TCHP Chemo

Yes, this is what our daughter is on.  She has just had her 3rd dose.  

I will be happy to answer your questions about this chemo. 

S. Xx

Hi there.  Thanks for your reply.  I hope your daughter responds well.  Is this her first chemo?  The only real side effect i have heard about is fatigue.  How did your daughter manage this.  I am hoping to keep on working at least 2 days a week.  Is she having 6sessions or 4. I am having 6 3 weeks apart.  Any info you can give me is appreciated

Yes, this is her first chemo. She is only 37. She is going to have 6, every three weeks, then continue with the Herceptin for longer.

Her BC is HER 2+ and she expects to have surgery and radiotherapy in due course.  

She unfortunately had a bad set of side effects following her first round and her oncologist suggested a lower dose of the T and C for her next, which has helped. 

Side effects the first dose were nausea, insomnia, acne, infected taste buds, mouth ulcers, fat and split lips, nasty taste in mouth, upset digestive system, aches and pains. 

She has used a Paxman cold cap but it has not been a great success and she has lost a lot of hair, so we have bought her a wig. 

Since cutting down the T and C it’s mostly the nausea that is the problem - she was advised to take less steroids to ease the insomnia, but the nausea is much worse, so it’s ‘swings  and roundabouts’ I guess. 

Her 3rd dose was delayed by a week because she had a temperature. She has two under fives, so it’s difficult to keep away from ‘bugs’. She came to stay with us for a few nights to try to make sure she had dose 3 last week! 

She has not been able to work during her chemo - she is a teacher so her school have changed others timetables to cover her. 

I think she would say that she is ok on the day of chemo and not too bad the day after, but then ‘down’ for a week to ten days before improving for the last week or so before the next treatment. 

An ultrasound scan after chemo 2 has shown that the tumour has shrunk, so we are pleased to know it is working! 

I hope your experience is better! When do you start your chemo? 

Best Wishes 

S xx

Hello, I’ve just completed my 4th of 6 THCP cycles. I really didn’t know what to expect from the first and it would be fair to say that at that time I felt absolutely wretched - crushing fatigue, nausea/sustained vomiting, chemo brain, etc and there were a few ‘tears before bedtime’.

The positive news is that subsequent cycles have proven easier to deal with - medication changes (Emend for the sickness), I had a better understanding of what to expect so was better prepared mentally and had realised that very small meals taken often (eggs, soup, porridge) worked between what was for me fairly constant sleep for a few days following chemotherapy. I also realised that I could ‘get through this’, having had some fairly dark thoughts during the first cycle.

It must be so difficult for you seeing your daughter go through this but please reassure her, and yourself, that each cycle is different and hopefully she too will find subsequent cycles more manageable. 

Thanks for that info.  I start on thursday 

Thanks Jac 22, 

Yes, it is very difficult for me seeing my ‘baby’ girl go through this brutal chemo. 

For some unknown reason, cycle 3 has been difficult for her. I think it’s just the mental anguish, well meaning friends saying ‘you are half way now!’ but  her realising there are still 3 more to go.  She had episodes where she felt the room was moving and she couldn’t stop it! 

The cold cap not working has made her more miserable, she used to have long, thick hair, so it has been particularly upsetting for her to have thin, messy hair ( not allowed to wash it much). This week she asked her husband (!) to clip it all off, which she says is a relief, but has upset her children ️

please keep in touch with your progress. 

Best Wishes

S xxx

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