Hi I was diagnosed with ;Grade 3 ER negative, PR negative, HER2 positive breast cancer in April this year. I have had 4 rounds of EC chemo and my first of 4 Docetaxel and PHESGO 3 weeks ago.
I just about managed the first 4 rounds, the pain was managed with med patches and Orimorph and I struggled with the oral thrush and mouth ulcers even though I was prescribed Nystan and specialist mouthwash. The Docetaxel and Phesgo however has completely floored me.
I had the treatment on 1st August and have had awful slimy stuff on my tongue, oral thrush and ulcers in addition to a swollen and burning tongue. I was unable to speak until 2 days ago and am still being sick at night and sleeping sitting up as I'm terrified I will choke at night.
I cry at the thought of my next chemo (due next week). Has anyone else had the same? Can the chemo be reduced to manage the side effects or is there an alternative?
Hi bf6dcf4e1a5a4f3aa6d1ef7c35bb9930 and welcome to the Macmillan Community but I am so sorry to hear about your BC diagnoses and your ongoing challenges.
The cancer journey can be such a stressful and challenging time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' cancer type can help a lot.
The Community is actually divided into dedicated Cancer Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you consider joining and posting in our dedicated Breast cancer support group. This group is a safe place to talk to others with a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support.
To connect with a group click on this link Breast cancer then once the group page opens click on “Click to Join” when the black banner appears or “Join” under “Group Tools” (this all depends on the device you are using)
When you are ready you can introduce yourself by clicking “+new” or “+” in the top right next to the group title.
You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post…… you can also scroll through other members posts and click “Reply” to get involved.
It’s a challenging time for you so you may want to use the Macmillan Support Line is open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00. This service provides cancer information, practical information, emotional support or just a listening ear.
We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.
Talking to people face to face can be very helpful so do check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in your area, do also check for a local Maggie's Centre as these folks are amazing.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
Hi Jin63
Welcome to the community and I'm sorry to hear that you were diagnosed with breast cancer. If you haven't already you need to ring the chemo unit on the number they gave you and tell them your symptoms. Your oncologist will if need be reduce your dose of chemo to help reduce the side effects.
I also suggest that you join the breast cancer forum to get support from others who are going through breast cancer treatment or have been through breast cancer treatment. Here's the link to that forum: Breast cancer forum .
I love you'll feel better soon.
Best wishes
Daisy53
