Hi @Ross24 I would definitely reach out the emergency helpline or your chemo nurse whichever one you have access to. It seems your body needs a bit more support…I had 3 months of on/off down below thrush, so annoying…I did find that increasing my pre/probiotics helped, 2 a day instead of 1 but check w them what you can and can’t take. I used optibac. Then on EC I ended w some sort of mycosis/oral thrush, what a laugh, everything tastes sweet even the water but again they gave me Difflam and over a few weeks it improved.
W regards to the skin, mine is very sensitive too. I got given a really great advice. Lather your body before you have a shower and after. Dermol 500 is top for that and you can get it over the counter. I use to fully moisturise on chemo day before and after, as as was doing cold cap and cold hand/feet sleeves.
If the meds they give you don’t work, do speak to them and take pictures to monitor as well as taking your temp. All the best xxx
Hi kitty77,
Good luck for Monday, hope it all goes well for you.
i’m 11 days post my first treatment of Docetaxol and feel really well.
I didn’t have a nurse stay with me during the infusion which lasted about an hour. But i was given the nurse call bell if i needed anything. I was checked on regularly and brought cups of tea too.
I was apprehensive going in but honestly didn’t need to be, i was well looked after as im sure you will be too.
Has anyone tried travel wristbands for nausea? It is mild, like mild car sickness. I have tablets to take and will take them if needed, and will discuss with team but wondered about experiences of wristbands. Thanks x
Hi Ross24
Really sorry to hear about your side effects, I wasn’t offered a port, just cannula fitted for each chemo, I’ve been today for my 2nd one, all went well, so will see how the after effects go after this one.
Your rash sounds very sore, I hope the Fucidin does help it improve for you. Also the nappy rash must be extremely tender, I wonder if the Sudacrem product may help with the soreness maybe?
That’s good your hair is ok at the moment, mine is still falling out, but in shorter bits after buzzcutting it. It’s going more bald on the back of my head first.
I haven’t noticed any change yet on my nails. I had constipation at first which then developed to the runs. My mouth was also very sore, am using the Corsodyl alcohol free mouthwash that’s been really good.
When is your next chemo? Xx
I’d be interested to know too as I have some of those travel wristbands but not tried them yet - I might take them with me on Monday and ask the sister one the Oncology unit.
quite a few of the ladies who were the Oct17 chemo gang with me used the travel bands it worked for some of them so no harm in trying them but your team should be first contact if your antisickness meds don’t work they will tweak till they get right combination for you if any of you get oral thrush ask for fluconzole (try not to get fobbed off with the drops) Shi xx
Thanks for checking in @kitty77 It all went very well actually and my nurse was an angel from above. My blood pressure had skyrocketed through sheer apprehension as it turns out. I went to see my oncologist who said ‘How are you?’ to which I replied ‘Anxious’. Without prompting he prescribed me a Lorazepam which worked so well that my blood pressure became ‘good’!! I decided there and then that I love Dr Ring forevermore. I have been sent home with loads of anti-sickness so have felt fine and the steroids have made me so upbeat that I couldn’t sleep Thursday night so was cleaning the kitchen at 2am (that’s not normal at any time!) and I took a drama class by Zoom this morning and worked on all their LAMDA sessions. My wellbeing nurse says that this can happen and if I continue to climb the walls then I just have one on Sunday morning and stop then to expect a slump. Also, when does the hair start falling out please?
It’s weird to think there is stuff inside me that is going to make me feel like crap. When you catch a cold or flu you don’t know about it until you start to feel bad whereas I know it’s coming and that feels odd.
Thanks for checking in, like I say. Love the community feel.
Started weekly Paclitaxel on Feb 9th, having my 3rd on Tuesday. Overall I’m feeling quite well, only felt a little sick yesterday but I’m pretty sure it was my fault (had a heavy and not-too-healthy lunch).
This isn’t my first time with chemo, I also had it back in 2021 but it was doxorubicin and some other hard stuff that made me feel terrible. This is the lightest chemo I’ve ever had. My oncologist told me that this time I would not be losing my hair, just shedding + it would feel a bit weaker. However, I washed my hair this past Wednesday and a lot of extra hairs started coming out and it made me quite anxious. Now I’m paranoid, will I actually lose my hair again? Or is this the shedding she’s referring to?
I wasn’t thinking of cutting it off yet, I’m not leaving hairs around the house and I also have an absurd amount of hair. Like, even if I lost half of it I’d be fine, unless I started having bald patches… I guess I’ll have to ask on Tuesday. In the meantime, I’ll try not washing it too often and combing it very gently!
Lots of love to you all and I hope you have a lovely weekend!
Hi @kitty77, well I had my first EC infusion yesterday and it went pretty smooth. I was pretty anxious going in as well, after having been pretty calm about most of this experience. The nurses are sweet and really do try and make you as comfortable as possible.
Yes, the nurse sits with you and pushes the medication in via a syringe while a saline drip is ongoing as well. I felt a little soreness in my arm which was remedied with a hot pack. It takes just under an hour to get all the meds in but be prepared to be there a little longer and if you choose to do scalp cooling a lot longer.
Thanks for this reply @taniak, good to hear that you got through your first session smoothly. It definitely makes me feel better hearing how others have coped well.
I’m choosing not to cold cap - had all my hair cut short yesterday which is a bit of a shock to the system but I’m getting used to it .
I’ve read both your posts with your side effects and just wondering if youve told your team about them all? I was given a book to record mine with a traffic light system for when to get in touch depending on how many/which I had. They should be able to prescribe things for most of what you’re talking about.
Also black nail polish for all nails is supposed to help alongside oiling and moisturising.
Not sure how much you’re hydrating but that seems to be my miracle. Pretty sure I’m up to 4-5 litres a day of water-plain, warm, cold, lemon, herbal teas depending on what I can stomach.
But we are all different and on different regimens.
Hi Kitty77, yes the nurse stays and administers my EC. I’m pretty sure it’s all done in less than 1 hour. I’m cold capping so that’s what takes the longest.
Keep hydrating then hydrate some more.
I’ve just had round 2. And both rounds the first day was when I felt a little tired/groggy but nothing to really write home about and I was doing the school run the next day with a dog walk with a friend after then home to take it easy.
Good luck and try to get a good night’s sleep day before. For round 2 I didn’t sleep as much day before and I definitely felt it the night of day 1 of infusion
I was doing fine on Friday and Saturday after Thursday’s EC but Sunday, yesterday and today I feel terrible. This is like the worst hangover ever and I’ve had practice in my time! What are we supposed to do when it feels like this? I can’t believe I have to get through 3 more EC and then 12 x Paclitaxel. It seems insurmountable at present.
I also have treatment on Thursday and found that is was the Monday & Tuesday, especially the Tuesday that I felt the effects. Very Fatigued, however only lasted a couple of days and felt fine again on the Wednesday. I was warned that day 4/ 5 can be the worst. Hang in there.
@shonas Thanks for confirming that. I really hope I feel better tomorrow. I am wondering whether the come down from the steroids, the crushing fatigue and the general toxicity, has some kind of mental effect. I feel as bleak as I think I’ve ever felt. I think, for me, the mental struggle is going to be as bad as the physical one. I’m trying to work from home and my brain is filled with cloying mud. I have just had to check that it is actually Tuesday (in the hope that I will feel better tomorrow) and was relieved to find it was, but dismayed that I have lost track of days of the week!!
I think that you are right, the come down from the drugs is real !
I got really teary on the Monday and my emotions are were all over the place.
Might be worth taking the Monday & Tuesday following your sessions off work, if you can.
even the water but again they gave me Difflam and over a few weeks it improved.
quite a few of the ladies who were the Oct17 chemo gang with me used the travel bands it worked for some of them so no harm in trying them but your team should be first contact if your antisickness meds don’t work they will tweak till they get right combination for you 
I guess I’ll have to ask on Tuesday. In the meantime, I’ll try not washing it too often and combing it very gently!
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