Is anyone else having unusually bad hay fever or having hay fever when they don’t normally suffer from it? I’ve been wondering if this could be an effect of FEC, like a sore mouth.
Besides very heavy congestion, streaming nose (with no nose hairs to help) and sneezing, I’ve had some headaches and a sore throat. Not normally anything I would worry about beyond my allergy prescription and pain relief as needed, but of course now I am neurotically checking my temperature in case it’s an infection.
Has anyone been given information or advice on this? The leaflets say a sore throat is reason to phone, but I’m *almost* sure it’s just part of the allergic reaction.
Cheryl.
i am a fellow hayfever sufferer and although not on FEC, I am sneezy and sniffy today and yesterday. I too am paranoid of colds and getting a cough because of chest infection/pneumonia etc. I don’t want any more days in the Oncology Hotel thankyou. Let’s keep checking temp and fingers crossed it’s just the lovely weather bringing all the pollen out. My leaflet says phone for cough, sore throat and fever. Well if you haven’t got the fever it’s likely to be allergy?
I don’t get hayfever but have had a very drippy nose since being on FEC. Some days it’s almpst constant and is VERY annoying. I don’t think it’s just the lack of hairs - I think you probably get drippier anyway as another SE as I’m sure I still have some nasal hairs.
I’ve got TAX 1 today - wonder what new joys and delights that will bring?
Had my Hickman line in yesterday - fairly traumatic due my peculiar veins (in the wrong place and very small). The whole gory story is on the Dark Woods thread if you really want to know all the details! Still, at least it’ll make chemo and bloods a whole lot easier and less painfull.
Jane.Good luck for the TAX going in. I found it OK and had at least 48 hours before SE’s kicked in. I even managed a lovely pub lunch with OH by the river on the way home. Did all the washing/cleaning/shopping courstesy of the steroids. Here’s to a quiet couple of days for you so you can recover from yesterday. Don’t even think of housework! Delegating is the way to go.x
The Hickman was a dream for getting the chemo in! Sore and bruised so the dressing changing wasn’t much fun, but apart from that it’s great. I’m very tired from yesteday but the steroids have disturbed my sleep so I’m definitely not doing much. My parents are staying and my mum is a gardening and cleaning freak, so it’ll look like a new house by the time they go on Friday!
Sounds all good so far Jane. your mum sounds like mine. She’s 74 and has got tremendous energy. I feel a bit guilty as it would be nice if I could do things for her at her age but she’s having none of it. Three cheers for mums!
Jane so sorry you had a difficult time having hickman, I loooooove mine to pieces, being a nurse person who knew about these things and having tiny awkward visna anyway asked for and got line before started chemo. Holder and stitches at exit site come out after a few weeks then is much more comfie.
I do my own care & change the dressing etc as had prior knowledge & skills. I don’t mind not soaking in the bath or swimming so that’s not too bad of a negative for me and the line is stored neatly behind the prosthesis in my bra so not visible from the outside.
Have had a lovely day out pre Tax 2 (reduced dose due the fluid retention & dizzy spells) my friend and I headed out to the countryside as weather lovely, visited country house, cream tea, wander through the woods, spotted frogs doing the spring thing, pheasants and squirrels too lovely time keep mind off tomorrow.
Good luck to all for minimal se’s
Pat
Hi Silvershar i am sending u hugs I know exactly how u are feeling as i also had long hair and after my first fec had it cut really short but one thing i will say to u is believe me u made the right decision. After my 2nd Fec it came out in handfuls and this was far more upsetting!! I cried and cried seeing it coming out in such a big amount… It really DOES get easier please trust me!!! Like so many of us my hair was really important to me and i actually hated the fact that it was coming out… In the end my sister (Bless her) shaved it all off for me and you know what i can actually say it was a relief not to have that constant reminder seeing my hair everywhere!!! Please keep your chin up, it does get easier honest… I have some good websites for scarfs etc… if you need them. Take care, thinking of you
Kaz x
Not posted for a few days. Thought i was getting away lightly with fec 4, but nooo! Day 4 came along and knocked me sideways, just about got some energy to try to catch up here today ( day 7).
Had a bit of a panick yesterday. Got up late for injection. In my rush i just injected without taking air out of syringe. Can’t believe i did that! I was so tired and generally off, i just coudn,t concentrate. Anyway, i phoned district nurse and told her what i’d done and she said that she thought i’d be ok but she couldn’t promise me. Great that helped alot!
Silvershar - hope your feeling a little better. I personally think losing my hair has been the hardest part of the treatment. I seem to have come to terms with the hair situation now except for on day 4 and 5 of fec. I seem to get a little weepy on these days, so obviously everything becomes exaggerated. And why oh why do people think it’s a complement to tell me i look like Annie Lennox?lol
Jane - good to hear that they managed to get the hickman in, hopefully everything else will be alot easier for you now.
I’ve noticed that too. Whether it’s the anti-sickness wearing off or the chemo hitting home, I seem to get laid out just about the time I think I’m getting off lightly.
I’ve had a sore throat, probably from hay fever, but today it’s turned into laryngitis. No fever, but I’ll have to mention it when I go in to have the PICC flushed tomorrow. Well if I have no more voice than today, I’ll be demonstrating rather than mentioning. It’s difficult to look down your own throat for signs of infection.
i’ll keep my fingers crossed for you that it’s not the start of an infection. That’s the last thing you need.
I got a sore throat and lost my voice on fec 1 and spent the day in hospital having various tests. Totally wasted day - think it was the chemo just drying me out.
The nurse agreed the laryngitis is not a serious problem unless there’s a fever with it. It’s just very inconvenient to lose my voice just before a concert I was looking forward to taking part in, and some of the time my throat is painful. It gets worse as the afternoon goes on and if I am out of doors, which also suggests allergy.
I suppose I should just be glad that there isn’t an infection, but it’s hard to have to stay in when the weather turns fine.
Oh Cheryl i hope your throat is better so that you can still take part in the concert. The things we do, that we love ( like your singing), make chemo much more bearable don,t they? We all certainly need something to look forward to. Can you not take anything for the hay fever so at least you can enjoy this lovely weather?
I’m taking antihistamine tablets as well as my prescribed nasal spray but unfortunately it’s going to take a while for the whole thing to calm down. Normally I’d have taken some paracetamol or ibuprofen as soon as the sore throat didn’t go away after a hot drink or two to reduce any inflammation, but of course I can’t do that now.
Day 11 fec 4 - feel normal at long last, thank goodness i thought it was never going to end.
Been for a long walk in the sunshine. Saw a few of my customers whilst i was out(i,m a barber). It’s really cheered me up. I didn’t realise how much i was missing people. It was lovely seeing them and they were soo nice and encourageing. One bloke gave me his card and made me promise i’d ring if i needed anything. How lovely is that!
I tried holding a folded hanky over my nose while I did a bit of gardening today, but of course that really limited what I could do. Still it got me out in the sun for a little while and the laryngitis seems to be giving up at last. So let’s see what the Onc and the blood tests say tomorrow.
With the sore throat and broken sleep, I’ve been too blamed tired to take advantage of the sunshine most of the time anyhow.
I know exactly how u are feeling as i also had long hair and after my first fec had it cut really short but one thing i will say to u is believe me u made the right decision. After my 2nd Fec it came out in handfuls and this was far more upsetting!! I cried and cried seeing it coming out in such a big amount… It really DOES get easier please trust me!!! Like so many of us my hair was really important to me and i actually hated the fact that it was coming out… In the end my sister (Bless her) shaved it all off for me and you know what i can actually say it was a relief not to have that constant reminder seeing my hair everywhere!!! Please keep your chin up, it does get easier honest… I have some good websites for scarfs etc… if you need them. Take care, thinking of you