***NOVEMBER CHEMO THREAD***

Hi Bonzo99 it seems we are all different and have such varied experience of these drugs. I found Dox HP easier than FEC in many ways. Much less nausea and less hangover effect initially. The side effects sneaked up and hits me around day 5 at the same time as the filgrastim. The pain wasn’t as bad as from the injections, more aching legs and joints which easily responded to painkillers. The diarrhoea can be vicious but you can control it with loperamide and codeine.  Keeping hydrated is key, and I have found after 5 rounds I am getting very tired and breathless. One more round left next wednesday then I am done! 
Last time I had an allergic reaction to the Doxatacel infusion but the nurses were great at controlling that with steroids. 
I will think of you next week. Just take it a day at a time and it passes.

I’m slowly improving on my crutches. Totally dependent on the DH for food and drink so looking forward to him coming home so I can have a coffee. Yesterday I managed some easy yoga mainly lying down which made me happy. Having a broken leg really does  complicate life! 
Kate

Hi Bonzo99 

it's usually set up by a community champion but the very efficient George is taking a break . So moomy managed to get a heading up and got mac to sticky the heading and I posted link for hints . Neither profess to be as techie as George but we all understand the support the chemo thread gives .

I can't really answer for how you will be with herceptin  / docetaxel we all gave different plans and reactions . My herceptin plan is 18 x three weekly ( done 15 ) This started after chemo .SE not too bad bit achy and tired but this could my old body still recovering from EC X 6 . 

My original plan was EC x3 Docetaxel x3 but as soon as Onco realised I had a underlying bowel problem she cancelled docetaxel . Presuming from that and stories on here that you need to make sure you hydrate and have medication ready . 

Keep a diary and a pattern will emerge of what day it will hit then you can prep .

take care 

Hi Bonzo99

I didn’t suffer with diarrhoea. I was a bit constipated 48hrs afterwards but that was resolved with some prune juice.

I think I read the Herceptin can cause constipation and docetaxol diarrhoea.  So guess it can go either way, if at all. The leg aches and pains were not pleasant but paracetamol/codeine & antihistamine  lessened the effect and by day 7 they had gone. 

As others have said everyone is different but my first session wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. In my head I was thinking I’d be ‘out of action’ for the whole 21 days which was not the case at all. 

I’m hoping my next session on Monday will be similar and am actually dreading going on to EC in the spring after reading some of the horror stories on that but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it! 
Good luck for next Wednesday! 

Hugs to all x

Hello Bonzo,

Don’t worry about symptoms. They might not happen to you, as everyone is different. I now know I was at greater risk of severe diarrhoea having had bowel surgery a year ago, and also being coeliac. But no one told me that, and so I wasn’t prepared.  It took a while for oncology to sort a proper dosing regime of loperamide, but much better controlled now. I’m also not convinced it is the docetaxel causing diarrhoea, but could be the pertuzumab, of which they gave me a double dose for my first cycle.

so I’m sure you’ll be fine.  Hope it all goes really well for you on Wednesday.

Plans all in disarray now.  No chemo next week.  No more docetaxel.  A new weekly regime of Paclitaxel starting the following week, but starting right back at week 1.  Feeling very discouraged as it seems I have fallen at the first hurdle and wasted the last three weeks.  

And living so far from the hospital going in every week is going to be tiresome.  

But the proactive thing I did today was to get a razor cut on my hair. It was falling out in handfuls yesterday and this morning. My lovely hairdresser agreed to do it despite the lockdown. We decided it was giving me the care I needed for my mental well-being, so wasn’t breaking the rules!

the reason docetaxel was removed from my plan was the fact I'd had a resection 15 years previous and diagnosed colitis and diverticula . 

She also ,in conjunction with bowel specialist ,removed  my bowel meds whilst on chemo . It was so much better felt like I was going almost normally lol 

best of luck with your new regime sure you'll feel a lot better 

Judith don’t be hard on yourself it often takes a while for them to tailor the right treatment for you. My very wise daughter is a trainee oncologist and she says while the chemo is meant to kill the tumour it mustn’t kill you, as you need to survive to enjoy life after cancer. They have to judge how hard to hit you without harm and it’s a very tricky business. 
I’m happy to report I’ve had a couple of quiet almost boring days elevating my broken leg and reading. Husband is being amazingly wonderful and I can’t see the mess downstairs which is probably just as well. Just meals on a tray and lovely hot drinks brought up. I’m beginning to psych up for the last round of chemo next week. I won’t be able to cycle in to this one but will have to go by wheelchair. At least there are wheels! 
I am feeling a bit frustrated I can’t do more to help myself and my fitness but I know just to rest and let my body heal is what I need. There will be time to exercise and diet next year. At least my hair is beginning to develop a healthy stubble even on the DOx and HP.

Best wishes to all, hope this weeks treatments have gone well, and you aren’t finding lockdown too hard

Kate

Hi All,

Judith, hope you’re feeling a bit more positive now about your change in treatment. The other regime certainly didn’t sound good. 
I bet your new razor cut looks fab! Mine’s started to come out in handfuls now too, so might ditch the cold cap next time and just go with it. 

Kate, I love that up until your fall, you’d been cycling to your appointments. I find that quite inspirational as my energy levels have not been great! Your daughter sounds like a very wise young lady indeed, I hope her training is going well and thanks for sharing her comments. 

I’m enjoying a lazy Sunday, psyching myself up for round 2 tomorrow. 
Hope everyone else on the thread is doing as well as can be and that all appt’s for the week ahead go well! 

xxx

Hi everyone, just wanted to say good luck with treatments. I've been having trouble with the site so not been logging on as much. Will help if I can! I had 4 x EC and 4x docetaxel with herceptin and perjeta . I found docetaxel much easier then EC but everyone is different. Tell your team any side effects and there is usually something they can do. It's so hard when your going through it but you will get there xxxx

Hi All,

2nd herceptin, docetaxol, pertuzamab done yesterday. So far no side effects except for some acid reflux. We shall see how things progress... 

Judith, Looks like you took your post down before I had a chance to reply and say how great I thought you looked in your photo!

Best wishes to all having treatments during the course of this week xx