Hi Amanda, I did tax/cyclophosphide after fec and used cc throughout, I lost most of my hair after first fec but held on to some patches and those bits have grown longer. I contacted paxman, they emailed and said that it can help with regrowth and the success is very individual and can depend on many things ie liver function, overall health etc. Now having finished chemo I hope to grow my hair back, taking supplements (silica, pro amino and vit B complex & magnesium) apparently seaweed and pure gelatine are also helpful. I was short of a full six cycles due to allergies, so we will see how long it takes to grow back considering I had less ‘poisoning’. Hugs to all, Tina. X
Good everyone everyone
ii101 ( sorry don’t know your name) - I take emend and ondesteron for the sickness and haven’t suffered any sickness yet, I think I have been really lucky compared to some of the ladies on here though, do you know know what anti sickness pills you will be having with your chemo.
Julie - I also read some where on here that Lorazapam can help with the aching joints and bones, this might be why I didn’t get this as bad on my 2nd cycle. On my first cycle the aching was that bad I couldn’t settle for nearly 3 days so maybe it is good for a lot of things.
Carol - what is a monofillment wig? I bought a synthetic wig on Thursday and really liked it at the time but since then I am a little unsure, there is so much hair on it compared to my normal hair. I am wondering whether a real hair wig will be better.
Deb - Hope you are starting to feel better with the sickness. A friend of mine bought me a deodrant from the body shop without aluminiunnm in, I thought I read somewhere that there could be a link with breast cancer but I don’t think it is proven.
Sal - Hope you are starting to feel better too. What is Paxman, is this the same as cold cap?
Tina - thanks for the advice about taking supplements for re growth, I will certainly try it.
Vicki - are you going to have emend next time as I don’t have any sickness with emend but they gave me ondesteron too.
Hope you ladies who have recently had their chemo aren’t having a rough time this weekend, it will be my turn next weekend.
Amanda xx
Hi AManda
The Paxman is a cold cap run by a machine, rather than the gel cap from the freezer. Supposed to be more effective against hair loss, and although VERY painful initially it does goes numb after 10 minutes, and so far has worked for me
xxx Sal
Amanda, my wig isn’t real hair-they cost over £200. monofillament is, I think, the way the "hair"is woven onto the cap. it means you can have a parting and looks like your scalp. where the parting is. also the quality of the “hair” is better than my national health one. it cost £140
as for deoderant, I have used Pitt Rock for years, it has no alluminium-as for the link to BC, it didn’t stop me getting it!
Carolxx
Tina, how did I not know you’d finished your chemo?! Did I miss that? Really, really well done to you. does it feel odd now it’s done and are you going onto Rads? Hope the funeral went as well as these things can do.
Amanda, my wig’s synthetic and was very full when I first got it. I got my hairdresser to cut it into my normal style, and that worked amazingly. The place I got the wig from would have cut it for free though - I think most places do that included in the price, so it might be worth asking them.
Sal, poor you with the cold cap agony. I must have an insensitive scalp, as though it’s not pleasant to start off with, I haven’t found it too bad. And as Sal says after the first twenty minutes it’s fine, just feels heavy to me. Hope the vein’s less troublesome today.
Hoping everyone’s well tonight. Here’s to a good week ahead xxj
Hi all
Feel like I’m just starting to come around after this one. Still yuck but my head feels a bit more together. Does anyone else find their senses really heightened on chemo. I can’t stand much noise at all, smells are too much. I had a panic attack in the shower this morning. Too hot, too much pressure. Just couldn’t stand it had to get out. I don’t feel so bad now but it was really freaky.
Am finding it hard to imagine that I still have one more of these to go through before the joys of tax.
Take care all debx
Midge, I find my sense of smell is very acute. after both my FEC I could smell something that smelled to me like some kind of adhesive in my utility room. I eventually found what is was. I had heads of garlic from the allotment from last year hung up but they had begun to rot. I threw them out and lo and behold, smell gone. It will probably be some thing else after the 3rd one on Thursday
Hope you feel better soon
Carolxx
Deb / Carol - agree with you about being more sensitive - noise especially, the telly seems very loud and if I turn it down to a level that is comfortable, no-one else can hear it! Wonder if it something to do with veins & stuff being inflamed by the chemo?
Carol - good luck with 3rd FEC on Thursday
My vein is still really sore, feels like a rope underneath the skin and still can’t straighten my elbow - I wonder if it is because I took fewer steroids this tyime for only 2 days? Need to discuss with my onc nurse I think…
hugs
xxx Sal
thankyou, Sal. I have my own telly-OH always has the telly too loud anyway as he’s a bit deaf!
Carolxx
Hi Ladies,
Can’t beleive l will be on FEC 3 this week! sometimes it seems as thogh it has gone fast, but when l look back it seems slow! and yes to the Noise and Smell, strange that, also this time l have sore eyes, might ask the onc if there is anything l can have, l wear a little eye makeup, but with the sore eyes makeup doesn’t work!!
I see Maria wore gloves when she had her first TAX to stop her nails falling off! anyone else worn cold gloves! they were given to her at the hospital, but she took them off, said they were freezing, so l think they gave her some nail hardner to put on!
So it is Carol, Julie and me this week? or have l missed someone!
Hope your wbc are good girls
Sandra xxx
Helloo Yes - you missed me Sandra ! FEC 2 tomorrow. Saw Onc today, a new one, lovely young lady but looked so young !!! she’s giving me a 3rd med for nausea, to take in addition to the other 2 had last time, if I need it. Hope it works better this time.
Hair falling out has eased up a bit, does it stop now until effects of next treatment kick in ?
Going to see 4 more wigs tomorrow, hope I do like one of them, think I may well need it. bought a sunhat on Weston super mare sea front today, as hair so thin on top. Nice one , with a bit of patterned silk material round it , only £4.50! need to line it though as lots of holes in it, and its too big, how do you keep a big sun hat on in the wind - Weston is always windy! think I could put some towelling inside to grip. Never worn a hat before !
Hope everyone’s treatment goes well this week and few SEs. Kirsty.
Hi Kirsty,
Sorry, yes good Luck to you for your FEC 2 tomorrow, and Vickie will be this week too. Wow four of us! Good Luck Ladies.
Not a kiss me quick hat then?
Can you not get a bit of ribbon the same colour as the silk material round the hat and tie it under your chin! or a bit of elastic, you could always tuck it in the hat unless it is a windy day!
Morning everyone else, hope you are all coping
Love
Sandra xxx
Yes I’m Thursday for FEC3 Sandra. Just got my blood results back and they’re back up so will definitely go ahead. Was so delighted I was leaping around. seems a bit strange when I have all those icky SE to look forward to.
Hello to all - hope you’re all keeping busy out there. Makes the time pass quicker I’ve found xxj
Hello,
long time no post but have sat and tried to catch up with everyone. Had my FEC3 yesterday, it was a long day as the chemo suite was short staffed. I got there for my 9.00 appointment and didn’t leave unil quarter to 4. I was sooo surprised at how hot it was outside, had been sitting in air conditioned comfort all day!! Today I am a lovely shade of red, look like I have had a heavy drinking session but I was really good last night and opened a bottle of wine for a friend but didn’t have any myself!!
My next chemo will be the dreaded Tax, have been reading too many postings about it. Have got my bottle of steroids to take before the treatment and threats of no treatment if I forget to take them!! Somehow don’t think I will forget.
Will have to do a new picture as my wig makes me look so groomed, not at all like my own hair was!! Must go and dig out the background poster!!!
Was also at the hospital this morning to have a chat about my radiotherapy. Will be starting in November with 18 sessions, 3 of them booster sessions over the operation area. Also having radio to the lymph nodes in my neck as I had quite major lymph node involvement. It sounds easier than the chemo will have to wait and see.
Hope everyone is keeping as well as possible. I’ve been so tired recently, just totally washed out but am feeling lucky not to have too many other side effects.
Good luck to everyone, this hot weather is good in one way but adds to the tiredness!!
Hope to catch up with you all,
Gill x
Carol/Julie/Sandra/Kirsty/Vicky - best wishes for this week for all of you…will be thinking of you & hope all goes smoothly.
Kirsty - you could try the Jackie Onassis/Audrey Hepburn look with the hat and scarf (with the big sunglasses of course). Or I have stumbled across some nice ideas on a blog called stylecovered.com - just search ‘Hollywood Hijab’ and ‘Headscarves: Old Hollywood Glamour’ gives some nice ideas from a different perspective
xxx Sal
Hi, Kirsty, if you wear your hat over a scarf, it might stay on.
Good luck for tomorrow, Im on Thursday.
Carolxx
hi everyone,
yep my tax two on thursday and am shit scared!
cold cap didnt hurt me either so must also have non sensitive head!
have just taken the navy blue nail polish off so can redo it for thursday. Have got stripy nails which catalogue every chemo session!
Take care all, good luck with treatments this week and side effects or have fun on your good week!
Vickie
Hi all,
popping in to say good luck to all having treatments this week…thinking of you all and wishing everyone well with no or mild se’s.
To all who had treatments last week hope you are all feeling ok and the better days are returning.
Love and hugs to absolutely everybody
Suze xxxx
Hi everyone.
Day 7 ( do you count treatment day or not?) well started to feel less waves of nausea only to be replaced by constant low level nausea and a cracking headache- from the neulasta I suspect. Great am hoping to get some good days before the next chemo. It is not terrible just a bit annoying. Also only want to eat things that are bad for me. Any way mini moan over. Hope everyone is well- it has finally stopped raining here in the sunny north east. Debx
Vickie, good luck for next tax, I am sure they will give you plenty of antihistamine and hydrocortisone, and keep a real close eye. I can really understand how frightening it is, hope all will go well so you can get this one out of the way and then the finishing line is in sight.
Midge, also had Migraine after neulasta and really bad bone pains. I hope you will have some better days soon! Hugs to all. Good Luck Juile for fec3, have you got some help with the kids for the summer holidays? Tina