Day 3, Round 1, Chemotherapy

I've had quite a few beyond edgy into petrified territory along the way...and it's amaxing how once you know what you're dealing with, you regroup and move on to the next little stage of the battle knowing you are a few steps closer to beating this.

It's wonderful you have such a supportive workplace, and so much sick leave. Wish I did! I run my own business and my boss is a bitch ;-). Having written this, I really have just got back into it and been happy to work as much I can through it...just taking easy when I needed to, and taking great joy from achieving on the days I could, especially as my clients did not have a clue what I was going through, which was an acheivement in itself.

I actually stopped drinking the moment my diagnosis came in, as there is a link between BC and recurrence and alchol...it was a no brainer for me...and despite the fact wine and champagne played a happy part of a my dining and social life, staying alive was just the best incentive to give up I've ever had. But having wirtten this..oh what I would have given to lose the edge on reality at times with one glass of champagne too many...but instead I anathetised myself with series marathons...a novel...just think good brain food and no calories!

x

I am planning on returning to work tomorrow, I am so looking forward to that. I am not sure for how long, but I want to work thorugh as much as I can. I am really very lucky my work is very supportive and have told me to do what i need and I can go in to the office, work from home or take sick leave (I have 5 months leave) so keeping busy will be achieveable. thank-you for the reassurring words I really appreciate it.

As Tuesday draws closer I am getting edgy.

I am planning on returning to work tomorrow, I am so looking forward to that. I am not sure for how long, but I want to work thorugh as much as I can. I am really very lucky my work is very supportive and have told me to do what i need and I can go in to the office, work from home or take sick leave (I have 5 months leave) so keeping busy will be achieveable. thank-you for the reassurring words I really appreciate it.

As Tuesday draws closer I am getting edgy.

Donna, is chemo a foregone conclusion? I'd thought it was too from the very beginning....turned out my pathology results actually meant I was in a grey area, where they could not recommend chemo outright, leaving it to me to decide. If I was in Europe the protocol would say don't have it...if I was in the US it would see me undergo the oncotype DX gene test, which would probably also show a low score and say I could consoder forgoing chemo...but I had a small focus suspicuous of a lymphvcascular invasion, and although my node biopsy was clear, that lttle bastard was showing signs of wanting to create it's own blood supply, so I decided to go for chemo, as I want to fight this with all science, life and nature has to offer.

It's hard not to leap ahead, but best to wait till the pathology report is at hand. I had some pleasant surprises, and things even turned out to not be what they had been though to be before. Topsy turvy, twists and turns. Have learnt the hard way to wait until I have the facts in front of me before making decisions (with occassional panic attacks, thinking about dying way younger than I want to, lying staring at the ceiling worrying about recurrence before I've even finished treatment regime round one ... no one said this journey has to make sense all the time! ;-) ) ...but you're doing the right thing trying not to worry...and if you can fill tonight and tomorow with activities and things that bring you peace...that will help just a little and tuesday and the answers you need will be with you before you know it.

 

stay in touch

 

x

Thanks for this post, I admit the idea of chemo scares me witless. I have been through it with family members and it has been unpleasant so your post has given me hope that its not all like their experiences.

I am really hoping that I can work as much as possible through this and if I am as fortunate as you with the chemo experience (so far) I may just manage it.

cheers

Donna

I am drinking so much water I spend as much time in bathroom as I do anywhere else at the moment!

 

I am on AC, four rounds, one every three weeks..then over to Tamoxifen.

 

The anti nausea meds they have me on from the day after treatment are:

days 1 & 2 - zofran, dexamethene x 2 and emend. At night 1 x lornzepam.

days 4 & five I have to cut the zofran to a half, only 1 dexamethne and no emend..and 1 x lornzepam at night.

 

Fatigue i can handle..it's all the other side effects that had me scared witless.

Realise i have a long road ahead but gee it's nice to have had a gentle start. Other friends have not been so fortunate. One spent the first 24 hours vomiting constantly and ended up in hospital :-(

I want to share my esxperience so that others embarking on this may be a little less scared, that it is not always as bad as we fear.

 

Though hair loss - meh. Not looking forward to that one.

 

My eyebrows never recovered from overplucking as a 13 year old (thanks Dolly nagazine) in the 70s. If they fall out now I fear they just won't grow back!

 

Glad to hear the journey is not so bad for others too.

 

Happy healing and killing those darn C cells everyone.

x

 

 

 

I am drinking so much water I spend as much time in bathroom as I do anywhere else at the moment!

 

I am on AC, four rounds, one every three weeks..then over to Tamoxifen.

 

The anti nausea meds they have me on from the day after treatment are:

days 1 & 2 - zofran, dexamethene x 2 and emend. At night 1 x lornzepam.

days 4 & five I have to cut the zofran to a half, only 1 dexamethne and no emend..and 1 x lornzepam at night.

 

Fatigue i can handle..it's all the other side effects that had me scared witless.

Realise i have a long road ahead but gee it's nice to have had a gentle start. Other friends have not been so fortunate. One spent the first 24 hours vomiting constantly and ended up in hospital :-(

I want to share my esxperience so that others embarking on this may be a little less scared, that it is not always as bad as we fear.

 

Though hair loss - meh. Not looking forward to that one.

 

My eyebrows never recovered from overplucking as a 13 year old (thanks Dolly nagazine) in the 70s. If they fall out now I fear they just won't grow back!

 

Glad to hear the journey is not so bad for others too.

 

Happy healing and killing those darn C cells everyone.

x