Chemotherapy and radiotherapy for Breast cancer on FEC/T

8 minute read time.

Hi, 

     As i am nearing the end of my treatment which thankfully has been successful i thought i would share a few things that i found helpful when i was going through each stage. My treatment was in reverse as my tumor was so big it needed to be shrunk first in order to have surgery successfully.

Firstly the cancer i have/had is Lobular and i was put on the chemotherapy treatment FEC/T for 6 treatments with one being every 3 weeks. FEC for the first 3 then T(taxotere) Docetaxel.

The first one i didnt know what to expect so i just went along with what was happeneing to me and it was not nice.. So after the first session and how my body reacted to it i decided that i would start taking the anti sickness tablets 1 or 2 days before my next treatment this seemed to help alot. I also started taking one sachet of constipation solution every day as after my first treatment this got very bad. Prevention was key to me.I also drank alot of ginger ale aswell as water.

From day one i moisturised my whole body particularly my hands and feet sometimes 3 or 4 times a day i know it seems like a chore but it really does help with the dryness a good moisuriser with lanolin in it is very effective.

I also found the use of a portacath very helpful and as my veins collaping all the time it was needed but i think this is the best way it saves time and the added stress, so ask your doctors about it.It does require a small surgery but is very good not being stuck with needles trying to find veins. It was not uncomfortable for me or had any pain.

Now to my hair, well when i noticed it starting to fallout it did start to hurt a little bit i wont lie, it was like having flu head, sore to touch, so i decided one day just to go up to the bathroom and got hold of my partners hair shaver kit and i stood in front of the mirror for what seemed an eternity but then i did it i shaved it off. Can i say it was the most liberating experience ever, its just finding the courage to do it, its going to fall out anyways and the patchiness that was happening i didnt like. So i went out to my local charity shop and i bought two lovely scarves and then more scarves. But after a few weeks i got used to seeing my bald head it really didnt bother me, but the scarves were very pretty, there are some lovely ones about now. Even though my hair is growing back now i still find myself checking out scarves and hats.

Sun damage, not realising how strong the sun is even in winter . I was recommeneded a factor 30, well i still burned on my face so i would recommend a factor 50 just like you put on childrens skin,  avon for kids is very good. I Take it with me everywhere.

Nails, I thought i was going to get away with my nails not being effected when i started the T part of my treatment but they have, but as soon as i was told about what might happen i looked online and found that sunlight is a factor in them changing just like the sunburn etc. So i went to my local superdrug and bought a nailhardener polish and used that all the time then put a darker nail polish on top. My nails still dont look very nice but i was told i wont lose them. Its worth giving it a try.

Feeling tired, this happened to me very quickly but i decided that i would take a vitamin b complex tablet every day and this helped me so much. I just seemed to have more energy than i did.

Itchy hands and feet which i was told was part of a reaction and you must make the nurses straight away, which i did and turns out i did have a reaction they gave me pirateze but i also found that witch hazel was brilliant for soothing and calming it down.

These are things i used to help me please ask your doctor or nurse if it is ok for yourself.

Radiotherapy was not what i expected at all i was expecting i would have burns and be very tired unable to do anything. Four days after surgery for mastectomy i walked up glastonbury tor

 I believe that because i prepared my skin before and during helped me.  Since before starting radiotherapy and during and i still am using Aloe vera from banana boat. The nurses cant believe how good my skin looks after 11 treatments, i use it as soon as i get home from my treatment and after showering and maybe top up 2 or 3 times a day as well as using the factor 50 sun cream especially around my neck and shoulder area. I have slight redness but thats it and is not sore to touch.

I also continue to take my daily vitamin B complex.

The Tamoxifen i am taking i have had no other side effects other than the sweating but that has calmed down since drinking alot of water and taking the vitamin B. My nurse did suggest sage but only once chemotherapy was finished. I also place a towel under my sheet at night.. I have asked my local pharmacy to order me in the same company that produces my type of tamoxifen, as different companies use different coatings and that is why some people get side effects. So be aware if the company logo is different on your tablets. I take workhert.

I also drink at least 1litre of water a day, this does really help.I found it very difficult at first as it bloated me out but when i started radio i was getting headaches and not feeling too good and it was down too not drinking enough water,  i cut down on the tea which was difficult in itsself as i had  at least 6 or 7 cups a day i now drink one in the morning and one after dinner and drink water before bed and cups of water or squash through out the day, if i,m passing the kitchen i make sure i just take a quick glass,its getting into the habit of doing it. Now i feel better in myself and the headaches have stopped.

I walk every day even if its just down my road and back, My macmillan nurse once told me remember when your walking anywhere you have to make the journey back !! So i started off going to the end of my street, which some days i didnt want to do but i made myself try, sometimes crying sometimes mad but i did it. Once i had done it i felt i had achieved something and that gave me a boost then i would go lay down for a while and rest. Now i can walk 2 miles and back. Exercise and mild exercise like walking really do help with recovering. 

Now for the emotional side, yes its ok to cry, and scream and yell , your allowed. Something is happening to my body i had no control over but i can control the symptoms that my body is faced with or at least try too. I had days where i was an incontrolable mess i just took myself to my room and cried and cried, why me why my family,as we are already going through such emotions with my 1 year old daughter who has downs syndrome and is due open heart surgery before december 2014, its not fair i would scream, other times i would pick up the phone to my macmillan nurses or my sister and just vent,  it didnt matter what i was rambling on about it was just letting go off the tension. I thought i was turning into a nasty person when deepdown  i new i wasnt but family and friends all understood it wasnt me it was the cancer treatment. I sat them down or over the phone and explained what may happen to me i may get snappy or say something i didnt mean they were all prepared. Talking is the best thing,  at first i bottled it up i wouldnt want to bother anyone they have their own issues and lives..but no..they listen they cry with me they are my support and i need it,  weither it be a nurse at 2 in the morning or a friend or family there is always someone i could talk too.

This is the reason i wanted to share my experience with you, there is light at the end of a very dark tunnel its how we prepare ourselves going through it. I hope some of what i have said can help with your experiences. Our journey is our own but if using a cream or anything else i used to ease the symptoms you are having..well that is fantastic.

My family

Feel free to add a comment or question, as i say these things are what i have went through since december 2013. But here i am 4 radiotherapy treatments away from the end and can concentrate on my daughter and my family without this awful disease, lets hope it stays that way. 

This was my first attempt at writing about my experiences i hope it reads ok, i wish you all well with your own journeys.

Lots of love Donna 

Thank you for reading, this was therapy in itsself ...get blogging..

I also got to meet one of my favorite bands in town , really cheered me up.Inspiral carpets

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