I’ve been told frozen pineapple is good for the sore mouth.
Thank you! Yes doing the mouth mix and also have some prescription mouthwash so hoping they’ll clear off soon!
I’m feeling ok. It is big news but it answers some questions for me and I’m glad it hasnt been missed. Without preventative surgery I could end up needing chemo for my ovaries later in life. I mean who knows what else, likely more trouble with my boobs. I feel like ive been given the upper hand. It’s scary and its rubbish but its better to know x
That last EC woohoo! I cant wait to have that one done. Well done on getting so far already ![]()
I keep repeating hair today, gone tomorrow but back sooner than we think. Ive heard lots of people say their hair started growing back again once EC was done with so fingers and toes crossed!
Day three post EC #3 and definitely not winning on the nausea/tiredness front. Seems both are worse this round. Husband and daughter gone to visit family for just shy of a week, got a friend staying but feeling quite sorry for myself overall. Eating feels like a challenge and napping is a given, we did a walk to Portobello Beach this morning to see sunshine (though seagull pinched my croissant, bastard)
No way! Id be fuming if a seagull took my croissant!
Are you keeping up with your anti sickness meds? X3 a day and if thats not enough, the big one under your gum? What about fluids? Do you think you are flushing things out enough?
Wish I could come round also and give you a big hug. Just a few more days maybe and hopefully you’ll feel a bit better
Oh I hear you on the food is bleurgh front. Try and stay hydrated to the best of your ability. Eat what you can when you can and who cares if it’s broken down to a lot of small healthier snacks across the day instead of meals.
I am trying very hard not to fall into the trap of living on plain hula hoops and ginger nuts as I found myself doing last time. It did not do me any favours.
I managed to get out of that hole and onto some small easy to prep ideas thanks to the helpful posters in the cancer made me eat thread in tips for treatments. You will fine some very easy recipes for sick as a dog days in there as mugging gave in and asked for them.
I can recommend Scully soups, yes they are more expensive than most but are far closer to homemade if you cannot face doing more than a reheat. Homemade porridge helps and you can start to add the extras when you feel less sick. My go to on cannot face the kitchen days is Kind Protein bars as they give 10g of protein per small bar. Belvoirs Ginger Cordial in hot water, leave till its at a temp your mouth agrees with, seems to help if you need something gingery with some sweetness but cannot face ginger nuts or ginger teas. My go to at the moment.
Shame about your croissant, ASBO seagulls!
@felineoptimist I really struggled the first 3 or 4 days post-third EC. However, I really rested up and actually I’ve felt really quite good this second week (possibly better than other cycles). So listen to your body for now and I hope you get a surge of energy next week! Keep going - you’ve got this! Bloody seagull! xx
You’re absolutely right. I hope you have a good chance to get a lot of advice on options so you can feel knowledgeable in making the decisions. xx
I’ve got two granisetron 1 X per day for three days post infusion, plus Metoclopramide for as and when (every six hours). If it doesn’t ease off tomorrow I’ll ring the treatment help helpline for something else I guess. Onco gave me a prescription for omeprazole too which he said can help with nausea persisting after anti emetics, been taking that a week.
@felineoptimist i was given metaclopromide too (though I’ve never needed it); a friend who just retired as an NHS anaesthetist told me it’s the cheapest and least effective anti sickness drug on the market! She told me to ask for something else if it didn’t work. It sounds to me like that’s what you might need to do. Hope you feel better soon ![]()
Will deffo ask then! Thanks
Managed a ready made soup and sourdough toast (and hula hoops!) and feeling a bit less grim. Will wait until a suitable bedtime then go try this whole thing again tomorrow ![]()
I finally think I may be winning the skin war. Photo is when the flare first started. second is a week of steroid ontiment, now swapped by oncologist for a an extra five day course of predisalone steroid tablets and lots and lots of emoillents. I gather from the dark muttering sof my oncologist that. Paxitaxel and nab paxitaxel can set off pre-existing skin conditions. my eczema went nuts as my skin went so uber dry on nab Ìt would not absorb any of the normal creams I was trying to use. now using dermol as a soap subsititue and zero base cream from the hospital as my skin is now absorbing more than dermol.
Bloody chemo! it’s been one side effect after another and I do hope the extra steroids work. ON the plus side resting far more than I think, hard on steroids, drinking lots of water and the domperidone anti emetic means I can think of trying to eat. DH cooking as Iknow if I tried I would not be able to eat at the end of Ìt. thankful for having such a supportive DH.
WEll done you!
let’s hear it for good bread,easy to reheat soup and plain hula hoops ( but not as a sole food source)
PS You could also try jazzing things up with some of the ready salted vegetable crisps. if nausea is being a real pain. I would avoid the flavoured ones.
Come to think of it plain everything is a better place to start when your stomach and or guts are in rebellion.
Wow @wibbles yes that does look like it’s improving quite a bit. Thankfully! Paclitaxel has definitely been the cause of my facial rash and flare ups. It’s not gone away but the fexofanadine is keeping it manageable along with a combo of La Roche Posay and Aveeno calm and restore. Otherwise my skin is generally much drier even than before (menopause will do that to you but chemo exacerbates it). But nothing like you’re enduring, so big sympathy
. Glad you’ve turned a little corner….
I did try Aveeno as that is one that used to work well, but sadly Ìt felt like fire. I had that rash in every single skin crease and anywhere I wore underwear. NOT scratching was so darn hard but having seen how bad broken scratched infected skin can get I had motivation even if it stopped me from sleeping.
I think I may be one of the few on this forum who finds steroid tablets mean you do get some bloody sleep. Not so impressed to have been handed the steroid card to go with the cancer treatment card. just keep reminding myself eldest DD (nurse) told me she hoped they would prescribe steroid tablets for me after she saw saw my skin IRL.
Day 4 cycle 3 of paclitaxel. Red flushed face and chest. Same as last cycle which I was told is a delayed reaction. Instructions at pre cycle 3 review was to take piriton. Problem is I can’t cope with the side effects of the piriton at that quantity. Last cycle I was seen at the hospital for it and it was the afternoon, they prescribed 3 piriton across half a day and I felt drunk, excessively tired and unable to even walk in a straight without holding onto something. I’m not going to be able to function on that amount. The hospital already gave me 2 extra days of steroids to try to prevent this, today is the first of the extra days. Feel very fed up.
My biggest worry is day 4 when this happens also happens to coincide with my child’s birthday party next cycle. We’ve planned an outdoor event so it’s safer for me to go but how can I go to my child’s party when I can’t even walk in a straight line?
There’s no way we can rearrange or cancel because of me. Cancer is already taking over life, I will not allow it to take over my child’s special day. I’ve been there for every birthday their whole life and he’s turning 13.
Feel sad, upset, angry and a bit crap physically.
Hi @2kittens My oncology nurses said that they can rearrange a chemo day for an occasion and your sons 13th birthday is a special occasion, so maybe see if you can change your chemo day for that cycle? Would only be a few days hopefully? Defo Worth a chat with them! X
I am fairly certain, based on my oncologists muttering, that both paxitaxel and nab paxitaxel can flare up pre-existing skin conditions. Mine prescribes a steroid infusion pre treatment due to delayed skin reactions, l have the normal steroids for three days and then a five day course of prednisolone after. ( its normally used for allergies that need it) I also take cetrizine each day. If the side effects on piritain are unbearable for you do contact the hospital for advice, Ìt might not be an antihistamine that suits you too well.
Other antihistamines may be possible but cetrizine/ piriton tends to be cheap and tolerated by most. Not all though so do take photos of what your skin does to show to your oncologist. It will help them to work out what can be done to make chemo more bearable for you. Might be worth contacting Sam as she has a similar face reaction to the same drug and may be able to give you tips on what she has found helpful so you can ask your hospital if it might work for you.
Hope you can find something that helps you soon.
Do try and keep yourself hydrated, try and keep your skin in the best condition you can as both forms of paxitaxel can dry your skin out to the hilt. Very dry skin is more likely to rebel.
I have the steroids as a pre treatment and two days of 2 x dexamethasone twice a day on days 2 & 3, this cycle they’ve also prescribed 1 x dexamethasone for days 4 & 5. I had prednisolone after a delayed reaction to CT contrast dye and it gave me thrush down below ![]()
I’m trying to see if I can manage the reaction on non drowsy antihistamines until after lunch then move onto the hard core stuff this afternoon. That way I know I’ll have more chance of making my child’s party. They’re doing Go Ape type stuff and I’ll be taking a comfy camping chair and blanket with me so I just have to manage the journey, eat cake and get home again.

