This thread is so supportive and it’s nice to ‘know’ a group of women going through the same thing at the same time as me. I am on 3 FEC then 3 Tax too. I ordered my scarves from the India Shop Limited - recommended in a thread somewhere here - I think it’s theindiashop - 3 large cotton scarves each with a matching/coordinating silk tie/scarf for £12.95. They came the next day without additional postage costs. Kind of looking forward to getting rid of the hair as it gets the waiting over and done with and I can enjoy the lovely scarves and fun hats. I think I am 4 days behind you Cat so it might not be that long now.
redhead Tato - interesting re the injections - do let us know how you get on. I have an underlying problem with a low white cell count anyway so am hoping that won’t be a problem and delay my chemo at all. I have no intervention at all this cycle however I guess if it proves to be a problem I might get some injections at some point. More punctures…
Darkshadowsfalling - hope you are ok as haven’t seen you online and you had said your white counts were low.
Oh blimey, we didn’t shave it off in the end. After the initial shedding it’s kind of stopped for the moment. I put my wig on and went to the pub with mates instead, definitely drank way too much (4 pints is so not sensible but they kept stacking them up and it would have been rude to refuse). Surprisingly, I don’t have a hangover, must have been the couple of pints of water I had before bed.
I wasn’t the only person with a wig last night. There was a lady with one and it was fairly obvious to me that she was wearing a wig - the constant touching and patting, and the fact that although it was a funky hair-do it just didn’t move. Made me wonder if my self-conscious fiddling and adjusting was drawing attention to the fact that my lush locks were fake. At least my wig moved normally, kept getting everywhere just like my own hair did before I cut it short.
Morning all… oops no Afternoon…
3 glasses of wine and NO headache! yippy!
Day 13 and head itching now…is this the start of the “fall out”? Cat did you use any sticky tape with the wig? I have seen a great website suburbanturban dot co dot uk…they have some trendy looking hats… but perhaps you can make your own as you said.
cat…maybe you will be lucky and just get thinning?
Glad you girls are able to have a few drinks without paying the price the next day.
I am so starving all the time. Had the fry-up of all fry-ups this morning. Hoping it will see me through til dinner tonight. Feeling a little nauseous right no, but think it may be more the effects of the end of a cold (catarrh stuff) than the chemo. Otherwise feeling fine - just had a good long walk with the dog and going to relax and read for a bit now, while I have the house to myself. May even have a little tipple later
Have good weekend all…let’s hope Irina is out enjoying herself.
Woo hoo, Lorna, excellent that you had no hangover.
Bella, I was thinking the same thing that we hadn’t heard from Irina - anyone in touch via e-mail?
Pheebster, I am famished and troughing like anything, don’t usually do this. I saw my BC nurse yesterday and she said this is a side effect of steroids. I said maybe I was just using it as an excuse to be a gannet but she reassured me that it’s the drugs.
I drove miles and miles to get to the nearest Primark, thought I’d pick up some inexpensive hats and scarves - finally found the place and it hasn’t opened yet! Nice of the website not to bother telling me this.
My hair is hanging on in there but if I pull it or itch my head it comes out in strands. I was wearing my HK buff out today and got some funny looks from folks, but especially from a 4 year old girl who kept getting in my face and I felt really uncomfortable about it. I guess this is something we’re all going to have to get used to from kids and adults alike.
Great to read of your experiences and to know you are keeping cheerful. I have been battling with being whacked out after my first FEC. Now day 5. Forced my self to stay up since late afternoon and has been better although i find it difficult to concentrate and type! Like you all I have thoughts of a glass of wine and bought 3 small bottles as a treat this week on the online shop but a bit scared to try as seems early days and so whacked that would be adding to my state with the alcohol! Will keep you posted how I go and might try some wine tomorrow.
Hannah…I had my glass of wine. Well half a glass to be honest. Took me an hour to drink it and I really didn’t enjoy it. I think I was frightened of what it might do to me.
I am the opposite to you. This is day 4 for me (incl. the chemo day) and I have loads of energy again today…yesterday was a bit sluggish though.
Only complaints I have a a bit of an acidy belly and slight constipation (god, who would have thought I would be posting about my bowel habits…what is happening to me!!!)
Soooo. I am gonna run round to Sainsbury with the dog and pick up some senna tablts and gaviscon and see if they do the trick. Food eases it, but I can’t keep eating - I put on weight just looking at food.
Am still looking out for that bulldozer though…eek!
Day 6 (incl chemo day) and still feeling ok. Felt a little achey last night but woke up this morning and feeling ok so sent hubby off to play golf for the day. Can now get on with the ironing without being nagged. ( Bless him ). I too have constipation and have tried sennakot with no results so far! Had bowl of all bran for brekkie hoping thats gonna do the trick.
Have you tried syrup of figs? Nice and natural and should do the job. Personally I prefer really hot spicy food to get things moving, so immediately after the chemo when I felt a bit bunged up, I made myself gazpacho with loads of red chilli added, did the trick.
Yep, guys, I cannot believe I’m posting about going to the loo, either, but I actually appreciate the advice and suggestions from everyone else.
I found making myself a bowl of ‘go breakfast’ helped enormously - my recipe is a mix of bran flakes and standard muesli soaked in orange juice, some fresh fruit and fruit youghurt on the top. Obviously you can add whatever you fancy but I found a big bowl of this for brekky really helps things move along so to speak!
Somewhere on one of the threads is a recipe for ‘go cake’, which is an all-bran cake with loads of dried fruit in it, which sounds good if you have time to make it.
I’ve found I’m now on Day 13 and my constipation is much better, so maybe it’s a short-term effect each cycle? I dunno!
I finaly had a small glass of red last night with no headache this morning. I think the liver needs plenty of time to process all the drugs, so will try to keep mine as clear as poss for now.
Bella x
P.S. Keep resting Hannah, you should be feeling much better in a day or two.
I’ve done a search for you and found the recipe for ‘Go cake’. Hope it helps. This was originally posted by forum user Cryst. Jo, Facilitator.
4oz All Bran
5 oz sugar
10 oz mixed dried fruit (Basically whatever’s in the cupboard - use a nice mixture. Apricots, cranberries etc as well as sultanas. Lots of chopped prunes for extra “go”.)
1/2 pint milk
4oz self raising flour
Put All Bran, sugar and fruit into a bowl, mix, add milk and allow to stand for at least half an hour (while you recover from the physical effort so far).
Sieve in the flour, mix well and pour into well greased 2lb loaf tin.
Bake in moderate oven (180 deg c) for about an hour, until a knife comes out dry. Cover with foil after 30 mins if it’s browning too much.
Turn out of tin and cool.
Serve in thin slices with butter as thick as you like it.
Hello again everyone,
Day 16 and my hair was falling out in such huge handfuls yesterday that I got my sister to shave it to a number 2. It’s still dropping out but in sweepable amounts now! Not looking forward to the second FEC on Thur, mainly because of the steroids and Ondansetron I think, but if they keep the tide of nausea back I’ll put up with it.
Cat, the steroids made me really hungry but after about day 7 I’m back to having a small appetite xx
And good to hear you back on here Irina… I’m day 14… and had a huge appetite this last week after a week of Hating food and wine (not like me) but that could have been the usual PMT munchies… as got my period! am def back to being me… even feeling really well! perhaps its the Manuka honey working its magic! we will never know… all these perhaps or what ifs… I wonder if I felt so bad because of the steroids etc days 1-5… but dare we go against convention! I also had the “toilet issues” and Insomnia… not looking forward to round 2… but will speak up!
Hi girls, missed you all, and now catching up with all the posts in last two days… Cat, I’m just like you, hair just started shedding suddenly, now coming out in strands, I it unsettles me so much, I don’t know whether to go ahead with cold cap for my second FEC on wednesday, or just to give up and shave it off… Had very busy couple of days, went for a gig, visiting friends for a dinner, antique fair, numerous visitors… which was all nice, had lots of good and bad food, wine, coffee - still feeling ok. But this hair situation annoys me like hell, and I’m annoyed with myself for worrying and getting upset about it so much… People have much more serious health issues and here I am being vain… but then who else I can moan to if not you girls?
Lorna I had my periods as well, double unpleasant with mood swings and all the joys…
Tanya, hope your white cell count will recover - ask them for the injection - it’s a really easy one, you can do it yourself on the tummy.
Irina, I know what you mean about the stereods and sickness - I was having acupuncture and moxa sticks for the first week and I think it also greatly contributed to not havaing nausea at all…
Be well girls, sorry for sounding miserable…
hugs, Tato
Irina, so good to hear from you again, we were worried. Well done on shaving your hair off. Lorna, glad you actually want to eat, that first week after the FEC was vile. I had my period last week and was evil with mood swings, a billion times worse than usual. Tato, so sorry your hair’s coming out in strands. Sounds like you’ve been busy and having fun.
Well, I’ve just shaved my hair off. James (OH) is in Texas until Friday, my best friend and her OH have gone off to Cuba on vacation, so there’s just me, a nearly three-year-old and my aged 79-year-old mother here, so only me left to do the deed. I waited until my son had gone to sleep and then it was a date with the clippers. God, it was so hard, sorry girls, but I cried. I took it down to about 3mm and I look like a complete thug. Afterwards I showered to get the hair off and my son woke up and is now really upset because he saw me crying. He thinks he’s done something wrong and is now telling me that all his hair’s going to fall out just like mine. This disease is the most vile evil thing on the planet, I can handle the bad stuff for me but it destroys me to see how it upsets my little boy.
Just on a total downer at the moment, sorry but there’s no one physically around who understands and I need to tell someone how rubbish I feel. Am thinking of having reiki ASAP and going back for acupuncture to try and get my mind back into some form of balance.
Cat… we are all here for you! this is pants! yes but we can all get through it… BIG HUG! and I’m not the hugging kind :o) too many years as a single parent! some think I’m SO tuff… but I, like you. will cry when it comes to that ceremony! “taking off the hair” its an identity thing! people feel sorry for me cause I am “single” but I had a benign lump out aged 24… when married to my 1st (yes I stupidly did it twice) he could not even cope with that and asked me NOT TO TELL anyone… me being me I told everyone! Now I don’t have to deal with how my OH is dealing with it… but do worry how my 2 sons (12 and 15 ) are… still they seem to be managing to be as selfish as ever … so no change! I do miss a HUG tho!
You will be surprised how resilient little ones are … honest :o)
