Breast Cancer Now Forum

Sand, I put on 10 lbs over 3 days after FEC 1. Then I had some strong constipation tablets and lost 8 lbs in one night if you see what I mean!!!!!! I take a constipation tablet before the event now but the little weight increases are now mounting up! Maire, we've got flurries of snow too, but they're not settling I'm glad to say. It's very peaceful watching them though. Cress, it's great to have you back. Sorry you're still not up to par, but at least you're home. Cybele, my FEC 5 is next Wednesday, then one more to go. HOORAY. I've got the date for my mx on 24th Apr so that only allows the same 21 days for chemo recovery as we're on at the moment. I hope nothing is delayed with chemo for the next two cycles otherwise my white blood cells might not be up to scratch for my mx, but I certainly couldn't say they've kept me waiting which is all to the good. I think I'll ask my onc for those injections she offered last time after all. I'll have to go to my GPs nurse to inject them though; I'm such a chicken. ... View more

Thanks to all for your comments, I can't express the relief I felt after my appointment. Cybele, please don't indulge in the elasticated waist band, it's the quickest way down the slippery slope!! I know how tempting these comfy clothes are though. I'm going to try the 2 day diet, I've already ordered the book from Amazon. Shellebelle, please mention the lump to your onc even if it seems to have gone away. I thought my tumour was a cyst and didn't mention it. It's probably nothing but be on the safe side. I had a little lump in my WLE scar and it turned out to be a bit of a disposable stitch that had got caught up and hung around too long. It cleared up of its on accord in the end. Maire, Cybele I was told by my onc that chemo and rads together increased my chances of surviving beyond 10 years by 7-8%, this with my young age (all compliments are accepted!) meant this was recommended. My tumour was grade 3, my Mums was grade 1 and she didn't have chemo because she was 12 years older than I was at dx and chemo would have only improved her chances of survival by 1-2% which meant the risks & SEs of chemo outweighed the potential benefits. I asked my surgeon why I didn't have a CT scan, he said that because my lymph nodes were clear there was no point as any nasties would be at the early stages can't be identified when they are so small and therefore invisable. It's all very complicated, but as Cybele says even the small % is significant, we'd hate ourselves if we didn't do everything possible then had a recurrance. My Mum's been staying with me for a few days but went home today. She lives a long way away from me and I miss her. She feels guilty about not being able to be with me more often and even though she knew I'd lost my hair, she was really upset to see me in my chemo head gear. I don't think she had previously realised how much the chemo has taken out of me and she cried which has been one of the most upsetting things so far as she's not usually given to tears. ... View more

Mandy, I'm struggling with my weight too. I lost 5 stones in the two years before dx and was really happy with my new self when I got to target so went out and spent loads of money on new clothes. Three weeks later I was dx and after surgery all my new clothes which are made for larger busted ladies (from Pepperberry and Bravissimo) and are close fitting and gorgeous look horrible on me and my smaller boob is really obvious. Now I've got the additional struggle to even stay in the size with a stuffed bra. Poo. My sister (who is a nursing Sister) told me that it's usually the steroids that make you put on weight and that it should be temporary as long as you're not comfort eating, which is very tempting at the moment and I've certainly gone there (Turkish Delight!). My Mum was on Tamoxifen then Arimadex after her bc, although she didn't have chemo she put on 3 stones and has never managed to lose it in the 10 years since her rads. My Dads second wife had bc at the same time as my Mum and after an mx refused chemo or rads. She put on 2 stones while on tam then arimadex but she's managed to lose most of it. Interestingly she's still very much with us 10 years later with no chemo or rads. I guess it's down to the individual. I lost my weight with Slimming World and am still going there but struggling. I'm determined to get back to where I was, it's one of my most important issues in life because life's so much easier when your slim. ... View more

I've had another post disappear! As I said, the lump I found was just another a cyst which needed aspirating , along with the other 4 lumps that I hadn't even found myself! I've got 2 on the non bc side and three on the bc side. I haven't had them aspirated because I am now going to have the double mx I wanted, without any issues really. My surgeon just wanted to be sure that I understood what it entails and that my reasons for wanting it were sound (or sane!). Hooray! The only thing is he wants me to have 2 seperate operations with rads (and 6 weeks) in between. He talked it through with me and I understand why he would prefer it, but he's also made me an appointment with the oncoplastic surgeon because I said my preference was to have double mx with immediate recon and another recon done if the first one was effected by rads. He said he would do this but is concerned about how long I would have to put off rads to recover from the very big operation. I'll see what she says before I make up my mind. I understand now that it's better to have 2 or 3 short ops rather than one very big one. ... View more

I'm about to go to my appointment with my surgeon to ask for a bilateral mx and to talk about the new lump on the other side, the rest of my treatment and reconstruction. I don't feel very confident that I'll be listened to because I think they just want to be able to tick me off the list of things they've got to do, but I've got to put my foot down as hard as possible. Here I go. ... View more

Maire, you made me have a coughing fit with laughing. I'll be sure to watch out for this potential problem with rads! Mandy, have you tried using cotton golves to protect your poor hands? My MIL used to put prescription hand cream on at night with the golves over the top when she had probs and it helped a lot. Wendy, congrats on finishing your chemo. Please help Maire shine the light to help guide us all back from the dark side. Cybele, I can't believe another nightmare scenario has come your way, you've had it so rough. It must be hard to bear, but stick with it, you'll get there. Lolly, thanks for letting us know about Cress, please send her love and hugs if you can. Good luck for the blood transfusion, let us know how it goes. QD, I hope it goes ahead for Thursday and goes as well as can be expected. Love and hugs to all, so many of us seem to need them at the moment. ... View more

QD, sorry to hear about your MIL, you didn't need that on top of everything else. I hope you manage to arrange something soon. There aren't many good reasons to put it off but perhaps this is a good enough reason to delay chemo for a week; you'll be with lots of people so you want you blood to be strong enough to protect you. Take care. Sunshine, I haven't heard of blood clots in chemo previously, just another horror to add to the ever increasing possible side effects. Do you have your chemo via a picc line or cannula? Cress and Lolly, we haven't heard from you for a bit, I know it's really bad at the moment so I'll send love and hugs in case you're able to see this but not feeling up to posting. I heard that Prince Harrys' new girlfriend is called Cressida, is there something you haven't told us? ... View more

Cybele, I'm not usually given to jelousy, but I have to admit to it this time. I usually have short hair so wasn't even slightly worried about the baldy bit, but brows and lashes aren't so easy to disguise. I want them back terribly. My husband is a big fan of Sigourney Weaver, I'll ask what he thinks and report back! Mandy, I asked my chemo nurse about FEC and FEC T, she said that it's FEC if there's no lymph node involvment and FEC T if there is. I'd been a bit worried about it because she noticed that on one page of my records it said I was having FEC and on the another FEC T. Mine's FEC and indeed I had no node involvment. Lolly, take care of yourself, it's a real bummer. Take a good book and lots of nice snacks. Calories don't count on days like that, I'm sure they don't. My husband has just come in the room bearing gifts of ginger beer and biscuits. Apparently I don't look like Sigourney Weaver any more than he looks like George Clooney (I'm a big fan of him). Charming. I asked 'aren't I gorgeous then?' he says 'oh, er, yes'! Perhaps I should confess that I'm currently sitting here in my (leopard print) PJs and a red wooly hat!!!! How can he resist me? Love to all. Night night, I going to bed to stay awake for most of the night. I might smuggle my Kindle into bed and accidentally leave my light on. ... View more

Cress, I wish I could be with you to give you a hug, I really do. Maybe the break from the chemo will give you some time to pull it all back together like it did for Cybele. Are they going to make you stay in hospital? Cybele, the mad energy's the same with me and has been for a few days now. Even though I feel like I'm wading through treacle my house is like a new pin and I can't settle down to read or watch TV. I keep going in the garden to do things then coming back in because it's too cold. I've completely run out of things to do. My nose has had scabs on the inside for a few cycles but no blisters unless they went unnoticed. There's very little hair in there and my nose runs without warning, not a good look! My nose bleeds sometimes when I brush my teeth, I don't know why. Does anyone else have the horrible hurty nose feeling when chemo is being administered? For me it wears off quite soon after the session has finished, but it's horrible. Border Collies, you nearing your final FEC makes me feel my last one isn't that far away. When you get there please help Maire shine that light at the end of the tunnel, we need the encouragement. My Mum has just informed me today that she is involved in an investigation concerning hereditry bc. I asked why she hadn't mentioned this before and she doesn't know. My Mother (bless her) has bats in her belfry. She's spoken to the specialist at the Royal Marsden Hospital today and the specialist has asked me to email her my details. She's going to look at my Mums case but says she thinks I should have a bilateral mx because there's bc in 3 consecutive generations of my maternal line. She may have to speak to my surgeon, I hope he'll listen. ... View more

Cybele, Jenny, I'm reassured to hear that it's not just me with the heightened senses. My husband just opened a spectacle cleaning wipe and the smell knocked me sideways, I had to leave the room. All air fresheners have been removed from my house. I've also been unable to sleep much recently and was still up to read your post at 2am this morning, Cybele. Whilst my body feels bone weary and fatigued, I don't feel tired even though I am only sleeping for a few hours each night. I usually need a full 8 hours. Very odd. The morning here is quite lovely. I went for a long but slow walk yesterday and want to do the same this morning. Cybele, has the cold cap helped your eyebrows stay put? Mine are about 50% disappeared as are my eye lashes. It's great to hear you're feeling a bit better now. ... View more

Cress, what an awful experience you're having. I'm sending love and gentle hugs. Mandy, good luck with the SEs this cycle. Lolly, good luck with the bloods tomorrow, let us know what happens. Maire, rads sounds not so bad so far. What have they recommened you do with regard to looking after your skin for the duration of rads? I've seen quite a bit of contradiction about what to do on other threads. Mandy, good luck with number 5. Cybele, I hope the SEs are subsiding for you by now. I'm having a very odd experience this cycle; my body seems to have gone into overdrive trying to recover. I wish it wouldn't. My toxic stomach slug is still absent, but my sense of taste and smell have gone through the roof. My hair has also started to come back in patches and it hurts. Everything tastes really strong, even water. I went into town today and I could smell nearly everyone I walked passed, even the nice smells are very overpowering and the bad ones are just awful. It's still better than the toxic tummy slug and nausea though. ... View more

Hi again. I've just noticed that my last post didn't come up until way after I wrote it, just before we heard from Cress. Sorry if my excitement seems a little out of place at that point, it's probably something I did wrong. Cress, it's good to have you back. Sorry the appointment wasn't great, bug hug. I'm looking forward to a party when we can all come along and celebrate, perhaps you should delay your birthday just for this year and we'll celebrate that at the same time. My birthday was horrible this year and I remember Cybeles was too. Perhaps we could have a joint belated birthday cake in the shape of a perfect boob, then eat the lot! We can all start our apres chemo diets after that date. Buffy, thanks for your message, it's good to hear from people on the other side of this awful treatment. I've got an appointment for LGFB but it's not until June because they are so booked up, but I'm looking forward to it. ... View more

Maire, thanks for your positive vibes, we need them. Jayne M, thanks for your message, we need all the encouragement we can get at the moment. Border Collies, sorry to hear about your SEs, real bummer. Cybele, I've been following your pattern so far, I hope you get a day like my day today because..... Today has been a really good day. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's FEC 4 day 8 and the rotting lump of toxicity in my stomach was gone this morning. I don't know why, it's been a constant since FEC 1, just varying degrees of pain/discomfort before. I've also been able to taste things like they used to taste, I've been pigging out all day. I can only hope that this will continue. I hope this doesn't mean the chemo isn't working. I've been out for a walk and even went into a couple of clothes shops. I feel almost normal. The only thing I did differently yesterday (which was a bad day) was I ate a melon instead of my usual pineapple (yes, a whole one each day, but I'm so hungry all the time). I've eaten another melon today of course, you never know. Mother Nature (and chemo) saw fit to releave me of the inconvenience of my period this month, just one less burden to bear which I am grateful for. ... View more

Hi All. There are so many of us having a horrible time at the moment. I'm just passed the worst of FEC 4 now and am also dreading the next two. No one but you lovely ladies understands, so Coyotegi, stick with us, we know best. Shellebelle, you put into words what I'm feeling. Hang on in there, Cybele, I know it's rubbish. Big hug. I'm in my PJs too (2.18pm). I've got to get dressed to go food shopping shortly; before the crowds hit the supermarket, but I've enjoyed slobbing out today. Omeprazole is definately good for stomach problems, but have you read the leaflet? Mine says 'Omeprazole may cause a reduction in the number of white blood cells and your resistance to infection may be decreased'. I reluctantly stopped taking them as I've been prescribed antibiotics (Ciprofloxacin) to help build my white blood cells up because of low counts on the last 2 cycles. I'm no expert, but this all seems very contradictory to me and I don't want chemo to be delayed if possible. Hugs to all. ... View more

QD, I won't have news on the lump until my appt with my surgeon on 6th March. Not too long to go but my worry is that as my 35mm lump grew in less than 10 months that this could have started between being dx on 13th Sept and my 1st chemo which was 14th Dec. I don't think I'll get an earlier appt though. ... View more

QD, the nearest to hallucinations I've had on FEC was thinking I saw spiders in my peripheral vision. Then I was prescribed with vary focal contact lenses and there have been no further arachnid moments! The optition said I was at 'that age'. ... View more

QD, great news about the shrinkage. Cress, have a great weekend. I want some deer (or swans) too. I'll have a look locally to see what I can find! MZ, you'll get there. Look at Maire, she's there and is going on supporting and guiding us to the light. Please keep it up Maire. Wendy, horrible delay, but it's not too long. Practice hissing and stomping your feet. It'll be their fault that you've become an expert with the extra training time. Cybele, I hope it went OK today and the Lorazepam worked. FEC 4 has been a bit better than the others so far (so I'm not hibernating after all), I hope it lasts to days 5 & 6. I love your info and stats and your blog's been a great help for me so far as I was a few days behind you. It's meant that I've pretty much known how it was going to be. You're better at explaining how you feel than I am so it's helped my oh understand. I didn't let him read about the Northern Lights though! Maire, someone suggested to me that I buy a 'comfortable chemo outfit', which I did. It's the only outfit I wash in Surf and Lenor. I usually use Persil and Comfort (other brands are available!). I won't be keeping the outfit once chemo is finished. Or I might keep it for surgery. And rads! ... View more

Cybele, good luck for tomorrow, I'm glad you had some normal time before heading bad to FEC 4. Thanks for the support from all concerning the new lump. I spoke to my chemo nurse who has made notes for my surgeon on my appt on 6th Mar to look at the lump as well. She checked with the docs there to make sure it was OK to go ahead with FEC 4 yesterday, which we did. When I was diagnosed I had a mammo and scan (like the baby scans, I don't know what they're called) and they didn't spot anything then, but I do worry because my previous mammo and scan was only 10 months prior to that and showed clear. My tumour was 35mm and considered very agressive so I feel quite scared. Lisa, I can't imagine the halucinations, that's awful. I've had hot flushes, but only after chemo so I don't know if it's menopause or not. I wake up in a hot sweat, pull off the covers and wake up later freezing. Like Maire, I'm 49 with no previous indications of menopause. I've had 2 periods since starting chemo and await next Saturday to see if there'll be a 3rd. I hope not, I could do without the inconvenience. Wendy, stomp you feet for your mx, it's your body after all. Hissy fits are in order for everyone on this thread. Let us know how it went. Maire, great about the meal, and the wine, keep it up on all for all of us! ... View more

Hi, Welcome to all the newbies, sorry you're in a position to come here, but you're very welcome. Cress, it's terrible that no one's been there to help you. It doesn't seem right that all the people who can help should be absent at the same time. Where I work we're not allowed to be off at the same time and we're not looking after peoples health. Maire, sorry the Pollyanna demeanor hasn't lasted, I'm sure it'll be back. Have a lovely time this evening. I'm just off to my 4th treatment with dread that's greater than usual because I found another lump, but on the other boob. I'm hoping it's just a cyst but that's what I thought the last one was. Acutally the last one was a cyst which they aspirated, the cancer was on the other side and catching it was a coincidence. I hope BCN Sue is at the hospital today, I hope she's going to tell me that this can't be anything sinister because I'm on chemo. What do you think the chances are? I'm definately going to fight for a bilateral mx. Didn't Pollyanna always say that when she felt down that she always tried to think of someone who was worse off? I suppose we could try it, but I think indulging in a little self pity doesn't harm too much. I might spend some time in that when I get back from the hospital. ... View more

I've just been to get my bloods done for FEC 4 tomorrow. It took the nurse 4 stabs (!), a second nurse and 45 mins. My OH has chewed his lip sore waiting for me to come out. My arm is sore and bruised and I really didn't need that, but I'll be two thirds of the way there after tomorrow. I've never wished my life away so willfully. Boo hoo. Love to all and hugs to all having treatment this week. I'm thinking of hibernating for the foreseeable future. ... View more