Fingers crossed for the mammogram! Great ideas for the snacks!
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Iām in Glasgow - where are you? Would be nice to have a chemo friend! I donāt know what to expect at all, do people chat or do you just sit and do your own thing?
Iām a bit worried my taste buds will be off and ruin all the best festive foods! I will maybe buy some ginger biscuits, they are not normally a favourite of mine but I guess theyāre supposed to be good for nausea.
Planning to buy all sorts of goodies and hopefully some things will be tempting for me.
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Ah I am in Lancaster!
Depends, some sleep, some have partners with them (me at the moment but I am going tobe brave next week), some chat with anyone, it really depends. But I often listen to something, read a book, watch something etc. the nurses are often up for a chat (within reason). For the first one definitely have someone with you and bring lots of snacks etc as I may take a while as they have to give it slowly!
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@bally8 good excuse to have lots of different things to try! For some reason I could still taste mango and melon, not that exciting or Christmassy, however a bit of a thing on here has been potatoes in all forms, chips, a roast potato, those have worked for many of us! Have some usual over the counter remedies in, the unit will give you anti sickness meds to take away, some are more generous and you might get stuff for either extremes of poo activity and also mouthwash - great if you get a sore mouth. Yes @lmack95 is right you could be there a while and depending on chair arrangements it may not be easy to chat. So books, magazines, puzzle nooks whatever youāre into. Music and downloads, not everywhere has wifi, if youāre cold capping have headphones or in ear ones that will go over or under the cap and keep a good contact with your scalp still. If youāre having a cannula make sure any packets are easy to access/ open. Take it a bit at a time and let everyone look after you.
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@bally8 well done on the egg retrival:) so happy it is done and dusted for you. Even if I am 42 now I was still debating another child maybe but the lady in family preserving clinic said they do not pay for it over 40 and also I need to start Tamoxifen soā¦. I always wonder why they do not put me on Tamoxifen like 5 months ago when I got diagnosed if itās what fuels the cancer.@lmack95 if my oncologist prescribes chemo I will deffo ask million of questions about the cold capping:) fingers crossed it goes quick and well for you. @salbert and @carrie5 tjlhanks for understanding the wait agony, I try to keep busy itās like making Xmas but of sth flammable or meltable that one appointment can destroy in pieces, itās so fragile. I also try to frantically do as much of normal things as possible for my son and hubby as I donāt know how next step will feel. To end up on good note, my mum went for her annual oncologist check today and she is fine 10 years post breast cancer:) 
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So happy for you @lmack95! What a relief and a massive weight off your mind Iām sureš
Iāve got treatment on 24th too. Non alcoholic mulled wine is a great call!
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Hello ladies - itās so busy for me at the moment with my businesses , lots of events and a huge lot of wreaths and mantle garlands to make , finally got the last ones done !
Iāve had to go to the hospital for a few appointments which is t enjoyable at the moment t as our hospital has declared a critical incident due to flu , Iām back to masking up again .. the good news is my eye has recovered so thatās something and Iām off to see the cardiologist today .. still trying to work through the issues with my daughter .. sheās managing to go into school at least half a day which is something
@bally8 - this time last year when I was having chemo I developed a huge craving for mince pies with squirty cream 
I ate them till they cane out of my ears as they seemed to be the only thing I really liked ! The chemo cravings are weird 
@lmack95 great news on the genetic results , you must feel relieved 
itās one less thing to worry about x
I used to take a backpack to chemo sessions with a book, headphones, phone charger, flask of coffee, blanket and snacks.. tbh chemo days because the one day I could really get stick in and do my admin. I did my tax return at my Jan chemo this year
@naughty_boob you are right , a cycle of chemo ages you physically, itās understandable as itās kills fast growing cells so there is a caveat involved .. itās no wonder we all feel so creaky !
@salbert you continue to amaze me , your energy knows no bounds (even if you donāt feel energetic!)
@boobitis thatās great news on the post surgery pathology .. a big relief Iām Sure .. x
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@salbert Yes itās hard going with my daughter at the moment and IāM probably coping with it due to the hrt if Iām honest!
I wish I could upload a video .the basement is a bit creepyš¤£ it seems to contain, old doors, Christmas trees , a long wooden ladder , an old for sale board ! The list goes on
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Iām just racing out to take my parents Christmas shopping straight after work today but had a quick look and just wanted to say āLOOK AT YOUR LOVELY FACE @lmack95 You look so much better in that cold cap than I did. Mine made me look like a total dimwit! Good luck with another chemo. Non-alcoholic mulled wine sounds like a great idea. I agree, my oncology ward was so friendly that I really like dropping in to see them all now when I go for my six monthly zoledronic acid, They are like old and lovely friends.
@carrie5 Thatās a long wait for mammogram results. Fingers crossed they come faster. In the meantime I have no doubt you will have a host of weird and wonderful distractions planned. 
Good luck @bally8 Even if you and @lmack95 arenāt in the same place, you can still go through it together. My February 2024 Chemo Starters group ended up having a WhatsApp group too and we laughed, commiserated and travelled through together. I do remember taking the mickey out of one of the girls having one eyelash left and then promptly losing every single one of mine. Thatās karma! When I had chemo, I used to be chatting away to everyone on the ward and all the nurses until they injected that antihistamine/steroid combo intravenously and I would literally say āGoodbyeā as it hit my brain and I would drift off and listen to stuff on my headphones. It rendered me incapable of talking which was a welcome relief for everyone else, Iām sure! I couldnāt taste savoury but I could taste sweet. I ate a lot of cakes. And potatoes!! God bless spuds! 
I have to go and I havenāt answered everyone. Darn! Iām off to Saltburn tomorrow so hopefully Iāll get a chance on the train up there.
Love to all
Salbert
x
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Your creations look amazing. I had a go at a wreath one year and it was terrible, fell apart after a couple of days.
I think wearing a mask is a sensible idea. I always wear at GP or hospital waiting room as they are usually busy, poorly ventilated and full of people with bugs. Our local hospital had a mask mandate in October for a month lifted it and now reinstated. Superflu seems to be everywhere and spreads more easily.
Iām sitting here with a chest infection, canāt say for definite where I caught a bug but even doing the shopping there always seems someone coughing without covering their mouths. 
First lot of antibiotics in 2 years, last time I was on chemo and spent 6 nights as inpatient. Iām 2 days in so hoping to feel better tomorrow but as I have sharp pain in my lungs (at rest and when breathing deeply) Iāve be warned to keep an eye out for signs of blood clots. We are all at higher risk having been diagnosed with cancer and also having chemo! Yet another things to worry about! Give that keeps on giving.
Take care all
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Oh no @naughty_boob thatās all you need 
I know you know the drill but lots of fluid (thins the secretions) and sitin a hot steamy bathroom.
. ever noticed how these things always seem to come in time for Christmas I couldnāt order my usual n95 masks in time (my go twos during chemo) so Iām going to wear two blue masks .. dreading heading to the hospital . Itās not even an urgent appointment but itās a private one with my cardiologist so Iād be charged for cancelling . Yes we are more at risk of blood clots since Chemo .. such fun eh ?!!
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Those are stunning!!!
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Do you mask up while getting chemo? Never sure if I should always have a mask on now when going out!
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Haha thank you I always think I look like a rugby player
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@lmack95 - Thank you ! I started doing wreaths and garlands during my chemo as I couldnāt work and theyāve taken off x
During chemo , I wore a mask everywhere as it was this time last year and I didnāt want to take any risks - Iāve just been to see the cardiologist and despite my hospital being in the news as declaring a critical incident and re instating masks .. no one was wearing one .. Iām quite anxious about picking up this super flu I wonāt lie
If I was having active chemo right now Iād be wearing an n95 mask everywhere with all the flu about and norovirus
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Wreaths and garlands are just gorgeous. You are very talented.
Iāve continued doing a pottery classes througout treatment. Something therapeutic and calming handling clay. Iām improving but I can see my children cringe when I want to show them my creations and offer them up like prizes to them. Theyāve both agreed to have a spoon rest ā¦ the rest is filling my shelves, windowsills and mantelpiecesā¦
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Wow @arty1 your garlands are gorgeous! I love to make my own wreath every year too but yours are something to aspire to.
@salbert Yes itās so nice to have a group here who all know what itās like to go through treatment. Lovely to have people who are going through chemo at the same time and some who are steps ahead.
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@mrsjelly - pottery always looks like great therapy to me . But I think Iād be rubbish I bet your pieces are lovely and your children should be installing their own display shelves just for your pottery 
@bally8 Im a face and body artist and furniture artist (business) but I couldnāt do these during chemo so started making the wreaths etc instead .. they are all artificial x
Some good news! I went to see my cardiologist to reveiw the results of my August end of treatment echo - EF is63% which is fantastic plus my aorta remains stable and no issues there .. my cardiologist said my heart had clearly recovered well from herceptin as my EF was 57 % in May so it had declined .. he had no concerns and will follow up with my aorta monitoring next year .. he said he was so pleased Iād given up smoking and that was the best thing I could have done pre treatment ..and itās clearly helped my EF as that was only 57% as a smoker
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