Thanks Angie - I did drink lots of water last time, but will remember to start drinking more over the weekend ready for Monday. You’re half way through now aren’t you? Bet that’s a good feeling isn’t it? Hope you don’t suffer too much.
Nel x
Chebsy, Bevy, Fluffybunny, Joanne & Gill - just wondered how you all got on this week?
Nel x
Hi Chebsy and everyone else up for their first session this week
Hope all goes well for you, let us know how you get on.
Was supposed to have my first session yesterday but has been delayed.
Take care.
Ann
xxx
Hello all - had first dose yesterday and felt and still feel fine - keep waiting for something to kick in - but when? All very pleasant yesterday - dept even provided ice lollies! Bit of a wakeful night with slight headache - wonder what it will be like for me after my couple of days of steroids stop.
Thanks Angie for the “drink loads of water the day before” warning - really think that helped.
Any reason why yours was delayed Ann? Love and good vubes to all of you Cx
Hi everyone,
had my first session yesterday a bit of mammoth event as I was there for 7 hours! the usual chemo nurse was off sick. (glad she wasn’t there!) anyway I wore the cold cap and although it was uncomfortable got on with it o.k. but did have dreadful headache and eye ache last night. I see you had a headache too Chebsy did you wear the cold cap too? Like you I took on board all the advice and drank loads of water prior to and during treatment. Had a wierd night feeling very anxious as to what will happen but did sleep on and off and woke this morning not feeling too bad. Long may it last. Just feel worried about the vien situation as it was a struggle to find one and I assume that situation must get worse.
Good luck everyone and
Roll on Christmas!
love Bevy
Hi there
Nice to see you have both coped really well with the chemo, just want to get started with mine now.
Bevy am going to try the cold cap so will keep checking how you are getting on with it and picking up a few tips!!.
Mine has been delayed as my LD back scar isn’t healing very well, hopefully within the next couple of weeks.
Keep well.
Ann
xxx
good luck Anndi hope it all starts for you soon so you can get on with it. I will report back on the 2nd session as to how the cap is working I have been told that my hair will probably start to leave me in about 3 weeks if it is going to so if it is still hanging in there I will go for the cap treatment again it was just the headache afterwards that was a bit of bugger but then maybe I would have got that anyway from the chemo?
all the best to you all.
Bevy
Hi Everyone! I’m back in the land of the living (just about), haven’t reported back as had a pretty horrible time really, my first lot of FEC pretty much floored me. Today is the first day I have felt okish, although still have some side effects (horrible taste in mouth, weird sense of smell and chronic acid reflux and wind - lovely!) but the main side effect I had of sickness and nausea has subsided a bit now - I had my first proper meal yesterday. In hindsight I think I should have contacted the hospital for a change of meds, but I was so nauseous that I couldn’t even have water in my mouth which made taking the meds quite hard and meant I wasn’t drinking anything which I know makes it worse. I think because I wasn’t constantly being sick (only because I wasn’t drinking or eating) I thought I shouldn’t ring the hospital but with a bit of perspective now think I should have. I will tell them next time and hopefully they can adjust my sickness meds, as I am now completely terrified about the next lot. I felt so ill that several times over the weekend I considered not going any further with the chemo and just taking my chances - don’t really want to get to that point but don’t know if I can do this for another 3 months. Anyway, the worst is over for the moment (I hope!), just got to wait for the hair falling out now! I decided not to bother with the cold cap as I have sort of come to terms with losing my hair, and I’m actually more bothere about losing my eyebrows and eyelashes and I don’t think the cold cap affects that. Anyway its done now so will have to wait and see.
Hope you are all doing ok, from the posts on here seems most of you seem to be coping with it ok and not too much discomfort which is good. When I read everyone else’s posts I feel like a bit of a wimp really talking about giving up, but really it was quite horrendous and I have to remember that I actually have quite a high pain/discomfort tolerance (delivered 2 babies, 9 and 10 pounds with no pain relief!) so maybe it was that bad!
Anyway, love to you all, hang on in there. Helen xxxx
Hi girls
Have the go ahead to start my chemo next Tuesday, hopefully I will cope as well as you all have so far.
Love
Ann
xxx
Please to hear you’re starting next Tues Ann! and so sorry to hear you’re having such a rough time Helen. I felt wierd the first night and was very scared of what might happen but thankfully I wasn’t too bad as I have posted previously. I did drink a lot of water the day before, during and after which may have helped and I also have made a hot drink of grated ginger which I leave to infuse for a while and then strain off and I found that quite soothing and apparently ginger is really good for calming the sick feeling worth a try if you can tolerate it I don’t find it too bad so long as it is not too strong. I also had some pasta before having the chemo luckily was just after lunch and maybe having a full stomach helped? don’t know really but just trying to give any advice I can that may be of assistance to anyone.
I had to go with a friend today to pick my daughter up from the airport and it completely pole-axed me just had to lie on the bed all afternoon feeling wiped out. Still tomorrow is another day!
thinking of you all sharing this grotty journey.
love Bevy x
Hi all - sorry you having such a rough time Helen- hope you’ve picked up a wee bit? Know what you mean Bevy, about being pole- axed - I’m just K.A.T.T. ! - my new acronym - Knackered All The Tme! Hate this feeling but think now three days of steroids and sickky tabs done - and don’t need to take tham any more …till next time…I might pick up! No I’m not going for the ice cap - It’s an hours drive to hosp and don’t want to have to spend all that time down there. Going to get hair cut short on Tues and then get head shaved when it starts to go= Have bought buffs to wear - they look great for summer! Make lovely beanies - and daughter has sent a gorgeous cashmere beanie - ooooer get her! I often wear wee hats - got lots in Morocco so people probably won’t notice my locks no longer lurk! Anyway - thinking of you all - hang in there - we CAN do this together!!! Good luck Ann - let us know how it goes. I am now going to stroll round the garden and pretend I am alive!
Love and good vibes! C x
4th day and feeling a bit better today thank god physically anyway feel a bit wobbly mentally guess that might be the tablets effect? or me just feeling pissed off. Still another day begins and I think I will too have a little look around th garden and try to pretend I am normal too (don’t bloody feel like it though) will we ever get our lives back?
love to you all Bevy x
Hi girls
I don’t think our lives will be anything like normal for at least another year ( when we have enough hair to do anything with ) that’s probably why I have lost interest in everything, life is just on hold.
Not sure about you guys but it’s all I think and talk about all of the time, and can’t seem to stop it. I don’t want to go shopping, haven’t been to the hairdressers for ages ( what’s the point!! ) have only just started to put a bit of nail varnish on as my nails were getting into a right state ( used to do them all of the time ). It’s as if I have been pushed in a dark cupboard and someone who looks like me has taken over my life and is just going through the motions.
How do you all feel.
Keep looking for women wearing wigs and bandanas but can’t see any, do they just have really good wigs or am I the only one around here who will be hairless?.
Love
Ann
xxx
HI all
sorry to hear that some of you feel so rough and down.
Ann go on the Buff website they are great, really comfy and they stay on a baldy head.
God some of you have had it rough, I have had two FEC now and it was ok although can’t think straight a lot of the time for a few days after, got myself in real trouble this week. I answered one of those dodgy e-mail from what i though was my bank and gave them all our details and someone tried to take money from our account and now we have to change all our accounts. It really is not like me to be that STUPID!!! but I think I was one day post chemo and I really think it was that. Also re:funny smells I thought I could smell a horrible smell in the bathroom to me it smelt a bit like when I was in hospital so I bought one of those pressy smelly things and it was ok after that. No one else could smell it. This Chemo does weird things to us.
Hope everyone has a good weekend.
Debsx
Hi Everyone. Feeling loads better today, dare I say it almost “normal” whatever that is! Like the rest of you, the physical is getting better, but the mental (and I use that word advisedly!) is the dodgy bit at the moment. Its really weird not being able to think straight, I’m getting to the age (45) where I do forget names of things e.g. children, husband etc. but its never been this bad, I can’t seem to string a coherent thought together. I suppose I must be able to do it a bit or I wouldn’t be able to type here, but you know what I mean. Its like your experience Debs, doing and saying stuff that you would never normally, it makes you feel like your mind and personality have gone AWOL as well as your body. And the K.A.T.T. (thanks for that one Chebsy describes it perfectly) is a bit much to deal with when you’re used to just being able to do whatever you want without too much trouble. I watered my stuff in the greenhouse yesterday and it completely floored me for the next hour or so, I was huffing and puffing like an 80 year old when I had finished! Oh well, got to be done I suppose, can’t wait for this year to be over then the worst of it (hopefully) will be behind us all.
Ann -know what you mean about being all consumed by it, I think thats why these forums are so comforting as I detect from my loved ones that they are getting a bit fed up of talking about my various side effects etc. Not in a horrible way, and I understand it must be hard. Someone said to me right at the beginning that BC is now part of your life, but don’t let it become your whole life, but I’m struggling to see how that works. And on the wigs front, when I was waiting for my chemo I saw lots of women with wigs (of course) and to me all of them were very obviously wigs although some better than others. I have ordered a wig but am not very keen and will try the bandanas thing first - I have got some buffs which are really nice and soft, if only I could work out how to put them on! I am on day 10 and the hair is still hanging on there I washed it this morning and there was no more than normal in the plug hole! I’m sure its only a matter of time, although some people say it hangs on until after your 2nd.
Love to you all. Helen xxxxooxx
Hi all,
I start my 1st chemo this coming thurs, half frightened to death reading yr comments but wanting to go go go. As we dont have a choice then the sooner the better. I agree with the comment about the next year almost being non existent, I hope it goes as fast as the last few years seem to have gone. I dont feel part of life anymore, just existing 4 now to get through this. Im trying to take on board all your comments, re not having an empty tum and drinking lots of water, I will probably need the loo half way thro tho!!! Am going on tues to sign on the dotted line and speak to onc. Also havin a bone scan thingy so will be up there all day! oh joy, I must write e.thing down as I have a brain that leaks…badly. As 4 the hair thing, will not bother with cap as am resigned that i will lose my hair, wil prob opt 4 a wig with my daughters help, so long as she realises im not 21! May buy some cotton scarf things tomorrow and practice tying, probably end up in the bottom drawer> If all else fails I will just hibernate. Tv, water, biscuits, computer all in bedroom, 12 month sabatical!
R we meant to be on any particular diet? tc e.one, Chris xxx
Well it’s my second FEC tomorrow. Been drinking lots of water and taking it relatively easy, but also getting the house in shape so I don’t have to think about it next week. Got a cold a few days ago and rang chemo unit who told me to go to them for my blood tests on Friday - took them two attempts to get blood from my hand, but everything was ok so can still go ahead tomorrow. Cold now almost gone. Also had a mouth ulcer but that’s also almost gone. Re mental side of things, I didn’t really notice it apart from once - was looking back threw our wedding pics with my Mum and looking at the group photo of everyone and I kept forgetting people’s names - people I know really well! But that’s about it really.
Hair has been coming out since about day 16 (Tuesday) - it’s coming out more and more each day and think that the second lot of chemo will make it worse and probably finish it off. I’ve had it cut quite short (about an inch) and unless you know, you probably wouldn’t notice that it’s thinner and at the sides by my ears and on one side at the back it’s really really thin. I guess if you did notice anything, you’d probably just think I’d had a bad haircut! But, no need for power wig just yet (yes, that’s what it’s called on the side of the box!). I put mine on now and then and don’t think you can tell, and when I went for my first chemo both husband and I were looking to see if we could tell who was wearing a wig and who wasn’t - and we couldn’t really tell, so they must do quite good wigs in our area, or we’re just naive?! Also have a nice fluffy/fleecy buff for in the house when I’m not going to wear my wig.
Good luck Ann and Chris for this week and hope everyone else isn’t feeling too rough for much longer. I’m looking forward to crossing off number 2 tomorrow and October 13th which is number 6.
Nel x
Roll on Christmas when it’s all over and we can have a life again.
Can’t ruddy wait!!
Love to you all
Ann
xxx
Here here Ann! I know we are all spread all over the country but I think we should pick a date in the new year to all go out in our respective patches and drink to the end of chemo hell and to each other’s very good health! I know some of you are going on to rads after, and we can have another “Finishing Party” after the end of that!
Or is this just my raddled chemo brain having another moment? Who knows.
All the best to those having a dose in the next few days, hope all goes well and no glitches.
Love to all
Helen xxxxx
Hi All
Hope it goes ok today Nel - good vibes to you -and to those just staring -(Thar was meant to say -just starting but perhaps staring is better! I know before I started FEC I had a lot of mindless staring at nothing times)… Discussion groups are great for sharing experiences- to be able to think about the “Might be like this” but you must also think “Might not be like this!!!” I know some people have a really rough time but some people don’t - so it’s best to be prepared but wait and see!
I had a fun time at Duck Race - again wanted a sign to say “I’m fine - just get tired easily” as the whole village turns out for the event - for those without Duck Race knowledge - Numbered plastic ducks are sent down the river and you buy a ticket. If your number wins you get a first prize of £25 …wow I hear you say…and no I didn’t win. We make our own amusement here!
Still get a bit tired and have no appetite but Manuka honey arrived in post just now (good for sore mouths) I just had a big spoonful and I feel great - It is expensive but I’m worth it - as my Granny would say -“To hell with poverty, feed the cat the canary!”
Love to all Cx Drinking a toast to each other wherever we are when we finish sounds great Ann!