Hi all, starting chemo next Thursday! I’ve had pneumonia vaccine and shingles vaccine today and can get covid vaccine tomorrow! None are live but has anyone had these this close to starting chemo? Oncology seemed to think it was good to get myself as protected as possible, but it seems quite close to starting treatment 
x
Hi all
Wig shopping with my daughter tomorrow as a back up for work/ her graduation/ the cold cap not working.
Any tips or pointers?
Do you ever think how surreal this all is? Never thought I would need a wig!
Thanks in advance
Xxx
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Thanks so much for all the info. I an in receipt og PIP. I will look into the others x
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Thanks so much for posting this. I never knew there were groups like this revolving around parkrun. Used to always do parkrun and turns out my local group is run by someone I know. He used to be chairman of running club I’m involved in x
Hey @sassy3 I started with cannula when having EC but veins became hard and after 2 rounds it was decided I needed a PICC. I was annoyed, felt a failure that my veins were rubbish etc, however I now live my PICC line. I get my bloods and treatment through it and it speeds up chemo day as they just flush it and connect the drugs. Wish I had had it from the start. I’ve now had 4 EC, 1 Docetaxil and 1 Pacetaxil with 8 more to go. That’s a lot of cannulas and bloods tests if I didn’t have a PICC
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Just a lil reassurance. I know everyone is different but I was not that bothered about losing my hair but knew my young children would be as even though they knew everything it would be a reminder of how ill I would be so I decided to cold cap. I was told if I didn’t I would of lost hair rapidly. I managed to stick out using the cold cap for all 6 cycles. It was pretty horrific and hard work and nearly caved on cycle 4 but didnt. I was told once i caved you can not have it again. Anyway, i have managed to keep my long hair albeit a lot lot thinner an now a bit scraggy compared to what it was so was definately worth it for me an my family. The first 15 mins are the worst so just concentrate on getting past that x
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I was devastated when they told me I would need a PICC line as I have young children that love swimming and i was unable to join in. The weekly nurse visits at the beginning drove me mad too to flush an change dressing but honestly It is so much easier for bloods an chemo. I had 6 rounds an they removed PICC then before my 2 operations. I am due to start kadcyla tomorrow an they have said no PICC line. No idea how 14 cycles is going to go without one as bloods on Monday was bad enough with 3 attempts 
x
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The first wig shop I went to was horrendous, I left there ordering in what I can describe as the best of a bad bunch and just felt so deflated. There was no oressure to purchase i was allowed to view properly when it came i an decide then. Inbetween it coming in I was recommended a different place. It was amazing the lady made me the children an husband all at ease an we actually had a lot of fun. Got a wig but turned out i never needed as cold cap worked pretty good for me even though i lost a lot i still managed to keep quite a bit too. Pic of the fam in their granny wigs as requested by the lady an me in a diff wig. I just recommend trying on as many as you can and go for things completely different to what you would usually as well. As i was very surprised that the style I didnt think I would like I liked the most x
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Thanks! It seems most think picc is best! Hope it works well for me x
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Evening all, due to start my first round of Kadcyla tomorrow, will see how I react.
One thing thats bothering me is all along this journey since diagnosed last june it was implied I would be needing radiotherapy after my chemo and operations.
My treatment plan was also adjusted for this and had an expander put in instead of implant due to the breast changes involved with radiotherapy.
My chat on Monday went complete opposite which has thrown me.
Basically they have advised that I am borderline for needing it and they recommend me not having it as dont feel i will benefit massively from it. They are saying a new study has shown it is not that beneficial in all cases. But i am still being allowed the choice if i have it or not.
I am Her2+ and oestrogen possitive had 4 tumors and one possitive lymph node. Ended up having an extra op to remove all lymoh nodes in the arm after the intial sample showed a possitive node. Full. Clearance showed no more cancer in them nodes. Thus them saying that the remaining lymph nodes in neck where radiotherapy would target would very unlikely contain cancer and therefore feel not necessary.
We have done everything so far to limit reoccurrance so seems strange not to have this but at same time feel like doctor should know best. The side affects of afecting heart an lungs also plays on my mind as I enjoy running and sont want risk if the organs being weakened so just dont want to say i would have it either. Feel like such a catch 22 situation and would much prefer not having a choice x
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Thanks @brincat, love the picture!!
The shop I am going h to us linked up our cancer support group at the hospital and I have heard good things so fingers crossed.
Will let you know what I find….
Xxx
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@hoggie I placed an order for a wig in a colour as similar to mine as I could find, however when it arrived it looked very ‘wiggy’ and just not quite right, which really threw me and dented what confidence I did have in wearing one.
In the end I went for a colour I never would have been brave enough to put on my own hair and I love it.
I guess what I’m saying is don’t be afraid to go for something completely different, you can use this as an opportunity. And most of all, have fun 
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@brincat good luck with kadcyla, @hoggie have fun wig shopping and come away without if you’re not sure, you’ll still learn a lot. The hair and wig workshop on lgfb was good and she suggested a breathable light material cap for comfort underneath. A good shop should tell you all you need to know.
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I could of wrote this myself. I tried to find similar to my own style and like you said even after being thinned etc i felt was very wiggy an i wished i went for complete opposite x
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Woohoo, my liver numbers are only slightly elevated so we’re on track for Kadcyla number 10 today. 
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Goodness me! I didn’t get a chance to come on here yesterday and it’s taken me quite some time to catch up.
@erica I’m pleased that lots of the ladies have come forward to say that the cold cap worked well for them. Go for it and you make that decision for you. Negativity doesn’t ever help so disregard all that. There are lots of reasons to try it and stick with it. That said, if you don’t like it and choose not to continue, then that’s ok too. Many people have done really well with it. My hair shed a lot during EC but started growing back during Paclitaxel so that was when I felt bold enough to shave it off as I knew it was already on its way back.
@jacx70 Did you have any joy when you spoke to your onco?
@sshini93 - Good luck to your mum with her first chemo today.
@sassy3 - I had a port which is similar to a PICC line and which I couldn’t even feel. It was great actually. I also had all the vaccines offered to me just before chemo as I asked my team and was advised to go for it, as apart from the obvious, I was in good health. 
@hoggie - Try anything and everything when it comes to wigs. I had a different shade and style for every day of the week. It is surreal but many of us loved and embraced it. I hope you can have fun with it. It’s amazing not to have to have any bad hair days.
@sooz1 - Great to get that drain out! Another tick.
Wow @norts! That is some wall. More empowering ‘can do’ pics for this forum. Brilliant.
@under_the_sea Welcome to this friendly and super chatty forum. Diarrhoea is so common with chemo and Phesgo that it’s hard to say which is the guilty culprit. Possibly both. Once chemo is over you should feel much better on just the Phesgo and hopefully will be able to eat again. I hope you don’t have to go down the Kadcyla route but if you do, then I’m glad you have been reading about all the women on here who are on it and still able to live relatively normally.
@brincat I love, love, LOVE that pic of you and your family all in wigs. That made me laugh aloud. I especially love your little boy and the look on his face. Too good. Good luck with the Kadcyla. I was also told I was borderline for radiotherapy but I replied with ‘In for a penny, in for a pound; let’s go for it’ and so we did. Personally I will take every bit of treatment on offer but then I’ve always been greedy!
@kartoffel Woo-hoo!! Go and get another Kadcyla nailed, my friend. Then celebrate with a potato product of your choice. Have two!
Love to all,
Salbert
xx
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This has been my attitude all along. Opted for the extra op to remove all lymph nodes and after treatment when they remive my expander for implant they are removing my other breast for me too as i requested it gone. So not having this has thrown me. The otherside effects of possible heart an lung problems is what puts me off having radio if i dont need as not sure if i would panic when back into running properly thinking i had weakened it or something
@salbert I think it’s too hot for potatoes… I’m melting here! Unless I can find potato flavoured gelato. I might have to suggest that to our local gelato company. There’s a Danish Christmas dish called “brunede kartofler” which is basically just boiled potatoes caramelised in sugar which I think could work quite well as a gelato flavour.
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Isn’t it strange! I went a bit OTT and brought about 6 cheaply ones afterwards online too. I only liked one of them…!!
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@brincat would yours be on the left or right? I had radio on my right side post surgery and they weren’t concerned so much about impact on the heart. Have had multiple echocardiograms since and they all say my heart is fine.
I actually have a baseline on my lung function from when I was marathon/ultra training a few years back and compared that that, I have a slight decrease in overall lung capacity and inspiratory strength but I’m better on expiratory strength. Everything is trending upwards though now that I’m working on using my breath trainer every day and I can feel that the slight restriction on my lungs is easing up. I think my breathing is more restricted right now because I find the expander uncomfortable when I have a full inhale. I think if you practice breathing properly when you have the radio, you can avoid the worst of the damage to your lungs.
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