Hi,

 Welcome. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing your story and also to send best wishes for a good recovery, Brian.

Thank you Brian. x

Hi Joanne

Really good news that you've had an early diagnosis and what sounds like successful surgery!

My wife was less fortunate and went through about 3 years of Chemotherapy for a form of Ovarian cancer that we knew she was never going to beat.

Bear in mind that her chemo was mostly an ongoing monthly type and you may be getting a different regieme in frequency or drugs used but I can tell you her experiences although yours may be different.

I think the thing that surprised us most was that you go in are hooked up to the pump and have the various transfusions then you walk out and nothing - you kind of build up this big thing about chemotherapy and after the first treatment it seemed a bit of an anticlimax. the syptoms she got from it would normally hit her for about a dayto a day and a half about 2 days after treatment - a bit like flu, tired body aching that sort of thing. The drugs to surpress the sickness seem to be very good now - and Carboplatin is less bad than Cisplatin for that but she didn't have much nausea at all.

She didn't get much hair loss with Carboplatin when she moved onto Paclitaxel (Taxol) that was a different story and it all fell out - she was remarkably unfazed by that and went around with outrageous earings and a complete bald head. However they do offer an ice cap treatment that stops the blood flow to your scalp during chemo and apparently that reduces hair loss - if it's a concern talk to your Oncologist about whether hair loss is a risk and whether an ice cap would be suitable.

Oh one otherthing was the steroids that were in some of the treatments did give her some minor grief - made her talk 10 to the dozen and made her restless and tired at the same time but that would wear off after a day or so.

Doesn't sound as if this is likely to be a problem for you given the nature of the chemo you'll be having but after a while it does tend to affect various blood counts like white cell counts and platelets - if they fall too low you get turned away until they are good enough for you to have more chemo but that's more likely to be an issue for longer term patients.

Last piece of advice - bring a good book or a crossword or something- you'll be spending a lot of time sitting in a chair watching the bag slowly drip down to zero!

There's no getting away from it though chemotherapy agents are serious drugs - it's basically poisoning you but just enough to hurt the cancer more than it hurts you - you probably will get tired quicker, find that you fall asleep in front of the TV if you didn't before but it doesn't have to be debilitating One of my most treasured photos of my wife is of her balancing on a chair in the garden building a greenhouse 18 months into chemo.

Best of luck - I'm sure you'll find it a breeze.

Graham 

I was diagnosed 3 years ago with stage 2 breast cancer, 3 cm and one node with cancer.  Once the shock and panic eased a bit and treatment began, I fel more optimistic about things.  I found chemo not too bad, I felt ill for the first 5 days after chemo and recovered for the following two weeks. This pattern continued for me. Chemo was 6 sessions, three weeks apart.(18 weeks in total).  There were ups and downs during chemo but manageable.  Radiotherapy had little affect on me, just a red breast!!!   I went shopping after radio treatment.  

I am now very well and back at work.  I have just had my three year mamogram with good results.

Please keep posting for support.

Diane xxx

I'm so sorry to hear of your wife's battle and all your advice has been most helpful. It made me smile that one of your most treasured photo's is of her balancing on a chair building a greenhouse.
I apologise for not thanking you earlier than this but there's been alot going on as I'm still determined to continue building my little business whilst the treatment goes on. Keeps me focused and stops me feeling sorry for myself.
I'm now on cycle 5 of the Taxotere and Carboplatin goody bags which are pretty horrendous but I won't let the side effects win. I was lucky enough to be accepted on the Herceptin trial too which comes with it's own little list of side effects. They are extra special as I'm being put into an early menopause. I never got around to the whole baby thing but hey ho....could be worse!
Thank you again for all your help and advice. I really do appreciate it and you have been most helpful in my preparation for chemotherapy. Radiotherapy next and my consultant tells me that'll be easy peasy after the chemo. ;) BRING IT ON!!!!
Regards and best wishes,
Joanne

Thank you Diane and I apologise for the delay in reply but I'm still determined to work at my own business whilst this is all going on. You are an inspiration and it sounds like you had the same treatment as I am having.
I'm on 6 cycles of Taxotere + Carboplatin every 3 weeks but am also on the trial for Herceptin which has induced an early menopause. The hot flushes are fun!
Radiotherapy next but my consultant said I'll be fine with a red boob. It'll go nicely with the post-op blue and I'm quite happy turning into a rainbow! I don't know anyone who doesn't smile when they see a rainbow. ;)
Thank you again...... Joanne x

Thank you Brian. That means alot to me and my "little bit of cancer" (my nickname for it) ...... Joanne :)

Hello again Joanne

Sounds as if you've got a consultant with a sense of humour that always helps!

Remember to take the time to have a bit of fun in between the chemo and afterwards. After Mel's first round and the cancer had subsided we took the opportunity to fit in a holiday abroad - often advised but what they don't tell you is that travel insurance is eyewateringly expensive and hard to get but I'm so glad we did it. Don't spend too much time working.

One of the real killers with chemo - especially when you're doubling up - or trippling up if you're on a trial like yours is that it knocks your white blood cells and platelets and if they get too low then you'll get turned away for a week or so until they come up again and you don't want that it's horrible when it happens. Not much you can do to guard against it but staying healthy and eating well obviously helps - and I hope your fella in the picture got himself a flu jab back in the winter.

Melanie always used to swear by home made chicken soup from a boiled up chicken and vegtables to boost the blood numbers - not sure if it helped, maybe it was just her Jewish grandma channeling through her  I'm sure it didn't do her any harm in any case.

Stay well and keep in touch

I live in a tiny cottage set in the Welsh mountains so am a bit of a hermit. That stops any nasty bugs coming my way and I'm injecting Filgrastim everyday to boost my immune system. I'm in total agreement with the homemade chicken soup plan and hubby has made me a batch with homegrown vegetables for when I'm feeling low. I had already planned for my blood work being poor so have managed to avoid it so far with diet and rest.
Thank you so much for all the advice. I really do appreciate it and yours has been invaluable...... Joanne :love: