Thank you! 2 other people applied but I’ll give it my absolute best shot. Am passionate about the topics
I moisturize before the shower (green bottle called dermol I think)
I don’t put any make up in my skin. The odd times I do inside Drjart hides the redness on my skin (cover up and or fluid) another good one is L’Oréal tinted CC cream. Stacey Salomon keeps talking about it and I have to say it’s cheap and works magic. Light coverage which match your skin tone and gives me an even skin tone. Can get it on Amazon.
I would normally have facial but they involve needles so need to ask if I could have laser instead as it would help my rosacea (I look like a permanently drank person w two red cheeks and now nose and forehead - aggravated by chemo obviously) xxx
You are so strong 
women, well done to you, hopefully you will get the job.
You are so funny dear how you describe yourself 
you developed rosacea before or now with the treatment?
My face is a bit problematic, I had a bad acne in my youth, and now the skin is marked, I don’t use make-up, but I just want it to look better for the party, my face is also swollen and a
little red, I gained weight after the mastectomy 
Thank you for the tips.
We talk soon 
Big hug.
Hi, @daffodil1 is your EC going to be fortnightly?
Mine was and I really felt like I had a week on and a week off- the first week like a bit of a zombie due to the lack of sleep, but it sort of magically lifted the Weds eve following, and I’d wake up on the middle Thurs feeling miles better. Drink loads of water to flush out the EC (the pink wee is a little alarming to start with, but nice to see it fade!). In my first couple of cycles I’d have a small morning nap and another late afternoon nap, just to try to make up for the crap nights, eventually got it down to one a day, but have what you need. also tried to up my dried apricot intake to deal with the constipation naturally- it worked for the most part! (Dealing with the other end of the spectrum now I’m on Pacli 
)
Do you have to do the antibody injections 24 hours after? They can cause aches in hips, thighs and sternum as biggest bone marrow sites, I had mine mostly in sternum which was annoying while my port placement was healing.
The most annoying thing about EC for me was how long the day was but it all depends on when you get bloods done, and if cold-capping etc.
Hope it all went ok today xx
Haha well you gotta laugh a bit right!
I’ve always had rosacea it got worse in my late 30s adult acne, and developed food intolerance which took me a while to realise was also related to skin problem. Stress doesn’t help.Being on combined pill helped for a while and lots of others things like facial and paying attention to food/drinks. Lush is quite good for means la Roche Posay. I keep things simple
good luck for interview pinklilli and rides in Windsor park sound like it’ll uplift you and give you bit or normal back udderly smooth with extra urea from Amazon was a cream loads of us got by the crate back in 2017 really quenched skin well, might be worth a try 
Shi xx
Posted update on June chemo if anyone wants a read.
@annemanc that is a lot of next steps and I agree you need to deal with them one at a time. I know about radiotherapy but still to hear which aromatase inhibitor (Letrozole or Anastrozole and for how long). I had assumed I’d finish after chemo and that’s in two weeks, so will ask at next clinic appt.
I use cold cap and at home I have rapid cool slippers from Amazon and cold packs for hands. They would defrost by them t8em I arrive and have chemo put up, so I use at home and so far not had too many nail issues, a bit of tingling and numbness and pain in feet but not all the time. I know Paxman were trialing some of these arm and leg coolants so hopefully will be rolled out of every hospital.
@frazzledmcsazza yes me treatment is also cumulative and gets more intense, thought having 2 weeks break would lessen side effects but no. Chemo obviously stays in system longer than you think.
@daffodil1 Great news you had your last Paclitaxel, bet that was such a relief. What is next for you or it that it? My skin has flared up with large whiteheads with red ring (pustules), saw GP and was basically to,d to suck it up and least of my worries. I did eventually get some antibiotic cream (fucidin). I’ve had acne/spots/ boils from teenage years until 40, lessen in pregnancy but still there. GP did t comprehend the mental anxiety of this when you’ve suffered for so long, worn foundation for a long as I could remember. Eventually saw Dermatologist after exhausting everything GP could prescribe.The treatment worked well and didn’t need foundation on a daily basis, but it had to stop as it could interfere with chemo.
@pinklilli3s Good luck to tomorrow 
. Great you only have one more cycle, nearly there. I also take a thermo with fruit tea in to help keep warm, with the 4 hours I’m there, I get offered 1 hot drink which is not enough. Due to menopausal symptoms I don’t get that cold on my body. I can totally understand the frustration of not having your usual treatment for rosacea. I would be carful with laser and check with your team. I had a LED mask (red, green, blue light for variety of issues)
and was told not to use it as it uses same waves as the sun and I was told to wear SPF everyday from now onwards.
@plum1 i can understand the trust that everything pushed to the cancer community is very pricey but as @pinklilli3s says La Roche Posey is great and affordable and many items are fragrance free, also Avene both at Boots or various online. For a tinted moisturiser SPF I use Paula’s Choice Resist moisturiser with SPF30 ( mineral sunscreen - better for me) it’s £39 for 60ml many offers with % off to get a good deal. All her products are fragrance free.
@Camy_Radika having spots/acne/redness can be debilitating and especially marks left on the skin, I know I’m a picker and suffered fro my sins! My skin has generally become quite dry but with these spots, I think it’s my body trying to get rid of the chemo in as many ways as it can. I have no energy for makeup even after doing the Look Good Feel Better course but do use my daily tinted SPF and that at least helps a little. 
Thinking all you all brave ladies. It’s not easy but we are doing it! 
Hi @annemanc
I’m same as you had my third Docetaxel today ? Still wired on Steroids! And my last one 21st. Onco on 20th, and MRI on my spine on 28th. This is going to be a fun Christmas !
Have had a rubbish week with two trips to hospital within days . One for extreme sickness and diarrhoea and high temp. I went Christmas shopping in day 10, probs not wise ! I read today that Notivirus hospitalisations are mad at the moment - maybe was that! Online shopping from now on! And also a few days later heart racing mad at 140 bps for 36 hours and temp. Apparently my chemo combo doesn’t cause palpitations so they are baffled . Will get a tracer to wear at home for short time to monitor .
Going to put the decorations up tomorrow before the steroids wear off! Hope you are feeling ok and not too bad when the steroids wear off xx
Hi @copperycat yes exact same dates for final two chemos! Sorry to hear you’ve been in hospital a couple of times. I’ve got an mri on 3 Jan… happy new year present! 
It’s going to be a funny old Christmas but we will all get through it. Brighter times ahead. My 2nd docetaxel seemed much better today and I used the cold mits and slippers so hoping they help. I also didn’t realise last time I could take paracetamol every 6 hrs (the nurse confirmed today) so am hoping that’s a game changer. Last time I did most of it w no pain relief which may be why it was rough. Plus hoping the adrenaline of knowing I’m nearly there will help too.
@daffodil1 my breast surgeon said they found some cancer cells in one of my sentinel lymph nodes. Had a lumpectomy and sln biopsy in mid July. Some discussion about whether to have auxiliary clearance before or after chemo, but mdt decided after. Think I’m going to invest in a physio privately and maybe a personal trainer to get fit. Listened to a really interesting podcast w Liz O Riordin about keeping movement up during chemo, even just for a few mins when you feel rough, and concept of prehabilitation ahead of surgery. So going to give it a go.
So lovely to hear from everyone. You’re all so brave and amazing! Xxxxx
Hi @naughty_boob just read your post on the June thread 
. So rubbish you’re having all these issues, particularly with weekly appointments. It can’t help with the stress and anxiety around treatment. Did you feel the guy today listened to you? So crap, particularly as you’re reliant on husband for lifts. Xxxx
@annemanc yes I took paracetamol and also Ibuprofen 400mg. Doc said it was ok. But to check temperature before taking as it can mask a high one! I’m sure they told you/ you know that that any way . Definitely helps the aches and pains 
That podcast with Dr Liz ( what a guru!) was brilliant! Going to give all that a go. The massage, the exercise , and get my bmi down! It’s 29 , I’ve already lost 1.5 stone. But during chemo not managed healthy eating. Back on it in the new year xx
Yes the chap from the concerns department really felt like he listened and even said I could call him direct and rant if I needed to. He’s not happy with the way they have been dealing with things and once he takes over the management there is going to be a shake up.
I managed to sleep not too bad considering I was wired from steroids but took a sleeping pill so once I woke up it wasn’t too long to drop back off. Managed 5 hours.
Had our shower pump replaced on Monday and now no cold water pumping through so boiling hot shower. Contacted plumber he can’t come back til Saturday, which is not a good day for me but will have to get up and dressed early for his visit. We have waited for 4 weeks for it to be fixed but we could use it with little or no pressure. Fingers crossed it’s an easy fix.
If it’s not one thing it’s another at the moment.
Hi @copperycat
So sorry you’ve not been well and had to visit hospital. So many bugs around at the moment. I wear a mask to help prevent transmission. I have worn them for years as I’m asthmatic and have a heart condition, only caught Covid once in an room that had been occupied by children in school I thought was empty for 30 minute lunch break ( it’s airborne, washing hands is not enough). Since then worse mask in class and ate outside or in car never caught anything for the rest of the year.
Last November I had Strep A and then pneumonia on in new year as I stopped masking in school from September 2022 thinking the vaccines would work but being in a class with 30+ for 6.5 hours with little or no ventilation every thing passes on.
After my two week temperature and infection with inpatient hospital stay I’m being extra careful not to catch anything ore until the chemo is done. It’s not worth it, chemo is bad enough!
Even having chemo the other day heard so many older people say they’d had temperature and sickness only a few days before but sitting for hours with others unmasked who are immune suppressed. You’d think there was a week at least delay before they should attend to protect everyone else.
For exercise instagram there is a lady who does @yogaforcancer and agree Liz O’Riordan is so influential 8n all she does. Lifting weights even if it’s only baked beans or water bottles are good for weight loss as well as adding in enough protein into your diet (eggs, cottage cheese, cheese, lean meat, Greek yoghurt ( I bought Total the other day and it has live bacteria in so can t eat while on chemo but I bought one from Aldi that doesn’t), tofu, lentils, chickpeas and oily fish. They recommend eating some protein at all meals,it will help give you lean muscle. 1g protein per 1kg of your weight as a minimum. I’ve started having egg for breakfast or protein yoghurt with fruit and seeds. I add beans or lentils to most meals it bulks it out and goes further with less meat. Jamie Olivier recipe for meat and lentil spaghetti bolognese is fantastic.
Hi @copperycat. I had really bad diarrhoea on cycle 1 & 2 Docetaxel (Carboplatin and Phesgo too). After cycle 2, oncologist said to avoid milk which I did in cycle three (also tried to avoid cheese as much as possible). Cycle 3 was a lot better so that might be worth a try. He said chemo affects ability to produce the enzyme which breaks down lactose. Seems to be temporary could drink milk from middle of second week without issue.
I also had heart palpitations on cycle two. Was sent to A&E twice. Couldn’t find any issues had loads of tests and a scan for blood clots. You probably need to call your team and my feeling is anything heart related will get to sent to A&E but better to be checked and sent home. Even thought it is so crap, wastes energy and makes your stress levels rise. Good news is it didn’t return on cycle three. Doctor I saw after A&E said hold your breathe for a few seconds as this will slow your pulse. So might be worth trying that and then if it doesn’t work call team. Good luck. I think some of the hardest parts of chemo is just all the scary side effects and lack of reassurance.
Hi ladies,
I seen some of you have one more session of chemotherapy, I am so happy for. Hopefully you are feeling better today @naughty_boob @ @daffodil1 @copperycat @pinklilli3s @Craftyj @annemanc @frazzledmcsazza @plum1 we are all nearly done with chemotherapy, so around Christmas 
we all should be at home in a warm atmosphere, don’t worry about steroids, i had my EC fortnight too, but i was happy to sleep 4 h and then i fall asleep again in the morning, but i had that bad cough too so for me was a bid hard with the sleep.
Don’t forget to drink lots of water and take the steroids with food. As my surgery has been before chemo, I am doing my exercises every morning but when I had those weeks with bad cough I stopped, and I realised that my arm and the place where lymph nodes are removed are back to tight so try to keep you active.
Usually the 3 RT day I was feeling better after EC and I tried to eat those days only small meals and never milk, my stomach doesn’t tolerate, but egs fresh salads, and boiled fruits with honey, something easy for my stomach, so hopefully on Christmas time you all will have a good day and feel ready to celebrate 
.
After almost 4 weeks without chemotherapy I could said I have more energy and more appetite but tired and weeck after 3 pm, so I am doing everything in the morning time and rest afternoon as my legs are hurting and body is weak too. @copperycat sorry you had bad days with diarrhea, the nurse gave me at home a few medication to take and is working (loperamide) I am still using them as well when I have days with diarrhea. Hopefully you will be better next session.
But I am really better now I can said cough almost gone, hopefully lungs are healed.
@naughty_boob I am happy someone finally listens to you and hopefully that will resolve all issues with the appointments 
.
Thank you for all recommendation for skin products.
Sorry if I missed someone else I hug you all and wish you a good time with the treatment. 
Thanks all for your kind responses. Feeling ok just now , though it’s 4 am and I can’t sleep 
.
@naughty_boob you have had such a time of it, hopefully that’s the last until end of chemo!Totally agree about isolation amongst immunocompromised folk. It’s been an eye opener during hospital visits, and chemo room. My chemo diet has about 40 chairs , all sat next to each other . No privacy curtain or anything . No visitors allowed though , have to do it alone . Which is hard but perhaps helps keep germs down a little . Yes, brilliant advice on diet. That’s what I usually do. Lots of protein and legumes, and veg. Just find it hard during chemo. But gone off dairy especially cheese . Just want sweet to counteract the saltiness of everything! Constipation is my usual problem so it’s a juggling match between that and diarrhoea! Roll on the new year and hopefully get back to healthy eating when chemo wears off.
@frazzledmcsazza so interesting you had palpitations same sessions. I’m on Dosetaxal and cyclophosphamide. Onco doc doesn’t think this combo causes palpitations. Coincidence ? Anyway I’m due an appointment to have an ECG monitor fitted on the 19th for 24 hours to see if it picks anything up. Funny I instinctively held my breath during palpitations and it sometimes helped stop them , albeit briefly! Wonder how that works ? It’s a rollercoaster isn’t it!
@Camy_Radika glad to hear you’re finished with chemo. What a relief it must be after all you’ve endured. Will you have radio next? I also had my op pre chemo. And like you feeling it tight in my arm. So hearing Dr Liz’s podcast about lymphodaema really helped me learn about what to be watchful for and great advice on keeping it at bay. I’m due radio in the new year. Not been told yet how much or for how long. Hopefully short and straightforward!
Getting there everyone . End is in sight . Much love to you all
Can’t sleep either, this is my spot in the night to do research and read your post .
Yes I will do radiotherapy, and hormonal therapy too, don’t know how much radiotherapy but electrocardiogram on Monday and scan on following week Tuesday so probably they will decide then. Been in hospital for a while and also they monitored my heart, chemo is hard for our body and working different for us, but hopefully we will be back to normal after all of the treatment.
Because of chemotherapy sides effects, pneumonitis, they stopped my chemo before the 6 infusion, I had a few bad weeks with lungs inflammation, bad dry cough, so only 4 EC and 1 Taxol for me done, but oncology team said is enough chemotherapy and 5 session will be benefits.
I am still on steroids to treat lungs, but better, almost gone.
Now I will go back to bed probably for another 2 h if I am lucky.
Have a good rest my dear, and take care
Hello lovely ladies have you all finished w chemo? I have another round next year EC 4 times over 3 months…then 4 weeks break or so then operation April then radiotherathy. So I have finished this round and am.so happy but the sh*t continues next year for me! Albeit less frequent I am such an active person I dread the operation. I remember the pain from.the biopsies…not looking forward to that.
Trying to bully (literally ) my bf to go away before Christmas which obviously is expensive but it’s beyond the point. I just want to go away. I’ve been in the house, alone 90% of the time and I just want a different scenery. I work from home. I exercise from home. I’ve been sick from home
Anyway did I tell you lot I found a wig? Instill have my hair, it’s thinning but still there just short and actually growing just thin and out of shape now. I just thought I’ll have a back up and options just in case (and for interview) I lose more w EC. Going up to London w a friend who knows someone who can style it and cut. Let’s hope he does what I like as it doesn’t grow back 
Good luck to all of you that have finished chemo xxx
Hi @pinklilli3s my last chemo is not until Jan then like you surgery possibly radiotherapy and a year of hormone treatment. So am in it for the long haul. Enjoy the break and yes get that BF to go away with you. Like you I have largely been home since treatment started. I live near the sea and made it to the beach for a walk last weekend and the change of scene was great. You definitely deserve it.
Good luck with the wig. Hope your stylist does a good job.
Hi @pinklilli3s I’m still going too- I’ve got 9 more Pacli, every Thurs until Feb 1, then a lumpectomy and node clearance early March, all being well, then expecting radiotherapy after that. I’m on Phesgo every 3 weeks for a year, and I guess then something else, tamoxifen or similar for a few years after that?
Roll on next Summer. Completely empathise with wanting a change of scene, at least we’re going through all this in winter so there’s less to miss… but cabin fever is definitely a thing. Perhaps an extreme reaction but I think I want to move flat after this, I’m was already getting sick of the place post-pandemic, this is the icing on the cake. Need new walls to look at! x
@copperycat hope you’re feeling on the mend. I am so sorry you are having a rough ride of it. Looking back at everyone’s comments it shows how many amazing strong women are on here, coping in different ways w a tough situation at Christmas. We will all get through this. I wish I could give each of you a hug. Xxx
Yesterday (on day 2 post Docetaxel and, as w most off the wall decisions I make currently, while whizzing on steroids) I decided to host a party for everyone I love next June (on the Saturday after Summer Solstice) with kids and partners etc. I’ve focussed mainly on all the people who’ve come walking with me, and will add to the list as the months click on. My husband is very shy so we rarely have parties, but this feels different as it’s my party not ours (he’s been so supportive so can’t fault him).
I’m hoping it’s a sunny afternoon so all my friends’ kids can play in the garden. If enough people fancy it I might even order a big cake decorated like a sun! The idea of it has given me a boost. 
I love the idea of a flat move @plum1 and a trip away @pinklilli3s . Feels like the time to be bold. Anyone else got any plans hatching? Xxxxx