Hello...

Hi Stef,

I’m new here too! I’m 48 and just waiting for a treatment plan. Happy to chat! Sorry I can’t be much use at the moment but I can listen xx

Lizzy xx

Hi stef,

im 35 and waiting for my treatment to start. I’m having 8 rounds of chemo and a double mastectomy sometime next year. How are you finding the chemo? Xx

Hi Stef  /  

Warm welcome to the club no one expected to join :-/

There is a very active regular monthly 'Chemo Club' in the main breast group you should get involved with.

It is for those who are having (or have had) breast cancer chemo to help support and advise eachother during treatments.

You can find the October Chemo Discussion clicking here. It is up to page 29 at the moment as it is nearing the end of the month. There is also a 'Chemo Tips' link in the very first message...

You can reply to any of the october messages chat and yours will be tacked onto the last page as it is a rolling discussion. While you are there if you click the 'Join This Group' button under the main breast groups groups title you will get email notifications when people reply 

Hope this is of some help, fingers crossed for minimal side effects, G n' J

Hey! Have you been given a date for your first chemo session yet? 

To be honest, I've found it ok so far. I've had 2 rounds out of 6, with my third booked in for next Wednesday. I'm having the FEC drugs for the first 3 sessions and then some extras added in for the last 3 (can't remember the names off the top of my head) 

My experience so far has been as follows, I hope this helps and reassures you a bit... 

The afternoon after chemo I feel quite sick but the the anti sickness tablet you are given to take before chemo really helps with this. I have not yet been physically sick from the treatment. It's hard to convince yourself that although you feel like you are going to throw up, the likelihood is you actually won't do! 

For me personally, I've found the first 5/6 days after chemo I am very tired, have little concentration and can't do much expect watch terrible daytime tv and try to nap, although I've found the steroids I have to take for the first 3 days after chemo make me feel quite wired and sleeping in the day is tricky. I've also had bad indigestion but again, I was given tablets to help with this and I'm able to take Rennies etc too. To date, those are the only side effects I've had, apart from the dreaded hair loss. That was a hard part for me but in the end I borrowed my dad's clippers and shaved it all off and felt very liberated in doing so! Hair loss for me started to happen just before my second cycle, so about 2/3 weeks after my first session although I still have some patches where hair is actively growing so maybe I was hasty to shave it but I didn't want to have lots of bald patches! 

After the first 6 or so days I start to feel human again and have been able to work from home without putting too much stress on myself. 

I think everyone responds differently to chemo but hopefully this will give you a bit of insight of how I've found it so far. 

The first session is daunting but once you know the 'rope's you become more comfortable with what's happening to you xx

Hi Lizzy!

Thank you, that's kind. And the same goes for me, if you want to chat I'm here and if you have any questions I'm happy to answer based on my experience so far. I think the hardest part is all the waiting for things to happen. Once treatment starts you can then focus on the end date etc. 

Take care,
Stef xx

Hi Stef, 

Firstly, Welcome to the group, I’m so sorry you find yourself here, but we are here to help if we can and support you if needed.

Im considered ‘out the other side’ now. I was diagnosed last October, 62mm multifocal tumour. Grade 2/3, no stage given. It was ER positive HER2 negative. I had a mastectomy 5 days after the results on the tumour were in. I had node clearance 3 weeks later. I then had chemo January to end of April then Radiotherapy in June. 

Yesterday I was basically discharged from oncology with just follow ups at Breast Care now. 

If you want to chat anytime, let me know.

Hugs Tina x

Hi Tina,

That's great news that you are finished with your treatment now. I bet it feels like such a relief?

I'm finding the best way to deal with it all is just focus on the 'now' - for me that is getting through the next 4 sessions of chemo. After that I can start to deal with surgery etc but I find it all quite overwhelming if I consider everything I'm going to go through in the next 6 months or so. I'm just focusing on looking forward to Christmas and hopefully having enough energy to play with my baby nephew and enjoy time with my family

How did you find chemo? I'm coping ok with my side effects at the moment but for my last 3 planned chemo sessions I will be having double the amount of drugs pumped into me so preparing for the fact that I will feel much worse at that stage.

Hi there hun,

Its a double edged sword for some as the end of treatment can bring its doubts as you do get use to the routine of treatment and some find it comforting to be seen frequently by the hospital.
Initially I couldn’t wait for treatment to be over as I’d had my op first and just wanted it all over. Then I did start to think ‘What Now?’ But it’s been ok.

I found Chemo fine for the first 3, I had EC, no side effects apart from hair loss, I wasn’t sick or tired, I then moved to Docetaxel which wasn’t great days 5 to 8/9, I was very achy, got shooting pains in my legs, nails were very weak, a couple of days it was a real struggle to get out of bed, one or two days I couldn’t get up like a case of flu like symptoms, tired and weak, everything tasted awful, but it was manageable. I just took it a day at a time. 

You sound positive, just keep going and do what your doing.

Hugs T x