Hi guys
I am 28 and have a 2 year old little girl. I got diagnosed 6 weeks and have had a full mastectomy and am about to start 3 round of FEC and 3 rounds of TAX - to say I’m utterly terrified is an understatement. I am such a delicate sickly person and I’m so worried about how I will cope. My daughter is a lively 2 year old and we can afford for her to go to nursery etc when I’m sick. Can anyone give me a realistic idea of what to expect and your experiences ?
Thanks xxx
Hi Kate88,
So sorry that you find yourself here, but there is loads if support & the others will be along to share their experiences.
It may also be an idea to pop along to the chemo threads where you will get support & advice from others going through this at your stage, as well as those who are out the other side.
Do take care
ann x
I’m 35. I was diagnosed at the end of June 16 and had a mastectomy of my right breast and the same chemotherapy that you are now facing. I had my last chemo in November and the side effects of chemotherapy were not like I expected at all. The drugs they give you to help you get through it worked brilliantly for me. The sickness that people associate with chemo is more likely to occur in those first 3 cycles but the anti sickness medication I was prescribed kept it at bay. I felt pretty good through the 5 months of treatment and apart from avoiding people so that I didn’t catch their colds, including not going to work, I didn’t let chemo take over my life. For me, losing my hair felt like the toughest part of chemotherapy because I felt like I looked like a cancer patient when I didnt feel like one. My absolute advice would be to be honest with your chemotherapy nurses when you go through your treatment because there’s so much they can do to help you. I would say that the main physical side effect I felt was the tiredness/fatigue but I got into the habit of separating the day into morning/afternoon/evening and trying to have one of those as a ‘rest’ period. I’m 8 weeks post chemo and the ‘chemo journey’ is behind me, my hair is growing back and I’m feeling fairly normal again!!!
H xxx
Hi there - I am 38 and have 2 very active boys aged 3 and 4. I have had 4 cycles of AC and now into my 12 cycles of Taxol (I am triple negative). The chemo has not been as bad as I expected and the drugs to manage the side effects are really good. I have had some fatigue and nausea but it has been manageable. You are on different chemo to me, but my Dr advises they have got much better at managing the side effects. The little people are hard as they don’t understand but my guys have become used to me sleeping more often. I would recommend you say yes if any friends offer to come and look after your girl while you rest, and take up any offers of support. I haven’t been working much - while I might have been able to, mentally I needed to take some time off. I have still managed to exercise gently most days, help / prepare dinners and get the boys bathed and to bed which has meant lots to me to still be involved!
Take care and all the best.