Slightly better, thank you, @baldiesrus . Here’s hoping!
How are your feet doing? Any improvements?
Glad to hear you are slightly better, the reduced dose has hopefully helped.
I think my feet are improving slightly…It’s hard to tell as I am being more gentle on them. It could be the gel insoles, the menthol foot cream or natural progress. Could be wishful thinking lol. I am pacing myself more and trying not to do too much. It’s hard when it’s your feet as you need to be on them to get any chores done 
My excuse for the house still being very lived in! lol
Hope you have some sunshine today? Sunshine always lifts our moods…mind you, don’t look at the windows…I foolishly saw how dirty mine are 
Other things to get on with today…Ironing pile beckons…school uniform. Doing lunch first. 
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I bought one of those pill boxes at my local pharmacy. @bea4 
. Its been so useful.
Thanks so much for highlighting them for everyone. 
. .
Although, having a serious chemo brain, at times,( especially just after infusions), did result in me even muddling that up. 
. So they are not fail safe when I am around .
I put tablets in the wrong days/wrong order, one time. Another time, I put morning meds in evening slot and evening in morning. 
.
So my only solution was to initially, make a written plan first. Then, and only then, did I follow that, to get my pills in the right slots in the pill boxes. I even put “blank pills” in a slot once. .why on earth do pharmacists put in “blank” pills. As if we havent got enough to cope with. .
Plus my maths skills have gone to Mars since chemo. I was always reasonable with maths. Now ??? 
May need to hire a rocket or UFO to try and find them. 
.
Im having problems with my Vit D, tablets. 2x weekly for 7weeks. For those Ive used my mobile phone with a weekly reminder. 
. But has anyone heard of transparent, ROUND capsules 
.???
Mine are like ball bearings .
They roll all over the place when I try and get them out of their foil security seal 
. Ive nearly lost them each week, so now I have to make sure that I push them out into a deep dish. But boy do they move. If I dropped one I would never find it again, as it would roll away in to my floorboards, under furniture. Then being transparent … No chance. Lost forever. what were pharmacists thinking when they made those???
Hope you are all having a lovely day. Ive just woken up from my morning nap 
.
…
Glad your feet are feeling a tad better @baldiesrus . That is such good news. Really hope it is because of natural progression. But even if its other things you have been doing, that may just give the foot tissues chance to stop flaring up and over reacting all the time. . Goodness you and @alannah172 have had such a tough time with your feet. And as you say, we need them so much. 
.
Glad to hear you are prioritising your housework. Ironing is a better option than other chores, but … Oooh…dare I say it… 
… Would your boys be willing to get trained up on that one? 
You can tell your men I suggested it
I never did my teenage daughters ironing. They did it themselves. Funnily they actually wanted to do it. But being girls, that often makes a difference. Not that it should really. My male friend’s been doing his ironing for years.
I think you are one truly amazing lady/mother/wife @baldiesrus . To do what you do whilst going through all this cancer nonsense. 
. You are a true star 
Xxx
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Thank you so much for saying that. 
I am lucky that my boys are teenagers and they don’t need much from me except the essentials. Those wonderful ladies with young children that need lots of looking after have a much tougher time, so much more to do. You ladies need a huge hug
I did laugh about teaching them to iron…I think my hubby can iron…I did have to shout at him once, as I caught him using my decent iron to melt the wax on his snowboard!! He had his own iron in his shed, so I had no idea why he was using my one( he probably couldn’t find his…even though it was in plain sight). He never made that mistake again…well, not that I ever caught him . I try not to iron if I can help it. School uniform is a must though…I save it up and have a purge. As a teenager I started doing my own ironing…can’t remember why My kids would rather wear crinkled clothes than bother to iron them…Hmmm not sure where they get that trait from??
Pills are slippery suckers aren’t they. They pop out in the wrong direction and ping where you can’t find them. Transparent tablets, omg , who thought that idea up? you can’t find them if you can’t see them Like the idea of popping them out into a bowl…I’ll have to remember that one.
Hope you had a restful day. Good luck for tomorrow
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yep have to say I love the crinkle trend also @baldiesrus saves hours, abit like the torn jean trend thats gone on for decades . Why patch when you can go frayed? However I do prefer leggings myself.
Fashion is wonderful sometimes..
now snowboard wax that is sooo typical of a man … Sorry guys .
Though you do have to be totally fearless to go snowboarding, so perhaps irons are not something that rates high on their “concerns list”. Well not before the lady of the house intervenes. Well done you. Power to the ladies 
Well, another weekend over, now back to RT. Luckily im not in till 1.15pm tomorrow, so I can have a lie in. But three days this week, and 2/3 of the following week, are 5.30am starts. 
Torturous. . So i intend on making the most of the next two days.
Stretches seem to have stopped the tightened tissues for now. Fingers crossed.
And … I can see my tiny hairs, without my glasses, now. Just need to slightly squint. 
. Still tiny, but lots of them. My new past-time is moving my hand gently over them, to feel how long they are. .
Heres to all you wonderful young ladies, mums, wives, who continue to push on through all this tough stuff whilst looking after your families. 
Never underestimate how wonderful you are. 
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I have an iron, AND an ironing board. They have not locked horns with each other for twenty odd years…
All the best for today’s Rad, @poppy261 . At least you get two better-timed ones this week. Great that the arm stretching is doing a good job. More power to your elbow - literally!
I’m starting to do that with my hair, too! Run my hands very lightly over it! If I’m not careful I’ll make myself bald again! Has yours got any discernible colour or shade to it? Too soon to tell?
How are the feet today, @baldiesrus and @alannah172 ? And how are you feeling, post-last-chemo, @mssteel ?
Has anyone seen @want2beme recently? Sending love and all best to her. And to all of you.
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Happy Monday lovelies - chemo brain struggling to absorb all the msgs but @poppy261 good luck with RT and the getting up , yikes 530am . Xx 
Lots of strong positive vibes for a good week wherever your treatment is at - we’ve got this !! 
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Here’s to a new week ladies, another done and closer to the end of active treatment for us all 
As always, I’ve popped out of the weekend bleurgh feeling more perky! It happens every Monday and I do wonder how it works
Saturday and Sunday are always vile and I think will I ever feel ok … wake up Monday and it seems to diminish to the point I think yes bizarre!!
I’ve hydrated so much and eaten so much protein, if my bloods aren’t perfect I’ll probably have a bit of a menty b 
Wishing you all a positive and good week
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@elastigirl - got the Karcher on charge, windolene shaken but not stirred, squeegee at the ready, polishing cloth neatly folded on windowsill…
…
Same happened throughout my Pac cycles, @alannah172 . Rubbish from Friday onward then perked up a bit on Monday, just in time for bloods. Hope yours are rarin’ to go today! Best of luck! You’re so very nearly there now!
Wish I could eat, but honestly, I’ve been too wiped out to even think about food, plus most things still taste pretty disgusting. I AM managing to get some food down, but it’s a real effort now. Hence bowels are all over the place, plus I’ve not been moving much, …cough is still a constant tiring worry, chemo crust up nostrils is still there, and now feet are sore, erythrodysaesthesia on both ankles! Got 10% urea cream which should help. Am hoping it’ll resolve soon, as I’ve got no shoes that don’t rub on it!
Telephone conversation with Rad Doc tomorrow. I am NOT ready for Rad anytime soon in my current state. I couldn’t even get to the Rad department in this sorry state, let alone hope to control the cough!
Worra wuss, eh?
Hope you wonderful ladies are all doing better.
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Hard to tell re: my hair colour @bea4 . Its definitely a more silver fox look. 
Whereas before, at a No1 length, it was more brown with bits of grey.
But then some say it can come back grey and turn brown later. . So its anyone’s guess really. Happy for it to be either in truth. So long as I dont stay bald. But i think the growing phase will take a few months. Looking online, some ladies have taken a year to be back to a longer length. Genetically that can be a lot sooner if your hair has always grown quickly.
Hope you are feeling OK today. Really odd isnt it, not going for Bloods. Embrace the Freedom. Yeh. You will save a fortune on petrol. 
.
…
Hope you have a good week with chemo and side effects @elastigirl . You are really ticking them off now arent you. Thankyou for your kind wishes re RT. . Yep theres too many nighttime starts this week. 
. I could push it to 6.30am but chances are I wont wake up … Or i will be running around like a mad hatter, as Ive got to be “taxi ready” at 7.30am. All good fun.
Hope you lovely ladies have a good day today whatever you are up to.
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Glad to hear youve got through the weekend of horror 
@alannah172 . These last weeks are the hardest. So sending you lots of love, hugs and strength .
…
Just seen your other Post @bea4 . I missed that one. .
I felt yeuk for a few weeks after treatment. Youve only just had your last one on Wednesday, so you are not through a full week yet.
It does get easier. I couldnt cope with even a thought of RT, never mind having to have it done. But this weekend I did notice I could do more things without my body imploding.
As always, Ive rested loads. Im not silly. I dont feel the need to become superwoman any time soon.
The more I do, the more it hits me hard.
So make sure you rest rest rest. No windows, no housework. And make sure you do eat. Find things you like and have those. The two things I swear by, during chemo, is food/water, and rest.. Everything else can wait.
I find it easy being a sloth. 
I just switch off and ignore the chaos around me. Perhaps thats the easy part of living on my own. But I appreciate when you have been so busy at home, looking after your wonderful husband, its hard to stop. Hard to just rest.
But I also know how awful I felt, to how I felt this weekend. I am feeling more motivated. More willing to do abit more.
I dont like the daily bind of going to RT. My early starts are hard work. But I sleep when I get home.
My taste buds are slowly coming back. Bread is still dodgy. So is chocolate. But I had a coffee yesterday and OH it was sooo lovely. 
If you feel yeuk. Rest. Thats what your body is telling you to do. I sleep inbetween these Posts. Sleep between seeing friends and going out.
But I am feeling brighter. My strength is slowly coming back.
Look after your feet, body and mind, and they, in return, will start looking after you. But give them time. 
. Chemo hammers us hard. Xxxx
Thinking of you and sending lots of hugs and encouragement.
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Funny you should mention BREAD of all things, @poppy261 ! It tastes SO BITTER…wholemeal, white, seeded…I’ve just done two scrambled eggs for some protein, and one slice of seeded wholemeal toast. Utterly DISGUSTING! There’s still the metallic flavour left in my mouth. Easy eatables to find the energy to make like sandwiches have become impossible to eat! I’ll be so glad when this particular side effect disappears, then I might be able to eat more and recoup some energy!
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Hey @bea4
I’ve been feeling a bit rough with this one as expected but I think it feels worse because I had that extra week in between where I felt mostly like a normal person! Hopefully it will pass soon.
Thanks for checking in and hope you’re doing ok aside from the bread issues! x
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Sending you lots of love and hugs @mssteel . So sorry you are feeling grim. Hoping you feel better soon. Thinking of you.
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PHONE ISSUES 
If I suddenly go very quiet, it will be because my phone has given up.
Nearly happened today. Huge panic. Trying to hold back anger and tears as I couldnt get it to switch on.. 
Long boring story. But at the moment it is working. But needing to look at options. I have my bloomin life on this thing.
But I wont be ignoring anyone, I will be digitally mobile challenged
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Tentatively using my phone @bea4 
. Ive not to turn it off. Otherwise I cant switch it back on. The button is dodgy.
Think i may need to buy another one. But not bought a phone for over 10years. OMG thats a nightmare now. They are crazy crazy things.
Anyway less of my phone trauma. Re bread. Its awful isnt it. I use to love bread. Enjoyed sandwiches. But thats a thing of the past at the moment. Luckily I can still taste rich cottage pies, lasagne, pasta, and mild currys. My taste is slowly coming back. I had a coffee on Sunday it was lovely. Had one yesterday, it was awful. So my taste is very up and down.
Met a lady yesterday with throat cancer. All she can eat is liquidised food as she cant swallow normal foods due to the cancer. She said she hates liquidised foods now. Which she can only swallow in small amounts at a time. She may need a port fitting so she can have meals via a tube. Made me think how lucky I was that, at least I could eat. She said how she missed eating textured food/chewing food. My heart really went out to her.
It made me think about how much we take for granted. Id never even thought about how nice it was to even just chew food, never mind taste it.
It also made me realise how resilient our bodies are. She was having RT and chemo together. . Not sure I could do that combination. But then I thought … If she can cope with all that, then I can cope with this … I dont intend to be superwoman, as ive said before, but she gave me hope.
Sending hugs and love to all us strong women in this world, who are beating the impossible. Never give up hope.
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Morning ladies, I hope you all slept as well as you could.
I do hope that those of you that were feeling pants are feeling a little better today…my brain can’t keep track of things.
@bea4 How is your Erythrodysaesthesia today? I hope the Urea cream is starting to help relieve it a tad. Sounds like you could do with some slip on shoes/slippers…preferably fluffy to keep tootsies warm. They can be a pain to try and keep on your feet though. Definitely safer to kick them off before going up or down the stairs…or maybe fluffy slipper socks…if you can bear them to touch your skin. Keep persevering with tasting food that tastes yuck…it does slowly taste better. I didn’t have a problem with bread…I did manage to eat a lot of peanut butter, jam and ready salted crisps( yes all in one sandwich ) yum yum. Lemon curd on rich tea or digestive biscuits( with butter/spread too). I like lots of naughty sweet things…can you tell?
@poppy261 I hope your phone hangs in there…make sure you have saved all your phone numbers to your sim…and if you can, download any photos to a pc. Some phone can be backed up to the cloud, so you don’t lose your stuff. Food for thought.
Hope the RT goes well today. Have a good rest when you get home.
@mssteel Hope you are feeling a bit better today
@alannah172 I hope your bloods went/go ok. Hope today is a good day
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Another inspiring person, @poppy261 , the lady with throat cancer, bless her.
Not your MOBILE!! I hate mine, always have, hardly ever use it if it can be helped. I know most people keep their lives on their phones, but I’ve never mastered the things, I don’t have that kind of versatile brain, not remotely tech savvy. My husband despairs of me sometimes, bless him!
Just looking at new ones -mobiles, not husbands - would freak me out! And the PRICES! I’ve never paid more than about £80 for one, if that! But you NEED one that works, and if yours has a dodgy button, then it’s time to take the bull by the horns. Bad bloody timing, though, just as you get to this stage in your Rad treatment. I suppose on the positive side you could see a new one as a special ‘treat’ to yourself?
Just waiting for the Rad Doc to ring at 11.00, see what he has on offer for me…can’t say I’m looking forward to that conversation, because I’m pretty certain he’ll want to push everything through before my appt with the invisible oncologist on the 2nd November. Which doesn’t give me much time, does it? Certainly not enough for a three week break and 15 days of Rad…not do-able. Maybe I’ll escape with 5 days worth…better wait and see and stop procrastinating!
How are you all feeling today, girls? Hope the Rad goes according to plan, @poppy261 , and that @baldiesrus , @alannah172 , @mssteel , @elastigirl , @daffodil_dream are geared up for the week ahead…
Sending love 
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Thanks @baldiesrus and @bea4! Had a rough night but do feel in better spirits at the moment despite that. I forget every single time that fighting the feeling and wishing for it to just be over never makes it pass any faster and that acceptance of the situation and going with it is usually the quickest way through!
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