Well day 14 fec 1. Think i,m getting to grips with this now. Am glad to be coming out the ‘other side’. Only real problem i,ve had is that my saliva gland decided it needed a break and went on holiday i think. My mouth was completely dry - no saliva at all. Had 2 nights without any sleep because i kept waking up feeling like i was choking. i was eventually given artifically saliva and this seemed to help. I don’t think this is a standard symptom of fec - rather a product of the radiotherapy i had to my throat some years back for cancer of the thoat. But i am frightened that this may become worse the further i get into the treatment.
On the good side, i’ve managed to find a wig that suits me wahoo! i had the cold cap and nothing seems to be happening so far so i may never get to use it.
Also i have changed hospitals for fec 2, so i hope i’m still going to get the injections. Going back to original hospital if not.
No saliva at all sounds very unpleasant, poor you! I hope that has settled. My dental hygenist suggested sugar-free gum to help promote saliva flow while going through chemo, but that may only help with ‘normal’ dry mouth problems, of course, and it wouldn’t help at night.
Maria - it may well be partly down to the rads you had previously - but I do know of other women on here who have had to use the ‘fake’ saliva (mmm. doesn’t that sound lovely?) during FEC - so I think a lot of it is a side effect. My mouth feels like it’s been coated with felt for about a week post chemo, and tastes disgusting - my onc. prescribed Difflam mouthwash, which does help a little. Also be aware that the treatment can trigger thrush in the mouth, so if you get white patches too, get on the phone, they can give you mouthwash for that too.
Some people have found that sucking ice chips/ice lollies during chemo can help tone down this side effect - but I can’t remember which bit of FEC it is that you need to do this during, C or F?
Kaz, sorry to be bearer of bad news… could this be the one time in our lives we’d actually prefer to find nits!!! Day 14 after first FEC seems to be pretty standard time for hair loss to begin… mine was bang on schedule - and falling in earnest by what would be day 22, second dose day. Motheaten by Day 25…
Sophie xxxxxxxxxxxx
And it is horrid. I really wasn’t fussed by the thought of it, but the reality, and not having any choice in the matter once it starts to come out, is different. A baseball cap is my new best friend - with a bandana underneath. And I hated hats beforehand…
Oooh reading about all these SEs is making me feel even more fed up! Leaving for FEC1 very soon, so will post later depending on how I feel. Thanks for the tips you’ve all posted - my mind is buzzing with them at the moment!
Sophie, I like you have never been into hats so this is a new experience. I love the idea of a bandana underneath the baseball cap, I’m going to try it later. Bright pink beret today. I mean bright! Hello world I’m feeling good this morning lol. Kaz this is day 14 for me and hair is steadily dropping. Good luck Jane! You might be the lucky one with hardly any SE’s so don’t feel fed up. This malarkey is very much one day at a time for me. Catch you later x
Good luck Jane - here’s wishing that all goes smoothly and you sail on through - there are plenty who do, so fingers crossed. Even the worst se’s pass… honestly, so just go with how you feel, rest up and make sure you have servants to wait on your every whim. And then, once you feel great again, don’t tell anyone, and string it out for another few days… <grin></grin>
Mazbaz, I have been using a toothpaste from Boots, Biotene, which has helped with the dry mouth thing. Though I must say I am so used to the ‘felt mouth’ feeling now (Fec1 day 8) that I almost went out this morning without brushing my teeth! Just thought they felt normal, ugh ! They do a ‘saliva’ thing and a mouthwash too I think.
Alto, good luck today. I must say it’s true that when you’re feeling weak as a kitten after, it really works to get out and walk, even just a few minutes - seems improbable at the time but you’ll feel soooo much better after.
Kaz, I keep getting itchy moments, and I just scratch! It’s going to go anyway so ho hum… Most annoying when it happens at night though.
Been treated to a new pair of boots by OH after getting first proper falsie this morning :_))) What a difference to the bean bag thing, so happy! Also went round some show homes, not that we’re moving, just being nosey!!!
Hope everyone is okay today, hugs and love to anyone feeling down.
P xxxx
Hellooooo folks! I am now an official, fully paid up member of the FEC club.
So far so good - didn’t feel a thing while it was going in. Only SE so far is the red wee, but it’s a bit early yet…
Decided not to use the cold cap - the big thing for me was having it cut short, and at the moment losing it seems small in comparison and I didn’t want to hang around after the chemo was done.
I have a huge bag of pills to pop and an Ondansetron suppository for emergency use, so that covers both ends, so to speak.
The staff are so lovely at the unit - if it wasn’t for the treatment it would be a really nice place to be! I was the youngest there by about 20 years though… sometimes life just isn’t very fair.
I’m glad you’ve got off to a good start, Jane. I hope it continues that way.
BTW, are you an alto? I’m a mezzo, and hoping to manage my first choir rehearsal since Christmas tonight. It’s a long drive there and back, which my OH will do, but it means a longer evening than I’ve had for about a month.
I had my third EC dose yesterday. My hair fell out at Day 23 - New Years eve! although it had been falling out for a week or so beforehand. I was having a shower and my hubby just came in and pulled it out for me! My head was lovely and warm and I didn’t feel a thing
I wear my wig to go out, but love my soft fleecy ski hat indoors - I even wear it in bed and sulk when it goes in the wash. I’ve got another beanie and a cool ski buff which is soft and great. Look up buff head wear on google and ebay, theres a great dem on you tube to help you see the different styles and the different ways you can wear them.
Hope those thoughts help.
I xx
Hello Cheryl and ChoccieMuffin! Although I’m quite tall I did choose my username because of my singing voice - second alto when there’s a choice as I really don’t do high!
I’ve sung in various choral societies over the years and now in our village church choir (four part, fully robed - we even chant the psalms and do proper sung Matins). DH is the organist and choirmaster.
DH and I used to sing together as a folk duo - he has a lovely high tenor voice and is going to sing the part of Marius in One Day More from Les Mis in a charity concert he’s helping to put on in March. For cancer charities, of course!
And here’s my guilty secret - I am a true folkie - we have an occasional ceilidh band in which I’m the drummer and DH and I actually met whilst we were both morris dancers, but I probably shouldn’t say any more on that point!
Hi Alto, glad it went well today. Second altos rock don’t they (yeah, me too…) don’t worry about the Morris dancing either - fully blown bell ringer here!!! (think we have team work, church fetes and pubs in common!
Love P xxx
Hi Peachez, DH was a bell ringer too until he became the organist, now he needs to be in church playing when the bells are rung. We have a lovely old peal of 8 bells, the oldest dated 1682.
Definitely right on the commom locations! Luckily we hold our village fete in the grounds of a house that is next to the church. On the other side of the church is… you’ve guessed it… a pub! Yippee!
Us 2nd altos have to stick together - we do create the best harmonies, after all.
I managed to sing all the way through choir, hurray! with just a little soreness towards the end and I won’t say I demonstrated the4 best breath control ever. How long I can continue is another matter, but I’d love to be part of a planned Fauré Requiem at the cathedral before Easter if it is possible. I’m hoping to go to enough rehearsals to learn notes and keep up, even if I have to drop out of concerts for a while.
My OH is also church choirmaster and second string organist, though our church choir is more of a ‘who’s here, how many parts is that?’ kind of choir, and he directs the chamber choir that rehearsed tonight. We met when was on a teaching exchange to a community college and was asked to direct a choir for adults in the evening.
And where would a choir be without a strong 2nd soprano section, I’d like to know? Hmm…What about a BCC choir/folk group? With matching scarves on our bald/balding heads?
Hi all 2nd FEC today, just over an hour in the unit, hickman lines are ace! Was really really hungry lunchtime and early afternoon, then sick as a dog bummer. Feeling in betweeny now not good not bad. Had a smile at the hair stories, daughter of mine kept telling me off for rubbing my itchy hair as short hairs ping off and look like fleas apparently!
Pat
Cheryl,
have you tried Choraline rehearsal CDs? Maybe keep you in practice if you can’t get to rehearsal so much… link below. If you want to order I’d recommend phoning, the ladies there are really great ; make sure you know which edition you want.
(the Faure is great isn’t it?) Which Cathedral are you singing in?
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve tried following a score along to Spotify for learning tricky notes in the past. It’s Birmingham Cathedral (St Philips).
