Anyone starting chemo in late Jan/early Feb?

Hi Twiggy.
thankfully I finished my treatment last summer but had 6 months of chemo 4ac and 12 taxol. I was also worried about it but I got through it all. You will meet some people along the way at the same stage as yourself and this is great cause they will understand what is going on. I met some great people and it is nice to know that you can call them and just have a chat. Have you joined a suppot group? While I was on treatment I didpped in and out of a support group which helped. The nurses that I had were lovely and gave so much help and support. I always came away from chemo so postive!
Good luck with the chemo. I was told it was my insurance policy.
Sunflower

Hi Twiggy!
I'm afraid I finished the same treatment as Sunflower in September so that leg of the journey has finished for me. However, I do remember the nervousness I felt immediately prior to when I started Chemotherapy, particularly as no two people ever have the same story/side-effects, etc. As Sunflower said though, you will be pleasantly surprised (I hope!) at the amount of support you get from everyone you will meet over the next few weeks & please God, you'll be over the worst before you know it.
The very best of luck, hoping it goes really well & we are all here for you if you have any questions x

Hi Twiggy,

I'm starting Chemo Monday 23rd but its in the Mater. I had heard about the cooling caps and I believe they have them in Tallaght hospital, but if I were to change there or to the Mater Private I would have to change my oncologist and as I really like her and feel she is doing so well with me I decided to go ahead without the cooling cap. I have organised my wig and hats etc so am happy enough to go though this whole experience. I have come around so much over the last while to the treatment and I am in a way better place. My operation or should I say both my operations were tough but we got clear margins on the second op and I was very happy with the outcome. I retained my breast and both of them were reduced in size which made me very happy that I did not have to face reconstruction. Dr Salman was my surgeon and she is such a lovely person, so warm and caring she could not have made things easier.....I would highly recommend her.

This next stage is going to be interesting as I am hoping for the best outcome. I am positive and I know I will overcome all the harshness of the chemo because I have the support of my family. I was so supported and looked after following my operations so I know they will be there for me for all the down times. My program will be TC for between 4 to 6 sessions, depending on how I respond, then radiotherapy for a couple of weeks following all this. I'll pop in from time to time to let you know how I'm getting on.

All the best to everyone who posts here. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Love
Ger xxx

Hello Ger! Glad you posted a reply, thank you!
My Surgeon and Oncologist are based in St.Vincents but as my Oncologist is very keen on saving hair where possible, she suggested that I do my 6TC in Tallaght where she also runs a clinic.
Tomorrow I have in appointment in Snips in town to look at wigs just in case (I'm sure my hair will be a shambles for the next couple of months!)
I bought a book the other day called Bah to cancer and it was the worst thing I could do - the lady in it suffered severe side effects, so severe that she refused to do her last session of chemo and it seemed to be the same with the Herceptin at the end! I don't know if she was just unlucky or what but it certainly wasn't the 'support' book I was expecting! I feel like writing to her to complain that she's put the heart cross ways on me!!!
I've grown used to the idea of chemo and while I'm not looking forward to it I'm not in a panic like I was.
Best of luck and keep in touch
Love Linda xxx

Hi Twiggy,

I wish you the best, we all do, on your trip through chemo. It's tough but do-able, and you'll find lots and lots of support and well wishes (and all sorts of inner strength along the way), honestly! Sometimes you won't feel like much, other times you'll want to stay as 'normal' as possible, so go with the flow, and do whatever feels best each day. Never beat yourself up, and here's a funny one- beware of other people and their awful stories/awful side effects. It's really good, as others say here, to dip in and out of support groups, (and you'll meet lovely people during chemo)but don't imagine that any of the stories you hear might be what your journey will be like. You have no idea of other people's past medical history/circumstances etc. Your story is your story. I found it tough, but nothing like all the nightmares I imagined happened, and there was no need for me to be adding to my own misery by imagining horrors. Anticipation is always the worst. Take it a day at a time, even an hour at a time on a bad day. You'll find the strength.
You'll be delighted with yourself when its over.

Best of luck..!.

g

Hi Linda,

Good luck with the treatment, I was thinking of moving to a hospital with the cooling cap but to be honest I really like my oncologist and I Know i would have had to move to get that treatment so I'm sticking with the wig look. Went to Roches and btw I have heard that Snips are great. There is a fantastic book called "Not the Year you had Planned" by Cathy McCarthy, which is so perfect in its simplicity that you will really enjoy it and its not full of scare mongery!

I was in the Mater today picking up my steriods for my first session of chemo on Monday and went to the day ward which really took my breath away, the range of age brackets in there for treatment was astonishing. I was very humbled. Do read that book and you will have such a balanced view of Cathy's experience.

I would love to hear how you get on after your first session, please let me know. I will post how things went for me after Monday. I am a bit of a whimp regading needles etc. regardless of the fact I have had quite a few medical problems in the past, I think once a whimp always a whimp lol ............

good luck and keep in touch

Ger xx

Hi there!
I just saw on Ger53's comment that she is a wimp when it comes to needles (I'm the queen of wimp - proven by the number of times I've had been intimate with the floor after being poked!) but something I had learnt along my travels is that if you get plenty of hydration, it is great for getting good veins, they might also give you a sleeve that looks like a mini-electric blanket that will warm your veins and help them find the veins easier. I presumed that they would go for the main veins such as just at the crook of your elbow or the back of your hand, but they seem to try other locations, in order to stop the bigger veins from weakening. You might see canulas on people's forearms or half way between the elbow and wrist on the inside. Maybe this won't surprise you but it surprised me!

Good luck ladies, hope it goes great x

Hi Encee,

Thanks for the tips, sounds like a plan. I will be drinking tons of water on Sunday coming. I had recently been to my GP's for two visits before she could get the blood from me. My veins are not great as they seem to have collapsed over the number of times I've had blood taken. Also because of the removal of the lymph nodes under the right arm they cannot touch that arm at all, so just one arm to play around with. She eventually got blood from my hand which aside from being so sore, left me with the most amazing bruising.

Hahaha loved your expression about your intimacy with the floor, I too have had several occasions where I have hit the deck. However I do believe that some nurses have the gift of being able to get needles in and out without a bother so here's hoping I have one of those gifted people on Monday

Best of luck,

Ger xx

Hi girls. another tip is to wear a glove that will help to heat up your hand for a while before you go into the have the chemo. I did this as well as the electric blanket! The nurses are very good and will but your mind at ease. I knew that i would also be a wimp with needles and asked to get a picc line. It was the best thing ever and l was so relaxed when I went for my chemo. Everyone is in the same boat when we start. Yes everyone has a different story but everyone has a different plan for chemo. good luck on Monday
Sunflower