Newbie

jellis

Hi, Not really sure what to write but here goes.  I have Grade 3 breast cancer and triple neg. I have had the surgery on 10th Sept.  Been told i will need AC & T chemo.  Having a PET scan and all sorts of other treatments.  Still waiting to find out the date for chemo to start.  I have started to realize this is not a joke.  And really there seems to be no waking up from this.  The last three years I have had autoimmune myositis and a mild stroke last sept.  

Beryl C.

Hi @jellis - yes, this is a new reality and you have come to the right place to 'meet' others. This is a very supportive forum, so please stay connected. xxxxx Beryl

Afraser

Hi @jellis
Chemotherapy has startlingly different side effects on different people. We all hope it has the one main outcome, to sweep up and out any cancer still in our bodies, but the stuff that goes with it varies a lot. So almost impossible to tell what the reactions will be until you start treatment. I had the same regimen - A/C for three months, then Taxol for three months (with Herceptin for twelve months). My oncologist gave me written information on all - yes, it’s daunting but you’re not going to have all the side effects. It may help you to read again later (hard to take all this in at one time!) and discuss the implications of any side effects you do have in light of your medical history. Many people find A/C rough going, but I didn’t. This network can be very helpful, particularly to get things out of your system but one person’s experience is just that, yours may be different. Best wishes for the next steps - each treatment is one less to face, just count them down. 

Sister

Welcome @jellis.  Not somewhere you'd want to be but you'll have plenty of company so feel free to ask questions, vent if you need to, and amazingly, laugh.

Mazbeth

Hi @jellis, it is definitely a shock and these initial days can be overwhelming, but you are in the right place for support and great advice when you want it. I have not long finished the same chemo regime and @Afraser is right in that everyone reacts differently, so it is really important to remember that whilst the doctors have to give you information about the ‘possible’ side effects, that doesn’t mean you will experience them. I think many people on here would agree that this is the hard part - the waiting, but just focus on the present. Take care. X 

jennyss

Dear @jellis,
You will get better advice here than  I can offer, so  I will just say

from jennyss in Western NSW

MicheleR

Sorry to hear of your diagnosis. Wishing you all the best. Im about halfway through chemo myself. Similar protocol as you. It is daunting the length of the treatment. Ive been lucky to connect with some people who have been there or are a bit ahead.  It reminds me it can be done and where im headed. A colleague at work has just hit the 1 year mark. She has hair again and seems full of energy, she is positive. I have a non-blood auntie who is a surviver after 10 yrs. There are so many people with this experience. You are not alone. You will find some comfort here. Ask for help when you need it is the best advice I can give. 

ddon

I am sorry for this crap diagnosis. I know the sense of it not being real - I am 11 months down the track and I still wake up sometimes and wonder for a moment if it was a nightmare - then I reach up and feel my inch - long, post chemo hair and know that it’s most definitely real. I promise that you will get a handle on it with some time. I had the treatment regime you are facing and I was terrified and heartbroken and so sure I would never feel good again. But here I am, feeling well, jogging most days and amazed that my body handled it all so well. 

My best advice is to not look too far ahead. It seems like a mountain you can’t get over. Just take it one step at a time. One day at a time. You will get through this. Xxx

jellis

Thank you for your support and help.  Just knowing others have been through the same stuff thank you.  I am looking at one day at the time.  I am not thinking too far into the future.  I am not sure how to say thanks to the individual yet so I hope you get this reply

jellis

MicheleR said:

Sorry to hear of your diagnosis. Wishing you all the best. Im about halfway through chemo myself. Similar protocol as you. It is daunting the length of the treatment. Ive been lucky to connect with some people who have been there or are a bit ahead.  It reminds me it can be done and where im headed. A colleague at work has just hit the 1 year mark. She has hair again and seems full of energy, she is positive. I have a non-blood auntie who is a surviver after 10 yrs. There are so many people with this experience. You are not alone. You will find some comfort here. Ask for help when you need it is the best advice I can give. 

jellis

@MicheleR @ddon @jennyss @Mazbeth @Sister @Afraser @Beryl C.
Thank you for your support and help.  Just knowing others have been through the same stuff thank you.  I am looking at one day at the time.  I am not thinking too far into the future. 

Abbydog

Dear jellis,
I too am sorry for your recent diagnosis, and your other health issues.
I hope everything goes as well as possible. It's daunting, everything that is ahead of you for now.
I've just finished similar Chemo, and 5 weeks Radiotherapy. After Mastectomy with Axillary clearance.
I very much agree with Afraser. It's different for everyone. But know some people are 'lucky' with how they are affected.
My experience with Chemo was very manageable. No nausea, occasional fatigue. Long list of side effects that were manageable and not too serious.
No skin reaction with Radiotherapy, used Mepitel.
Thinking of you.