Any advice for chemotherapy for breast cancer?

Hi Silvabell

I'm Daisy53 one of the Community Champions on this forum.  I'm sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with breast cancer and need chemo.   While I won't say chemo is easy it is doable.  Make sure you drink plenty of water to flush out the toxins in your body.  Try to get out for a walk everyday even if it's just for a short one.  I got my hair cut before  I started chemo as I was told I was going to loose my hair.  You could try cold capping to prevent hair loss though I believe from other people who have done it, you can loose some of your hair.

If you feel any ill effects from your treatment that you can't cope with don't hesitate to contact the chemo unit or the hospital out of hours, you will be given the numbers to call before you start your treatment.  You will be given medication to help cope with any side effects you may have so take the anti-sickness if you feel sick.

Wishing you the best of luck with the treatment and hopefully you won't have too many side effects.

Best wishes

Daisy53

Hi Silvabell

I am similar to you. Just had 2 surgeries and I have my first oncologist appointment to discuss chemo on Friday. 

I feel scared too. I am going to cold cap and try and keep my hair but I have a back up plan (wig) just in case.

I am sorry you find out you need chemo cos I know it wasn't definite for you at the outset. They told me at the diagnosis that I needed it due to size and grade of tumor so I have had longer to get my head around it. 

When is your first appointment? 

I was in hospital on holiday in Wales at the weekend as I got an infection after developing a seroma after my second operation.  It was a nightmare getting a cannula in so I think I will need a picc line or.port or something....don't like the idea of it but it was awful at the weekend..

Let's keep in touch and we can support each other..

Andrea

Thank-you for your advice and encouragement, it's nice to hear from someone that has been through this treatment.

I'm glad that you say chemo is doable. I will take your advice about the water, walks and getting a hair cut ( my hair is quite long).

I hope you are doing well now. Very best wishes x

Hi there

I have just finished 8 cycles of Chemotherapy for breast cancer. The first 3 cycles were EC and the remaining 5 were paclitaxel. I needed Chemotherapy prior to surgery because of the size of my tumour plus the tumour had attached to a muscle so it needed lifting off before surgery.

My hair went pretty quickly and was gone a couple of days after my 3rd cycle. The majority came out after my 2nd cycle so I got it shaved off. I wear wigs mostly if I am at the shops and out for a meal etc as it gives me more confidence but I like to wear just a soft beanie hat if I am in the house, the car or at the homes of my family. In the recent hot weather I found wearing a wig hot but it's a nice feeling to take it off when I got home (a positive because you can't do that with your own hair). Also it takes much less time to get ready to go out!

Chemotherapy was very much a mixed bag for me. I had some real rough days but mainly fatigue and nausea. I wasn't actually sick though. I would recommend taking your anti sickness tablets even if you don't think you need them. I had a very dry mouth so carrying water around with you is a must and have some on hand for during the night. I lost all sense of taste which I found quite difficult. Nothing tasted the same and at points I had a sore mouth and tongue. Definitely call if you get any symptoms you are finding difficult. I found they could always give something that would help. After the paclitaxel I had very sore legs for a couple of days but some strong painkillers helped.

All in all Chemotherapy was definitely not as bad as I was expecting and it did its job. The cancer is almost all gone and fortunately I will be getting a lumpectomy on Monday and not a mastectomy. It was all worth it! I will then navigate radiotherapy and hormone therapy tablets after that.

I think my top tip would be to stay as positive as you can and take all the support you are offered. To say I miss my actual Chemotherapy days might sound strange but I had some lovely days where I put my feet up, got spoiled with sandwiches, tea, snacks and some great laughs and conversations with fantastic nurses and other patients.

Take every step in your journey as a win! I wish you all the very best for your treatment and your recovery.

Hi Andrea,

Sorry to hear of your infected seroma when you were on holiday, how awful.. and the problems with the cannula too.  I hope it has all setted down now. Yes...a PICC line for chemo may be useful, I'm wondering about one... 

I've had a right old time of it, since diagnosis. From being told I had a 9mm lobular cancer to the reality it was 35mm, having two operations (not one) and now needing chemotherapy plus radiotherapy and hormone therapy. 

I bled after the second surgery, so ended up with drains and a district nurse visiting! I also received a letter to say they found DCIS after the first operation ( which no-one mentioned).

I had a phone call this week to say my oncotype score is high. I'd no idea what this meant, apart from that they said I would need chemotherapy too!

My head is spinning and I'm trying to keep up with all this new stuff without scaring myself to death.

My post-op check (from the second operation) is next Wednesday with the surgeon. I don't know when I will see the oncologist.  I'm trying to read about chemotherapy treatments and think of sensible things to ask the surgeon, but inside I feel panicky.

Do you feel more prepared for chemotherapy now? What sort of things did you ask at the hospital? When do you start chemo?

Yes, please keep in touch. I hope we can support each other x

Hi Vonnie,

Thank you for your detailed answer with lots of information, encouragement and advice. I like your comment on each step of the journey as a win. It's certainly a long one and overwhelming at times but it really helps to have support from people like yourself who have gone through it.

I'm glad the chemo was successful for you and I hope that everything goes well with your further treatments.  All the best x

Hi. It will be 3 weeks on Monday since I finished my last chemo. I had 9 paclitaxal and carboplatin then 3 EC. I cold capped for every session and kept nearly all my hair during paclitaxal however I lost most of it after the second EC which was sad. Lost all my eyebrows and eyelashes too however as at a week ago all my eyebrows and eyelashes have come back which I’m happy about. No body hair has returned yet though. I would definitely recommend the cold capped is you are not on a strong regimen. 

Chemo was doable, I worked throughout and got up and out every day, going to my reformer Pilates class every week until I went onto EC where I felt less energetic. Slowly but surely getting my energy levels back now. I suffered with constipation after every session, very dry mouth after EC. 

Please don’t worry you will be ok. I met some truly lovely people on the chemo ward and all the nurses were so so lovely. 

Thanks so much Sparkle498uk,

I really appreciate your encouraging remarks  and advice.

I'm glad you're through the other side and wish you all the best for the future x

Thank you so much xx 

Another thing, take some multi vitamins, drink cold pressed juices to get all the vitamins back in you. Plenty of fruit and veg, gentle exercise when you can. 

Thanks so much Sparkle498uk,

That's good to know, I wasn't sure if I could take multivitamins during treatment so I'm glad that I can. Good advice re exexcise too x