What a time to find out you're not covered by HBF! And can I save my nipple?

Neuropathy is affected nerve endings, commonly in hands and feet, so peripheral neuropathy. Some chemo, particularly the taxanes, can trigger it. In most cases, it improves after chemo has finished. AC is a common chemo but I always need to look up
its full name!! Not everyone has nausea - I had none at all on A/C and Taxol and also no chemo brain! Negative on mouth ulcers too, but I did my ‘swish and spit’ (salt water) religiously! I really liked my wig - got me through nearly 12 months. Heartily sick of it by the end, but it did a sterling job! Best wishes. 

I will be on I.V. chemo indefinitely. 

@shs14 what is neuropathy? :o 

@KylieG As you can see, sometimes people have bad days, even after treatment has finished. However, all you need to do is let your medical team know and request relief. I had nearly every side effect but after the very first night of my first treatment when I suffered extreme heartburn, the Onco kept me provided with whatever I needed to alleviate any symptoms. Very doable. Sending big hugs and hopefully you won’t let others frighten you because it really is okay.

I know some people have a really bad time of it @"Patti J" but I don't believe that's what it's like for most and for some, like @afraser, they are able to get on with life during it.  I couldn't do that @KylieG but it was still manageable - nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be. 

You will find some posts on here with suggestions of what to have on hand in case you need them.  I would also strongly recommend that, if the meds they send you home with aren't strong enough, get on the blower straight away and let them know.  I spent a miserable first weekend on AC ONLY because I didn't realise that I could ring on the weekend and get something stronger.  Yes, there can be side effects and it's not a fun thing but it is doable.  Your oncologist is no further than the end of the phone line and there's usually someone on here that can give moral support if nothing else. 

Wow, @"Patti J" That's an incredibly uninspiring post.  Chemo is not like that for everybody. I am sorry if that was what you experienced but there are many people who get through chemo quite ok. Some people also keep their hair. 

Hopefully your experience will be at the less bad end of the spectrum. Modern medications mean that the majority of the nausea can be mitigated.
Yes, it's a horrible experience and nobody would ever chose it. That doesn't mean that you won't get through it - you will get through it. Never ever lose hope.

@KylieG
I'm sorry you find yourself here. It's a scary rollercoaster to start with, but it sounds like you have had luck finding good people to help you navigate through this time. So important for your happiness and peace of mind. I've been public all the way through and have been treated with great professionalism, care and good humour.
My cancer is Her2 positive too and the good news is that there are some great new treatments for this type of cancer which was not the case ten years ago. The bad news is that it means chemotherapy and a year of Herceptin but both are doable. I'm nearly out the other side, have finished chemo and halfway through radiation.
If you have any questions I'd be happy for you to message me. I can point you to a great study being done on our treatment which is showing great long term results.
Also there is a post on here in Tests and Treatments about the cold therapy I and others used during Taxol/Paclitaxel chemo that many people think helps you to avoid neuropathy side effects. I was lucky to come through with no lasting neuropathy using it. Its worth a read.
Good Luck!

I know that it's easy for me to say this as a man, but it is true so I will say it anyway.
Women are so beautiful, that it is inconceivable to me that losing a breast would make them any less so. You can get surgery afterwards if you want, but even if you don't, you will always be beautiful.

I wish you luck with your next phase of treatment.  I was able to go as public patient with my breast surgeon and the only difference was waiting an extra two weeks. The public system does prioritise cancer patients and i could not fault their support. Like you my pathology from initial lumpectomy indicated more extensive cancer and i decided on bilateral mastectomy. As my breasts were small to start with, and tumour close to nipple, i didn't consider nipple sparing or skin sparing surgery.  My surgeon said that can be a delayed reconstruction regardless.