Hi there,

I was similar to yourself, I had a lumpectomy followed by chemotherapy and then radiotherapy. I honestly didn't find chemo too bad, I just accepted that for the first few days afterwards I'd feel very tired! 

It's quite difficult to give specific advice, as everyone feels the side effects differently. As an example some people feel incredibly hungry due to the steroids, whereas I felt quite queasy. They give you plenty of anti sickness medication though, which was really helpful! If you do experience any side effects mention it to the nurses, as they'll often be able to give you something to help. 

I also found it really useful to keep a symptom diary as I found things went in a pattern, so after the first round I knew what to expect each day. 

The hair loss was obviously a tricky one, but I'm now two months after the last round and it is growing back really well. You'll also potentially lose your nose hairs, which was a surprise to me (although I'm not sure why!), so make sure you have lots of tissues!

I honestly found it better than I was expecting, and was able to work between the first few rounds (mine were three weekly to start, so I had a week off and then worked two).

If you have any specific questions let me know and I will do my best to help.

Amy x

Hi Amy 

Thanx for your reply my main concern was the side effects of it to be honest as I've heard people say it can be awful, but as you said I suppose everyone is different. Did the side effects get worse after each round? Will I have loads of medication to take along side it? Mine will also be 3 weekly and then radiotherapy afterwards. How did you deal with the hair loss if you don't mind me asking? I'm thinking of getting a wig but totally unsure what to go for x

No problem at all, I did find I stopped bouncing back as well the further into it I got. It was still manageable, but I stopped work at that stage. That was on Paclitaxel, which was weekly. For the EC, which was the three weekly one I was on, I found the first round was the worst, I think my body then knew what to expect for the next two of that one! 

On EC I had a lot of additional medications to take for the first few days. They gave me a table showing really clearly which one to take when though, so I just ticked them off as I went. They also gave me some extra bits to take as and when needed, but I don't think I had to use any of those. 

My hair loss started about two weeks after my first round, and once it started I shaved the rest off as it was driving me a bit mad finding it everywhere. I also then felt like I'd taken a bit of control with it which I think helped. I have a wig, which has been great, or I use head coverings if I'm just nipping out for a walk/do a food shop. Amazon is brilliant for buying those. Some of the wigs available on there are apparently brilliant, but I haven't tried any, so can't advise too much unfortunately! 

One thing I wish I'd done was get my eyebrows either tattooed or microbladed. Once you start chemo you aren't supposed to have anything like that done, so I was a bit stuck. As an extra thought, you also won't be able to go to the dentist once you start (unless it's an emergency), so it might be worth trying to get a check up sorted beforehand if needed.

Amy x