*** NOVEMBER CHEMOTHERAPY CHAT 2019 ***

My pharmacist gave me imodium for it on first cycle of Paclitaxel.

Use Evonail ail from day one.  Iber used it only once a day but some use it twice,  and you need for at least 6 weeks after chemo ends as well.  Docetaxel can cause liver term hair loss in some people (about 10% have it to some extent) so if you can face it is ask cold capping as it protects your roots .

You shouldn't have the horrible nausea that you get from EC, so won't need to take lots of anti sickness meds and steroids for days.  I had 4 EC and the first week or two was le a bad hangover with palpitations thrown in! On the paclitaxel I take a Piriton the next morning as u have a red face, neck and chest which is an allergic reaction. U might take painkillers as well for a headache,  but that's all - no other meds:) Docetaxel is a taxane like Paclitaxel, so the side effects are similar. X

Northerner Just thought I'd let you know ASAP, just come back from the GP and he does not have any results of a heart scan so far, so he reckons it was a waste of time for me to go see him, must have been a mistake, but thank goodness, no worries.  See, my imagination took over big time in believing something drastic was wrong, that cancer was in the other breast too!  But he assured me that the mammogram is the gold standard and as I'd had a mammogram in May when the cancer was discovered in one breast, it was not in the other breast, so good news, nothing to worry over at this point in time, it's just that the chemo can affect my organs and heart, so they keep an eye on things.  He also gave me more advice about contacting my team at the Oncology regarding how bad I've been suffering, but as I've got an appointment there tomorrow with my Oncologist, I shall tell them then.  He also said try getting a care package in place before hubby comes home, good advice.  MAcMillan pointed me in the local councils direction for Adult Services Support.  Going to try them next.

Margaret has given you good advice, get Evonail online, Amazon, to preserve nails and a non perfumed hand cream and Aveeno body cream.  Your hospital via MacMillan centre should recommend QV Australian stuff for body creams and shower wash, it's gorgeous but expensive at £30 a bottle, so get your GP to prescribe it free.  As for food, your body will direct you to whatever it needs on a day to day basis, I found it wanted different foods second time round than the first, strange.  Let's see what it wants next cycle next week!  Just get in a few bits, I love Volvic lemon and lime to drink, Oncologist said it was okay, but no grapefruit, as this reacts against the chemo drugs.  Fizzy pineapple drink is nice too, as is Diet Coke, straight from the fridge.  I don't like ginger, but small bits of crystallised ginger from Holland and Barrett does take off that sicky feeling.  Good luck.

Hi Janey /  

The only citrus fruit you should avoid is Grapefruit (the fruit and juice) as it contains an enzyme which can affect a whole raft of meds.

Mostly 'avoid grapefruit' is printed on the pharmacy label but you don't get to see this with hospital or onco meds. These grapefruit enzymes can reduce the efficiency of meds and/or increase side effects. The bottled water to avoid are the ones with a high mineral content like Volvic etc most other types are fine 

Pasted in below the Food Safety info sheet from the Chemo Tips blog.

Don't read too much into these Supposed Superfoods Fads, Go Dairy Free or Sugar Feeds Cancer misinformation unless that is how you would prefer your diet ?

Hope this helps, G n' J

OOps, my Oncologist said Volvic was okay for me to drink, because I specifically asked her about it last time I saw her and it's really quenching my thirst better than anything else, so maybe I should cut down on this after all?  I've got some Brussels pate, now I'm wondering whether this is okay to eat?

Hiya Giuliella

If your Onco says the Volvic is ok I'm in no position to disagree  just that someone here asked her onco ages ago and the sulphur content was queried.

Evian is considered pretty good as it has more Magnesium, calcium and less salt ?  J got through litres of the fruit flavoured supermarket multi buys still water.

As for the Pate as long as it is a cooked pate it should be fine, anything that may not be fully cooked through would be a risk though.

G n' J

Great news Giuliella  you must feel so much better knowing you've got the support of your GP 

Try to relax a bit now and get into your new routine while hubby in hospital 

take care 

margaret x

Northerner Hello Margaret.  I am relieved somewhat, but as for routines, my hubby set them really, I'm just muddling along at the minute, with so many chores, hospital visits and appointments.  At least whilst I'm reasonably able, I've managed to change and wash the bedding, put the recycling out for collection, vacuumed the carpets, cleaned all the mud off the stairs and hall carpet that the five paramedics brought in with them on Sunday, washed clothes in the machine and sorted the mail.  I even managed to give some attention to massaging and putting cream into my scars as advised, plus put more Evonail on, because doing the washing up myself (hubby used to do that) has meant it's coming off much quicker.  I've still got a mass of hand wash to be done, but that can wait.  The main stuff has been done and I can sit back and relax a bit, before taking off again later this morning, walking to a bus stop further away to get a bus into town.  I shall get two items of shopping close by when I get off the bus, go into KFC (wicked, as its 17 syns at Slimmingworld and I only have 10 to 15 syns allowance per day!  Who cares?) for lunch, before walking a fair distance to catch the free shuttle to the Oncology, where I can visit hubby before my appointment.

The hospital phoned me last night when I was asleep in bed, to tell me hubby had been transferred from the hospital close to us to the one further away in town, at the Oncology department, but at least they were good enough to let me know and then this morning at 8.20am someone called again, from the Oncology department to let me know exactly where he was.  I didn't expect that, as I was all ready to phone them and ask myself.  Hopefully, I will get to know what the next step is, because yesterday, hubbys arm was still very swollen, I want that blood clot gone.  He will probably have chemo, same as me, well maybe not the same drugs, but chemo nonetheless.  Oh joy, both of us sick!  Hopefully, they will keep him in a bit longer and then put a care package into place to look after him with meal deliveries etc.  I will certainly be fighting for that.  Have a good day everyone.  Bye for now.

Hi Giuliella

ooo! Something to look forward to KFC enjoy . (there are worst syns  )

Glad to hear hospital contacting your. Hope all goes well today with visit then app.

I don't hand wash anymore lucky enough my washing machine has equivalent 15min cycle any thing for easy life .

Take care 

Margaret x

Northerner Yes, the KFC was a nice treat, even if I didn't eat all of it in one go, but nibbled throughout the rest of the afternoon and I only bought two chicken portions!  Oncologist said I'd lost another two kilos since three weeks ago, but as I said, I'm still not skinny yet, at 9 stone ten pounds.  I would be happy to go down to nine and a half stone or even nine, but no more than that.

Still unsure about hubby, didn't see a doctor or consultant whilst down the hospital yesterday, but they started him on chemo injections last night after I left and today, he's to have chemo tablets for a few days, unlike us, having the injections for months.  Hubby said it would shrink the mass, but not get rid, oh!  I wanted to hear it would be going completely, so one day I feel good, then the next, I don't.  I didn't feel good yesterday in myself, probably because I did a lot of walking to the bus, from there to KFC uphill, then to another bus stop a fair way away, to catch the free shuttle bus to the hospital.  Still feel sicky.  Oncologist said to have another Omeprazole to combat indigestion problems which may be making me feel sick, so here goes.

Hi everyone, 

Ive been a little quiet for a few weeks, I’m struggling a little with anxiety at the moment, never been a problem before, but I get quite upset and my breathing goes fast when I get upset, then I get light headed. I don’t know if it’s just the cumulative effect of the chemo or I’m worrying about the mastectomy that’s now planned for the week before Christmas. 

Sorry for moaning on here, I just feel like I’m falling at the moment and I can’t stop and I don’t know who to talk to.

Eileen x