Hi Sarahbeara all i can say is SNAP… had fec 2 on Thurs and after 4 painful attempts the nurse finally got a good vein!!! My se’s are worse this time too!!! Sending you hugs and anyone else that is needing one…
Kaz x
In some ways I’m surprised that no one has suggested PICC lines, Kaz and Sarah. I can’t say I’m a great fan of mine, and after FEC1 I wouldn’t have asked for it, but I’ve never had anyone have to poke around for my veins. One point is that they use the PICC for everything, including blood samples. Seriously, if this is likely to be a problem every time, maybe you should ask.
Cheryl
Hello everyone… Up and about today after 26 hours in bed!!! Dreadful nausea with this one but I managed not to be sick. Hooray!! I asked about the paracetamol and was told it was fine. I had to take something, my head felt like it was exploding. Now I just have to deal with the constipation! Gross… I have taken senokot 3 days in a row and nothing!!! Last time I went 5 days, it’s just wrong… How many prunes can a girl eat for goodness sake. Improvement with the 5 y old, he has progressed to stroking my fuzzy head twice now and I have promised the boys that when it’s totally bald they can paint it… Whatever they want, kids paints that I can hop in the shower and wash off after. They think that’s a pretty cool idea.
Hope everyone having a nice weekend, shall venture out for some fresh air later me thinks. Xxxxxxx
I like the painting idea, Sarah. It’s great that your littly is coming to terms with the change to his mum. They could turn you into a painted Easter Egg.
Cheryl
Sarah - What a lovely idea to help your boys accept their mum’s lack of hair. Hope you all have fun with the paint.
Stella
Sarah, glad you’re feeling better, and so happy to hear your little one is coming round :-)))
PS. I got Motilluim suppositories from GP, great relief!!
Hi Feccers and Taxers
Haven’t been online for a while – so much to read and catch up on and now I can’t remember half of what I’ve read. Sounds like there have been some bed times over the past week but mostly seem to have settled down now. It looks like we are all still pretty washed out but just about able to cope.
*Cheryl- glad you got over having the PICC in and then the cardiac test but how awful for you with the ? fainting. Glad you are feeling better now.
*Sarah- glad your little boy is starting to realize you are still his same Mummy and is coming to terms with your lack of hair. How clever of you to come up with the painting idea. Have you tried Movicol for the constipation- it really does work- ask your GP or the hospital to give you some – I think you can also buy it over the counter. I was also told I could take Paracetamol for my headache if I needed to. My white count was pretty low but they went ahead with FEC 2 thank goodness- but must have told me twenty times to check my temperature. Good luck with those results, I am sure they would have kept the tissue samples.
*Peachez- hair out for the birds what a great idea- it’s too windy where I am, I tried some of it but it just blew away. When my daughter was clippering my hair off she said “Mum there’s still quite a lot at the back do you want me to leave it?” I said “no get rid of it all” She said “you could have a comb over” and with that we both collapsed with laughter at the thought of it and were helpless for a few minutes. It was great to have such good laugh with her about the side effects of BC. Glad the motilium suppositories are working for you.
*Janipi – hope the chest pains are easing- that must be a worry for you and you don’t need anything else to cope with.
*Maria- loved the post about your son whisking his girlfriend upstairs so you wouldn’t have to be seen- sorry to hear about the car. I’m really envious of your lack of waiting- my hospital was short staffed and I had to wait for four and a half hours after my blood results came back before there was a chemo nurse free to take me to a chair. I left home at nine o’clock and didn’t get home until seven! Hopefully FEC3 won’t take as long
*Sophie- I must have lost my sense of smell because after the initial chemical smell of the urine in the first 24 hours after the FEC I don’t notice anything. I am paranoid that I stink and keep sniffing at myself- as I live alone there is nobody to tell me. I’ve asked my daughter but she has said she doesn’t smell any thing either. I drink what seems like gallons –am ploughing through the toilet paper at a considerable rate of knots and up several times a night. Glad you’re feeling OK post FEC 3- halfway – that must feel good.
*Den42- Glad to hear that the cold cap is working and that so far you are feeling OK
*Janet- how are you doing after your FEC2?
Love to everybody and (((hugs)))- hang in there - check your temperature –drink lots- and keep well! Diana x
Nice to hear from you Ragamuffin. I look like I’ve been to a drunken barber for a short back and sides. Well, I haven’t got round to looking yet this morning.
Cheryl
hi everyone
Diana - nice to see you back
well - managed to get through 4 days se’s ok. Got really bad heartburn, does anyone know if we can take anything for this? Also my veins are a little sore - hope i can still have chemo in them next time.
Cheryl - I am a barber and even i look like i,ve had a cut from a drunken one. Even worse is, i’ve got a big bald patch on my crown where the cold cap has not worked. Every time i look in the mirror i see my dad - scary. Having to wear much more make-up to stop me looking like a bloke with male pattern alopecia lol.
Sarah - that’s a brilliant idea to let the kids paint your head. love it!
hope everyone’s still coping
Love Maria x
Hi Maria
Boy do I know what you mean about seeing your Dad -I’m seeing mine every time I look in the mirror and he’s been dead since the 1980’s.
Sorry to hear the cold cap wasn’t as effective as it could have been that was why I did not persevere because they could not find one to fit my head properly. The lady next to me on that first day also had the same problem. They are doing research into trying to improve things for us which is good but it won’t help us any at the present time.
Re the heartburn, I was reccommended Gaviscon which does the trick but I seem to remember that somebody mentioned that Domperidone which some of us have been given for nausea also helps. It acts by helping the stomach contents to pass through a little more quickly.Good Luck with whatever you try.
Love the drunken barber references by you and Cheryl, and, as you have hair expertise what do you recommend re cutting and clippering. My hair seems to be growing again but very wispy and patchy, should I use the clippers again or just let it be. Some of the posts have said that the Tax will make it fall out all over again. Advice please.
Diana x
Hi Maria, I had the bald patch that reminded me of my dad, too. (My son is developing something similar mid-30s, so far just thinning.) I have now reached the Mo Mowlam stage, so I think it’s time for shaving. I was just going to cover it until it was nearly all gone, but I’m also getting tired of hair everywhere despite wearing caps all the time.
Still, I should be glad this is my main problem at the moment, right?
I’ve tried covering the PICC gubbins with a short section cut from a ‘large leg’ tubigrip, which is very snug but not too tight, I hope, and pinning or taping other cloth coverings, which tend to fall down eventually. Other suggestions are a section from an old pair of tights or the top of a pair of socks, but they’d have to be really big socks–I think the sock suggestion is meant for kids.
Hope everyone is feeling well today.
Cheryl
Good morning everyone! Hope everyone is coping with the se’s the best we can. I have wrecked a 3/4 sleeve cotton top in the wash so I have cut it and have 2 perfect coverings for my picc line. Gaviscon is a life saver at the moment. It allows me to eat and drink things I maybe shouldn’t. Nothing can beat a nice tasty curry when the FEC se’s settle down. Enjoy the sunshine today everyone x
Well, I think it’s now more true to say I have patches of hair (plus some grey fuzz) than that I have bald patches. I’ve scissored the few remaining clumps short and I think after a shampoo tomorrow it’s going to be razor time for whatever is left.
Cheryl
hi everyone
Diana - I think it’s a good idea to either trim or reclipper your hair - it will neaten it up, take all the whispy bits off. But it does seem a bit of a pain if your going to lose it again(i hope not).
Has anyone started to lose their eyebrows or eyelashes yet? I,m dreading it. keep doing my make up with out mascara, just to see what it looks like. I look weird. Wonder if they’ll let me lie back during chemo with ice cubes on my eyes. I bet i wouldn,t be the first to try it either lol.
Going to get some gaviscon tomorrow, this heart burn is driving me batty.
Maria x
So far there is nothing very noticeable with brows and lashes, though I think if any have fallen out, as they do occasionally without chemo, they’re just not coming back in. I keep trying to decide whether they look sparser, but can’t decide. I’m not using mascara unless I go out, for fear of doing damage.
Cheryl
Well, it’s not a great job, but I’ve taken an electric razor to what remains of my hair, and the resulting suede head is an improvement. Whether it needs to be closer to keep the wig from slipping remains to be seen.
Cheryl
My hair now seems to be coming out ridiculously fast and I have soem serious bald patches. I’m leaving hair everywhere, but as we have a black labrador who seems to moult constantly, I just blame him! I no longer need to shave my legs or armpits, but I still have hair on my arms and I don’t think my eyebrows of lashes have been affected yet.
Having said that, I’ve just got home from FEC2 so i doubt much hair will survive that! No serious SEs so far, other than feeling odd and my mouth and fingers feel a bit peculiar.
I’ve got a neulasta injection to have tomorrow and I know that can make you ache so I’m not looking forward to that…
Ha! Said dog has just been sick in the hall so I can definitely blame him for that! And for once DH is home so he’s clearing it up while I lounge on the sofa like Lady Muck.
Jane XXX
And when are you entitled to leave sick to someone else to clean if not now? The infection risk, if nothing else, and you may need more rest. Hope it goes well.
Now that I’ve shaved my head I’ve put all sorts of wooly things in the wash, just to try to get the hair out of them.
Good luck.
Cheryl
I sense a sofa day for me today… Managed to get the boys up, dressed, breakfast,packed lunches, sent off to school and I am pooped… God I hate this… What’s hard is I had the choice about chemo. Had my surgery, got it all out (fingers crossed), no rads needed, then the question of chemo. Up to you they said, 7% more insurance policy. Half of me feels like I’m being a winging cow, I’m lucky so many aren’t, take it all what’s on offer, and half of me wonders whether it really will make any difference at all. Just want to be me again and get on with the rest of my life. It’s all pants isn’t it…
After 3 days of powdered sachets of revolting laxative am hopeful for some kind of movement today, that’s 6 days this time!!! That is sooooooo not normal.
Anyway, thanks for listening, winge over, time to see what’s on television…hooray…xxxx
Morning all.
Day 12 today and I feel sort of normal. I’m planning to take my dad out for lunch but haven’t told him yet. I have learned the lesson not to plan ahead because sods law I won’t be well enough. Enjoy the sofa Sarah. Hope things move along for you. If I recall it took 3 sachets for a desired result. Jane, I had a neulasta this time. I had chest pains but when investigated docs thought pains coming from sternum. It’s never so bad if you know what’s causing it. Anyway neulasta kept me out of hospital this time. District nurse who gave it said the GP told her to be careful with it because it cost 630 pounds. I’m honoured to be worth that much lol! I was allowed to take paracetomol for pain if I checked my temperature first. Cheryl, I have been parading around the house with my suede head. I’m getting used to it now and have a passing glance in the mirror every so often to check it really is me.