Glad your home now Emma! I too was worried that you’d been taken in as you hadn’t been on line. My onc drummed the seriousness of not delaying going to hospital when we either don’t feel well or have atemp by saying ‘this is how we lose peope’ !!! Also have a friend who is a paramedic and she’s told me to call 999 if I can’t get an immediate lift to the hospital.
As you said Elli people are either one extreme or the other. I have a friend who thinks she knows all there is to know about bc because she knows someone (in the USA) how got the all clear last year. If she tells me one more thing (that I already know) I will sceam! Everyone reacts differently!! She’s adamant that because I still have my hair at 2 weeks I’ll not lose any more, just because her friend didn’t doesn’t mean it’ll be the same for me. She means well but am sick of hearing that I’ll be fine beacause I’ve always been strong. It’s not her that has to go through it or have the worry of it coming back.
Am very much looking forward to the extra long lashes, radiant skin and thicker hair! Hope that’s the same if you’ve used the cold cap. Everything has an up side!
I was doing well last week eating really healthily, lotsof organic friut and veg, have to say I felt great. Am now eating rubbish all day long and feeling sluggish and tired. mmmmmm! I cannot allow myself to put on weight… I’m overweight as it is!
Hope you all enjoyed the sunshine today. We had another day at Legoland with my grandson (I’m far too young btw to be a nanna!). Don’t have have a garden so really use it as an excuse to be outside. Thank goodness for annual passes. Only got rained on twice.
Have a nice evening you most gorgeous diamond chicks! xxxx
hi ladies did anyone have a spots on chest back and few on face few days after if so how long does it stay for? xx
Hi, Quinny I had awful spots on my face from day 5 to about day 12. Looked like some acne spotted teenager!!Just awful!!I hope it is not as bad next time. I am hoping my blood work is all right tomorrow so I can go ahead with chemo no. 2 on Friday. Hair is now thinning, but I am still going to keep with the cold cap for at least another try.
Hope you are all doing fine and staying with minimal SEs.
love and hugs, Rosey
mine have come out today day 5 not so many on face but more on chest .do u think they are from steriods? xx
I called the nurse and she said it could be the steroids. She also said that each time is different so it may not happen again, or it just may!! I used TCP on them and tried not to pick at them( which was hard to do as I am a spot popper!!)
Its great to read everyone’s posts.
Quinny- good to have you back;I have missed your posts.
Emma - welcome back; the risk of getting infections seems to be one of the most frightening se of chemo.
Hair seems to be shedding quite a lot today so am having to face the fact that it could well fall out in the next few days. Pauline-well done to your hubby for shaving his head. My hubby did think about it but I don’t think he is brave enough. To be honest he doesn’t have much hair left anyway so I am not sure if people would notice!
Still enjoying feeling normal (getting towards the end of second week after 1st chemo). I am going to take advantage of being off work and meet up with friends over the next couple of days. The oncologist has advised me not to work so I am off at the moment but not sure how long for. I can’t really think more than a day or two ahead at the moment.
Sleep tight everyone
Karenx
Evening Chicks hope everyone is ok tonight - Emma so glad you’re back and hopefully over the infection episode. The management of your infection was appalling and totally mismanaged! NICE guidelines are clear - anyone with a temp of 38 or above and a netrophil count of 0.5 or less is considered to have neutropaenia sepsis and this is a medical emergency! You’re right you should have have had immediate IV antibiotics; the worst thing is to keep you in hospital; expose you to the infection risks there which will be worse than outside and then delay giving the IV antibiotics they would have been better sending you home with oral antibiotics.
I think if we do have to go in we need to folllow Emma’s lead and challenge the staff if they are not responding how we think they should. Just remember the NHS works on a hierarchical process there is always someone more senio around so if you can’t get the response you need from the medical team; use the nursing team and keep asking to speak to someone more senior until someone takes notice.
Sleep tight Chicks and lets stay out of the hospitals!!!
Yvonne xx
Morning sparklers, Hurrah, the big golden ball is in the sky, going to get washing out, then ny friend has a half day on a Thurs. so I think some sangria from markies might be getting downed. She has one of those swinging bench/hammock seats, which is soo relaxing. Have been eating very heathily and eating loads if beetroot and drinking V8 juice, so hopefully bloods dhould be behaving. Tried the travel sickness bands from semi-chem 99p. but they were really tight and the back of,my hands all puffed up, so had to take them off. Fat wrists, as well as everything else I guess. I have been getting a kind of nippy burning feeling the kast 3 or 4 days where my tumour is. Am I being optimistic in thinking the chemo maybe shrinking it before surgery. Hope so. Hear from y soon. Love, Pauline xxxxxx
Hey Pauline… What’s the beetroot, v8 juice theory… Sorry to be dim? Obviously bloods but never heard of it as a remedy… I am quite sure your tumour will be shrinking…
Snoodlefish… My friend sounds like yours a bit. Does my head in at times. She is very kind and lovely mostly. I went to the hospital once with her and while I was in with the surgeon… She was talking to a lady who had just had her mastectomy, after 2years of treatment… Now obviously we know everyone is different… This lady had a different op to me, different age range etc… Completely different challenges. I’m not saying I have no compassion but I got every single detail of that ladies treatment saga on the journey home… Now maybe I would have liked to verbalised my meeting with the surgeon… My options, and on the way in to hospital I got the saga of the mother in laws friend who has breast cancer… Still at least they were still Alive… Nothing worse than the… They died of course at the end lol. I guess it’s one of those things we have to grin and bear.
The weight issue does really bother me, and I do struggle to accept that it’s something for after chemo… Maybe oct to dec… If rads don’t effect me this way. Im overweight too, and put on almost a ston since diagnosis but that’s not all steroids and chemo… I have never been wined and dined so much. I have had 2 lunches this week, and have 2 next week as well as 2 wee mini breaks… I don’t stand a chance tbh… But my bloods recovered really well last time and that’s most important…
I’ll just e a fat rolly polly egg head lol… I’m sooo gorgeous haha. I actually look fine in my wig and clothes tbh.
I look forward to being a goddess with fab boobs… X
Morning BEAUTIFUL belles,
My goodness Emma what an ordeal you have been through. Thank goodness your on the mend now.
Welcome back Donna! Xx
Am all for trying new foods… But I’d rather eat my toenail then eat liver!! Having said that, which does contradict what I said, I do like pate. I guess because it doesn’t look like liver? how does beetroot work?
Am having a bit of low moment… I started shedding on day 13 and am loosing more as the days go by. I am using the cold cap and am totally aware that I will loose some, but I guess I was in denile as to how much would come out. I have every intention to continue with the cap, but was wondering how long did you continue to loose it? Is it everyday until the next cycle? A little everyday until all cycles are complete? Or is the first shed the biggest and then it lessons as you progress through the cycles?
I just need some reassurance. Don’t worry Lily, I am still going to do it? I just need to get my head around how much is going to fall out.
Any who. Sun is indeed out, washing needs to be done so I guess I had better get out of bed 
Have stood day chicks xx Hannah
Morning chicks. Good to have you back Donna, hope you had a nice relaxing break at your mums. Eli, the beetroot is meant to be very full of iron - good for red blood count, can’t stand it myself but also good are almonds, apricots, figs and vegetables like broccoli and carrots. I guess its just a case of eating what you can tolerate, not really feeling like healthy eating at the moment as still a little bit grotty from last chemo. Never mind, I know it will only be for a few more days and then I will hopefully pick up. Hannah, my hair is still shedding loads but then I did not use the cold cap so it will be more likely to come out. Pauline, I’m sure the sensations you are getting must mean the chemo is working, zapping that tumour to pieces! Lets hope so, fingers crossed. Well, think I will go for a walk in the sunshine while it lasts, blow some of the cobwebs away. Have a lovely day everyone. Xx
Morning all Diamonds!
Sorry everyone seems to have had a bad week - and sadly me included -
I have had a really bad headache for the last few days and I have no idea how that happened - maybe dehydration is partly to blame cos I was feeling pretty sick too and for some weird reason my temp was down to about 35.2. Anyway, hotline told me to ring GP and he came out to check stuff yesterday and took some blood.
Today is the first time (for now) that i have felt anything remotely like human since Saturday evening (I really spoke too soon and wont be making that mistake again) I have also managed some breakfast too and have been trying to drink as much as I can when i can.
Does anybody use bandanas? not sure how they work - do they have to be tied or are they elasticated and just slip on? if not does anyone have any suggestions what i can use for this - My hair hasnt stated falling out yet but I get the feeling it will before I get chance to get it shaved off.
Have felt really low as well this week - you probably all think the same sort of things that I do - regarding evaluation of life etc but even though its probably normal to think these things (for us) It doesnt help much and at time I feel so guilty lying in bed feeling sorry for myself when so many of you ladies are going through the same thing and appear to be coping much better - makes me feel kind of weak 
Anyway sorry to drone on girls - hopefully things will improve in the next few days but i have a professional counselling session booked next week so I hope that will help put things in perspective.
On a more positive note I hope everybody is feeling better than they were and as well as they can be - I feel the need to stir myself and do something constructive other than spend evenings watching Big Brother on TV
Hi all
Hair is badly shedding today but will be sad to say goodbye to it. I haven’t cut it short or shaved it - perhaps I am in denial but I also don’t want to pay for a hair cut when it is all going to fall out anyway!!
At the end of the second week after chemo and feeling good. Just been to a friend’s for coffee; something I have done so rarely recently cos I am usually working.
Madmax- I have very dark thoughts sometimes and it is not easy to control them. Only two months ago I was completely ignorant of anything to do with breast cancer and now my life is revolving around chemotherapy sessions and side effects. I think on a day to day basis I am trying to block the whole picture out.I am trying to keep my mind busy on practical problems or doing things I enjoy. This is easier on a good day when you can keep active but when you just want to hit the duvet the mind starts working overtime. I am refusing to think about the future at the moment and concentrating on making each day as good as I can.
The sun is out and that is cheering me up today
Karenx
Hi ladies, Elli the V8 juice is mentioned in the compilation tips of how to get through chemo under the nausea section and ifrbeetroot helps to purify waste products from body and alsp helps the rate at which the liver breaks dowb fatty acids, taking pressure off liver, allowing it to fight more dangerous toxins. (This is quoted from a book I was reading about the top ten detox foods.) Oh and thanks Yvonne, got an aappointment for a LGFB class at end of month at Maggie Centre, Gartnavel which is near the Beatson where I get my chemo. must go. lots of love, Pauline. xxxxxxxxxxx
morning all or should i say afternoon lol .im feeling so good today day 6 after fec .hope it contuines .hope everyone else who has had theres is feeling good to .love to all when do they say your hair start to come out cause i would like to shave mine b4 hand ? xx love and hugs to all xx
Hi Ladies, hope everyones feeling ok, second round of treatment out of the way for me now don’t feel to bad today just hope the constipation stays at bay this time round :-/ Quinny my hair starting falling out 18 days in had to get my hair dresser to cut mine on Tuesday Before my treatment Wednesday the wig it is for the foreseeable future!!
BIG HUGS everyone keep smiling as hard as it is Xx
Michelle
Hi Madmax, we have all been ib that dark hole. I have suffered from bouts of depression on and off for years. At pt I am on prozac (anti-depressent) propanalol anti-anxiety), diazapam (tranquilisers) and zopiclone (sleeping tabs.). When I was younger I had terrible PMT and was quite MAD at times. Its good you have counselling lined up. Make the most of it
. .Dont hold back. I feel that but for the grace of God, some days I could have just given in, but SOMETHING SOMEWHERE,intervenes,… and so I keep going. Please accept my apologies if I have upset anyone
Pauline
xxxxxxx
Afternoon Diamond Chicks hope everyone is well and spirits are starting to lift
Hannah I’m still using the cold cap and my hair is still very much here! I have had my hair cut quite short and it is naturally quite thin so I can’t afford to lose a lot before it will show. I think it is looking quite thin but my family and friends are all adamant that it looks fine - I trust them not to just be kind! I have had two bouts of heavier loss one after each treatment but in between time there is not much coming out. I’m just trying to take it as a bonus to avoid having to wear the wig for as long as possible but also to help with the grow back - I’m told if you use the cold cap, the return to a head of head is quicker so hang on in there Hannah I’m sure it is worth it! I’ve also been told that once you’ve had 3 treatments you will have an idea of whether it’s working. Just make sure it is fitted properly against the scalp each time and there is a tight fit.
Donna I know it can be difficult to deal with the darker thoughts but try not to dwell too much on it eh? This is a disease that can be cured and lets face it a re-evaluation of life and what the important things are is not a bad thing; we are all in danger of not focussing on the important things in life, so beaks up little chicks! xx
Pauline so glad you’ve got a session - hope you enjoy it as much as I did - let me know how you get on xx
Hope everyone’s SEs are minimimal love and hugs to all Yvonne xxx
It makes me sad to see so many of us with emotional issues connected with this - and Pauline It certainly must feel like a horrible place we are in - I have been through a couple of episodes in my life previously when I feel I cant cope and this is another of them unfortunately but I keep teling myself I WILL get through it - eventually!
I dont know about everybody elses weather today but its lovely here! - i think that makes a different to my outlook sometimes too.
My mum just rang to say she wants to rush round here - (after running all over the place already and shes almost 82 )so I told her to put her feet up and take it easy! - tomorrow is another day and hopefully for her - a less hectic one!
So sorry Elli you ended up in the hospital on what should have been your better days!! I hope that you are feeling better than you were and the infection has now cleared
Take care everyone!!
Max xx
I started shedding day 13… Everyone’s different xx