I successfully cold capped. My hospital provided, by way of donations/charity money, water spray to dampen hair and conditioner. They mainly used fragrance free such as Simple and Faith in Nature. I donated some to my team as well as hair bands to wear to protect forehead and tops of ears.
Thanks my dear @naughty_boob I feel like my old self again but a new improved version. Certainly an older and wiser one that doesn’t second guess myself quite so much anymore. XX
Thank you for all the kind messages @salbert (your hair looks lush btw) and @naughty_boob (and anyone else. x)
Had a good chat with my BCN whom I love. She is going to pass on my issues to the surgeon and oncologist.
She tends to suspect that the oncologist will typically be reluctant to reduce the dose, purely because it is early days. Next round will be round 4, but only round 2 of docetaxel. I have agreed that I don’t want to obstruct progress, so will go with it if it means a reduction in dose will compromise my chances of recovery.
Booked in for a mid chemo review including Mammogram and Ultrasound scan.
So the question is going to be asked, and the scans next week might also inform that decision, so we will see.
For now, I will have to continue feeling like a human pinball machine.
Thanks for vote of confidence re new hair, my buddies.
@Jaygo it sounds like you have a good BCN there. Hang in there and I really hope you start to pick up over the weekend.
@sweatybettyhq26 Great that the CT scan has been organised so quickly. Sounds like things are getting done fairly fast for you which cannot be underestimated as the waiting is torturous.
This weekend I have said no to an invite to go for a dear friend’s 60th birthday dinner. I feel guilty about it but it was about an hour and a half away and would have involved staying over and I am teaching tomorrow. The old me would have done it, no matter how knackered it made me. My promise to myself for 2026 is not to run myself ragged for other people. I am sharing this as it is quite a big step for me as I have always been a people pleaser. I think it is important during and after this bc crap, to remind ourselves that it’s ok to put ourselves first sometimes.
@salbert good for you for stopping and thinking things through. Your dear friend will have a lovely time. You’d probably have hardly had time to see her properly on the night, and you could plan something during the summer months for just the two of you at a time that works for you.
It is an important thing for us all to consider moving forwards. x
@sweatybettyhq26 I didn’t have hyperemesis but I did have very ‘sicky’ pregnancies. On chemo I took all the anti sickness tablets for 5 days as directed even if I didn’t feel sick. On Docetaxel I had no nausea/sickness at all. On EC, I had two episodes of slight nausea and wore sea bands for a couple of days but otherwise nothing at all.
Yes, on EC you positively rattle with anti sickness meds. I didn’t have any nausea or sickness at all on that. I’m on Docetaxel now and there is no sickness with that, but I was given a pack of ‘just in case’ anti sickness meds. I don’t know the name, but I call them "‘Don Perignan’.
My treatment was carboplatin, docetaxel and phesgo I took anti sickness medication for 5 days and I was fine, my most side effect was sore tongue and throat couldn’t eat for 5 days x
Hello all. Popping into say hi. How are we already half way through January?
On Monday I have my follow up mammogram which I am a tiny bit nervous for but hopefully will be fine
If anyone needs a view into the future, my life is almost exactly back to normal and I am on Tuesday 20th a year from diagnosis had an op, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and still on Herceptin jabs til June but things feel pretty ok
Sending lots of love your way wherever you are in your journey
Hi @hoggie sounds like we’re treatment twins:hugs: I’m just a bit behind you. Diagnosis February I’ve just had my appt for first yearly mammogram. Operation, 6 chemo, radiotherapy and herceptin still ongoing until July. It’s reassuring to hear your back to your old self. Ive developed some peripheral neuropathy which the oncologist feels is more likely to be from the chemo than from the herceptin but I’ve asked if I can be considered for just 9 cycles of herceptin as Persephone trial suggests 9 is as effective as 18 but with less risk of adverse events wishing you good luck
Hi. Always great to meet a treatment twin!! I have a bit of peripheral neuropathy too but very mild and mostly when I am in bed in the morning. Hope you can sort yours out. Wishing you much better year in 2026! Xxxxx
@carrie5 I was so glad come Saturday afternoon that I didn’t need to get in the car and drive and then socialise all evening. My friend seems fine about it and the person who wanted me to do some more singing for her WI talks also seemed absolutely fine when I explained why I was putting the brakes on. This is 100% the way forward and I intend to stick to it. Dad goes into respite care tomorrow. I took him for a chest x ray this morning and he was referring to it as a concentration camp. Doesn’t bode well but I’m going to print out a big pic of my Mum and write ‘I’M DOING THIS FOR GILL’ underneath it to remind him why he is there for the week.
@Jaygo My friend (whose birthday bash I missed on Saturday) and I are actually meeting up in London this coming Sunday to go to the Lightroom for Prehistoric Planet where you get a virtual reality experience of dinosaurs and then having a late lunch. Now THAT I can get amongst!! But yes, I highly recommend taking more time for yourself once treatment is over. I still wonder whether the pace I was expecting of myself contributed to me getting bc in the first place. Of course, we will never know, but I do think it’s really important to be kind to yourself during and post-treatment. In fact, I insist it!
@sweatybettyhq26 I felt sick on EC but never actually threw up. Just an underlying nausea on Days 3 and 4. I never felt sick on Paclitaxel, so same as @dilly really. I seem to remember that Ondansetron was my saviour. One of those and the nausea went. Really good luck. I’m sure everyone in your chemo starters group will be sharing tips on what works for them.
@caz591 thanks for nice hair comments! I used that Weleda Rosemary Hair tonic to begin with then got various other hair growth shampoos from Amazon and now it’s definitely thicker than it was 2 years ago. I bet yours will get thicker now Kadcyla is through.
@hoggie Good luck for today’s mammogram. Thanks for giving encouragement to others. Life does get pretty much back to normal, even if we are changed as people. I bumped into a friend this morning who had just been given the news that the cancer that was cut out of his mouth and throat had not spread and his lymph nodes were clear. He was euphoric. Said he fully understood what I had been through and had immediately booked two holidays. YES!! I replied. Exactly what I did.
@rugbygal1 I got a little bit of peripheral neuropathy but as it didn’t happen until towards the end of chemo, I was told it would rectify itself, which it did in time. Some other women have done the 9 cycles of Herceptin on here. If you do a search for Persephone then some other posts should pop up.
So today is supposed to be Blue Monday and we are told we are likely to hit a miserable low. I listen to Chris Evans in the morning as I get ready for work as he gives me a lovely positive mental attitude to start the day. He was saying that he absolutely wasn’t going to feel miserable just because he was being told he should feel that way today. I found myself smiling away and immediately deciding that I would follow suit. Today will not get me down. I am happy just to be alive.
@salbert good luck for tomorrow with your Dad, hope he finds a way of enjoying his time. I’m reminded that when my husband needed respite care I gave them a potted history of his interests and any pet dislikes (tv quiz shows!) just to give the staff something to work from.
Glad you have good feedback from not taking everything on. You now are our shining example of self care so you will have to continue reporting your progress, so no backtracking!
@carrie5 That’s a good call, re telling the care home about Dad’s interests and pet dislikes. I am going to make a list to go with his sign of my Mum to remind him why he is there. Thank you.
That’s a long time to wait for your mammogram results. Maybe worth a phone call now?
Afternoon everyone - I’m afraid I’ve had to spend two weeks getting my accounts up to date so I could do my tax return .. so I got my head down and cracked on. Plus a lot of other stuff going on. Suddenly I realised January is flying by and I have t checked in to see how everyone is .. It may take me days to catch up on all the chat !
wishing you good luck 