Chemo 4

Yes it does help to mentally prepare yourself and also to hope for the best. At least the effects do pass after a few days. I have not lost eyebrows or eyelashes yet but they are thinner! I have my fingers crossed. I really feel the roller coaster ride is coming to an end and only a couple of hills (chemo 5 and 6) to get over now with lots of momentum to get me through. I also have radiation to come but feel (and have been told by those who know) this will be the easier part of the treatment. I have found Chemo the worst because of the need to stay out of the 'public'. So looking forward to getting out and about more without worrying about catching something! Take care. Deanne x

Deanne has pretty much described Docetaxel and how it affected me. I had awful bone pain and ended up taking an extra Dexamethasone tablet, (at my Onc's suggestion) on day 3 or 4 to see me through the pain. It really helped. The good thing was no nausea. The bad thing was it really hit me hard fatigue wise and it was hard to get out of bed at times. My Onc prescribed an injection of Neulasta 24 hours after each infusion to help boost white blood cells and this was great as I'd already been in hospital with a very low neutrophil count and infections as a result of the AC (similar to FEC). My Onc ended up cancelling my last Docetaxel cycle as my fingers and toes have been badly affected by neuropathy so keep an eye on that. She was worried about the possibility of this becoming permanent. This is a pretty nasty drug so let your Onc know of all your side effect symptons no matter how small. I lost my eye lashes and eye brows a week after I finished chemo so that was a surprise. But I am feeling better every day although I'm still having Herceptin intravenously every three weeks which still gives me some aches and pains and my fingers and toes are still numb and tingling. I'm not expecting the chemo drug to be gone quickly out of my body and I'm hoping that the neuropathy will settle down after not too long. Jen you will get through this lot of chemo in no time. Just remember that every day is one day closer to the finish line. Take good care of yourself and rest up. Hugs to you Love Janey xxx

Hi Deanne

THanks so much for the info, so good to get a bit of a heads up. I will make sure my Onc gives me a script for stronger pain killers too! I find that if I know I am going to be "man down" for a few days you can kind of mentally prepare for it. FEC also made me very nauseous and even when I think of it I feel sick!!

Did you lose your eyerows and eyelashes? So far I still have them although they are thinning out now!

Now that I am half way I can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, except still have to get through radiation!

Jen 

Docetaxel very different from FEC. Good news for me is no nausea! It has knocked my energy levels to 0 though, so be prepared to do nothing on about Day 3 to 5. I have never felt so weak. Am coming good now on Day 5 but have some numbness in right foot and tingles in fingers. My oncologist gave me a script for strong pain killers in case I needed them. I used them on Day 3 and 4 at night to get some good sleep. Lots of aches and pains all over! Some people have trouble sleeping before the Chemo because of the pre-med DEX but I managed to get some sleep and felt ok for the first couple of days. All in all I have found this chemo easier to get through as I hated the nausea with FEC. You must be prepared to go very easy on yourself though and literally do nothing but rest for a few days. I found the pain killers a god send and think you need to take them to let your body rest and recover from the onslaught! Keep up your mouth rinsing too and have some panadol to take for headaches. I found panadol to be enough pain relief during the day. Hope this helps. Effects do vary for people but I hope you don't have too bad a time with it! Good luck! Deanne xxoo

Only a short time ago, I too had 3 lots of Taxotere.  I was a rare one and got indigestion from the Dex !  Went on meds to counteract that.  My nails held in there thanks to keeping them short and well covered with nail hardener.  Hated the cold gloves, but like everything we have, put up with it, talked a lot, and cracked jokes.  It was definately kinder than the last one FEC.  

Sleeping was a challenge, but a good book was handy, and my husband stayed in the spare room so he could at least get a good nights sleep.  I hyberated through my chemo, and came out on week 3.

Hang in there, you will do just fine. X Bel

Thanks Janey, I at least got some sleep last night but will be asking onco what I can have to help with this today. xx Deanne

I have not had too bad a side effects from FEC. Things I have found helpful include rinsing mouth with warm salty water after eating and using a natural bi-carb toothpaste I bought at organic store. I have had very little trouble with mouth ulcers doing this, so far. Also I use Moo Goo body wash and moisturizer to keep skin happy. This is a natural range of products made from cows milk that is available at most Chemists. I think my skin is actually in better condition now than before treatment began. The chemo helps with speeding up exfoliation process. Have also used the shampoo and scalp cream regularly to keep my scalp in good condition. I lost my hair around 2 weeks after first FEC so be prepared. Hope you don't have too rough a time with the Chemo. Drink lots of water or flavoured mineral water to flush it through the system in the first 48 hours. I will let you know about the docetaxel. Good luck and treat yourself very gently. xx Deanne

I wish you good luck Deanne. Hope it all goes well for you. I will be thinking of you my dear. Love Janey xxx