Chemo first
Hi. I've just joined this site &was wondering if anyone else has had chemo first then reduction resection surgery followed by radiation. I start chemo next week. Also I can't sleep. Anybody have any tips.
Forum Discussion
19 Replies
Hi guys. I have read eating fish can help fight this dreadful disease. I hate fish so I'm considering buying fish oil tablets. So many to choose from ie standard, double strength, krill oil etc. Anybody know which would be the best?
- Hi Nicole, I had the mammogram 9 th September last year was diagnosed a week or so later, then started chemo mid to end of October. I shaved my head a week after first chemo, got friends round had a big party and raised some money for BC WA whilst getting the head shaved. It was important for me to take control away from the disease and do it on my terms ( made me feel like I was giving BC the finger right in its face! ) Lost all my hair, all over, but I finished chemo about 5 weeks ago and it's growing back really quickly. I don't know if it's because I've taken Biotin during my treatment. The only place it hasn't come back yet is my armpits, but I'm already back to shaving my legs!
I thank you for your response. I'm sorry you're going through this too. Thanks for your sleeping tips and good luck with radiation treatment. Can I ask you how long has it been thus far for you? How did you feel during chemo and when did you start losing your hair and was it everywhere including eyelashes, eyebrows etc? Many questions I know, I'm sorry. Nicole
- Hi Nicole, I had chemo first (16 weeks of nab paclotaxol, then 12 weeks FEC). I had my lumpectomy about 3 weeks ago and I'm just waiting to hear when I will be starting radiation. The reason it was done this way was to shrink the tumour enough to have the lumpectomy rather than mastectomy. As for the sleep I found a warm bath, relaxing music before bed often helped but would often wake about 3am and I'd often just get up rather than tossing and turning because that's when your mind keeps going over things. Better to get up read a book, play candy crush, anything that you can do that doesn't involve too much brain effort. Have to say I found myself ironing at 3am a few times! Have a look online for relaxation techniques, I find things like lying on your back eyes closed, breathing deeply in and out for a bit, then working slowly up your body telling each part to sleep, slowly working up to your head.
I'm so glad I found this site. All your comments have really helped. Made me teary to have such nice responses, though the tears seem to flow easily at the moment. Good luck to all of you too.
I'm so glad I found this site. All your comments have really helped. Made me teary to have such nice responses, though the tears seem to flow easily at the moment. Good luck to all of you too.
Hello Nicole welcome and sorry you are here. Fanastic site use it. I have just finished my last Chemo round 6 so spread over 18 weeks. I am having double mastectomy July 3rd and then more chemo and 30 sessions of radiation. So I made it this far. I had dreadful problems with sleep when waiting for results and the first 2 rounds of chemo. I was put on anti depressants which did help hugely with my sleep. I did not want to go on them but the GP said try them and see. I now take Endep 50 1 at 7pm. I sleep for 4 hours wake go to toilet and sleep most nights for another 3 hours. It's still a bit up side down as my day starts at about 4am but it's far better than no sleep at all. I am nearly always asleep by 8pm but it's winter here in Perth and I have a lovely bed and electric blanket and just feel so safe and secure in my bed now I cannot wait for that time each night. Chemo is scary but take a deep breath and face it head on and beat the sucker. Be kind to yourself and don't feel guilty about sitting for hours looking at your garden or staring into space. It's good for you and your body is resting. I had chemo first to shrink my tumor which was enoromous but not anymore...........shrank it down to a bean. Good luck and heaps of cyber hugs and healing ones too. You can do it girl!
Hello Nicole welcome and sorry you are here. Fanastic site use it. I have just finished my last Chemo round 6 so spread over 18 weeks. I am having double mastectomy July 3rd and then more chemo and 30 sessions of radiation. So I made it this far. I had dreadful problems with sleep when waiting for results and the first 2 rounds of chemo. I was put on anti depressants which did help hugely with my sleep. I did not want to go on them but the GP said try them and see. I now take Endep 50 1 at 7pm. I sleep for 4 hours wake go to toilet and sleep most nights for another 3 hours. It's still a bit up side down as my day starts at about 4am but it's far better than no sleep at all. I am nearly always asleep by 8pm but it's winter here in Perth and I have a lovely bed and electric blanket and just feel so safe and secure in my bed now I cannot wait for that time each night. Chemo is scary but take a deep breath and face it head on and beat the sucker. Be kind to yourself and don't feel guilty about sitting for hours looking at your garden or staring into space. It's good for you and your body is resting. I had chemo first to shrink my tumor which was enoromous but not anymore...........shrank it down to a bean. Good luck and heaps of cyber hugs and healing ones too. You can do it girl!
- Welcome to this site, although I am very sorry that you too have been diagnosed with breast cancer. There are far too many of us! There are a number of ladies on here who have had chemo first. It can work very well and many ladies have a better result with surgery after chemo. I had a mastectomy first, followed by 18 weeks of chemo and 25 radiotherapy sessions last year. I am doing well now. It can be very difficult to get a decent night's sleep when you are facing treatment. The brain does not want to stop even though you feel so tired. I had always been a good sleeper but when you are diagnosed with cancer it's pretty hard to switch off. It does get easier in time (maybe we just get so tired we have to sleep!) as you settle into treatment. There is kind of a routine with chemo that you do settle with. You can try the usual things to help with sleep, doing something relaxing like taking a bath before bed, chamomile tea, playing relaxing music, etc but I think you will find that it is just 'normal' to have trouble with sleep at this stage of things. Some of the drugs they give you for chemo also make it hard to sleep but I found it helpful to just go with it rather than lay there stressing about not sleeping. When you get tired enough you do sleep, meanwhile lots of us spend those early morning hours on here or reading or even cleaning out the pantry! Whatever works for you! This site is often busy during the night. I found it a blessing during my treatment and 'talking' with others who are going through a similar experience is so very helpful. So use this site to help you through your treatment. Let us know if there is anything we can help you with. Take care and I hope that you find that the side effects of chemo are not too bad. Many of us find that it is not as bad as we imagine. Godd luck. Deanne xxx
