***March 2019 Breast Cancer Chem Chat ***

Thanks so much love!  

Yes i will try to focus on all the SE passing - Good to see you are through the other end and i will also have the shadow to fight when this is through of 'will it come back' but i've heard many amazing people talking of how it does settle down and you live in the moment much much more.  So i look forward to that. 

Much love!

Thinking about the nail polish debate, dark polish can cover discoloration. My problem was very sore nails while I had chemo.  I managed to keep my nails at a good length the whole time and always wore nail polish.  My chemo nurse told me my nail bed would be damaged from chemo and when I looked closely I had 6 very deep ridges in my nails one for each chemo I had. This did not cause a problem until after as the first ridge started to reach the tip of my nail bed, it would seem my nails were very soft around the ridges and one of them came off almost completely. 1 year on all the ridges have grown out and I have healthy nails again.

I wish I could hug you too. I don't normally do hugs - I specialise in the kick up the backside method but you sound like you need a  hug. I was terrified 15 years ago when I did AC - I had a phobia of vomiting (thanks doggies!) not just your average dislike but a true, "oh god someone's drinking alcohol on TV - are they gonna throw -  change channels NOW or I'm heaving" phobia so was dreading it. But I overdosed on the metaclopramide, drank so much ginger ale you could smell it through my skin and i sailed through it.  This time I had specific fears - blood clots, mainly because that's what my mum died of - but once I spoke to the nurse, told her I was about to move into minor panic mode because of the blood clots, she sat me down and explained the signs, what to do, what they would do and you know what? I felt so, so much better about that, stopped worrying and went back to attempting to break the world record for cans of ginger ale held in one under-counter fridge.

I think what I'm saying is forewarned is forearmed  and knowledge is a great weapon against fears - the chemo nurses are brilliant and pass on all these little tips and tricks that they've heard from the other ladies and they can really allay your fears in the meantime. It's hideous, yes. It's horrendous. There will be times when you swear you can't do it - but then you remember WHAT it's doing for you and you will decide it's worth it. I look back at AC now and honestly, I say it was a walk in the park. My overwhelming memory/impression is that it was like a massive hangover minus the headache - queasy, tired, couldn't think straight, thirsty.....but four months of that scored me 15 years cancer-free so when the oncologist asked if I wanted to do docetaxol I not only said yes but put a please and thank you very much on the end.  The AC didn't get much worse as time went on. I got more tired and more fed up at being denied blue cheese but the other effects pretty much stayed the same. I was told this is the same for most chemos, barring hair/nail loss.

Will you be yourself again? Only you can answer that but for me, I can say I'm not. I still have dark circles from back then and I still have weak nails but mentally,  I changed for the better. Little stresses that would have sent me into a tailspin have just sailed past me for the last 15 years. There was a long power cut because of snow. My neighbours were running around like headless chickens. Me, I just shrugged and got on with it. I know there's worse things out there than missing Eastenders and having to eat a sandwich for tea. I went out and did things I wanted to do and had always wanted to do. I do think that in that respect, it changed me for the better. I think you will find that you come out the other side still "you" but stronger and with a deeper appreciation of the mundane. 

You can do it. I was the whiniest baby ever and I did it. 

Inspired by your nite thanks much 

Moocow that was so lovely it made me weep until snot fell onto my keyboard.. I’m printing it out and keeping it..

(your comment, not my snot) 

big love

My nails were fine until i started on docetaxel. Then they lifted from the nailbed, it felt like they were all going to fall off so for about 2 weeks i walked about with plasters wrapped around my finger ends. I had shellac on at the time so couldnt see what was happening but i could feel it, they felt tender but again the plasters helped. Once i took the shellac off i could see where the nail had lifted from, 

None actually fell off and eventually grew out, i can't have shellac on at the minute due to being in and out of hospital for lumpectomy etc so not had any put back on, my nails are a bit flaky and brittle but i think once i can have shellac on again they'll be fine and stop breaking. I found the side i had the most chemo in was affected more than the other.

Now my big toe is a totally different story, no others just my big toe on my right foot, 4 months post chemo and i am waiting for it to drop off, hopefully it won't and it will just grow out like my finger nails.

Hi

Hope you don't mind me butting in, but please ask your oncologist about any type of supplement before you take it as some really don't mix with the different chemos! It's very tempting to take things once you've researched them yourself or to take other peoples' advice on what they've taken, but it is always worth just checking in case!

I have really bad cramps on my chemo and people recommended quinine (my magnesium and potassium levels are normal) to help. Seemed like a good idea, but as I had a close appointment with my oncologist, I thought I'd check with him first. Turns out that quinine and Erubulin are a complete no-no together as it can cause major heart issues and heart attacks... we decided that I would live with the cramps!!!! 

Best of luck with your second dose today! 

Hi  - I will check but I got the idea from an American study where they gave 50 children with cancer milk thistle and 50 children with cancer a placebo. The milk thistle group had much better liver function tests and a significant increase in the number being able to tolerate the higher rate chemo instead of having the dosage lowered like the placebo group so I think it's worth trying - however I will check with the chemo nurse today. Thank you so much for the concern  - it's much appreciated. I didn't see any contraindication but as you say, it's always worthwhile checking. 

I also looked into quinine for cramps but I ruled it out because it suggested it wasn't to be taken by people with liver damage. I don't have liver damage as such but when it comes to tablets, alcohol and so on I pretend that I have liver damage. No sense straining it further and what are liver mets if not some sort of damage?! For the cramps I found a couple of flannels in the dryer/on the radiator and then placed on my calves did wonders, as did a banana but if your potassium/magnesium levels are normal then the banana may not help. 

Thank you so much for the best of luck - I'm looking forward to it in in a weird way. I'm expecting it to be better now I've made the decision to dump the cold cap and swerve the resultant three day headache plus the extra hour sat there looking like something out of Star Trek and plus, this one will make it a third of the way done. Plus - retail therapy after! I allow myself a tiny treat spend as a reward for getting through it - today I think new jammies are on the cards!

Thanks everyone for docetaxel advice. Currently getting my infusion and thankfully no allergy side effects have developed. Hope that continues since read somewhe that these can happen a few hours after the chemo.

Hope it went well today! Retail therapy is never a bad thing, and a treat after chemo is a must! 

I never did the cold cap first time around - it didn't seem worth the hassle and I had rubbish hair anyway, so I didn't mind losing it! Mine is just starting to grow back again after being a slap head for 5 months on the present chemo - once we'd reduced the dose enough to stop me being hospitalised, it started growing back really quickly! It's now about 2/3 inch all round and it's suddenly decided it wants to be curly - it happened overnight! The nurses at the chemo unit keep wanting to feel it!!! 

Hope the chemo nurse said yes to the milk thistle as it sounds like it might be a good thing!