forums
Along with the support and shared experiences you will find here, please do feel free to call our helpliners for further practical and emotional support, lines are open during the week 9-5 and Sat 10-2 on 0808 800 6000
Here’s a link to the BCC ‘I am having treatment’ pages where you will find further support ideas and lots of information including our hair loss services which I hope you will find helpful:
breastcancercare.org.uk/treatment
Take care
Lucy BCC
Macky – hope you’re doing OK hunnie. Thinking of you. Bxx
Hi Ladies mind if I join in? Starting chemo on 4th August, 6 x Fec-T, pre chemo assessment and PICC line tomorrow. Seems like I have been waiting ages to start my treatment so although I’m feeling a bit scared just want to get on with it now. Was diagnosed 1st May with Grade 3 IDC, 1.5cm, had WLE and full node clearance at end of May, turned out tumour was actually 2.5cm, 3 out of 17 nodes positive and LVI. More surgery 2 weeks after that as margins weren’t clear, then ct and bone scans. Finally saw Oncologist a couple of weeks ago, thankfully scans were clear and he was very positive so now onto Chemo, Radiotherapy and Tamoxifen. Although I havent posted before, reading so many inspirational stories on here has kept me sane over the past few months!
Good luck everyone x
Hi alijay and welcome to the BCC forums
You have come to a very supportive thread here and please also feel free to access the helpline and further information and support as I posted to Serenity this morning
Take care
Lucy BCC
My only advice is don’t suffer the bone/ joint pain in silence - get the hosp to prescribe some strong painkillers (Naproxen is good) before you start so that you have it ready if the pains get bad - it’s only your bone marrow doing what it should, but boy it can be painful. ?. Don’t worry about the actual chemo day - I was surprised at how easy that was. The trick is to be ready a few days after with anything you might need, painkillers, mouthwash, indigestion medication etc. xxx