FEC-D regime
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I am 15 days PFR and this rads gift seems to keep on giving. Today, for instance my skin became very tight, leathery, super dry, peely and it feels foreign as if I had a thin, transparent film stuck all over it. Also, I have some shooting pains radiating down to my finger tips with a warm sensation and a sore, swollen spot near my axilla.
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Lolis: I am still wearing a temporary fibre filled prostheses that I got from Canadian Cancer Society. You can give them a call and they will send you one for free at 1-800-263-6750. This is also a number for their Peer support programme.
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A few seconds ago Footballnut wrote:
hi all
Appreciate your kind words! So today was round 3 of FEC and my last one. Next 3 will be taxotere and herceptin
Today was a bit difficult. Felt nausous for most of the infusion and still feel off now. I've taken my anti nausea pills so no vomiting. Dry mouth is starting already. Ugh! I've noticed that I've had some tingling and numbing in my right foot and hand. Weird! Comes and goes
Hoping that it doesn't get worse then this!!
Let's go rangers!
1-0 now for the good guys. Life is good!! Lol
Every negative has a positive!!
Dx 4/8/2014, IDC, 2cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 2/21 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2+Targeted Therapy HerceptinHormonal Therapy TamoxifenSurgery 03/17/2014 Mastectomy (Left); Lymph Node Removal (Left)Chemotherapy 04/30/2014 fluorouracil, Taxotere
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football: Woohoo for finishing FEC!!!
I know right now it's the nausea issue, but I hope that your meds are working and giving you some relief.
How was your trip?
BTW, what kind of band do you play in?
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hi amazon!!
I'm ok. Just dry mouth, a bit of nausea and queezy. Ugh! Also feeling very tired. I'd love to exercise but I have to wait for my home care nurse to call to tell me when she's coming to give me my neulasta shot. Argh!!
Our trip was great! The weather was nice. We walked a lot and rented bicycles which we rode for 30km along the Niagara river. We saw a very funny play in Niagara on the lake called we are married. We saw stomp. We lost too much money in the casinos and hung out at the buffalo waterfront. It was very nice! We even walked across the bridge into the us and lost money at Seneca casino too ! Lol
As far as bands - now THATS a story! Hubby and I started an ac/dc tribute called bare rump which we had for 11 years. I was "angus". There are a few videos on YouTube. Our singer got an ego bigger then her body so I killed it. We continues for awhile with a different singer but he was all ego too. Funny. Since getting cancer I've reconnected with both of them. He's still full of himself but I've always loved Norma - out female singer. We might resurrect bare rump to perform at cancer benefits
After that we had a stone temple pilots trib for about a year. I sang our guitarist passed away of a rare form of skin cancer last year which he had neglected for close to 5 years
Then we formed a classic rock band called shadow cats with a bipolar guitarist and his son his son was awesome. Too bad the dad was nuts!! Lol
Then we formed another classic rock band called big whiskey. The guitarist bailed. We still don't know why!
Now we r trying to form another! I think that I could write a book about this! Lol
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football: It seems that your trip was a blast! You and your hubby spending time together must have been nice.
Wow, you have quite a few bands under your belt! Are there any Youtube links to your music videos?
BTW, are you into soccer as much as football?
I am 18 days PFR and my skin is still red, but not angry red and that's progress. It is peely and some areas are showing new pink skin, so maybe in about a week it will be all new!
And here comes my vent...
I've been cut, poisoned and burned in the 21st century!
One day, when the medicine is more advanced people will look back at these treatments and think:
How crude and cruel they were !!!
Unfortunately, there isn't much choice at the present just to subject oneself to whatever is available even a 'slow cooker' radiation!!!
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Hi ladies,
I hope that you are coping well with your treatments? How are you doing?
Today I am 12 weeks PFC and 3 weeks PFR. My neuropathy in my fongertips has been worse for the past few days. I wonder what's going on because one would expect these things to get better in time not worse!!! Yesterday, for instance my left toe started to feel numb. What's up with that! So I feel rather discouraged at this point about the rate of my recovery.
My lungs are slowly clearing up after 3 weeks of dealing with a viral bronchial infection that I caught at the time of finnishing rads.
My radiated skin is starting to look more pink than red which is a good sign. However the whole area feels a lot tighter and the scar feels ropy.
I am finding that my arm on my radiated side gets achy a LOT with shooting pains ans prickly, sometimes warm sensations.
Really weird stuff!! I believe it's a combo of linguering chemo and rads effects.
Here is my weekly update of rads skin and hair growth. My hubby's latest comment was that my hair is as thick as a carpet!
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wow amazon your hair is really coming in good. I have something to look forward to then eh !! Skin looks good as well. Football I'm glad your trip was a success. It's great to get out and back to normal activities rather than the cancer clinic.
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Hi everyone
I'm new to this board but have been reading all of your posts and seeing how you have all been reacting to your treatment. Its giving me a lot of hope.
A little about myself and my situation. I am 30yrs old, was diagnosed in February with DCIS Stage 1a in the right breast after being sent for a mammorgram due to having the Brca2 gene mutation. I had a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction in May. Lymph node did show few isolated cells.
I start my FEC-D treatment today (in an hour) and feeling pretty nervous. I didn't have a pic or port inserted.
I've been trying to prepare myself as best as I can. I went wig shopping earlier this week and even buzzed most of my long hair off last night. I want to be in control of when my hair is gone not some medication.
I hope you all have a wonderful day and again thank you for sharing your stories. You are all an inspiration!
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beautiful pics Jen! You will be fine! These women have been so supportive and helpful to me. Chat anytime
You will do fine!!
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Jennifer: Welcome and woohoo for your first FEC done!
How are you feeling?
You look like a determined lady, that's exactly what we need going through this:
DETERMINTION and FAITH that we WILL get better.
I wish you minimal SE and feel free to chat!
I had an appointment with a PS this afternoon and she told me that she would recommend DIEP or LD flap. I told her that I don't want to end up having additional scar and possible life long pain to deal with, so then we agreed that I will see her in 6 months at which point my skin will be healed and I might have a better idea about recon that I am interested in.
She also mentioned that one dr in town is doing a study with fat grafting and implants, but it's too early for that.
As far as my skin goes, I have a rash like reaction on my shoulder and am feeling it mostly when lying on my back. My skin started to itch more today, I guess because it is in the 'healing mode'.
Rads went fast and I had minimal SE during, however they came with a vengeance after finishing.
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Jen best of luck to you and your journey. It is a great place to seek advice and make a few new friends along the way. It is definetly doable with a strong attitude and faith you will be fine.
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Hi ladies
my first FEC treatment went pretty good. It was a long day since they didn't start my treatment until 2hrs after they were supposed to. I didn't have too many SE last night thankfully. Just some nausea but the medications helped a lot with that
1 down 5 more to go!Hope you all have a great day! Stay strong
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Jennifer, welcome and sorry to hear that you have to through this at a young age (I am only 3 years older than you) but at least it is at early stage!!
Your pictures are beautiful!!
Yay for not a lot of SE on your first chemo!!! I was the same, no SE and a bit of nausea but after taking the neulasta I felt like 100years old. Keep drinking lots of fluid and use water and salt every time you go to the bathroom (it has worked for me so far).
My hair started falling 16days after the first treatment and that's when I shaved it off.
I am due for my third one next Thursday and I hope that it is better than the second one.
Hope you have a good day tomorrow!!
Amazon the skin looks so much better!!! And the hair is growing so much!!
I have a wedding on Nov. 1 in Baltimore, US and everyone is driving there. I want to go but I might be in my last days of radiation and kind of wondering if it would be too tiring for a roadtrip of 9hours. Do you feel tired after your rads treatment Amazon?
Hope you are enjoying the soccer matches!!
Jennifer good luck to Italy tomorrow
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good morning all!
On July 2 I start my first of 3 rounds of taxotere with herceptin. I can hardly wait!! Lol
This last round of FEC was hardest on me but even so wasn't that bad. I've just noticed that with rounds 2 and 3 it impacted my mouth more. Dry mouth , cardboard taste and burning sensation in my tongue
I also feel like the back of neck is sweating and clammy even though it isn't
The 3 rd round also brought most of my tummy trouble. Today my lower abdomen is still a bit sore after my bout of constipation and diarrhea this past Monday into Tuesday but much better than earlier in the week. My lower back is also sore and it feels like I am sitting against concrete when I press my back into a chair
When I walk and exercise I feel much better !
So 3 x FEC is behind me and I look at what lies ahead
Next wed I meet with my genetic counsellor for results of BRCA gene testing. Hopefully I am negative. She seemed to hint that she thought that I would be given that there are no " young" cancers in my immediate family
Mom was in her 70s when diagnosed with cancer " down there" as she will say and she's 91 now, her sister was 80 when diagnosed and died at 90, dad had prostate in his late 70 a and died of 87 from his heart and his mother had colon cancer at 79. My dad's sister had lung cancer and died in her mid 60s. she was a very very heavy smoker and smoked cigarettes with no filter for years. I recall that she smoked packs a day!! My sister at 65 never had cancer nor her kids nor any of my cousins.
When I gathered all of this info I was horrified to see all of the cancer. But I also saw the age. We are a long living family!!!!
So what can the worst be? If I'm positive I guess that they will suggest a hysterectomy and removal of the breast tissue from my right side. Hoping for the best!
We are going up north this weekend and I might just take a dip in the lake. Some have told me that I should avoid swimming pools, hot tubs and lakes due to a low immune system but my mo told me to jump right in!
Decisions!!
Have a great day all!
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football go for it enjoy yourself. I have a hot tub and I went in on occasion during my txt but kept it on a minimal. Not going for the full cycle. I needed it for the pain in my body. Hope you have fun.
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Hello! - struggling to keep up with everyone's updates! Welcome to the newcomers - this thread was super helpful to me
I'm now just over half way through rad - done 12/21 - will be complete July 4th, so good independence day for me
I've developed quite a "nice" red square over my chest that it sore & itchy, but I'm grateful the skin hasn't "broken" (yet)!!My hair is continuing to thicken although there are some very pale (blond or white??) strands in what was very dark brown hair all my life! Updated photo should be attached
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tam: Great that you are moving along with your rads and you are MORE than HALF way through. Your hair is coming in nice and thick and dark.
My hair too has a mix of colours: mostly dark, but some white as well.
I am almost 4 weeks PFR and my skin has improved a lot, but I still have a pink trapezoid shaped radiation burn on my chest.
Football: I hope you had a nice dip in the lake. :-)
Gonein: I too love hot baths to soak in to treat any muscle soreness and to simply relax.
Lolis: I experienced fatigue during rads. My sleep became deeper, longer and much better than during chemo. I didn't have to nap during the day, but I found that when my sleeping pattern was interrupted because I had to get up earlier to get my son to school for a few days I became a walking zombie for the rest of the day.
Also, I had dizzy spells with pulsating pressure in my ears during rads that were coming and going. They occurred mostly when I suddenly changed my position from sitting to standing and/ or walking.
After finishing rads my #1 issue became skin condition not fatigue.
Jennifer: How are the SE after your 1st FEC?
All: Here is something interesting about posttraumatic growth from the following web site:
What forms does posttraumatic growth take? Posttraumatic growth tends to occur in five general areas. Sometimes people who must face major life crises develop a sense that new opportunities have emerged from the struggle, opening up possibilities that were not present before. A second area is a change in relationships with others. Some people experience closer relationships with some specific people, and they can also experience an increased sense of connection to others who suffer. A third area of possible change is an increased sense of one’s own strength – “if I lived through that, I can face anything”. A fourth aspect of posttraumatic growth experienced by some people is a greater appreciation for life in general. The fifth area involves the spiritual or religious domain. Some individuals experience a deepening of their spiritual lives, however, this deepening can also involve a significant change in one’s belief system.
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well said amazon
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I went to see my MO today after 3 months PFC. I asked her questions regarding the following studies:
- Tamoxifen and daily low dose Aspirin to increase the effectiveness of Tamoxifen.
http://www.breast-cancer-research.com/content/16/2...
She wasn't familiar, but said that the regiment of 4x per week sounds OK
- Trental (pentoxifylline) and vit E to reduce fibrosis after rads
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22846413#
Again, she didn't know much about this one and said to talk to my RO about it which I already did today over the phone. He was not familiar either and said that they don't do this normally, but checked it out right away and was open to the idea to the point that he gave me a prescription for it as well.
Then we talked about SE during Tamoxifen. I told her that I have hot flashes that feels more like a warm feeling, but I said that it was not as bad as during chemo when I would wake up several times a night in sweat. I found them milder and more manageable.
I told her about bone and joint pain while on Tamoxifen. She said it was common with pre menopausal women to notice changes with bones.
I asked about the recommended dose for Calcium and Vit D.
She said 1,500 mg of Calcium and
800 IU of vit D daily.
She ordered an MRI of the right side due to my 'medium dense breast' and an annual mammogram.
Her last words before wrapping up the appointment were: See you next year!
I didn't have a chance to ask anything else because she was rushing out the door. Next year? Did I hear well? Then I checked my appointment card and sure enough the next app IS in one year's time in June 2015!!! Really?!
I also wanted to share with you a links to a study looking at the use of medicinal mushroom called turkey tail to support your immune system after RT.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3369477/
Here is my weekly update for hair growth and radiated skin being 13 weeks PFC and 4 weeks PFR. My skin has healed up on the outside, but I have internal sore spots in deep tissue. Also, the whole radiated skin feels very tight and my radiated shoulder feels pinched.
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amazon wow. I'm jealous I sure hope that my hair is grown that much on wk 13. I'm grey grey grey and I'm wk 4 today :-( and it still looks like a bald mans head. Lol
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gonein: I forgot to mention that I take a Biotine and Silicea supplements daily for hair growth and pure vit E and sea buckthorn oils plus calendula cream for the skin since the end of rads.
BTW, I started to notice more growth around week 8 PFC, so you got to give it some time.
As far as my hair, I have to use some mascara for a touch up to cover up my white hair that looks from far away like a 'serious' widow peaks.
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hi all!
I've just caught up on the thread - wow so much activity! Today I found out that I am negative for the mutated BRCA 1 and 2 gene.
I also found out that my mothers "down there" cancer was uterine. So I called her to give her the news.
:-)
Next wed is my 4 th round of chemo. First time with Taxotere. I am so nervous about SEs although I know some women that breezed through it. I knew what to expect with FEC and feel like I have to start all over again!
This week I feel like me again so it seems that I go approx 10 days from infusion with SEs that then start to fade away
Even my mouth that was so dry was back to normal within approx 10 days
My MO said that my biggest difference might be fatigue but doesn't think that I'll notice any other differences. The biggest difference with my last round of FEC was that it really hit my stomach. It was awful!!
So now I try to enjoy all of my days before round 4
Have a great day!!
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Amazon, love the hair!
Footballnut, happy for you that it's negative for BRCA!!!
think nausea is much less (or none at all for me) on taxotere.Lolis, i'm having my chemo today too (thursday morning here)! wish you well, and sending positive thoughts!
Jennifer, gotta agree with you, the group of ladies here are fabulous and wonderfully supportive! I cut my long hair short prior to chemo and bought a wig too like you.. yet to use the wig since i still have a bit of hair left.. hope it lasts a bit longer!
So nice to see your hair growing Tam!
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good luck football. Same for me with doxetaxel - not even any anti nausea meds - you shouldn't get any
. Hope the other SE are minimal too.0 -
Football: Great news about your negative genetics results!
Lolis: Good luck with # 3 today!
I feel I need a reminder note about who is doing what just to keep track as we are at different points in our treatment.
Please, review the following if it's correct:
Jennifer: FEC # 1
Yens: CT # 2
Football: D # 1 - July 2
Lolis: FEC # 3 - June 26, rads in Oct
Gonein: 4 weeks PFC
Tam: 8 weeks PFC, in rads
Amazon: 13 weeks PFC and 4 weeks PFR
Quasi: ?
Well for those interested here is a study about using L- glutamine to prevent neuropathy during Docetaxel CT.
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amazon - correct with me. I think that they'll be throwing in herceptin as well. I'll confirm and let you know
:-)
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Hi Ladies,
FEC #3 done a couple of hours ago. Feeling good, a bit tired though. This time I remembered to bring some cracker as I find that I get hungry during the treatment. The nausea is not as bad as last time. I am making some jasmine brown rice and the smell is bugging me a bit. I hope I don't have as much nausea this time around.
I got a regular period this time around, so I am hoping that the ovaries are not getting damaged as much.
I finally got a look at my FEC dose. Glad to be over this part.
Ang, good luck next week!! Let us know how it goes.
Yensmiles, how was your treatment?
Jen, how are you doing?
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lolis: Yay for being done with FEC!!!
Yeah, I remember eating lot of bland food: mashed potatoes, rice, pasta and cooked veggies.
Hoping for less nausea for you. I am not sure how the chemo effects the ovaries, but overall the effect should be cystostatic or inhibiting cell growth. Have you asked your MO about that?
Football: There was no nausea with D. The hard part was the bone, muscle, joint pain. But hey, you have done very well so far, so maybe you will have an easier time with that.
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Thanks Amazon for keeping track of our treatments. i also have herceptin at the same time with the taxotere and cyclophospamide.
and thanks for the glutamine link.. it's so hard to find that supplement here, and when my sister finally found one and bought it, i noticed it also had arginine (in which i read in a breast cancer leaflet to avoid), and so brought it back to exchange with glucosamine for my dogs!!
Lolis, glad that the FEC is completed for you, and hope the nausea stays away. i eat brown/red rice pretty much everyday.. thinks the fiber helps with the toile! LOL! and now adding quinoa to the rice because i've been told to eat more protein.
Anyone taking multivitamins? my oncologist just told me to add multivitamins to my diet (especially those with loads of minerals) - i suspect he thinks my pescatarian (usually vegetarian) diet isn't adequate, though i had really good levels of red blood and normal white blood readings before the chemo.. surprisingly, my white blood dropped, especially the neutrophils down to 2.1 (below acceptable), and with ciproflaxin (antibiotic) it jumped to 23 (twice the high acceptable limit). I'm still confused about it, and probably too anxious during chemo yesterday that i didn't get round to asking the doctor.. have whatsapp him, and wondering if anyone experienced such a drop and then jump in their blood counts?!?!
and surprisingly i don't experience much bone pain..just slight middle back pain and only for a few days.. worse for me is the bloating for the first couple of days on Taxotere. hope it'd be easy on you too Footballnut.
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