October 2017 Chemo Starters

[Shi]

Hi everyone mums just come into hospital with manuka honey, in Aldi £6.99 you need to ask for it though as not with other honeys. Hope that helps. 💕💕💕✨✨✨shi xx

[Meesh73]

Ha ha Ali, I've done the get a brush stuck in my hair thing to the point that I think they were invented by the devil! Haven't used a brush on mine in about 20 years! Wide tooth comb for me all the way!

[SueW]

Hi just been googling and lots of reports that Manuka honey is as good as the other one but only a third of the price has anyone tried the Manuka? X

[SueW]

Thanks shi got hair kit yip

Not heard of this honey your talking about so will be googling that

Glad you like your wig too Ali x

[DizzyBrummie]

Thanks Jay 😊

[Shi]

Ali49 thanks for tip about life Mel honey, i’ll Be ordering as soon as I get home. Runnerbean, hope your hair stays with you till you get your wig cut😘💕💕💕✨✨✨shi xx

[Shi]

Sue, mai7 gave good advise about scalp care and told me about that scalp care kit from beauty despite cancer, you need to purchase oil additional too though as their new kit doesn’t include it now. Hope that helps 💕💕✨✨✨shi xx

[Jay68]

Thank goodness you've been Dizzy...! What a huge relief for you....! xx

[Ali49]

Hello ladies. Cherry you are in work and you have hair!! Well done you. It will ptobably feelbetter with all the loose ones gone!

You reminded me of the time when we were teenagers and my friend who lived 4 doors away called me at night sobbing! She said please can you come Please!!! I thought her mother had died! Anywsy i rushed to hers to find her with a small round brush stuck 9n the top of her lovely long blonde hair. I was wetting myself laughing trying to detangle it. The more she sobbed the more i laughed. Anyway we got there in the end and we are still friends now!!

I am like a monk today bald on top with a little hair round the sides! But like SueW i am loving my wig and i'm wearing it with confidence! I am even planning on getting another one for a change!

Shi i have got my honey today
It is called LIFE MEL HONEY and it is £38 for 120g. It lasts 12 days and you start taking it the day after treatment. You take 5g of a morning on an empty stomach and 5g at night. You have to suck it slowly. The lady who recommended it to me took it after each treatment and never got any infections at all. Heres hoping!! Hope you get out today chick xx

[Runnerbean]

I have long straight hair so there is not going to be anyway to hide the hair loss once it starts. I’m getting a bit of a prickly sensation in my scalp today and wonder if it’s getting ready to go? I just need a couple more days for my wig to be cut, hats to be delivered and I was going to have my hair cut short on Friday if it lasts that long. I’m also not a sparkly girl but have ordered myself some makeup and pampering things and am going to look on it as an opportunity to experiment. Not sure if said experiment will end well or badly but either way I’m sure it will give my friends and family something to smile about xx

[Shi]

When I get home i’ll Tell you which lady’s have I got, does underarms a treat, I just struck lucky when I bought it. Still casa nhs today, I had hoped to get Home today. Jencat hope you got on ok today. 💕💕💕✨✨✨✨✨shi xx

[SueW]

Being blonde and very fine hair I never been particularly hairy and even armpits was just a quick spruce about every 2 months
Shaved my legs in July before holiday and not grown back yet you may think this is lucky but it does make me wonder if and how quickly my actual head hair will grow back after finishing chemo x

[Meesh73]

Shi, yes I'm post op so know about the razors, hence the hairy gorilla! Might have to invest in an electric shaver but I can't do underarms with that. Itried once and it was painful! Not supposed to use razors on chemo either as risk of cuts and infection ☹️

[Meesh73]

Cherry, I feel your pain! As a fellow curly I am so so glad I had it chopped short. Mine was very long and used to get matted, always struggled to get a comb through it. That's the good thing about curly hair though you can hack at it without anyone noticing! Dizzie good job on the 💩Front! I'm sat here at working laughing my head off reading all your posts, getting some funny looks!

[Shi]

I read somewhere you can keep leg hair... for everyone whose had the op havecypu all got your electric shaving lady shaves? No more nicking hubbies bic razors to do our legs with as read that any nicks and cuts anywhere can bring on lymphedema, just thought I’d mention it, but bet everyone knows this already💕💕✨✨✨shi xx

[Meesh73]

Hello everyone! At work today so bit busy. Jencat, hope today goes well for you. Not sure if you're done yet, but just to say thinking of you!

Karana, hope you're doing ok today. This bc and chemo stuff certainly knocks our confidence and makes us emotional!

Washed my hair this morning (day 14) quite a bit of hair from my head, nada from anywhere else (going to be a bald gorilla 🙊) 😳
Hope everyone else is having a good day!

[Ruth07]

Morning ladies
🍒 Thanks for sharing your hair raising stories this morning 🙂 glad you made it to work with a smile. I am chopping my hair on Wednesday ready for trying out the cold cap on Thursday - thanks to everyone's advice on here. I have my favourite Pinterest cuts ready to show the hair dresser - am aspiring to a Michelle Williams pixie cut but have a feeling I will end up looking more like wee Jimmie Krankie! Still I can at least aspire to Hollywood styling 😉
Finalising my shopping list - funnily prunes have just moved to the top of the list!!
Hope everything goes well today Jencat 🌈🌈

[Shi]

All of you and the May ladies have been my lifeline while I’m in casa nhs, luckily I managed to get a signal, but before I could get the signal it helped so very much just reading and seeing how everyone was doing and recovering, keeps the hope going. Love and sparkles 💕💕✨✨shi xx

[karana23]

I'm definitely a sparkle girl....my life isn't complete without a bit of glitter but as Shi says checkshirt and trainers are fab too....it's just my trainers have glitter on 😂 

Love this forum too...it's so helpful being able to chat to people in the same boat!!  Xxx

[Chaffinch17]

I’m definitely taking this as a chance to experiment with new looks. I’ve never been particularly girly, only wear makeup for our annual Christmas party and rarely wear skirts or dresses. I’ve had my hair cut into a pixie style and am hoping for some good makeup tips at Look Good Feel Better course next month. Will have some fun with hats and scarves over the winter. The scarves are surprisingly easy to tie in fun ways. I have a drawer full of different ones and charity shops have loads of them really cheap. I bought a couple of warm winter hats from a charity shop yesterday although one of them does make it look like I am channeling my inner John McCririck the ex channel 4 racing pundit! It’s so warm though. I’ve given up worrying about what people think of me 😊

[Shi]

Hi dizzy, M&S have got some nice headgear in, like baker boy caps which looked good, I was eyeing one of those up, bit of change from beanies. Nothing wrong with check shirt and trainers, I’m not always a glitter maniac, even though none of us chose this, it gives us chance to explore being a chameleon of styles and what ever suits us on any given day is fine, because as long as we can make ourselves feel fine we’ll get through and when anyone’s having a wobble, then we are all here to help each other through.💕💕✨✨💕shi xx

[DizzyBrummie]

Bubba bubba for me too!!

I’ve chopped my curls to a few inches short on top and about an inch everywhere else to minimise upset at hair loss, I’m hoping the cold cap works but even if it does it doesn’t sound too effective.

I wish I was a sparkly girl but I’m a bit more checked shirt and trainers. There seems to be lots of lovely things I could try but I’m not sure I could carry off. I’ve been brave and got a really beanie I like but after that I’m stumped.

I’m gonna have to face it sooner or later 💖🎀🛍

[Shi]

Thanks cherry bakewell 😘glad your hair sorted. Crumbs we forget we all had a plasticine moment in childhood, mine was hubba bubba bubble gum 😁and sharing all experiences helps us all navigate as best we can through chemo time and with the great May starters guiding us too, we’ll get each other through this and rads and for people still waiting ops and those recovering from ops and anything else 💕💕💕✨✨✨love and sparkles everyone shi xx

[Shi]

Yehhh dizzy had a 💩 I bet you feel better for that. I’ve let jay68 know you’ve been, wanted to share your joy, because it is joyful when you finally go and a relief 😛Sue, I’ve just bought some cheap wigs while I go through this and plan on getting nice one when I’m through chemo. Some of the 60’s bob ones from dressing up shops are suprisingly good these days and look a bit Vidal Sassoon/Mary quant ish and don’t look like a wig at all, so from rapunzel to what ever I feel like, I’ve also got some nice turban type hat things a la liz taylor in the 60’s and plan on styling them out too. I got some glitter lips to sparkle up my lips too before I started chemo, so when I feel like it, I can glitter myself up, hey whatever gets us through right😘and you are all wonderful and have helped me so much while I am here in casa nhs, thank you 💕💕💕✨✨✨shi xx

[CherryBakewell]

Hi Shi

No offence to take!!! Always just grateful when anyone responds to my ramblings. Hope they let you out of Casa NHS very soon 😜👍🏼.
On my way into work (late but hey, hair trauma!!) Actually still looks quite full, bouffant even and maybe a bit better than of late, as I allowed myself the luxury of a blast of cool hairdryer. Figured I didn't have much to lose. There's still a hint of 7 year old girl who got plasticine stuck in her hair and hacked at it with the safety scissors but hey, ho.

Sorry if my morning posts today have been a downer for any of my fellow cold cappers but forewarned is forearmed. Not sure there's anything we can really do to prevent the matting but at least if you know it might be coming it's less of a nasty surprise.

Have a good day everyone

🍒 Bakewell xx

[Chaffinch17]

That did make me laugh 🤣
Don’t worry SueW didn’t come across as flippant at all and even if it had there’s nothing wrong with that 😜.
One of the great things about this forum is our shared humour in a difficult situation 😜

[SueW]

Dizzy I have realised by putting things on here relevant or not is a big help
So apologies in andvsnce for any rubbish I post
Glad your sorted 💩 lolo and I am sure the quizzers will be pleased to know too 🤣🤣🤣x

[DizzyBrummie]

Glad it’s not me just me with a thing for marmite on toast!

As I’m still feeling a little queasy I’ve been limiting myself to what I’ve tried. God apple was bland. Oxtail soup want too bad though. Taste buds are definitely on their way out.

Lactulose worked a treat for any of you wondering 😳💩. Just a shame I sent the message meant for my husband to my quiz team 😂😂😂. Could make for an interesting start to this evening if I make it out.

I have to say that your posts are keeping me going, much love to you all x

[SueW]

Sorry chaffinch hope that did not sound flippant meant to add hope your spots are healing and less painful x

[SueW]

Chaffinch glad to hear the tingling has improved
I got a spot on my chin did not link it to this process was just hoping it was s teenage spot however when I said to my son ooh look I got a teenage spot he said no mom even old people get spots too
Anyone know where I can bury his 21 year old 6 foot 2 body which has size 13 feet ..... how dare he pick on his clearly very aged mother (50 must seem ancient to him ha ha ha ) xx

[SueW]

Karana cheese and marmite toasties are the very best just could not be bothered to go to that much effort this morning also lovely on bagels x
Girl after my own heart 👍

[karana23]

Glad you're loving your wigs Sue, my sister in law is bringing me 2 pink ones today for my fund raising day on Friday, maybe I'll like them better?!

Gotta love marmite, I like a bit of grated cheese on top too but maybe that's coz I just love cheese on everything!! Xx

[Chaffinch17]

I had a huge painful spot on my back yesterday and one in my ear a few days ago. Otherwise skin just dry.
Thankfully my fingers stopped tingling after about day 8.

[SueW]

Taste buds going slowly
Thank goodness I like marmite as it makes the toast bearable I am eating so I can take my steroids x

[SueW]

I am beginning to think I am a little strange as I love my wigs in fact I have 3
I have only wore them when I have been out for meals etc and just go with my shaved number 2 the rest of the time with s hat if my head feels cold
Admittedly chemo was only Friday but I shaved last Monday to number 2 as you all know by now I am sure
Wonder if it is becauseI always had baby fine hair that never grew properly and was never a crowning glory xb

[karana23]

I'm enjoying a nice cuppa with a fig roll biscuit (have a real thing for these at the minute!) sitting in bed watching GMTV before I get up and tackle some housework.

Hope u get on ok at work 🍒 have you thought about a nice woolly hat or is it still quite mild where you are? And I suppose hat hair isn't a good look for anyone when you take it off, maybe not a great idea!! 

Anyone else getting spots?  Woke up with 2 on my chin and I never usually suffer!!

xx

[Shi]

Hi cherry bakewell, so pleased it’s dried and you’ve styled it ok 😁I hope I didn’t offend you in earlier post, I’ve had rapunzel locks all my life and I chopped mine and sent to little princess trust wigs for kids before I started chemo, so that was my way of taking control. Think you are amazing going to work, I’m Day 4 casa nhs after 1st chemo still, what a lightweight I am. Have a lovely day and ✨✨✨✨💕💕💕shi xx

[CherryBakewell]

Morning Karana

Well, as Dizzy rightly said, curly hair can actually hide a multitude of sins. Now that it's dry it actually doesn't look too bad. If you didn't know me you'd probably think I had a normal portion of hair. I can clearly see where I've lopped the matted clumps off but it's fairly well hidden within the waves. Looks like Raquel will have to stay on the shelf for a couple more days.

For any of you lovelies cold capping still with fairly longish hair, you might want to think about another wee trim as my matting was clearly down to the extra length and the loose hairs getting all tangled up with those brave strands still hanging on in there.

🍒 xx

[Chaffinch17]

Sounds like a stressful night Karana, time to relax and do your own thing x
It’s pretty windy here must be worse your way 🍒 being further west. Stay safe everyone especially if we have anyone from Ireland in our merry band!
Rooting for you today Jencat x

[karana23]

Oh Cherry, has it dried off a bit more by now?  This whole hair thing is such a dilemma....maybe you shld get your wig home so that you've got a standby!  I find mine a little scary, so although I've got it at home it's hiding in the spare room in its box in a bag!!! 😱

Good luck Jencat....hope you managed some sleep 😘 Remember to drink lots of water x

Ive not had a great nites sleep but cld have been the fact hubby was up at 2 to be picked up at 230 only for one of the party (the driver) to over sleep and not get here til 330, somehow they made it to the airport and didn't miss there plane!! 

Xx

[CherryBakewell]

Morning Chaffinch!!

Oh, I think flippancy and humour is the only way to cope with all this. Yes, I think I've still probably got too much of my own hair for the wig to fit well. My office is right by the river too, which is breezy on the best of days - think I'm going to have to superglue my wig down!! X

[WhyteFawn]

Thinking of you today Jencat xxx

[Shi]

Hi cherry bakewell, you could always pass it off sad you burn a bit off with the curling tongue if you can pass it off as that. And nothing wrong with a bit of dynasty, own it, we own our wigs they don’t own us, style it out if you go with the wig. Love and sparkles shi ✨✨💕💕💕xx

[Chaffinch17]

I would see what it looks like when it’s dry. Is having a gentle tidy up trim at the hairdressers an option? Presumably you are still going to struggle to get your wig on comfortably on top of your hair too. Can’t you just blame it on hurricane Ophelia? Not a good day to wear a wig! Sorry I’m not being flippant our hair is so tied into our identity. I hope that you find a workable solution x

[CherryBakewell]

Hi Rach

Yep, I have a wig on standby. Doesn't look too convincing though!! Hopefully it'll look better with a bit chopped off. My own hair still looks pretty full, just not sure what it'll look like by the end of the day though... Ha xx

[DizzyBrummie]

Oh Cherry that sucks!!

I don’t know what your curly hair looks like but you could easily have taken chunks out of mine without it being noticeable.

Have you a wig in mind?

Rach x

[CherryBakewell]

Morning Lovelies!!!

So I'm sitting here in my soft rollers, having got up at, what for me, is the middle of the night, to wash and then air dry my hair.

Thought I'd post an update given that it was quite an eventful washing!! As I've previously mentioned my new hair washing protocol is tepid water, in a bowl, special Paxman shampoo, Philip Kingsley no scent no colour conditioner and a very gentle detangling brush - all good so far. Experienced a bit of hair loss as to be expected after the follicle-battering second chemo cycle. What I wasn't quite as ready for was the big matted clumps that formed out of nowhere!!! 😱 They were honestly like the consistency of year old dreads (not that I've ever actually had dreadlocks!!) and no amount of oil or conditioner on the planet was going to un-matt those babies!! I just cut them out, gently brushed what's left of my hair - which at the moment still looks quite substantial but when it's dry must surely look like there's huge chunks missing.

Anyway, the question is - do I go into work today with ridiculous lopped off hair?! Not yet sure quite how ridiculous it looks or do I go and retrieve my Raquel Welch from its shelf in the shop in Penny Lane?? Strangely I'm not too traumatised, probably because my au naturel curly hair was looking pretty rank anyway and wig hair will no doubt look a lot better than my candy floss. If I can just get them to chop some of the weight out of it so I don't look like an extra from Dynasty... 

Hope everyone's doing well today 

🍒 Bakewell xx 

[CherryBakewell]

Morning Jencat

Hope all goes well today. I'll be thinking of you...

🍒 Bakewell xx

[DizzyBrummie]

Jencat, good luck for today. I’m sure it’ll all go smoothly 💖

[Jencat]

Thank you everybody for your kind words and support, they're much appreciated xxx