Break after Chemo

Hi, Moco,  I'm almost in reverse chemo order to you, does make me wonder why they do things in certain orders on different hospitals, I'm just past cycle 2 of 4 of EC Then move onto 4 x cycles of Paclitaxel and I've been worrying a bit that the 2nd drug will be worse than first! Guess we will always be apprehensive of the unknown.. For me EC has been perfectly doable , couple of mouth ulcers and I am taking anti nausea tabs twice  a day, a bit tired on days 3 to 5 but I feel good enough to start WFH from next week.,,,albeit on reduced hours,, at least you won't have to travel so much once you move to EC, ...I am told I will get a 4 or 5 week break before I start radiotherapy and I fully intend to have some kind of holiday /break away then! obv check  with your medical team first but boy we will need it by then !  

Hi moco . I had 4 ec then 4 paclitaxel I found the ec worse felt yucky but was okay on on paclitaxel..I myself would leave maybe for a  2 week recovery...but you might feel great ..I cant wait till all finished.  Just radiotherapy to go now 2 weeks post lumpectomy/lymp removal..then hopefully get to have a lovely break ..enjoy what ever you do xx

I wouldn't risk it this close to treatment. Chemo side effects are cummulative, and paclitaxel is a completely different story to cyclophosphamide. If you do book anything, make sure you have the option to cancel or postpone without too much of a penalty.

Good to know you have found it doable hev99. I hope your Paclitaxel goes as well as mine haxx EC so far.   I am desperate for my husband to have a well deserved break as well but will chat with my medical team.  Thank you and I hope you enjoy  your well deserved break before you star RT too !! 

Thanks Sisters4 - I’m preparing for worse side effects on EC but hopefully no too much worse.  It does feel sensible to leave a couple of weeks. It must feel great to have the Chemo stage behind you - good luck with your RT !

Great advice Greycats - it’s a bit of a road trip in Scotland we were after doing so will definitely be easier to delay it I think.  Just want to book that little time stamp in the calendar to look forward too.  

I'm pleased to read you are all doing quite well on your individual chemo protocols. As my chemo was back in 2016 and quite different.....at that time there was little variation from a standard pattern...3 FeC plus 3 Taxotere.....my experience may not be relevent but like you, we thought a holiday was well deserved. It proved a huge mistake until we decided to adapt the holiday to take post chemo effects into account. My husband had chosen Italy as a treat as he knew I always wanted to go but every day the after treatment fatigue hit me without warning. I wasn't able to walk long distances or stand and queue. We needed to stay relatively close to our accommodation so I could have a rest every afternoon. As we live in France, Italy was just a car journey and we did take overnight stops but only once we resigned ourselves to visiting only one or two places and having plenty of cafe breaks , did I really benefit from the break. There is still a lot of Italy I want to see. However, to encourage you  I'm still cancer free.

Oh yes go for it! Even if you feel a

Even if you feel a bit yucky, I think having something to look forward to helps. I had 4 x EC then weekly paclitaxal and whilst I was very tired and had some other side effects I was able to keep working throughout, though less hours/days. I had 2 weeks between chemo and surgery and 4 weeks between surgery and radiotherapy abd during this time I travelled and spent time with family and friends, it was fabulous.
Get your trip booked and I wish you well with your treatment xx 

i think having something to look forward to is really positive

I can only reply personally about this but I’d be cautious. Only a week after treatment is tight. Firstly you are not even half way through yet and it’s brilliant you’re doing so well, and hopefully that continues but it is incredibly common to have chemo delayed by a week because your wbc or neutrophils aren’t high enough which could mean you’re still being treated. Also day 9-14 are the lowest days in terms of your immune system so you are most susceptible to illness and infection, not ideal to be mixing with lots of people or sharing hotel facilities. Also, again some people are fine but the vast majority are really fatigued by the end of treatment. I think it’s great to book something (I’ve done the same, booked in a holiday to look forward to) but maybe just a bit later after treatment. But as you’ll find as ever you’ll get different responses as we all have different experiences with this. All the best with it x