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.

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

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!

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.

Chemo first | BCNA Online Network

19 Replies

nicole_h
Member
12 years ago
Thanks Deane, he didn't tell me any of that. He already has the results for what sort of cancer it is and told me what chemo I'm having. So that's not the cause for the delay.
Deanne
Member
12 years ago
It is frustrating when you just want to get on with it and that takes longer than you expect. Some test results that will help your oncologist work out what chemo will be best for you take a liitle longer to get. This maybe why there is an extra wait. It sounds as though your oncologist was not the best at explaining things though! On the positive side, it is very good news that your cancer is estrogen positive. This means that hormone therapy will be beneficial to you and this can make a big difference to your chance of recurrence. Knowing that you have a better chance of never having to go through this again is definitely a good thing! Hang in there, keep busy, and vent on here if it helps! Take care. Deanne xxx
nicole_h
Member
12 years ago
That's just the problem Chris I don't know. Only thing I know today that I didn't know yesterday is that I'm positive to estrogen receptors and I don't have to have the echo test on the heart.
Chris_P
Member
12 years ago
Oh bugger! So what did they they discuss with you if not what and when? I found the waiting to find out what the plan of action would be was the hardest. You feel like you are treading water when you just want to move forward and get on with it! You must be so frustrated, hang in there! X
Chris_P
Member
12 years ago
Oh bugger! So what did they they discuss with you if not what and when? I found the waiting to find out what the plan of action would be was the hardest. You feel like you are treading water when you just want to move forward and get on with it! You must be so frustrated, hang in there! X
nicole_h
Member
12 years ago
Just need to vent. I'm really angry, frustrated, upset, teary and more. I had my first visit with the oncologist today, expecting to find out what type of chemo & when. But no someone will ring me in a week or so to book me in for that in 2 weeks or so after that. Then on the day of my first chemo, whenever that will be, someone will explain it all to me. Not happy. How slow is that. I just don't know what the point of today even was. God.... just get on with it. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts. Nicole
nicole_h
Member
12 years ago
Just need to vent. I'm really angry, frustrated, upset, teary and more. I had my first visit with the oncologist today, expecting to find out what type of chemo & when. But no someone will ring me in a week or so to book me in for that in 2 weeks or so after that. Then on the day of my first chemo, whenever that will be, someone will explain it all to me. Not happy. How slow is that. I just don't know what the point of today even was. God.... just get on with it. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts. Nicole
nicole_h
Member
12 years ago
Hi Andi, Great news! Thanks for sharing your story. That's the first such success I've beard of. Good for you.
nicole_h
Member
12 years ago
Thanks for that. I will wait to see me oncologist first then. Good advice, I hadn't thought about reactions to chemo.
Deanne
Member
12 years ago
Always run anything you are considering taking by your oncologist first. Many things that are normally ok are not when you are on chemo. In general a healthy, varied diet high in vegetables and a little meat is what they recommend. I avoided processed food especially those high in nitrates such as processed deli meats. Eating food when it is as close to its natural state as possible is better. Food can be a challenge on chemo because some chemo drugs affect your taste buds. I also had cravings for some unusual foods. I just did the best I could while on chemo and made most of my changes after it finished. BCNA have some info on diet and exercise which my oncologist gave to me. Take care. Deanne xxx