Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi, Melissa! Your photo's bold and clear and I love your top!   No, I'm not getting a wig. I've had the voucher for a few weeks but although I may change my mind after chemo when my hair is taking forever to grow back I'm going to stick with scarves and turbans and today just a headband over a bald scalp because it's so hot! A week ago I would never have even contemplated going bald in public, but now I'm quite happy with it - funny how things change 🙂   Glad you have no nausea. My head hair seems to have stopped falling out now. But I'm still having to shave my legs, that never thinned at all!   Sarah xx           ... View more

Hi, Ria...and welcome!   Aahh, the hair thing - although my head hair's gone I'm still having to shave my legs as that is showing no sign of slow growth at all!   Sarah x     ... View more

@Melsy68 - I couldn't view your photo, it's got a triangle in it, but that could be just my dodgy laptop. However, I can see your hair in your profile pic and short suits you!   Love the idea of sharing baldy photos, it's really good to put a face to names, and share the positive  part of bald - that  the anticipation and dread is so much worse than the actual deed!   Sarah xx ... View more

@Hets67 - I alo found the side effects of cycle 2 more intense than cycle one for the first six days - one more day than cycle one. But I am now day 8 and for the last two days my energy levels and taste are back up to normal again.   I went for the dreaded headshave yesterday, which I found quite emotional and frankly terrifying taking my seat in the barber's chair, but my dad was with me for support, the barber was wonderful, and I actually quite like the bald look! (Although I will say black and white is more flattering than colour!!!    Sarah xx   ... View more

@tropic...I was surprised by the mouth ulcers in the second week last month. Really sore on my tongue. My dentist gave me Difflam mouthwash on prescription which really seemed to work, although it took a week to clear completely. Now I'm using it as and when as a precaution, but so far this cycle no ulcers, although it's early days! Sarah x ... View more

@traceymac...I think it's normal to lose a bit of hair around this time, even if cold capping. To reassure you a bit, I'm not cold capping and lost 40% of my hair by day 20. However, it then slowed down a lot and now, 7 days passed cycle 2, I'm losing very little at all. I thought it would all be out by now but it seems to have stopped at a particularly unflattering 30% with additional small bald patch where my parting used to be at the front, so I'm getting it shaved today. So...although you're losing a bit now it's very likely that it will slow down a lot soon, particularly with the cold cap. And when I lost 30% it really wasn't visible to anyone except me, as it was more of an overall thinning rather than bald patches. Sarah xx ... View more

@leanne17 good luck tomorrow. I had my second at Singleton on Monday and found the wooziness a bit more intense for the first day than it was with the first chemo, but that's settled now and it's just exhaustion. I'm alsk booked on to the Look good feel Good course on 5th June so will probably see you there! Sarah x ... View more

@Ttraceymac glad the headaches are gone.   I've just had my second chemo yesterday - two bank holidays in a row, but a third of the way through!!!   The wooziness was more intense after with the second one, but this time I had Emend so no vomitting. I'm not cold capping,  and have lost probably 50% of my hair in the last week. However, it's falling out really evenly, no bald patches, so I'm not going for the shave, as it still looks okay under a scarf.   Hoping side effects are minimal for everyone!   Sarah x ... View more

An old thread, but I'm blogging about my experience and I'm sure others are too, so I've reopened the thread 🙂   My blog is:      http://thesherbetpatch.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/fec-t-one-downfive-to-go.html   It's a general blog that I've had for ages, but at the moment it's documenting my breast cancer journey.   Sarah x ... View more

Hi @Lynda52   I'm from the May starters and am just coming to the end of my first FecT cycle - I have the second on Monday. It's normal to be apprehensive about side effects, and everyone is different, but I have found this first cycle very doable.   Aside from the first four days...vomitting on day one, then nausea, fatigue and general wooziness - the remaining two weeks plus of the cycle I've felt completely normal. I went right off tea and coffee almost immediately, and my taste buds changed, but after week one my appetite was back to normal and I'm enjoying tea and coffee again.   I did have mouth ulcers during the second week, but these cleared up after seven days with Difflam mouthwash.   And...early days...it hasn't been nearly as bad as I was anticipating.   Sarah x         ... View more

Morning 🙂 Day 18 for me, just been for bloods before bout 2 on Monday. @TraceyMac, my mouth ulcers cleared up a few days ago, I found they lasted a week or so and tge difflam mouthwash worked really well. My dentist gave it to me on prescription. My hair started shedding on day 11, but it's only really been an increase in loose strands when I brush and wash it. Yesterday morning it picked up the pace with shedding but this morning it seems to have slowed down. No cold cap and I'm putting off the shave as right now it looks the same as notmal, just very slightly thinner overall. Hope side effects are minimal for everyone, Sarah x ... View more

Hi, Tropic_al - and welcome!   I would recommend yoghurts - I'm just about to start my second cycle on Monday and have found that my main symptoms so far have been ulcers...still present but clearing up, thanks to Difflam mouthwash...and a really dry mouth.   I wouldn't worry too much about what you eat, the main thing is to eat enough as the nausea hits for the first few days. And water - as much water as you can. I struggled with fluids in the first few days for some reason, so little and often.   Gnocci was my go to food during the first week - and cornettos! Funny how your taste changes, I went right off tea and coffee from the very beginning, but for the last 10 days or so my appetite - and taste - is back to normal.   Good luck for Friday.   Sarah xx     ... View more

Hello @Joandbasilthedog 🙂   Advice on what to take...well, I took a back packed for everything - book, drink, snack, babywipes etc, but all I ever used from the over stuffed bag was a pair of warm socks!   I'd definitely recommend the socks, so much more comfortable than shoes.   Sarah x         ... View more

@Linda - I'm on day 14 and for the past two days I've been losing odd strands of hair, a definite loosening! Not lots and definitely not clumps, but if I run my hands through my hair I shed a few strands and have found a few single solitary strands randomly on my arms.   (I'm not using the cold cap)   As I work from home with a craft business I've become increasingly paranoid about sending items out with hairs on, so my new must have accessory has become a rather unfetching hairnet for packaging and sewing 🙂   I was expecting to get a few signs that my hair was going to  start shedding, but aside from an occassional crawling rather than itching sensation there's been no pain or tightness.   Alarmingly, the loosened hair folicles have confirmed what I already knew...the tips of my hair are pure white rather than the (bottled) chestnut brown I've been dying it for over a decade, so I'm expecting it to grow back grey and curly!   Sarah x         ... View more

@Leanne17...yes, I went to Maggies just before my first oncology chemo appointment last month. I burst into tears as soon as I reached the kitchen as it was bustling, busy and I just came over all emotional. ( a class had just finished) Everyone was really lovely, and one of the managers took me into a quiet room where we just talked over coffee and biscuits and then I found a quiet area just to sit before my appointment. It's a lovely building, the staff are wonderful and the atmosphere is very calming. I'm going on the Look Good Feel Good course on 5th June. I took my parents there a couple of weeks ago for coffee and they were also really impressed. There's a good library upstairs too. Sarah xx ... View more

@hets67...hope the bone pain has subsided. When you start feeling normal again having that appear out of the blue must feel particularly hard. Sarah x ... View more

@Leanne17...small world indeed! Our paths must have crossed at some point at the Breast Care Cenre as it's so small! I'll be there on Monday fof an oncology appointment. @TraceyMac...hope the headache shifted and you're feeling okay again. The biggest issue for me at the moment is an ulcer on the side of my tongue, painful, appeared twk days ago. I'm swishing with bicarb of soda and water when it stings. Sarah x ... View more

So today is day 10 past the first fec session. Having felt back to normal for the past 5 days or so I seem to have more energy now than I ever did before chemo! Did anyone else find this? Because it seems a bit bizarre. And it can't possibly be thd steroids as I only took them for the first 3 days. The only thing I can think of is the seven days of injections to boost white blood cells that have worked wonders! Long may it last, although I'm fully expecting to have a rocky time after bout two. But the energy thing... Sarah x ... View more

@Melsy68 - not yet, that'll be my next emotional wobble 🙂   I think it's a bit early yet, washing and brushing as normal and feels fine, but fully expecting it to start shedding in a week or so.   Glad you're feeling well, I'm sure the sunshine helps too!   Sarah x ... View more

Well, I'm now eight days past my first FEC, and while this may be the lull before the storm I'm feeling really good!   It was a rocky start, with vomitting followed by three days of nausea and crashing fatigue, shortly followed by a very heavy period just for good measure, but the past two days I've felt completely normal.   Maybe it was the injections...I've just finished a seven day cycle of self injecting...but my energy is back up and I've even been enjoying tea again!   Hope everyone starting treatment this month is not finding the side effects too bad,   Sarah xx ... View more