FEC chemotherapy, anyone had this for treatment?

The port sounds worse than it is but having been hospitalised and with lousy veins it has been a god send for blood tests and Iv fluids etc.

While on fec I will be taken off herceptin due to the double heart risk.

Also yes the only guaranteed side effect is the hair loss. I shaved in preparation of the thinning I was experiencing when I started and now await the loss of everything. In nz I don't believe we cold cap either

I had 3xFEC treatments, it's not too bad. I found taxotere worse. The key is to stay on top of your side effects and manage them before they get worse. Also take all the meds they prescribe as they really help.

I didn't get a port and my veins are not in good shape now, still not sure I would get a port for 6 rounds, but definitely worth considering.

Have you looked at cold cap for hair loss? There is a thread and I know that many women had good success with it.

I don't think it's a thing here in Ontario either, I didn't see any at my chemo clinic. I didn't care enough to even look into it, seemed like too much hassle for me. But I wasn't bothered by hair loss that much, though I know it can be traumatic for a lot of women. If you have long hair, maybe you want to cut is short before it starts to fall out. It's less shocking.

Hi Olive4

I completed 3 rounds of FEC and 3 of D on May 23. I also found the FEC okay, the D more difficult, I think the big difference in the amount of steroids for the D just made the crash so much harder. I went to Credit Valley and no one cold caps there. They did provide ice wraps for fingers and toes during D.

I also have a port as I have Hercepton still. As much as I despised the port at the start I love it now. You will see on the threads a lot of people use numbing cream before infusions with the port. My insurance did not cover it so I didn't get it (I had asked for it, after reading about it on here). It's just a quick poke that does not hurt any more than a needle really.

Good luck! PM me if you have any questions at all!

hi Olive,

So sorry that you have to do this too! I also had FEC-D (4 cycles of each every 3 weeks) and both had their downsides and upsides when directly compared. That said, overall I found the FEC more tolerable probably. My cancer centre doesn't do cold caps either and really, for me personally, I'm sitting there for 3 hours (at least) for each FEC infusion, I'd rather be comfortable. I found the port convenient as I also have crap veins, it was never really a question for me. The worst of the FEC for me was the nausea but it was well controlled with prescriptions.

Best of luck with your treatments!!!