Treatment Plan

Hello,

I am sure your unit will give you lots of advice when you visit. Most will give you medications for anti sickness and contact details so you can increase or change them if necessary.  My unit gave me a goodie bag which contained everything I might need. The emphasis is on might because just as easily you might not. However, if you have both laxatives and immodium in the cupboard, you can use them immediately should you need them. My unit also advised a non alcohol mouthwash twice daily from the very first day. It may have just been coincidence but I did use it for about 9 months, sometimes more than twice if I got a tingling sensation and I never had an ulcer. Many people do nothing and don't get ulcers either but those who unfortunately do, are often in agony. The mouthwash wasn't difficult and it may have prevented more pain. I also was advised on Day 1 to use a nail strengthener two coats a day. The make I used has been discontinued but there are a number of others on the market. I was told to apply for 6 days, remove on 7th with acetone free remover, then start again....hands and toes too. Again coincidence....but I never lost a nail or had nail pain.

I'm afraid everyone actually reacts differently. If you do feel sick, you may like to have a ginger infusion to hand as this can be soothing. These days many people only get a little nausea and are out and about in a day or so. However if you are physically sick, never feel guilty about it. There will have been nothing you could do to stop it. You will react in your own way. Make sure you always tell your BCN or oncologist how you felt. There are changes that can be made to help you as you progress through the treatment if they should be needed.

It is best to just wait and see how you go. If you do have problems once you start, there is a monthly chemo thread here where you will meet others having chemo like yourself and if you just feel like a chat and sometimes a laugh, but can also ask questions from others who have experienced treatment and often several years ago so have many shared experiences, go to the the Awake thread. 

I hope all goes well. At least it will be another step to recovery. 

Take care. Love Karen

Snap ! I had EC x 6 Tilly My bio is on profile just click my name to read if you wish .

We all react differently as Lacomtekp says I would confirm all that has been said by Karen . I would add that I was told that hair loss was a given with EC usually after first cycle . So on my hairdressers advice I had hair cut into pixie style then handled as little as poss . Absolutely no tongs etc .

may have been coincidental but I kept hair into third cycle before it started to shed .just before end I had it shaved using no2 . Went into first long down with GI Jane buzz cut came out desperatfor cut   est bit of advice I had was keep a diary ..day 1 is day of chemo list how you feel every day you will see a pattern emerge .Most people find by day 10 their body starts to recover so you can plan some treats for good days before next cycle .

With regards other SE I was lucky and coped quite well but I was very careful to listen to my body eating and resting dictated by how I felt just making sure I def ate something and had some exercise .

please come back and ask any questions you wish after EC I had Herceptin then bisphosonates hopefully finished soon .

take care 

Thank you 

I found nausea the worst thing with EC (I had EC then docetaxel), and I did too much in the first few hours after chemo and then vomited and couldn't stop so had to be hospitalised! So my advice is to take it easy until you know how you are feeling and take all meds as prescribed - not many people are actually sick these days but you need to take all anti-sickness meds even if you don't feel sick. I ended up getting an additional stronger one for remaining cycles but I still felt sick for a week.

I struggled to eat with nausea and loss of appetite, but forced mysefl to eat 3 healthy meals a day. Soups were a saviour - easy to eat and loads of nutrients.

Thank you  

I am on my 3rd out of 4 cycles of EC, then I switch to Paclitaxel. I have been writing a blog of my experiences which you can find in the blogs section of this site, entitled A Trip with Triple Negative Breast Cancer. The most recent entries are all about my experience with EC, which has been generally ok. 

sorry you are going through this. The staff at my oncology centre are lovely. It’s always a long session with delays as the place is always full with patients, but take something to read or watch, or just snooze through it.