Sarah Beara! You are doing great! This is day 7 for me and I would not be safe in a car doing the school run. Keep those jammies on as long as you need to. Children are very adaptable and you being below par will bring out the best in them. I’m all for children being independent from an early age (teacher in me) so go with the flow. My highlight of today was putting the bin out and having a blast of fresh air. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. Sophie the smell of chemo is following me around the house. I wonder if we are major polluters? Some leaves have just fallen off a house plant. Could it be chemo pollution. Who knows. OH offered to go into the spare bed so I could sleep. He might just be avoiding the stench.lol Cheryl hope the heart scan was ok. I was sent for ecg other day. Still got chest pains. Just lots of blank faces and hoping for the best. Our lives are in the hands of experts I suppose. x
Janipi - my oh spent yesterday evening in conservatory on his laptop, and when I went to tell him that Poirot was starting, he shamefacedly admitted he just couldn’t stand the stink in the sitting room!!! Oops. I’d spent most of day in there, and it had gradually enveloped me, I think! I hastily opened the window and squirted some febreze about in a vain attempt to disguise it. He’s sleeping in spare room at mo anyhow as I can’t sleep unless the window is wide open, and even then, only for an hour at a time, so we both retain a little sanity this way!
Oh, and I hit wrong button. Chest pains must be scary - huge hugs, hope if they can’t see anything, then there’s nothing there to see, and that the pains do the decent thing and go bug someone else soon. Yup, sometimes we just have to grit our teeth, hang in there, and hope that someone knows what they’re doing…
Huge love your way
Sophie xx
Sophie, sounds to me like you need to resurrect the WIND!!! thread!
As far as I can tell the scan was ok. I expected to have it before FEC1, but with snow and holidays, schedules got scrambled. The idea is partly to establish a baseline so they can tell if there is any deterioration over the course of treatment. I’ll get a copy of the results; they were checking for volume and flow. I’m not sure whether everyone gets this, or whether it’s age-related. The checks I had before surgery were ok.
Take care and get your rest, everyone.
Cheryl
Here I am at day 6 FEC2, and I think the best description of my hair is a rather drunken short back and sides with advanced thinning. The grey hair seems to be hanging on longest, of course.
C’est la chemo vie!
ETA–Actually it’s day 7, isn’t it? Sigh.
Cheryl
Morning all!! Hope everyone ok…
I am just back from the mammoth school run, followed by a quick trip to tescos, then doctors for more blood tests.
Luckily my GP is married to one of my best friends, we even go on holiday together and I am so lucky as nothing is too much trouble for him, ( he will come out and seem any time day or night if I have a problem)… Anyway… While I was there I mentioned that I still agent had a definitive answer about my herceptin results, at my hospital appt the other day the nurse who was going through my se’s etc said that the seemed to recall my oncologist saying he was sure it was negative… Something didn’t feel right so after I told my doc he immediately picked up the phone and rang histology at the hospital. Guess what!, no record of my sample ever being sent off for analysis!!! My mx was on the 14th november, the results apparently should only take about 5 days to come back… Thank goodness I queried it!!! My only concern now is do they still have the original tissue sample to send it off for testing?! Unbelievable!!! Not a happy bunny I can tell you…
Just waiting for blood results to come back now to see if I can actually have fec 2 tomorrow or not…( on my sons actual birthday btw… ) the same son who still screams every time he sees my head… As oppose to the other son who asked me at school this morning to take my bandana off so his class could have a look!! Chalk and cheese! Xxxx
I hope you did show the kids, Sarah, on the principle that things are less scary when you know about them.
I’m staggered about your sample not being sent off. Someone needs to have their hand slapped.
I remember my kids getting upset when their dad would shave his beard after growing one for a few years, as he did a number of times. After a certain age this reaction simply stopped. Then whether they were embarrassed by a bearded or clean-shaven face depended on whether their friends’ fathers were bearded or not. The problem is that there aren’t enough bald moms around, at least not that we know of, for kids to see it as natural.
Cheryl
Sarah, sorry you’re 5 year old is having meltdown about your hair. Didn’t know whether to laugh or cry ! My 18 year old tried it on today - “can’t we make it all just go away?” I wish! HA! Hope you get the sample thing sorted out asap.
Day 2 Fec 2, and most of hair is on the garage roof for the birds. Will not go bear headed now, even round the house, but can’t quite get up the guts to get the clippers out. OH has promised to shave beard when it does go…
Have chemo brain, too many posts to remember! so (((hugs))) to all expecting results or getting cocktails … P xxx
Do you reckon the birds have started nesting? I haven’t got a lot left, aside from the bits sticking to everything, but I’d certainly be willing to help the dawn chorus.
Cheryl
prehaps a bit optomistic for birds nesting, but just felt better than binning it! Mind you my Snowdrops are out and the Daffs and Tulips are well on the way in the garden - we’ve even had sunshine all day today 
P x
I think we’re a bit behind you, but then I haven’t been up to going out to look for a few days, and I haven’t noticed from the window. The snowdrops should be up now, and the crocuses should be on their way. I must nose round the garden.
Cheryl
What a lovely idea for the hair! I kept the chunks I pulled out and stuffed it in a tesco’s bag. I shall also donate. I’m sure the birds won’t mind the grey roots. Cheryl, not a sign of a snowdrop here. They are through the ground, but no flowers.
Hi everyone
Had second fec yesterday, at new hospital. It was much better in terms of waiting - non at all. I was there 3 hours in total and i,m having cold cap. FANTASTIC. Wasn,t over confident with chemo nurse though. He was very nice but i didn’t think he was very experienced with the needles - he was really messing about. Made me very nervous.
Anyway, glad to get that first day over with, I seem to feel dreadfully poorly about 4 hours after chemo - start being sick, and can’t take the meds for another 4 hours after this.
Today i feel great - probably the steroids. long may it last.
Have had bad news today, car went into garage and it,s going to cost £1800 to fix. Can really afford this while off work! Makes me feel as if i don,t have a choice now. will have to go back in,if only for a few hours a day.
Maria x
We’ve got buds now, but not opened yet. Perhaps the next sunny day will do it. It’s too stormy to spend time in the garden today, especially with the big branches drooping over the hedge from neighbouring gardens.
I’ve moaned elsewhere, so I won’t repeat it here. I’m glad the waiting is better at your new hospital, Maria.
Cheryl
Fec 2 all done… Home in bed with a stinking headache, can I take paracetamol I forgot to ask?? Found the experience worse than last time, nurse couldn’t get a needle in, after 3 painful attempts finally it was ok. Was given different anti sickness so fingers crossed it works…Se’s seem to have come on a lot fasternthan last time, only finished chemo at 2pm, by 4 I was home in bed… Bleurgh…
Hi Sarah, when I phoned to ask a couple of weeks ago I was told paracetamol is ok. I hope the SE’s wear off quickly, but the chemo nurse (did FEC2 & looked after the line today) told me that there’s no way to predict when you hit the wall, but some of the SEs build up. Could be the change of anti-sickness as well.
Good luck
Cheryl
Oh dear Sarah, poor you - I’ve got FEC2 coming up on Wednesday 
At FEC1 (and in my chemo instruction pack) I was told under no circumstances should I take aspirin or paracetamol as they work by reducing your temperature so would mask any signs of infection. It’s a good point - I came within 0.1 degree last week of being hospitalised due to an infection but although I was in pain I didn’t feel ill at first so might not have realised how serious it was if it wasn’t for the temperature. My cellulitis could then easily have lead to septicaemia very quickly indeed.
I was told that if I have a headache I should take my temperature and then could take ibuprofen, but only if I really need it.
I was prescribed codeine for the cellulitis pain which is fine to take (apart from its SEs!), but I seem to remember reading somewhere that you shouldn’t take codeine for headaches…
Can you get hold of one of those headache cool packs?
I hope it doesn’t last too long for you, don’t you wish we could all just hibernate and sleep it off for a few days!
Jane xxx
It’s interesting that we are getting conflicting advice about pain killers. I was told not to take anything if I had a raised temperature, but the person I spoke to was worried about ibuprofen causing stomach bleeding. (I am always careful about taking it after food in any case.) I was told I could take paracetamol (obviously not ibuprofen at that point) for pain after the PICC was inserted, but also to apply warmth like a hot water bottle.
So perhaps you should check your temperature, Sarah, and then phone your unit to ask what they recommend. We have to take so many pills I’ve tried not to take anything more unless I really need to.
Have a good weekend, everyone, or the least bad one you can manage.
Cheryl
Sarah, phone in and ask, I was told not to take it too, but checking would make it clear what your unit does.
Well done to all 2nd Feccers this week, mine was a lot better after steriods and anti sickness meds were doubled! and good luck to those to come next week.