Total newbie and totally scared.
11 Jan..... I was diagnosed Nov 17, 2015 and a mastectomy a week later and on Jan 7th started my first chemo - Docetaxel & Cyclophosphamide. Nasty, nasty stuff. Five days since the first chemo - I can honestly say I've felt better! Loss of taste (crying), nausea, diarrhoea (oh joy) as well as aching bones/muscles, unable to sleep... etc etc etc.
May I say, being a newcomer to the site, what a lovely group of ladies you are. I will be checking on the site very regularly. Already you have made me feel better about some of my reactions!
Bless you all 
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Hi Barb,
Welcome to the Online Network, my name is Ann-Marie and I am the Online Community Coordinator at BCNA. I am sorry that you have had to join this wonderful group of members but I am happy that you already feel better for being here.
Whether it be sharing what you are going through or asking questions, the Online Network is here to support you.
Let me know if you need any help finding your way around the website.
Ann-Marie x
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Hi and welcome to the site. Please visit often there is always someone to chat or read posts. One down, take it one day at a time. Side effects are crap and we all suffer diffrentley take care
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So sorry to hear you are having such a bad experience with chemo. I have been worried for the opposite reason, I have had two doses of the same chemo as you and had very few side effects. I have been worried that this means that the chemo isn't working.
The metallic taste is yuk, can't face certain foods at all now but there are so many foods out there, so I am trying foods I never would have in the past. Chillis etc and very sweet treats, Choc mint slice biscuits, thanks to a friend. I can look forward to weight watchers once I've beaten breast cancer.
I think you are very brave when you have had so little time to come to terms with diagnosis, mastectomy and chemo with Christmas & New Year thrown on top. Be kind to yourself and I hope it gets much better for you.
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Hi Barb,
sorry you are here but you are in a good place to receive advise and just debrief from your treatment. Chemo sucks! But you will get though one round at a time. Just take the meds and tell the doctor everything no matter how trivial. It hurts but there is no choice but to keep going everyday and be thankful for modern medicine.
I am patiently (not) waiting for my hair to grow, it is a constant reminder that I am a cancer patient. If anything BC is making me address my vanity and impatient issues! Think how well rounded we will be after this.
best of luck, stay strong
Kim
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Hi Barb welcome to the group. There are lots of wonderful ladies here who are helping me through chemo. Today I had my second cycle of Docetaxal, Cyclophosphamide & Herceptin. Best thing I found for the horrible taste in my mouth was fruit tingles which were suggested by another lady on the network. Aches and pains are the worst! I talked at length with my oncologist about this today. Panadol Osteo helped but I wasn't taking it consistently as I was worried about staying on it for too long. She advised to be on it consistently for a few days so I stay ahead of the pains so I will be giving that a try. She also told me daily walks will help with the pains. Not sleeping is also a big problem for me. I sleep when I can and if that means day time naps then so be it. I'll be increasing my walking for this as well. I use diarrhoea relief from the chemist.
I know it's not nice but it won't be forever. Take it one day at a time and vent here all you like - it helps me.
Take care, Nadine
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Hi Barb!
So sorry to hear that you are having a tough time with the chemo. I have just Finished my 2nd round if TC chemo, every 21 days, and I too have suffered with achy body, loss of taste and netallically and sleeping problems. Panadol became my best friend but I have stronger stuff if needed. Go for walks each day too. it gets better after about 5-6 days Fruit tingles are your best friend, lemonade icy poles, plastic utensils, bi carb and salt diluted in water mouth wash all help with the taste thing, mine taste starts coming back after about 10 days. I have also headaches, constipation, oral and vaginal thrush and this round blurry vision. There is medication for most of these side affects, just make sure you tell you oncologist or doctor everything and ask questions no matter how silly you think it is. The hair started to fall out after two weeks. I hope the next round of chemo is much kinder to you. Take care and rest when your body tells you too.
kind regards,
Sue
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Hi Ann-Marie
Many thanks for your welcome
) As well as all the other ladies below! Yesterday hit me pretty hard, symptoms wise, and after hitting send to my first post I had to lie down - fast! It's now just after 5am the next day and I am feeling a LOT better. I'm kind of angry though that I was given absolutely NO warnings about what to expect apart from "you will feel pretty crook". The blurry vision, palpitations etc are darned scarey when you are unprepared. Thankfully lying down and napping on and off all evening has helped enormously.
The beauty of this site is you are never alone. You have no idea what a gift that is to me right now. Thank you, everyone of you.
Barb
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Hi Jenni - sincere thanks for your response! I adore food and cooking ...... so this taste business is ghastly! lol But one thing I have found are asian soups. I have one I use as my base - and just add different things each time. Hope it's ok if I put it here, but it is fast and so so easy to make and is TASTY. AND..... it's good for the figure!! lol
1 pkt of Continental Thai Red Curry cup of soup
500ml of stock (chicken, vegetable etc) and add two heaped teaspoons of crushed ginger (for the tummy) and one teaspoon of crushed chillie
frozen stir fry veggies
noodles
water to add volume
Just make up the soup base first and it let mine sit for an hour or so for the flavours to release - then add the veggies and noodles in the final 10 mins of cooking and VOILA!
You can use the pkt soup, ginger, chilli and garlic with some fine chopped veggies in little meatballs. (I prefer pork and veal mince) SO tasty and quick to make again. The whole family love both these recipes so you won't be making their lives miserable lol
Thank you Jenni
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Thank you, Rowdy
It certainly is a learning curve being on chemo, that's for sure! But you are all educating me - bless you, bless you all - and now I have stopped panicking lol I thought I was dying yesterday! Be well, Rowdy
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Hi Barb,
Chemo really sux, I hated having no taste it really did my head in. How many rounds do you have to have? Just think you have almost made it through the first one and somehow you will make it through them all. Just do whatever you need to, to get through each day.
Big Hugs Emma
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Sorry to take so long to reply, Kim - it was a 'nanna nap' day again today! Already you, and all the other lovely ladies, have not only cheered me up no end - but made me feel less like a whinger. My family and friends have been wonderful, but it's not the same talking about it until you go through it yourself. I'm madly sucking up all the advice and taking every day, one by one.
PS: I am betting you look lovely - even bald. Haven't you noticed that women who are bald from chemo seem to have a special loveliness??? Besides - it's cooler this time of year!! lol It will come back darl. Just start planning a new, sexier hairstyle.
Barb
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Thank you, Nadi ..... I've ordered some fruit tingles in my next shopping delivery!! But I'm finding the asian flavours the best so far... thankfully we love asian soups and stirfries etc. I think I was born in the wrong country! lol I didn't realise I should have taken the pain relief and because I only have one kidney now, I held back. But no more!! What a huge difference today though *phew* I walk a lot around the place here with the gardening. I drive my neighbours nuts I think lol but oh well. Two of my neighbours now know I have to go walkies everyday to help, so they are determined to join me and "make" me motivated. oh dear lol
Thank you for your kindness, Nadi
) Barb
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Thank you for the warm welcome, Sue
How incredibly supportive you all are! Which is a bit of a devil because every act of kindness makes me weep a bit lol Getting a tad tired of bursting into tears at the drop of a hat tho lol It's only 5 days since my first chemo and I am having hair loss already ..... geez aren't I lucky?? lol oh well... think of all the money I will save on shampoo and conditioner! So far, you and I seem to be twins with our symptoms, although fingers crossed no thrush so far. take care of yourself, Sue.... xoxo
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Hiya Emmy..... thought you were my daughter in law when I saw your nickname lol I totally agree.... chemo sucks emu eggs! I am apparently to have 4 rounds of chemo, but because the tumor was so large and aggressive, they are talking about another 12 weeks of chemo before the radium. *sigh* I can't wait. Not really thrilled though. They have enormous problems getting a cannula into me, so now I have to have a specialist come from the RBWH to use ultrasound to guide the needle into the vein. If that doesn't work they will put a 'pick' line into my chest. YUCK. Have the absolute horrors of needles..... so I'm not overjoyed *crying* Oh well...... one day at a time..... so doing everything to stop brooding on the needle saga.
Thank you Emmy, all the very best with your own treatment.
Barb xoxo
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Hi Barb I am having the same problems with getting cannulas in and having needles. I am Sooooo looking forward to the port a cath that I will be getting in my chest to help. I will be having treatment every 3 weeks for 12 months and it's going to save me a lot of pain. The line you get in will be a lot better. Nadine
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