Forum Discussion

Sheridan's avatar
Sheridan
Member
11 years ago

Sheridan

Hello to all brave ladies, I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carsomoma I March , I've had the masectomy, no worries there! I've completed my third fec treatment not too badly. Still able to work. My worry now is how to handle the docetaxel treatment?? Scared! Then radiation for 5 weeks, worry about wearing the bra! If anyone is up to this stage I would love to hear your story. I need to brave up again, just feeling a little vulnerable at the moment, not knowing what to expect. Huge thank you for any advice

5 Replies

  • Thank you Robyn! Gee the mouth is yuckyyyyy! Worse than Fec! Ho hum, it's our journey! What do you do for sleep??? I take lots of meds, still wake at 2am! Still happy even though I seem to be complaining! I'm not really! So many funny things that happen when Chemo brain sets in, way to funny! I really hope I remember them, so that I will always be sooo much more understanding to others! Thank you so much I do take everything on board. X
  • I think the trick with side effects is to take the medication BEFORE you get the side effect.This is not always possible,but with nausea and sickness for instance,I took my pramin every day for the first few days,and I never waited to actually feel sick.The same with mouth problems,make sure you are REALLY fussy about cleaning and rinsing(I cleaned my teeth and rinsed with Biotene mouthwash at least 8 times a day in the first 2 weeks after each round)and for your skin,use lots and lots of moisturiser(I used moo goo) every single day,cause your skin can get very dry on Docetaxel .Docetaxel can cause cause constipation,so if it looks like this is going to become a problem,start on something like coloxyl,before you get too bad!! CheersxoxRobyn
  • Thanks girls, this helps! We have to be prepaid for what's ahead. We are women, most of us have given birth, bring on cancer....you have nothing on us! In saying that, what a great forum this is to share! Xx
  • The best piece of advice that I received on here was to prepare for the worst but hope for the best. Everyone is different with how their body handles the different chemo drugs. I had 3xFec and 3xDocetaxel last year. I always bounced back quite well on FEC but was unlucky to get an infection with my first Docetaxel. I ended up in hospital and my body struggled after that. But lots of ladies have Docetaxel and find it not as bad as Fec so you might be one of these. The worst effects for me were pain, muscle weakness, and oral thrush. Maybe ask your onc to give you some scripts for medications that you might need for the most common side effects. If you have them just in case it can give you peace of mind. Try to keep an open mind and remember that many people find Docetaxel ok. With radiation it can depend on your skin. I was lucky to have quite olive skin that held up well until the last week of the 5 weeks. If you can give yourself plenty of time at home without a bra this will help. I also found wearing a sports crop top type bra was more gentle on the skin. Also I used Moo goo products during chemo and my skin was in good condition to start with (chemo can really be hard on your skin. Hope this helps. Take care. Deanne xxx
  • The best piece of advice that I received on here was to prepare for the worst but hope for the best. Everyone is different with how their body handles the different chemo drugs. I had 3xFec and 3xDocetaxel last year. I always bounced back quite well on FEC but was unlucky to get an infection with my first Docetaxel. I ended up in hospital and my body struggled after that. But lots of ladies have Docetaxel and find it not as bad as Fec so you might be one of these. The worst effects for me were pain, muscle weakness, and oral thrush. Maybe ask your onc to give you some scripts for medications that you might need for the most common side effects. If you have them just in case it can give you peace of mind. Try to keep an open mind and remember that many people find Docetaxel ok. With radiation it can depend on your skin. I was lucky to have quite olive skin that held up well until the last week of the 5 weeks. If you can give yourself plenty of time at home without a bra this will help. I also found wearing a sports crop top type bra was more gentle on the skin. Also I used Moo goo products during chemo and my skin was in good condition to start with (chemo can really be hard on your skin. Hope this helps. Take care. Deanne xxx