I had my first oncology appointment Tuesday 9 Jan. They only told me about it the day before, so had to arrange last minute childcare and work leave for my husband. Granny kindly came up for the morning to have the children which was great.
I met my consultant who I will be with throughout chemo. We had a long list of questions to ask him and got some good answers. The chemo is delivered in cycles three weeks apart for a total of six cycles. The particular regime I will be on is known as FEC-T. FEC stands for three drugs given in combination for the first three cycles. The next three cycles is the 'T' part which is Taxotere. Herceptin treatment also starts at the same time as T, and it is administered the following day. Herceptin is not chemotherapy, it targets the HER2 protein which is found on the surface of certain breast cancers, mine included. Herceptin is every three weeks for a total of 17 doses. After chemo finishes I can have these at home. A team of nurses will come to administer it. It is an injection in my thigh.
With these chemo drugs you are guaranteed to lose your hair. However, the 'cold cap' is an option. You wear this a bit before the chemo dose until sometime afterward and it freezes the hair follicles which makes them resistant to the affects of the drug (because chemo drugs affect rapidly dividing cells). He recommended a short haircut to make the cold cap more effective. Need to book a haircut! Some people say the cold cap is horrible to wear and you end up with a headache for a few days afterwards. I might give it a try. I can always stop using it.
They give me anti-nausia drugs which are steroids. Not keen on steroids because of weight gain amongst other things, but he said to see how it went and if I was gaining too much weight during the first three cycles we could change it. But during the T cycles, I definitely have to have steroids.
I need to monitor my temperature every day. If it goes above 38 degrees I will probably need to go into hospital for IV antibiotics. This is because my immune system won't be able to fight off any infections.
I see the consultant every three weeks on a Tuesday and have a blood test to check that I'm fit enough for the next dose, and the chemo will be administered on either the following Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.
Before chemo starts I have an appointment with the chemo nurses who will show me round the unit. It's as a group with other patients which will be good for me I think. I will get to see all the equipment and ask lots of questions about practical things. I also get a voucher for a wig and a free parking pass - hurrah no more busses from Wilkinson Street! Actually that has been really good - it's a free bus service from the park and ride. Just takes a bit extra time.
