Sorry your struggling, I’ve just finished my chemo and had quite a rough time with it. Make sure you tell the doctor about your side effects, they can tweak your meds etc and that certainly helped me! All the best for your journey, you can and will do this!
Thank you, its such a shame to see so many of us here on this site. I will certainly tell the oncologist about the side effects im having. Im due to speak to him on 1 September.
You are brave even if you don’t feel it. Keep going, I hope you get some respite from those horrible side effects of treatment. Sending good wishes.
Oh @pips12 I’m thinking of you. I’m so sorry you are struggling today.
If it helps I definitely don’t feel strong at all and I hate when people tell me I am. I just feel I have no choice but to go through what I’m going through
I have a friend with quite a lot of experience going through chemo. She tells me that each cycle she always has what one or two of what she calls a “no day” She says it usually falls at the same time each cycle and she plans for it. It’s a day she knows she’ll be poorly and she has to say “no” to everyone.
It sounds like today is your no day! The good thing is that you know what it is (the chemo is doing its job!) and also that it will get better. Because it’s the first cycle it’s extra scary but soon we’ll be accustomed to the rhythms of each cycle. Just try accept this day, know it will pass and take one day at a time. Sending lots of
This may be a really stupid question but can you drive whilst having chemo ??
We were having the same conversation about this! I took the approach that surely they would have said if you definitely can’t? I would imagine it depends how you feel but I’ll be asking on Tuesday. I only just went back to driving this week after surgery xx
Don’t know about anyone else but I feel I haven’t left the house for anything other than hospital appointments, what are your thoughts on getting out, mainly around the fear of infection, am I being paranoid or sensible?
I’m somewhere in between, I’m a hermit anyway and quite happy staying home alone (and safe) with my husband and daughter. I do have a good friend and my niece planning visits, we live quite a long way from family, but they are both nurses so aware of risks and are planning in staying in a hotel and we’ll do as much outside as we can (think covid rules!). When I go out with my husband and daughter we try to keep to less crowded places. The only time I’m planning to go really wild is for a concert my daughter and I have had booked for a year, and it’s all that’s kept me going since my diagnosis! My oncologist is happy for me to go, and it falls into week 2 of my cycle (unless I have any delays before then) so hopefully I’ll be fit enough to enjoy it
I don’t think there is a right away @dianne3. I wish I could avoid infection more…but with three kids in their last week of summer holidays I just can’t. As long as your mental health is okay I think just do what feels right for you xx
Thanks @nutmeg5326 and @bramble1 good advice, a balance of physical health and mental health I think. My Brother is holding his annual barbecue this year which will be outside but there will be lots of little kiddies who go to nursery and could potentially have cough sneezes and germs so we’ve decided to decline this year. Guess I just have to think they’ll be other years that I can enjoy the barbecue without the fear of infection. Have a lovely weekend and remember it’s bank holiday so we get an extra day The weather is looking good lots of love to you all:heart:
Wee update on chemo #2 yesterday. Tried on a larger size on the cold cap and it was too big & no way did I want to go through what I went with last time so I didn’t do it & just embracing I’ll be losing my hair soon which is hard but not much I can do but accept that for a while I’ll have no hair. Probably going to get fault even shorter over the next few days to ease the distress for me.
Anyway, the chemo itself was fine but somewhat embarrassingly I got a little squeamish when they popped the cannula in and my BP dropped and I nearly fainted! After that, all was fine chemo went fine, didn’t feel sick like I did last time & for a few hours after I felt ok. Started feeling a bit off again and checked my BP which was persistently low so called cancer treatment line and ended up getting check and all is ok. I’ve slept well and thankfully woke today feeling ok so here’s hoping that sticks. I don’t feel quite as lightheaded (other than the BP drops yesterday!) and queasy as I did last time but as I’ve said before, I’ve learnt my lesson and am on top of my anti sickness!
Hope everyone else is doing well today. Sending love ladies
Well done @louise15 for getting that second one under your belt, another one ticked off . I did the medium sized cold cap last time after trying the small which was excruciating. No shedding yet but it is very early days for me (Day 6). I have ordered some lovely head coverings during my twilight hours of wakefulness the other night from Wigs4U, a company recommended on the LGFB Wigs and head covering course. They had a large collection and not too pricey, one thing I ordered was a stick on fringe which the lady taking the course demonstrated, it sticks inside your scarf and gives the illusion of a fringe to hide no eyebrows, will let you know how I get on with it. Have a good day you lovely ladies
I am still doing things, with lots of caution though. I’ve cancelled a lot of gigs I was due to attend for the remainder of this year (missing out on Coldplay in London tonight and Chappell Roan on Tuesday in Edinburgh - gutted!!) as I know I won’t be able to really control infection there but I have been out and about otherwise. I’ve went to lunch, coffee, a pub quiz & just treat it like Covid times - mask, hand sanitiser, wiping down my table etc. I’m not attending my fitness classes as again, difficult for infection control but I am attending the gym at quiet times and again just sanitising, wearing masks etc. I go into work 2 days and WFH the other. I’ve mostly been meeting friends out for walks. Everyone I see knows to not see me if they have infections etc. I hope that helps some but recognise everyone is different and as someone else said, there’s no right or wrong way. This is just what works for me.
My nurses and consultants have told me to live a normal life as I can depending on how I feel, so long as I’m smart with it and being cautious - ie not doing my shopping or going out at very busy times. I’m generally a very active and social person and while I have certainly scaled all of that back, I don’t want to stop it all together as I know my mental health will dip. I’m learning to listen to my body and not over doing things & I know as treatment goes on I might feel less able to do things so I’m hoping to enjoy things while I can. We’re coming into autumn soon also which is when I normally activate hibernation mode so that should align with when treatment starts impacting me for longer!
Oh also in terms of driving, my consultant told me I just wasn’t to drive on chemo day but was fine to drive otherwise
@dianne3 I signed up for that course! I think it was yourself who recommended it so thank you I’ll have a look at wigs4u. I ordered some lovely turbans from a site on Etsy but sadly just a tad too small so going to exchange them. I think though I am getting a wig, I actually like how I look with the wraps so can see myself wearing those more than wigs.
Hi @pips12
Hang on in there!
Day 5 was my worst and then started to feel brighter from around days 7 or 8
Take it easy and dont try to overdo things.
Take care x
Well my second treatment had a lot of bumps in the road…first of all there was an extravasation right at the end of the epirubicin dose. Luckily, it was caught just as it happened and an antidote called Savene was administered in 3 sessions, 1 immediately and then iver the next 2 days, Saturday and Sunday.
There was a vascular scan at the follow on check up which shows i have small vein blood clots. So now i have a daily injection of blood thinners. Feel like i have gone from taking no medication to one of those patients on House who were taking everything! Bit fed up really as no-one can say that the thinners will end when the chemo does.
Anyway, i now have to have a port fitted before my 3rd session on Friday as a cannula is a no-go now.
1 step forward…etc.
Plus side was that i had my first day out in my wig yesterday…felt OK, it was actually quite easy
Take care to all xxx
Day 6 today and my legs have stopped shaking and i managed to sleep all of last night. My picc line has some bleeding around it so they are getting the district nurse to come and check it. Feeling really tired today and have a slight cough so phoned the help line and they said ‘take cough medicine’ job done! As for losing my hair, I’m 65 with fine hair which was thinning anyway, so ordered 3 lovely turbans from Amazon. I decided not to go out and see family as have a 18 month old baby ‘germ factory’ granddaughter. Feel a bit to vulnerable at the moment. Best wishes to all
Me too not good at the moment.
Sorry to hear that, hope you feel a bit better soon