Hi so an update from a day 9 from 1st treatment . I think I posted before all was fine before the grimness of the bank hol week set in ! Just horrible nausea and fatigue but the diarrhoea !!and that has continued. I am happy that today venturing into town with teen son , a bit wobbly, but having made sure toilets sorted first ! Sorry ?..anyway to sum up week one I guess my huge strides of positive thinking just thought i would get through this But knowing this is going to be repeated 6 times over a glorious summer and cancelled holiday is all a bit depressing for me and first time I have hit a blue period since big reveal . Plus normally being mum taxi wife cook classroom assistant I dont sit waiting for the day to be over but thats what I found myself doing . I have got all sorts of podcasts / books / films / netflixs to amuse entertain buy its like the brain says no . Think it will be worse when my colleagues go bk to school next week and i’ll miss the gossip though hoping to meet up with some . How is everybody with visitors? I have had offers of people to pop by but I put off saying I am tired because I cant be bothered. I would never turn down tea and biscuits !! Anyway sorry for long rant … off next monday for some kidney func test at a hospital on south coast . Three tests over 4 hours ? Has anyone else had these? Oh and itchy hair and rib pain ? ( havent had op yet) … good luck to all as we continue ?xx
Thanks tropic sorry if my negative rant sent you down. trip into town and coffee shop with husband and two teens did perk me up . Had a banana smoothie ! Even ventured to sainsburys and argos and purchased a nutrabullet to power me up for all this healthy food I need . Fresh ginger too … ! Obviously had to get back for toilets ? ( smoothie) but feel like I have peeped out over the prison fence at least !xx
Tropic ???darling, keep ???you can do this ?days 7-14 are when you are nadir and neutraphils are low but will pick up days 14-21 are you having the 5 days of booster injectionscon fec or 7 days if you are in t? Also if you go to your local boots or Debenhams it’s usually the ladies on the beauty counters who do the lgfb makeovers so ask one of them to show you what to do for makeup and explain you can’t get in a lgfb till sept, I don’t know where you are in the country but derby Debenhams is doing lgfb on Thursday 7 June 4pm - 8pm I’m not sure if other Debenhams are having one too though. All of you look after each other, hang on to each other and get each other through safely, oh yeh and get some tinsel wigs and coloured wigs and you can rock some of that body glitter on bald heads too, it’ll look great during the summer ???keep ???you’ve all got your ???on and will ?:male_sign:?:male_sign:?:male_sign:?:male_sign:It’s ass ???
Shi xx
Love my nutribullet - took me a while to get used to it but I’ve bought frozen fruits/veg/smoothie mixes (all supermarkets do them) and then you can make anything in minutes. My favourite go to recipe for comfort is sweet potato and kale vegan curry with rice - there are lots of recipes on the internet but we all love it and it’s so easy to make. V healthy too. Also love a sweet potato and kale salad - both from ‘feed me vegan’ recipe book. Not avid vegan but it’s forcing me to eat more healthily
Think I need to look into the nutribullet- sounding good.
So the next saga of my picc line - after Tuesdays terrible experience at a and e, Wed at oncology dept so so much better-bloods showed kidney function good. But was a little shocked by my other blood results - they are all over the place- white blood count and neutrophils really low as in week 2 of cycle- doc seemed happy with them. Gave me blood thinning injection. Thursday back for Doppler scan - this showed 3 blood clots along picc line ?. So now I have DVT in my arm- not great but at least can be treated- daily injections into my stomach for rest of chemo period. Swelling and redness should now clear. Hospital hours this week =9☹️ On a week when 1/2 hour for line flush expected. But now taking a deep breath and getting on with it.
Apart from this have been feeling guilty that I’m good, so much more energy.
Your posts encourage me on my ‘off’ days that the next day will be better.
Take care all and it’s the weekend ?
Hi Shi. Had second chemo yesterday and was prescribed fluconazole for seven days for mouth thrush I had on first chemo. My problem is Im not sure when to start the tabs. Do I wait for the symptoms to start or start taking today. I just can’t seem to remember anything anymore lol XXX thanks
Hi Tanya, your team should have advised you on taking those meds, you need to ring them and find out. Think we’ve all been different in the fluconzole and have been given different amounts of tablets to take, I used to have chemo on a Thursday, then by the morning bday I was on the fluconzole for 7 days which used to coincide with my nadir days 7-14. It’ll be ok and the fluconzole works well. I used to go in armed with a goody bag list, fluconzole 2x difflams, antisickness meds a cuddly toy, wok and a partridge in a pear tree, if you don’t ask you don’t get sometime so get your list ready my darling. That’s great 2nd one 
you May ladies are stomping through ???keep ???Shi xx
@jemPD sounds like a nightmare you poor thing! But sounds like you are managing to see it for what it is and keep hold of positive times. Well done! I’m 3 days into 2nd cycle - hate being reminded of how ‘ew’ I feel but also good that the adjustments to my meds have stopped the worst of the symptoms. But am I the only one who feels like she’s taking a pharmacy of pills over the first week? Think I’m going to go and get one of pill sorters with sections for different times of the day as well as 7 days a week - will at least remove one part of the memory loss challenges!!! ??
Thanks Shi I ring earlier all sorted now mine to be taken when first signs appear. Mine are for precaution x mouthwash and loads of other goodies xx
That’s great Tanya ???best to always rung your unit and check, they want to keep you safe 
??Shi xx
Hets, I did weekly charts and wrote when to take my meds on there and also wrote my temp on there too, so each cycle I had something to check back on too, it helped a lot, you do get chemo brain, I ended up putting door keys in the fridge a few times during chemo ??it happens. And the steroids made us on the Oct thread go online shopping crazy, just to warn you all of that happens, it’s perfectly normal ???Shi xx
Day 17 post first FEC and despite cold capping my hair has started to come out, it isnt much but certainly distressing me as it hasn’t happened before but I guess this is the usual time frame for it to start after reading your posts.
Hope you are all having a good weekend and managing to enjoy the sunshine ?
Hi all,
just catching up on the thread. I think you’re all amazing. Thanks for the positive vibes Shi.
Have felt OK over the weekend although sad not to be doing my usual things in the garden out in the sun and heat. Secretly glad it’s going to be cooler tomorrow. Still hiding away a bit which is unlike me, but hoping to emerge more by the end of next week as the immune system hopefully picks up. Next month will make more of an effort on the good days.
The sore mouth has been my main problem and think I took my first fluconazole too late. Note to self for next time. Might speak to the nurses if it doesn’t get better to ask for more.
I too feel like I am rattling. The first week is definitely the most complicated so also have a table of what and when to help with chemo brain down the line ?. I am in fec. The injection bit is fine really.
Thanks for for the advice on the make up. I’m in East Anglia so will call Boots perhaps in Cambridge to see if I can go sometime. I’m useless at the best of times so need all the help I can get!
@jempd hope you are doing ok now
We we can do this!
Nite all. Going for a bit of normality and will work for a while tomorrow.
Take care
Tropic ?
@traceymac…I think it’s normal to lose a bit of hair around this time, even if cold capping.
To reassure you a bit, I’m not cold capping and lost 40% of my hair by day 20.
However, it then slowed down a lot and now, 7 days passed cycle 2, I’m losing very little at all.
I thought it would all be out by now but it seems to have stopped at a particularly unflattering 30% with additional small bald patch where my parting used to be at the front, so I’m getting it shaved today.
So…although you’re losing a bit now it’s very likely that it will slow down a lot soon, particularly with the cold cap.
And when I lost 30% it really wasn’t visible to anyone except me, as it was more of an overall thinning rather than bald patches.
Sarah xx
@tropic…I was surprised by the mouth ulcers in the second week last month.
Really sore on my tongue.
My dentist gave me Difflam mouthwash on prescription which really seemed to work, although it took a week to clear completely.
Now I’m using it as and when as a precaution, but so far this cycle no ulcers, although it’s early days!
Sarah x
Morning all ?
Its round 2 of FEC for me today. Hoping this round will be as kind on me as the last. My main symptom was Very sore mouth which didn’t come until week 3. It started Bank Holiday Monday until Friday. I also used Difflam which seems really good and would recommend every gets in readiness! On the same Monday my hair really started to fall out in handfuls so on Thursday I had a number 3 all over. Although grey as a badger now I really like it and it’s so much nicer not having loads of hair coming out in my hands. I’m sleeping on a silk pillowcase which is lovely. I had really thick hair so although I’ve lost about 50% and more on my parting, I’ve still got a really good covering and so have been out and about with my crew cut. Apart from the mouth ulcers I feel as though the last 3 weeks I have been able to function pretty much as normal. Couple of days at work in week 3, lovely weekend away in London, power walk every day, socialising with friends and lots of gardening. I know this won’t continue but I’m truly grateful for being eased in gently!
It seems as though generally we’ve all been very lucky with symptoms so far, let’s hope this continues!
Take care everyone, Melissa x
Good morning all, another 
Day here on the south coast. It helps keep my mood positive - walk by the sea later- my go to place.
TeaceyMac - sorry you’re finding hair shedding distressing. I’m also cold capping and feeling anxious re hair shedding. Can I ask how much loss in shredding - sorry but I’ve lost a number of strands this morning, not handfuls but more than normal and feel a bit wobbly. For you amazing ladies who are just embracing it - wow - I’ve been amazingly strong through all of this but feel this may be too much.
Melissa- good luck today, it’s weird to think after next round we will go back to having SE. You are right that we have all done so well , hoping this continues for us all. I just think after each round I can it off and another step closer.
Tropic_al thanks for thinking of me. Re mouth ulcers - i had read on forum and elsewhere Manuka 15 honey really good, has antiseptic qualities. I have 1 teaspoon each morning. Who knows if it helps but just felt it was better to try than more meds. Hope mouth improves v soon.
Quick update re my pesky DVT- arm back to normal size & colour and pain gone?. Not liking injections but manageable.
Just starting week 3- all of your posts about having more energy - see what you mean now!! Trying to pace myself but feel like a Duracell bunny!!
Jem xx
Melsy68 good luck today! I’m day 5 of 2nd cycle - had a ‘normal’ day yesterday and didn’t get any rest during the day - today I feel as if I’ve been run over by a bus! No fever so I think it’s just exhaustion - just a little word of warning from my body to pace myself I think! Xx
Hi everyone your all doing so well keep going!!
I had my 2nd cycle fec Thursday. And touch wood yet again I’ve been fine. The only real symptoms I have are indejestion and a bit of constipation but nothing major!!
Been out in the garden all weekend and have slightly burnt my scalp ? silly me!! Still embracing the bald look and people have been amazing with supportive comment how good I look. Been to maggies today to get my wig trimmed so it’s there if I want it but too warm at the moment.
I was so nervous about loosing my hair but once you shave it and rock the bald look it gives you a boost. I think it’s because your taking control of the situation instead of the other way round.
Hope everyone feeling a little under wether picks up soon!!
Leanne xx
Thanks Sarah for your words, I will use the cold cap again this Thursday for round 2 and see what happens.
@JemPD I am not losing handfuls but it is coming out when I run my fingers through it. Not noticeable to anyone it me, maybe jist worrying too much.