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I saw the oncologist registrar today. She gave me a prescription for aprepitant, an anti-sickness drug, which should be more effective than the drugs I took last time, although I need to take those as well. There are just three tablets and I take one an hour before chemo, one the following day and one the day after.
I asked her about complementary therapies for reducing the risk of infection, as various people have said recommended things like tea tree oil, first defence, etc. She said I should not...
Since chemo cycle 1 I have had over a week of feeling very well and I have really enjoyed doing activities with the children. It has felt like such a blessing to have this time, being able to do normal things and enjoy life. I home educate my children and this week 'school' was based around their new interest in garden birds, which for me has been a complete distraction from chemo.
For each chemo cycle I plan to send my three children to stay with either set of grandparents. That way I get...
Bleugh!
That's quite an accurate description of me right now I think.
So after that really busy week in the theatre, I had to try and take it easy and recover a bit. So Sunday and Monday were spent doing nothing at all. However, The overwhelming tiredness is back again, and I'm having naps during the day that I thought I was rid of, and when I wake in the morning it feels like someone has sneakily filled my veins with lead while I slept. On top of that, the slashed pain is back - right under...
After coming home from hospital I still felt pretty ill. The anti-sickness tablets were controlling the sickness by the time I came home and I felt increasingly nauseous when another tablet was due, so I knew they were working. It was like having flu, and I dozed a lot. My face around my eyes was swollen at one stage. My vision was very blurry, and I found it very difficult to focus on anything. I wasn't expecting this as a side effect - something to ask the consultant about next time. It got better...
Oh dear - not a good week - started Tuesday with losing breakfast mid morning. Ditto Thursday - and then Friday lost breakfast and dinner. All episodes after really vicious stomach cramp and bloating - very painful
Spoke to chemo nurse - and now I'm back in hospital Saturday lunchtime for 'assessment'. Hopefully nothing serious - these blogs on this site maybe suggest Opremazole playing up
So today was the information session with the chemo nurses in the chemo unit. My husband came with me. We got to see where I'll be going. It's like a ward really with several bays and chairs instead of beds. There is a reception and waiting area and they call you through when your meds are ready. It all seems a bit crazy and hectic but I suppose there is some order to it!
A nurse did a power point presentation for me and two other patients. It was all about the practicalities, a lot of which...
I feel as if I'm entering another phase of my life when I start chemotherapy. It's a bit like preparing before having a baby (and also nothing like preparing to have a baby!). Hopefully the reality is that I will have some normal life in between doses, God willing. No amount of preparation can replace prayer and listening to the scriptures, but besides that I've been trying to do what I can to get ready; this list is to reassure me that I have done what I can, practically speaking!
Today I had an appointment with my consultant surgeon to discuss further the results of my last surgery.
I was told that I will need to have further surgery to completely remove all DCIS (pre-cancerous change) as the margins of tissue were not clear last time. Since they have already removed quite a large proportion of my breast tissue, this would need to be a mastectomy.
The surgery is planned for after I finish chemotherapy, God willing, probably 6 weeks after the last cycle so that I am fully...
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...
