It’s not bad at all they do it under a local anaesthetic you feel nothing the procedure last about 30 minutes. The community nurse will do a flush once a week which takes 10 minutes. It’s so much more manageable.
Nice photos people, even if they are sideways 
And Rachael, you can call me Gorilla if you like, I don’t mind at all, hehehe. I remember when you had raging sore throat thingy…yes I will call them if it carries on, though tbh it has now mostly turned into snot, luverly!!
Thanks for the tip on the Ibuprofen cream
Yayyyy yes you have Pam!! Lovely to see you!! Xxx
Manuka honey fixed my sore throat - in hot water with lemon. It’s full of goodness. Aldi has it at best price. Anna
Infected cyst in lady garden. On Flucoxcillon now.
Hi Everyone! I hope you are all doing okay :smileyhappy:
I have been enjoying feeling normal and vaguely healthy the last 5 days or so (apart from the standard lack of hair, tiredness, lovely rash and very ouchy mouth!) Its been so nice doing regular things again, dog walks, viewing potential wedding venues, pub lunches and even a few vodkas! During the first 7-8 days after chemo I seem to completely forget what it feels like to be ‘normal’ and assume I’m going to feel awful forever, so its wonderful to feel like a healthy person again, even if it is only for 10 days! To everyone who is feeling rubbish at the moment, hang on in there it does get better!
I have 3rd FEC scheduled for next Monday, which is a special half term treat for me. I guess its better as this means I miss less work and it is one less absence for preschool parents to notice, but it does mean I get to spend my half term holiday whimpering and being able to stomach nothing but soup and ice lollies…sigh! For me getting the 3rd one out the way will be my half way point for chemo which is a pretty good milestone. I have radiotherapy to follow so finish date should be end of Feb/beginning of March. I have just booked myself a (hopefully!) goodbye cancer celebration holiday for Easter as a treat for going through all this horribleness, I am very excited by the prospect!
I will also try and add a photo, although I haven’t yet been brave enough to take one with ‘new’ hair yet!
Emma xx
Hi Emma,
You are at exactly the same point as me in your treatment! Third FEC on Monday then 3 Tax then radiotherapy. I love the idea of a holiday at Easter and think I’ll try to book something! We definitely deserve it. So sorry you feel so bad on the FEC - I have a list of side effects but have not felt too bad overall so feel really lucky.
Hope everyone who has has treatments at the cocktail bar is feeling ok and safely home on give couch. P xx
I would definitely recommend booking a ‘Well Done!’ holiday, its really nice to have something fun to look forward to for when we finish, and doing research and looking at pictures of beautiful places does help pass the time when feeling poorly! I managed to find cheapish flights to the Seychelles for me and my other half and decided to have a crazy moment and booked it, we all totally deserve to treat ourselves after going through all this!
PaulS - how funny that our treatments are in sync, I’m sure I will be on here having a grumble by Monday evening! Its just the nausea that I find the worst, really struggle with getting food down me…and then feel completely drained from not eating anything. Just about got my appetite back so will make up for it this weekend! xx
Loving the sideways photos too!! Now where’s yours Gorilla? Oh a lovely holiday…I spend hours lounging and looking up holidays on the computer! I totally know what you mean about not feeling normal. I forget who I am until day 9. This 3 rd round has taken me into that more. Ps I ate two jars of Manuka honey!!! Expensive, good but only the antibiotics shifted the bloody throat x
Morning peeps, Pam glad your garden is getting sorted, good old antibiotics!!
Emma lovely to see you, and very uncanny your resemblance to my sister in law!!! How lovely to have a wedding, holiday and lots of positives to aim for, I’m with you on that!! My hubby has booked a ‘surprise’ holiday for Easter also, he’s terrible at covering his tracks though lol, so I know it’s somewhere in the Caribbean, I’ll find out though, dog with a bone me!!!
I also write off the first week, it’s like I’m on auto pilot, not ill as such, just weirdly out of it, but I just go with it, and force food down which along with copius amounts of water helps xxx
Hope your voice returned Ness, I’m relying on you for the singsong when we all meet!!
Rachael I know what you mean about the yukky throat taste, I’ve just had a cup of tea but at day 4 I can tell the taste is going again, back to green, ginger or lemon tea and hot marmite, not together though ?,
Having a lazy day today, need to catch up on sleep I think, and I’m buying stuff on Amazon at 3 in the morning that I really shouldn’t be ?, I’m on first name terms with Steve the Yodel driver!!! Lol xxx Sam
Hey Sunbeams
Been off grid for a few days, sooo busy with visits and visitors.
FEC3 today.
I’ve woken up with sore throat and blocked nose. Temperature is fine. I’m sure it’s just a virusy cold (my son has it), and would be totally fine if I took a couple of paras and a cup of tea, but presumably paras not a good idea? Should I even mention it when I get to the chemo unit?
Otherwise, all good. I definitely found round 2 a little tougher than 1, but still quite bearable. Mouth ulcers, stinging eyes, fatigue, all definite SEs, but none too debilitating. My main issue is the weight gain, jeez, eating so much, just can’t stop. So annoying, I was in good shape before all this nonsense. Grr!
A singsong when we meet? Now you’re talking. Fab! And everyone jetting off on fancy holidays. Hmm, you might give a girl ideas…!
Hope your peckers are all up, we’ll soon be halfway with the chemo, and once it’s done, the other shizzle will be a breeze!
x
Pam i think you should call the chemo unit and have a word, safe side and all that, please do just for peace of mind, it’s probably nothing, xxx
Good luck today Peegee!! Bad time of year for all these coughs and colds eh!! Will be thinking of you and sending virtual hugs, maybe a quick call about paracetamol, I’ve not been told not to take it on chemo day, but you never know!! Xxx Sam
Glad your veins are better with the ibuprofen gel Pauls!! Are you off to teach children or adults? I’m just always so amazed at the different do’s and don’ts we are all given in different areas, I was told in no uncertain terms that a primary school was not the place to be during chemo, he had the sign off note ready on the table at my first meeting lol, take care all, and I agree PaulS, it’s so lovely to see the sunbeam faces xxx have a good day y’all xxx
I think Primary classrooms are not the place to be! All those little people and germs! I teach in HE so watch out for people and colds and coughs then avoid them! I have antibacterial gels and wipes and use them faithfully. The ibuprofen gel is fab - veins much better today. P xx
Hi beaming beauties, So nice to see the photos coming up … Kitten household full of snot, coughs, sore throats etc… am considering buying shares in manuka honey and may even have to establish a little private hive of workers, as it really does work like magic. Delightful Easter holiday does sound so great. Are you guys aiming to go away before surgery? How many of you have that to go? I have surgery coming in the summer I think (expander thingy is only temp)… got Cornish holiday coming up for Whitsun, all the family, but might need something more special to mark the end of this awful fecking shi***ing journey (sorry moderator!).
Pam - hope you’ve got some clear advice on temperature monitorong and managing the infection and antibiotics. What rotten luck to get an infection down there and hugs for a speedy recovery PaulS - hope the honey is soothing the path, How are all your families doing? My 14 year old daughter is raising money by CUTTING OFF her waist length hair. Astonishing. It going to be done at school, hair to go to Princess Trust and the funds to our children’s hospital.
Hope you have a good day, cocktail girls get it smoothly and efficiently and bundle up with loads of water afterwards. Don’t be an idiot like me and forget to drink, my god it made me so ill. love and hugs, Anna.
ps Sam, I was also told by my university that I could not teach during (am first year tutor) cos of infection risk and am at home for the semester, hopefully re-starting semester 2 in Februrary…I am in total awe of those of you going into work, I am so hopeless just now, I reckon they’d be asking for their money back!!! A.
Aah Anna what a lovely, lovely thing for your daughter to do, and for an amazing charity, what a little star, although at 14 I’m sure she won’t appreciate being called little lol!
Whitsun in Cornwall will be gorgeous!
After chemo and radiotherapy I’m fingers crossed finished, apart from 10 years of various drugs, they will rescan any lymph nodes left, which can’t be many, and boobs again and fingers crossed all clear, should be march time, so Easter is definitely my end game shining beacon, and meeting all you lovely ladies after we’ve all finished is something I’m so looking forward too, ??
Fruit salad done, injection done, mum hoovering downstairs bless her ?, daughter has day off college so in bed still, amazing what a teenager can sleep through!!
Xxx Sam
Cannot wait to get to Cornwall…been going since I was a baby!!! Defo on the list for Spring x SAMPS you made me crave muffins with butter and marmite. I got up and had toast at 3 am. Still feeling gross… sometimes I start feeling ground down by it…if I tried to work they would carry me out on a stretcher LOL!!! Need to eat digestion easing food today as im bubbling up a bit!!! Feel very cabin feverish!!! Xxxxxx Good luck PEEGEE X
Hope you’re OK, Pam, definitely call them up if in any doubt at all.
All these holiday plans are great As is your daughter, Anna, what a cool thing to do! Quite a lot of you seem to be mums of teens…I’m not quite there yet as my daughter is 11…but she is definitely Practicing For Being A Teenager sometimes, and next minute is back to being all lovely. Hey ho! Feel quite sorry for her, starting secondary school just as all this is going on, but she is coping amazingly well.
Got through choir OK last night…just tonight’s one to go and then half term, hooray!!! The good thing about teaching singing is that as soon as people have lurgys they don’t come, so it’s not a very germy environment! Definitely would not go into a school…especially Primary. I used to be a TA and had snot all the time!!! Much respect to all of you teachers
Daughter and I are off up to Chester on Monday to visit my sister who’s up there for a year, we’re looking forward to it!
Photo will come when computer lets me…until then Gorillas Rule!
Ness xx