Hello

Hi Helmy and welcome to the forum. 

I imagine that they are giving  Chemo first in an effort to reduce the size of the lump found before surgery as that may alter what type of surgery you have or have they already discussed this with you. Glad that things are moving quickly although that can have its down sides in that you dont always have time to process whats happening.

Best wishes for the chemo tomorrow and remember there is also a big chemo thread in the Breast Cancer  forum so please do pop in and see if the folks in there have any tips for combatting any side effects. xxxx

HI, I had triple negative breast cancer (finished treatment in 2019) and had chemotherapy first.  I was told it was to shrink the lump so I could have a lumpectomy rather than a mastectomy.  My lump shrunk and was not seen on a MRI before the op and I had a pathologically complete response when the breast tissue was examined after the lumpectomy.  I could actually feel the lump getting smaller during my treatment - hope you have the same response.

Thanks for getting in touch  Gail.  I'll definitely take a look at the side effects forum.

Rose 

Cealw, thank you for taking the time to respond.  Much appreciated  x

Hi Helmy

I was diagnosed with TNBC in December and had the third dose of FEC.  Following tips might be helpful for you. 

1- For nausea and vomiting control, start taking your antiemetics ASAP. Don’t wait. Ask your oncologist to prescribe Emend which you take one hour before you go. It is brilliant. Ondansterone is the other option. 
2- Take as much as cold juices you can to hydrate yourself. I just totally went off tea and coffee and hot drinks. 
3- for prevention of  gastritis and mouth ulcers take lansoprazole 30mg as steroids cause it. For dry mouth try salivix pastilles which are available on Amazon and eBay. Sucking on ice cubes helps a lot. Ice lollies are good too. 
4- hair will start falling out soon so get them cut as short as possible to prevent  scalp pain. It really hurts if you have long hair so cut them short before they start to tangle with each other

5- I also had phlebitis, which inflammation in my veins. My whole forearm was hurting. I applied Hirudoid cream which is available over the counter from any pharmacy and also had Naproxen tablet which improved it a lot

6- for mouth ulcers use benzydamine mouth wash or saline water gargles. If you get fungal infection in your mouth which is common and seen as white patches on the mucosa, ask for Tracey’s mixture for your oncologist. 
7- Take rest when you feel tired and don’t push yourself. Listen to your body and you will be fine. 

I Hope you don’t get all these side effects as everyone reacts differently to the chemo. All the best. I hope these tips are helpful for you. Good luck. 

TNBC50  thank you.  I really appreciate this.