Would welcome any tips. I had first FEC on Monday and within four hours felt horrendous really sick and was sick aching all over, dry mouth and tingling lips. Then Tuesday felt ok bit nauseous now Wednesday feel like I’ve been run over cannot get out of bed(well have managed to to type this). Its so scary I know these are all side affects but I feel so out of control of whats happening to my body. Will I feel like this all the time, please tell me I won’t. I hate having to depend on people all the time to have kids. I have a 2,3 and 9 year old so two youngest full on especially as youngest has decided its a good time to toilet train. I feel so guilty as I haven’t got energy to keep running upstairs as she seems to like going on upstairs toilet only. Do not really feel like eating but then worried will lose more weight as already lost half a stone since diagnosed. Basically feeling low, when I felt well I could feel positive now finding it hard. On a more exciting note a friend or a friend knows Trevor Sorbie and he is personally doing my wig on Tuesday so hopefully feel better for that as have to go to London. Oh and that’s another worry am I meant to not go out on days 10-14 due to low white blood count of just keep an eye on temperature.
Sorry for pitiful waffle but would be grateful for any advice.
I’m round 2 fec and got of quite lightly the first time around but days 3 and 4 made feel exhausted, the steroids you take are needed but add the the roller coaster feeling and your body is taking a battering right now. days 5 and 6 I felt better last time so I’d suggest just letting go for 48 hours and just trying to look after yourself as if you were getting over the flu or something like that, ie chicken broth, lots and lots and lots of sips of water help now and later. FEC dries your maouth out leaving you vulnerable to sore mouth so sucking sweets and drinking lots helps there as well as flushing the stuff out of your system.
As for Tuesday you should be feeling a lot better by then so go get your lovely wig (dead jealous is me) but take an antibac spray or gel and if you’re using public transport try and avoid too much contact with others. Vicks does this first defence hand spray which is supposed to give you 3 hours antibac protection. I use that if I’m going outside and I did during the low white cell counts, mine were low and did scare me but you can’t just sit still of the next few months can you. but take precautions and you’ll be OK. Obviously avoid people who look ill. But you need a treat so I’d go get it personally and take the risk if it were me (London’s a bit far for me though
Watching funny movies helps pass the time and cheers you up which in turn helps the white bloods cells apparently. I watched Ricky Gervais’s fame last night and it made me laugh so hard I managed to ignore the nausea while I waited for the pill to kick in. The man has no shame, his sketch on raising money for cancer just had me rolling so do treat yourself to some fun… doctors orders
May I recommend sticking some pixar movies on with the little ones cuddling up and having a laugh together maybe. The Incredibles and Monsters inc saved me in round 1 FEC I’m sure.
Oh yes second the top tips. I think it should be handed out at the hospital with the prescriptions it’s so chocka full of advice. Thanks Topper just assumed everyone’s read it.
sorry you feel so awful. I got my first FEC two weeks ago. A few hours after getting it i was in bed, like you i couldn’t get out of it. i felt so tired and weak and was sick a short time after that. the horrible feelings lasted for about 5 days. then i started to slowly pick up. i found that drinking a high energy drink helped me.
try and eat little and often as you need to keep your strength up - especially with looking after young kids, i’m lucky mine are older. my hair is now coming out quickly, i look like i’ve just had a hair cut by a 3 year old. i get my next fec 1 week today, i have stocked up on high energy drinks and will take anti-sickness tabs. i found that domperidome worked best for me.
i hope you feel better soon.
Thanks guys that all helps, knowing I’m normal. Just had craving for a boiled egg with loads of daddies sauce, I think I enjoyed it and haven’t been sick so feeling ok. Oh its like being pregnant again without the joy of a baby at the end of it, but I must think positive this is making sure I will be there for them when they grow up.
Just coming out’ve of that horrible few (well 5) days of despair after my 2nd FEC. After my first one I felt so nauseous it was unbareable, this time med addapted no nausea immediately anyway. Still felt like I had been in a boxing ring and with 3 kids absolutely no energy whatsoever. By day 5 its like a swtich has been flicked and I feel fine. I may even venture out of the door and take the kids to school in the morning. It is a horrible thing to go through after only 2 lots I feel I can’t do anymore, it wipes you out and theres nothing you can do except for ‘ride it out’ so to speak. Eating is really difficult when you feel so horrid but i try to have a pack of ginger biscuits next to the bed…rustling the pack at 5 in the morning when you’re awake but your body can’t move. It helps with the nausea and its tides you over until you can actually get out’ve bed. Hope I havent babbled to much. Nice speaking to you all and keep it up…everyone says its all worth it…not so sure when we’re feeling yuk eh!!
Hi Bugnut
I thought you were brave coming to the support group on Monday! Make sure you tell your chemo nurses next time about the sickness cos they can change or amend the tablets. I think the first dose is such a shock to the system that it can hit really hard. For my 2nd FEC I was all prepared to feel the same on the same days but it was actually much easier. Make a note of all your side effects so you can report back to the chemo nurses and they may be able to offer some advice too.
Remember at some point over the next few days you’ll suddenly “switch” back to normal. Most people seem to feel this switch.
I lost half a stone after my first FEC but have since put on about 2 stone, so try not to worry about your weight. See if you can speak to a dietician and they can give you some nutrition drinks to boost your calorie intake (but be warned they are a bit of an endurance test - probably why I decided to turn to chocolate and other rubbishy foods instead after the first few days of not really wanting anything).
Take care and hope the yukky feelings improve.
Sharon
Hi
definitely tell the nurses it did not stop you being sick so something else is planned before you get there, mine is always wriiten up and they have to hunt down a dr to sign anything different on the day. Think about writing down how you were each day of this dose. That will help you to plan which days to take up offers of help next time in advance or if you have a partner/ Mum /friend to have them home on the right days. I thought the second dose was slightly better but that might be from knowing what to expect. Borrow lots of DVDs or rent from the library ready for next time, that always kept my 4 busy when I was ill. If you have no support there are people like homestart who will help with little ones when you are ill, in your home.
Hugs and you will feel better very soon, promise. You get 2 good weeks start thinking about them
Lily x
Thanks again for that. I am still waiting for switch it is now day 6 and still feel pretty awful. Yesterday was worst day actually could not get out of bed and today my nose and head feels all weird like when first had chemo. Anyway fingers crossed that switch will turn off soon. I am actually managing to eat now, although not enjoying anything but little and often does seem to help. I love food so this is really hard. I feel i am wishing days away. Will ask chemo nurses about different drugs though for next time.
I have just managed to take my mind off of feeling awful by helping my son make a rhino mask, maybe I will attempt a tiger tomorrow - well whatever helps eh.
Try not to worry that you still feel bad after 6 days. I had FEC on Friday afternoons, came home and didn’t go so far as the garden till the following Friday each time, then Saturday morning it was as if I had never had it so hang on and you will get there. I could only eat cold food cos of the nausea. Had some very strange combinations such as hard boiled egg, cold baked beans and coleslaw or cold meat and beetroot.
They will keep trying different stuff till they get it right, I just got the FEC sussed when I had to change to TAX cos I fainted and my heart rate had a wobble so onc wouldn’t let me have any more, had to start again with different side effects and getting to grips with them.
The good news is its all behind me now, hair, eyelashes and eyebrows are all back, have managed to find all the weight i lost and am looking forward to my holiday in a couple of weeks time, albeit with large sun hat, long sleeved kaftans and factor 50 by the bucket.
Thanksfor that, as I am typing this I suddenly feel a wave of energy but still do not fancy eating, so hopefully I may be getting there. Have a great holiday.
Hope ur feeling better now…Well a little anyway??
1st chemo for me was bad-ish and lasted 2 wks feeling cr=p…2nd much much better but did change diet and start taking vitamins and am convinced they helped lots…
I have 2 kiddies…3yrs & 1yr and it’s v hard when feeling bad. Accept all help offered, we are not burdens and would do the same for someone in our situation too! (although as yet i haven’t asked for help)-proud cow i am! Even if u need to sleep and some1 can sit with kiddies for an hour. Drink lots (and i mean lots) of water…My hubby nearly drowned me 2nd time round after ii got ulcers and nurse said i was dehydrated!!eek…3rd lot on tues, fingers crossed it’s even better this time round…
Hugs.x.x.x.x.x.
I finshed chemo about 4 weeks ago, and believe it or not, as hard as chemo is to your body, I was very reluctant to give it up. i kept on asking my Onc for more!. I had FEC, and I found them very hard. I also felt very nauseous, in fact was admitted to hospital due to vomiting within a few hours of my very first session (it did not bode well for me).
I was then given about 5 different types of nausuea tabs, (actually I was given everything they had to stob me vomiting) which was great as had no vomiting but very nauseaus. I found eating lots and drinking loads of water at the time of chemo very helpful and then ate loads of heavy foods to absorb and hide the nausea. Food like toasted cheese sandwiches, bacon & eggs etc (I know, hangover foods) for the first week then I ate normally (which is loads of veges and fruit). my appetite was rarely affected (i like to eat but in case you’re wondering am a slim person) and it was my body asking for the heavy food.
Unforutnately I was still house if not bedridden (I have two little ones) for 2 weeks, as the exhaustion was severe, I was like a felled tree, there was nothing left in me to do anything, I couldn’t read a book, watch tv or even listen to music, so even though I ate lots it stopped me being sick but not the exhaustion.
Good luck and remember, you find what suits you.
K
Hi
I’m on day5 following 2nd FEC and worse this time than last, but in the knowledge that it will get better. It helps so much knowig that others are going through similar horridness, even though I don’t want anyone else to feel horrid.
Hope everyone has a great night’s sleep (including me - my 2 year old has not been sleeping well lately)
Guardian Angel may be onto something there. I have had a sausage and egg muffin before each of my FEC’s and not had the nausea. I put it squarely down to those great ondamet (sp) tablets but the protein in the egg and the fact that it’s not as fast to be digested as say fruit may have something to do with it.
Hmmm.
Kinden I’ve found this second one harder to. I was really really low on day 5, you could have pushed me off a cliff and I wouldn’t have put up a fight.
It’s now day 8 and anyone tries it they’re going over I’m back, woohoo.
I ended up just giving in on day 5, sleeping on the sofa under a blanket like I was getting over the flu. then ate a huge bowl of chicken casserole. Tadaaah.
Hope you feel yourself again soon
Lots of love and hugs (we need those hugs on prescription).
Hope you’re feeeling better… May I suggest that when you go for your review and blood tests, the day before your next one, tell them about your nausea, I was very sicky feeling during number one and got Cyclizine prescribed,they really helped. I think number one can be the worst as you dont know how you will react, at least now you do and can ask them for help to deal with it. Also, just eat whatever you fancy, however strange it seems.
Yippee I feel relatively normal. Yes day 6 I started to feel better, more of a dimmer switch and by day 7 and 8 feeling more normal. Still yuk taste in mouth and fancying weird stuff but energy back up. Well 10 more days of feeling ok then start again, oh well 1 down 5 to go and atleast I know what is coming.
Just had hair cut a bit shorter and its ok so waiting for it to fall out.
Got wig and Trevor Sorbie was fantastic a real sweetie.
Trouble is now I’m feeling better I have to cook and clean - oh well I don’t care its such a relief to not feel like I want someone to put me to sleep.
