I have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and still suffering from the shock of it all.
I had my first chemo last Friday 13th !!! all went well other than the 6hours having to wait ! which didnt help stress levels…
I am having 3 x FEC then 3 x Tax… After 1st chemo the first three days were a bit yucky then once i didnt have to take all the pills they gave me I seem to be a lot better.
Next week I have to go and have heart scan mid cycle then my 2nd Chemo early March.
As yet all my hair is intact but I have made an appointment to have it cut short so it hopefully wont be too much of a shock when it starts to go.
Just a couple of days ago I have got some really bad spots on my nose and also can feel spots or sores on my head and itchy can anyone tell me is this a usual SE ??
I would love to hear from anyone who wants to keep in touch through this long journey we are all going through we need all the friends and support we can get.
My Family are great though but it is so hard for them just to know what is going on inside of us.
I took starting chemo on Friday 13th as a good luck charm! I was dx in Feb 07, mastectomy Mar 07, then I started 4 FEC on Friday 13th April and then 4 Tax on Friday 13th July. Two years on and doing well.
HI
I was dx in aug have only 2 more chemos. the spots in your head and nose will be infected hair follics it when your hair starts to fall out just make sure your rub almond oil on or e45 as your hair come out as it softens your scalp. i now have them again as my hair has started to grow back.
take care poppet
Thanks Roadrunner and Poppet for your replies it has taken me ages to find this thread again.
Its good to talk with some others who are going through the same treatments and to have advise and support.
I am going for my hair cut tomorrow thought it less of a shock to see it coming out in bits rather than chunks then this Friday have to have a Mugga (Heart Scan) think because there is heart disease history in the family they just want to chk my pump is doing ok lol !!
Then Friday 6th March have my 2nd FEC have bought some travel sickness bands to maybe help with the yuckky SE’s.
Hi
I have my 2nd off last chemo yeah on the 6th and 13 march i am on cmf now its been a long haul 4 epi first then 4 cmf which is done twice on day 1 and then again on day 8 been having chemo since sept not finished until April then on to rads for 5 weeks then hormones. but if it going do the job that ok by me.
Not been to bad on cmf but on epi sickness was for 7 hours after but on my last 1 final got right anti sickness tab if you are make sure you tell the chemo nurse as they give you cheap ones first.
I had my hair cut short and rubbed oil in to stop ingrown hairs i think the worse bit about hair loss is that it not just your head it all over your body and your nose drips all the time lol.
It not easy but we all are here to support each other and i found once i got into the routine of chemo my life started become more normal as i could plan thing for my good days.
Posted on behalf of new user Sarah
Kind regards
Lucy
Hi there!
I’m new to this site too, was diagnosed with grade 3 ductal invasive carcinoma on January 9th, had a lumpectomy on Jan 28th and a follow up aptm on Feb Fri 13th where the consultant said that the nodes and surrounding tissue were clear but because tis quite aggressive and I only turned 33 last month I have to have FEC for 6 cycles and radio therapy for three weeks afterwards. I’m waiting for the oncologist appointment to come through and am very anxious because I just want to get on and be fixed!! Can anyone say whats the normal gap between surgery and chemo?
Hi Sarah and welcome. I am sure you will find it a tremendous help to be able to share with others who have been diagnosed. Usually after surgery the important thing is that everything has healed well because chemo will lower your resistance to any infection. In my experience the gap is usually around 6 weeks. Don’t feel bad to chase up that appointment if you don’t hear anything soon. It’s not unheard of for communications to be less than perfect!
Hi I am also new found out on Monday just gone that i have the fast growing grade 3 type !!!and had my right brest removed on wednesday , not even sure how to read replys to this , but im sure im going to learn just like im going to have to learn about this C thing by the way im 39 years old and very frigtened …Lisa x
hi lisa - sorry you’ve had to join us but we’re a friendly lot and sat in the same boat…its one hell of a shock…and early for you too, rest up and look after yourself kid…do you have any kids? I am 43 with 2 kids - 10 and 16 in a few wks…mary x
ps just post wherever you want to…
Hi, I am new too. Just found out today that I have a grade 1 ductal - is that right, not sure of all the terminology yet! Seem to have spent hours reading all the leaflets and a lot of the comments here. Don’t know if all the info is helping or making me more scared, and I keep thinking about everything, not just the cancer, but my husband, children, my new job which I only started 2 months ago, what’s going to happen etc, overload! Don’t think I’ve taken it all in yet. i suppose I ned to calm down and take things one step at a time. Eva x
Hi Eva - like Lisa - sorry you’ve had to join us, it really opens your eyes as to how common this bc business is though…you’ll go through alsorts - I couldn’t eat or sleep or even concentrate on tv etc for ages, had awful acute anxiety where I just thought about awful things all the time - but thats normal and in the long run helps to get your head round it but doesn’t help short term - eventually things start to change as you get involved with appt’s and tests, surgery, getting better, etc etcyou have good days, a few really good days then a couple of crap days where you feel you’re thrown back to the start again. I hate people saying how brave you must be because I’m certainly not brave, I’m better at being the supportive role but there you go, you just get on with it. You get angry, scared, terrified…your friends get tearful and upset as do family and that can be hard because it doesn’t help us but its so hard for them too…the joy of it all…but keep posting here - I find it helps talking to others knowing that they have been there or they’re there with you. We’ll get there…mary x
Welcome to the BCC forums, we have published a booklet for those newly diagnosed which may help you to understand more, you can order it via the following link:
Please also call our freephone helpline on 0808 800 6000 which is open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-2pm, here you can speak to one of our team who are either specialist breast care nurses or have had an experience of breast cancer themselves and are here to support you and help you through this difficult time.
i have just had an op’ to clear all my nodes on left side. can anyone tell me what happens now I have no nodes, how does my body function without them, where does the stuff go that used to be taken by the nodes? i know I have to excersize to keep from getting lymphodemia.
Hi ladies I have been told we have to use loads of cream as gland secreat oils into skin and that will no longer happen also the oils help with healing if you cut yourself so to always use anticeptic creams ect and watch for infect as it can no longer fight of infection …maybe wrong but think that was what i was told hope so never used so many products boots will love me …Lol xx