6 months of chemo

Hey Melinda its Grade 3
i just ordered a wig online today in preparation !
it sounds like you have been through so much and sound so strong 
it's people like you that keep me going amongst everyone else on here 
it's daunting having to wait till 11th April for meeting re chemo etc...

@Danielle49 Ahoy! Welcome to the place none of us really want to be, but are in super great Company!! As others already said, dont Google LOL, not helpful really as every case is super individual. You say Level 3, is that Stage 3 or Grade 3? I had IDC 2.5cm Stage 2, Grade 3 in 2015. I did Chemo 4 FEC then 8 Taxol. I was the opposite to our beautiful Cate. I was drug sensitive and didnt cope 4.5 months worst luck. I was very ill and had to stop working after 2 months of trying to juggle. It really does affect everyone differently and the Team put you at ease from your first infusion, from there you will settle knowing exactly what to expect. This will also dictate how you will cope as it continues. It is daunting, but I found once I started I settled. I used to have long blonde hair and cut it up short then after first infusion it started to fall so buzz cut it. Amazing how quick you adapt. I too found an incredible wig that looked exactly like my hair, was uncanny. I lived in Wigs, thats just me, I didnt like headwear apart from chemo days, didnt like the attention really LOL. 

Loads of information and experience here, so please just ask away, we will all certainly chip in and help support and encourage and take the angst out. One day and one step at a time. Im heading into 6yrs, first diagnosis 2011 had rads, 2015 had chemo and 2017 recovering from single Mastectomy/Diep Flap recon to stop the bugger coming back again!!! 

Oh yes normal to feel pain in the boob for many months after, but its not debilitating. Big hugs, breathe, and take it slowly. Melinda xo

Ditto about the garbage on websites. Some people genuinely believe they have alternative cures ( I assume that's Pete Evans's excuse) but you usually find there's a remarkable lack of real evidence. I had A/C for three months then Taxol and Herceptin for three. Worked right through (a week off for my mastectomy). Yes I had some side effects but all manageable. You do adapt - something that would have floored you before cancer is just another little bump on the way when you have faced cancer, surgery and chemo. Lost my hair, but wore a wig and people only knew when I told them. Four and a half years on it almost feels like it happened to someone else! Two important things that have helped others - take one step at a time, don't plan too far ahead ( or worry about things that haven't happened yet). And ask, ask, ask. No question is a stupid one. Your medicos will appreciate that you are actively interested in what's happening and there are lots of people here with real experience to share. Best wishes.

Thank you for your post that's so inspiring !!! 
Where did you get your wig ????.. I think I was dropped as a baby I have such a flat head and will need to get one asap !!!!

@Danielle49 the first think my Oncologist & the Breast Care Nurse told me was becareful what you look at on the internet, only go to reputable websites & also check how old the information is. Some of the garbage on there defies belief & is 20-30 years old.

I had 6 cycles of AC Chemo & coped fine though, everyones experience & coping mechanisms are different. The only real side effect I had was of course the hair loss but there was a silver lining to that as well - do you know how easy it is to get ready for work without washing & styling your hair, you just put it on?? I had a great wig very close to my own hair colour & style & nobody at work even realised I was wearing a wig.

I kept working full time, chemo in the morning & work in the afternoon, i kept running. For me, it was nothing like I expected or had seen on TV with people hugging toilet bowls... I had nausea medication in my bag but to this day it remains unopened.

PS & yes...

Ps ... Is it normal for your boob to still hurt and be tender 2 weeks after lumpectomy ?