Operation Day

I was told I can go for the blood test half an hour before my chemo appt which is good. I'll be having 6 courses once every 3 weeks. I'm hoping I can work for 2 weeks than take 1 week off. I'll see how I go. Katia

My chemo will probably start the first week in February. Saw my oncologist yesterday. They have delayed part of my treatment due to my partner and I had to decide on whether we were going to get embryos frozen. I have my heart ultrasound on 28th January. I am having a portacath. Who has had one of these and are they ok. I am having 4 courses of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, every 3 weeks. Then paclitaxel for the following 12 weeks. I will be having treatment on a Friday but have to go in on a Thursday for bloods or something. ( I have forgotten that already). My clinical cancer nurse told me today but I have forgotten it already. Is it for bloods and to check that you are well enough to get your next dose of chemo? I am going to try and go to work except for the chemo days and maybe the day before. It may be harder when I finish the first course and start the next course. I work for a small business so I need to let them know well in advance what I am doing. Trina xxx

My chemo will probably start the first week in February. Saw my oncologist yesterday. They have delayed part of my treatment due to my partner and I had to decide on whether we were going to get embryos frozen. I have my heart ultrasound on 28th January. I am having a portacath. Who has had one of these and are they ok. I am having 4 courses of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, every 3 weeks. Then paclitaxel for the following 12 weeks. I will be having treatment on a Friday but have to go in on a Thursday for bloods or something. ( I have forgotten that already). My clinical cancer nurse told me today but I have forgotten it already. Is it for bloods and to check that you are well enough to get your next dose of chemo? I am going to try and go to work except for the chemo days and maybe the day before. It may be harder when I finish the first course and start the next course. I work for a small business so I need to let them know well in advance what I am doing. Trina xxx

Like Katia, that's exactly what I did when I was due to start my first chemo last year. I took a month off work to see how things would go. I had every intention of working through chemo but I soon discovered that I wasn't able to. At first I was upset about it but then I realised I was giving myself the best chance to get rid of BC. I concentrated on getting well again and work was way down the list of importance in the scheme of things. Fortunately my super had an inbuilt temporary incapacity insurance cover which I took out. I had to wait for three months and use up all my sick leave first before receiving any payments so the first few months were a bit tough but we managed. There's a resource here on this site that you may want to read, here's the link http://www.bcna.org.au/sites/default/files/financial_and_practical_assistance_fact_sheet.pdf. I think the best thing for you to do is contact Centrelink as soon as possible. I'm sure that you will be able to get assistance there. Good luck Trina. I hope you don't have too many problems with chemo. Sending you good vibes. Love Janey xxx

Like Katia, that's exactly what I did when I was due to start my first chemo last year. I took a month off work to see how things would go. I had every intention of working through chemo but I soon discovered that I wasn't able to. At first I was upset about it but then I realised I was giving myself the best chance to get rid of BC. I concentrated on getting well again and work was way down the list of importance in the scheme of things. Fortunately my super had an inbuilt temporary incapacity insurance cover which I took out. I had to wait for three months and use up all my sick leave first before receiving any payments so the first few months were a bit tough but we managed. There's a resource here on this site that you may want to read, here's the link http://www.bcna.org.au/sites/default/files/financial_and_practical_assistance_fact_sheet.pdf. I think the best thing for you to do is contact Centrelink as soon as possible. I'm sure that you will be able to get assistance there. Good luck Trina. I hope you don't have too many problems with chemo. Sending you good vibes. Love Janey xxx

My chemo is over 18 weeks, that's not as bad as it sounds, one treatment every 21 days. After the treatment I feel sluggish for the first week,  the second week I have to be careful because my white cells which fight off infection are at their lowest, so no crowded places etc. The 3rd week I start to feel well again and this is the week I try to get around and do things, see friends etc. Chemo treatments are made up of different drugs and combinations. You are right, everybody is different, my first 3 treatments were a combination of 3 drugs FEC, the last 3 will be on one drug docetaxol. I have had no problem with nausea, they have plenty of anti-nausea drugs. I did lose my hair and have minor mouth problems, nothing I haven't handled so far. I hope I have helped, just remember, everyone is different. Your oncologist will give you the treatment that will help you, and everybody reacts differently. Any other questions, don't hesitate to ask, I hope your other issues sort themselves out as you need to focus on yourself and work at getting better, take care, 

Hazel xx

Hi Hazel, Thanks for your reply. Can I ask how often you have your chemo and long do you have to have it for? I know everyone is different. I will check with centerline, I think I am stressing as there are other things going on in my life with an ex partner as well. Trina xx

I also had a lumpectomy mid october, only lost one node, and they did a very good job on my large breast as well. I am halfway through my course of chemo and that will be followed by radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Chemo affects everyone differently, I have found I couldn't do my job because of the tiredness. I have had little nausea, just feel drained for the first 2 weeks after the treatment. I was lucky enough to have income protection. I'm sure if you contact Centrelink they could tell you if you are entitled to any payments. When my sister was off work with breat cancer she received sickness benefits, so it's worth a shot to at least ask them. Never apologise for the length of your blog, if you feel the need to unload then so be it:) The ladies on this site will alway be here to listen and comfort. Wishing you a good New Year and once you get a treatment plan you can move on and look forward to a healthier place. Take care, 

Hazel xx

It has been a while since I have been on here. Firstly I would like to wish all ladies on here a very happy new year. Let's fight the fight! My results are that I have a clear margin on the cancer that was removed from my breast. I had 23 nodes removed 1 was positive. So I need chemo, followed by radiotherapy then hormone therapy. My brain has been crazy too as I have now met the person I would like have children with but now may have trouble conceiving as I will be 45ish by the time I will finish the tamoxifen. Have been to a fertility dr but the chances that I can conceive even if eggs are collected and the embryo's are frozen are very low due to my weight, the fact that I have been taking deparavera, and also my age. At this stage we have made the decision not to go ahead with freezing the embryos. A very hard choice. Plus I would have had to go on more hormones to bring on ovulation. Now just waiting my oncologist appointment to give me my schedule. I am hoping I can recover ok and fit it in with my work schedule. My partner did not get the job he applied for which sux in a way but has also been good as I have not been given the clearance to drive yet. Does anyone know if he could get a carers pension or something as he helps me from making meals to getting dressed and showering to driving me everywhere? Also wondering what type of sickness benefits I would get if I can't work full time due to illness? I hope everyone had a good Christmas and wish you all a great new year. Thanks for reading - sorry it is very long xxxx Trina xxxx