Hi everyone on this thread, I haven’t posted here before but have been Reading and wish you all luck.
Julie i had my flu jab last week, just under two weeks after last radiotherapy. My onc said not to have it while on radiotherapy as my body was coping with enough, but it was fine after. Some oncs prefer you to wait til after your 6 week check apparently. It doesn’t counter act the radiotherapy, it’s just so you don’t stress your body too much, so I suppose if you are feeling ok then prob having it is ok! My gp suggested it for me when I took my son in with earache! Then stupid stupid girl that I am, I had it done in my bad arm! Der!
Kerry
Notice you must live near Bakewell and my sister lives near there and told me about a shop in Bakewell which sells fanastic scarves and hats. Apparently there is one woman who works there who helps at the hospice ( I think) and can give really good advice about scarves etc. I was thinking of popping across (I live in Co Durham) before my chemo starts and maybe raiding the shop if it’s as good as she said. Would you have any idea which shop she could be talking about and if so, is she right?
oo Vickie what you like its easy to forget though i think ill ask my oncologist at next appointment,cos although i feel alright i feel more tired now than during treatment . i think ive just breathed a sigh of relief its all over and have been keeping going on nervous energy all these months so now i can just chillax… ha ha
Ps girls Vickie went through all her treatment the same time as me and we have chatted many times on other threads so she can be another Queen pinkie on here for you all xJulie
My name is mel I am starting my chemo on the 10th Nov 3 Fec-t and 3 tac.
I am abit scared. All the tips sound very useful and helpful. Thanks.
I still havent decided what wig I am going to get., I keep thinking that it isnt going to fall out. I am booked in to try the cold cap though.
Hi Mel, even with the cold cap my hair went, just kept a bit around the sides and back. I thought my hair would stay and it was very tough when it went I wish I had prepared a wig just in case that happened. Don’t be scared, waiting for the Chemo to start is horrible but once you know what to expect it’s easier to manage. Your Chemo team will look after you! Take care! Tina
I’m starting chemo on the 12th Nov (FEC 3 treatments, then T 3 treatments + Herceptin) then rads. This is my 1st post to the forums but I’ve been reading them since my diagnosis in July and have found them really helpful and supportive. Sorry for my silence, I’ve just felt shy joining in.
I think, as I’ve read from others, it is in a great part the fear of the unknown and how I will react to the chemo that worries me. But I’ve survived and worked through my fears of the mastectomy/reconstruction and then a complete clearance 3 weeks ago, I am hoping I’ll manage my chemo too.
I want to wish everyone starting soon good luck, I’ll be thinking of you.
Hi to Mel and Puff dont be shy post away we’re a friendly bunch on here and everyones welcome.Ill be thinking of you all this week and i think Puff has the right attitude ( shes over her surgery now and ready to challenge the next step ) concentrate on one thing at a time .Im going in to my hospital drop in session tomorrow to help other new chemo newbies im taking in a copy of the tips .so hope that goes alright.My “suntanned” boob from radiotherapy is going away now aswell and im really having to look closely to see the scar now its healed so well in7 months unbelievable.good luck all you girls starting chemo ill be thinking of you xxxxHugs Julie
Hi to new joiners
I’d like to add that when I started on here what seems like ages but is only a few weeks ago now I felt worried & shy to post & also to contact people but I am finding it just Soooooo supportive & helpful. I honestly think that as well as seeking help & support most people here also enjoy giving help & support too.
It’s so unfortunate that this disease feels like a conveyor belt of people joining. I’ve just got an image of the generation game in my head now when you reel off your diagnosis
3cm tumour… ice cream maker…grade 3… 3 nodes affected…sandwich toaster…triple negative…chemo…rads…cuddly toy… didn’t she do well
Today is my first day alone in the house since my second op (MX) and what am I doing - posting on here - it helps!!!
Hugs to you & just add anything - how you feel, what you had for breakfast, can’t stop crying. there’s always someone else who feels similar, has felt the same & can help especially when they have been through & come out the other side so you get reassurance you CAN do it (she says convincing herself!)
hey pinkies.
xx im soooo glad that everyone is joining in the thread, and we have a lot of us now, that are at the same timelines.
we also have two pink queenies to help us.
so thanx to everyone.
its sad we have have this one thing in common as its not nice for anyone to go through it. but it also nice that we all have each other for questions, support and tips.
what i have found helpful is things that i never ever thought to ask, or things that i hadnt even thought of at all. the cemo tip list is brilliant, and it already has made me feel more prepared.
i have my pre cemo chat tommorow, a heart scan later today, and then a buzy week of meeting up with people, picking up my wig, its jordin if you want to google it. its longer than my real hair, as i wanted somethink differnet.
oh and i need to go and get another pack of sherbert lemons as i ate the ones i got sat, lol, well i had to test them didnt i.
pink hugs
kaz xxx
HA HA poppy yet another sherbert lemon addict maybe that pre-chemo visit to the dentist is in order.xxx Hugs Julie
PS jordin looks lovely did you get it in youre own colour?
Hi everyone. I hope I can join in with you all. I was diagnosed about 3 weeks ago. Have had CT scan and MRI and numerous biopsies. Starting chemo in s couple of weeks. Not looking forward to that and wondering how it will make me feel. Am upset that I will lose my hair. Is anyone using the cold cap? I’ve been quite positive since my diagnosis but am starting to feel angry now. Not for my sake but my children and husband. Would appreciate some thoughts from anyone. P xx
We have the option in this area about cold caps but I know from asking others they are not available everywhere. However, I’ve made the decision not to use it. Reasons being; it’s seems to be 50/50 whether even with the cap you loose your hair and most apparently loose some, it’s adds more time onto the chemo appointment (takes about 3 hrs rather than the 40 mins) and time is a bit of a factor for me, apparently it can be very uncomfortable - some described it as excruciating and I’m a coward when it comes to things hurting and there have been reports of metastases in the scalp. For me I’m just going to accept that I’m going to lose my hair. Someone else said they felt they shouldn’t feel ashamed for having BC and losing your hair was part of the treatment a point of view I can appreciate.
When I’m feeling angry I go and shout at a few sheep. It helps me get it out of my system without the risk of offending anyone and the sheep couldn’t give a toss. They don’t even bother to look up any more - nothing should interrupt a sheep from its grass even some mad woman screaming her head off.
I’ve been baking again today - I really am so bad at this can’t believe I got an impressive o’level (showing my age) grade in domestic science. Today I thought I’d try scones but they really are rubbish - and I followed Deliah’s recipe!! They’re as flat as pancakes but I suppose I could use them as frizbies for the dogs - providing I can afford the vet dental fees!!!
polly pocket i know some people have had good results from cold cap but as already said it can give you a blinding ( ice-cream ) headache and adds lots of time to appointment and some people still loose hair anyway .I didnt bother but not for this reason my oncologist said ( and i have read on here somewhere) because of the extreme freezing temperature to protect hair follicles it can prevent chemo reaching the scalp and brain and i just wanted to make every part of was treated and none of the little beggers were left behind. At the end of the day though it is you’re descision xx Julie
Thank you for making me feel welcome! I’m back at work today and just having a quick peek at the forum!
The chemo top tips list looks invaluable so I’ve copied it in to Word and have printed it out to read, so thank you Julie and everyone else…
I have short hair already and thought I’d feel ok about losing it (not sure why I thought that…?), but as the date to start chemo draws closer I’m becoming more anxious. I went in to the wig/bra/scarf shop at the hospital on Fri and spoke to a lovely and supportive woman there who’s ordering in 2 wigs for me to try on. She said I don’t have to buy them, but the options there if I try them and ‘like’ them.
Better get back to doing some work, but I’ll be back to visit again soon. Take care everyone.
I too considered whether to try the cold cap - partly as other people kept on about it & have decided not to bother. I think it also depends what type of chemo you are having as to whether it works or not plus without a guarantee that it would work I wasn’t prepared to sit in any more discomfort than I had to for the sake of possibly saving some of my hair. Again it is a very personal decision & some people on here have had good results but I personally can’t stand any more pain/discomfort than I have to so wouldn’t add any more to myself & would rather choose a nice wig and some hats instead & be a bit more comfortable.
Jo XX
Hi all.
Thanks for all your comments.It’s making me think twice about the cold cap. It’s all bad enough without any more trauma. Also I didn’t know that it could affect the chemo travelling round the head though I suppose that makes sense. I’m seeing the consultant tomorrow to get results of some biopsies I had last week. He told me that if my lymph glands are clear they do an operation to remove some to check more fully. Has anyone else had this done? If its already in the lymph glands they just get on with the chemo. Am also going for a bone scan on Wednesday that he never warned me about so that came as a bit of a shock. I suppose its a precaution but it makes me wonder whether he thinks it’s spread. Even as i write this it feels really strange. We’ve all entered another world which we don’t want to be part of.
I sound really gloomy reading this back but i’m not like that at all usually. Good luck to everyone.
Polly x
hey polly pocket,
of course you can join in. welcome, your now one of the pinkies. xx
i was totally devastated at the thought of loosing my hair, for me, after years of crap relationships ect ect the one thing people had never been able to take away from me was my apperance and identity, so this for me was worse than the dx its self.
i was adamant i would have the cold cap and and at one point actually thought my hair was more important than having cemo. but that thought didnt last long. for me, i use straightners and gel and have my hair funky, if i used the cold cap and if it worked, i would have to be really careful with my hair, no heat, no products ect, so to me i wouldnt be able to have it as i like ayway, so the best way of having less stress was the wig.
this is also found hard to accept, how will my partner feel when he wakes up next to a bald kaz!! what if it blows off int he wind, what if it itches. what if peoole can tell. I have had breast cancer, im alive, if i can get through that 12 months of no hair a cool wig and funky hats is the way it is to be.
Hope it’s ok to join you all. I’ve already had 4xAC, then a break of 6 weeks so far, and I’ll be starting 4xTax shortly. No date yet, but expecting it to be mid-November.
I found the AC tough, although I wasn’t sick so I have to count that as a bonus. I’m absolutely dreading the Tax, especially the steroids as I found them awful on AC. I didn’t take the prescribed dose after the first cycle, only the one intravenous with the drip, because the made me feel unnaturally angry. But with Tax there’s no way out as they’re given against allergic reactions. Dreading the sleepless nights on them, especially as I have a new baby so I’ll be up regularly to feed and should be making the most of any time I get to sleep
Still, to anyone about to start, I am very happy to report that a 6 week break after AC was enough for me to feel very normal again. Any SEs left hanging over me at the moment are minor, including ugly brown fingernails and sensitive mouth, but nothing to complain about. So I’m trying to look to 6 weeks post-Tax and feeling almost like my old self again. I even have a short covering of hair and stubbly brows and lashes, for those of you wondering if you’ll ever have hairy heads again!
Good luck all. Look forward to meeting you properly.
