February 2012 Chemo
Comments
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Same for me, I have the wig picked out but haven't gone to get it and can't imagine the first day of wearing it out. The wig salon did suggest I pick it up and wear it a few hours a day at home to get used to it then after my hair falls out they can readjust it. But otherwise when I'm home I will be wearing hats or scarves
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Hello teacup! I am also 11 days out, but I just was in the bahroom and ran my fingers they my hair and came away with a hand full of hair. It's starrrtttiinnngggggg. Ugh.
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Hello teacup! I am also 11 days out, but I just was in the bahroom and ran my fingers they my hair and came away with a hand full of hair. It's starrrtttiinnngggggg. Ugh. Has anyone tried the gel band for the wig, does it make more comfortable?
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I do not have much control over things in bc but I do have control over my hair and decided to shave it this coming Sun. I am not waiting for it to start to fall out.
Moon I have not tried the gel band, never heard of it, I have a doo rag I wear under it, or you can get the nylon head cover, problem with that is it rips easily, mine ripped while trying on the wigs, I got the doo rag at a sports store, although they call it another name, players wear it under their helmets
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mthrdee - I am on day 14 today, no noticeable hair loss. I did have my head shaved on day #12 so all I have is stubble though.
gritgirl - my last chemo would be on or about Memorial Day. I thought it would take longer than that so I am glad your post made me look at the calendar.
That is a huge relief actually. Herceptin for a year but that's not a big deal to me.Welcome teacup59! I too feel weird wearing a wig but I think people at work would be freaked out if I just wore a hat. I am just doing hats at home.
moonflwr - sorry about your hair.
I didn't know about gel bands. I am just wearing a thin cap under my wigs that they sell through American Cancer Society/TLC. It is a little uncomfortable at times but not bad. Let us know how the gel band thing works, if you try it.jap62 - I dreaded having my head shaved, and I cried a little before they shaved it off. But honestly now that it's said and done it doesn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would. The wigs are sort of a pain but I have gotten a lot of compliments. Showering takes less time. And I really like to rub my stubbly head...sounds bizarre but I just like it. lol
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Welcome Teacup!!
Moonflwr I know exactly what you mean. I lived in WI in Appleton and actually was born in Sheboygan. WI has some cold cold winters especially near the Lake like that. Enjoy the sunshine while we have it!
I started losing mine 3 days after the 2nd TX and its still coming out if i touch it. lol I was so scared the last few days it was sooooo windy that it was going to blow off my head in chunks! I am not brave enough to shave it yet.. i do have a wig, and I went to have it trimmed on Monday and it jsut felt so foreign to me. But like some of you I need it for professionalism at work. Plus my 9yr old is most scared about seeing me bald. That part just really freaks her out so I am doing everything I can to help ease the transition for her.
I am doing much better emotionally today, thank you for letting me vent and be sad in my time of weakness. You guys are great! Wishing you all a wonderful night!
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Moonflwr - How exciting for your girls. What a thrill that must have been to watch.
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my goodness! i didn't turn on the computer for two days and you guys move so many pages ahead!!!
i could comment on lots but i won't-i'm tired!
tx #2 was yesterday-the nurse forgot the ativan til halfway thru so i went to bed almost immediately after coming home- otherwise all was good!
OH!!! i lost 5 pounds since tx#1 !!!! dunno how with all i ate the last two weeks!!!!
sunday nite my hair started coming out and today i still have quite a bit -proves how thick my hair was cuz a ton has come out!
this morning was neulasta shot -i wore my wig..i have a gel band (it was sent with the wig) but i figured i'd wait to wear it after all of the hair is gone.
i need to take my claritin and go to bed..
loving the sunshine we had yesterday/today!
having issues with my computer so if i'm not here for a few days...
hugs to all!
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Oh Jen! No platitudes here! Huge Hugs. I can only imagine what you are going through because although we both have breast cancer and have chemo we are not going through the same things. Having a 9 year old to guide through this labryinth is complex enough. Losing pets when everything else is raining down on you must hurt like Hades. That hair thing is way more complex than any paragraph that I could write right now or any one that I've written before. And each thing in your life is only one small part of what you are facing and they are all very large small parts.
I hear you sister. I grieve for your losses and pray for peace and rest for you when you are able. And I pray that God will make Himself even more visible and real to you in an extremely tangible way in the next day. In the meantime ... throw it all at Him and don't feel that you are less of who you are because you need to vent, break down, and let go with what this is hitting you with.
Love,
Diana
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Myleftboob - I know ... silly me for wanting my underarm hair and nether region hair to go first?? That's the only way I am ever trying a Brazillian because there is no darn way anyone is ever getting near me with wax down there!!!
Thanks for the encouragement. Can't even explain why I wanted to try on a bathing suit. Just did. Glad you didn't see it as some weird strange thing that I did in February.
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faithhopennluv
So sorry about your pet. I know you want to enjoy him and ease his days too and yet you need to concentrate on your rest and your not having to do double cleaning duty.
I'm so thankful that you were able to have some wonderful days. A boat ride? That sounds like heaven (although for some reason once I had my boys I developed a sea sickness that I never had growing up) so I have to take Dramamine and pray each time I get on a boat.
Rejoice in the wonderful days. I bought a couple hats at a thrift store today. I tried a couple scarves in the mall today but could not make them work the way they are supposed to .. finally decided it was the shape of the scarves and not me. Hey ... a girl can blame a lot on chemo brain ;-)
Love,
Diana
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Oh gritgirl -- not your dogs too! What is it with these little animals and their health issues when right now you gals all need a break from that? I can only ask questions because I have no answers. And despite your difficulties there you are giving advice and a possible solution to a fellow survivor!
I am in awe of you.
Love,
Diana
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myleftboob - and your cat? I am just so very sorry.
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dipad - glad you were able to make it through chemo so well !!
So sorry about your pet too. I feel for all you ladies losing these little critters.
Hugs,
Diana
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Hildy what a great story about your daughter's hair. I recall reading your touching post when you told us that she donated her hair for you for this purpose and now to see you having the blessing of wearing it and it having such a positive impact on you and her and those around you! What a huge, huge blessing she is!
So sorry about the vein issue however. That just sucks. That's all. Next time better I hope!
Hugs,
Diana
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Sissydi ---
The headachy feeling was kinda my first sideeffect. It was like carsick nausea and a headachy feeling (like a headache - not like a head ache) however ... that was my one bad evening the first night.
Hope you feel better!
Diana
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Moonflwr912 -
OMG ... girlfriend .. I am thankful that you are all right and still here. I guess I am somewhat thankful that you got some good sleep at some point ... and that you had a little break from the constant bms.
Get yourself a good piece of paper and a pen and write down your meds and when you take them. Or put a different kind of sticker on some of the bottles. I actually put a red flower sticker on the antinausea meds so that I could find it fast and stay on top of it when I was taking it.
So glad that you are all right!
Hugs,
Diana
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mthrdee (Deirdre) - So glad you are having a run of good days and that you feel up to walking out most days. I know that it is keeping me sane to continue to walk and run through this thus far. I rejoice with you on this.
As you said ... and firstcall ... it would be a good idea to keep track of everyone and when they have treatments and such just in case someone goes AWOL and we want to send out the MPs. I'm not good at spread sheets or anything .. but could do something with the information in an organized manner that would help us somewhat.
Hugs!
Diana
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Okay gritgirl!
If the little green men (and women) land and request "Take me to your leader!" you have to know that I am heading straight for Washington DC and I am not taking them to the White House ... I am taking them to YOU girlfriend!!!!
I've only been to chemo once and my bags were packed and overflowing .... so I think I'll wait on reporting what I took ... although I really was glad that I had it all ... just in case. (Well everything except that portable massage thingy that I brought for my husband.) LOL
Feel a hug!
Diana
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Myleftboob - Yay on the clients!! Yay Yay Yay! And when it's over .. they're not family ;-)
jap62 - definitely did get the steroid rush those first couple of days. It was crazy weird. And I was up and such at odd hours. Felt like I just had to learn to 'sleep when the baby slept' which was whenever I felt like sleeping or resting, because when the baby wanted to be up and going nothing was going to get me to fall asleep! LOL
Jag1110 - so sorry about your horrible night. Those SE seem to not have any rhyme or reason sometimes as to when they will hit next. Hope you feel better and that the cramps go away and the aches.
Hugs!
Diana
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Teacup59!
Welcome! You are not too late! Join the crowd. Bring over a chair or just slide in on the couch with me and firstcall (we've talking runs lately) and we'll make room for you. Of course my husband and his wife will make room for you too :-)
It sounds like you and I are on the same regimen. In fact we must be. You are just ahead of me by a round. I will have 4 dense doses of AC over 8 weeks (total) and then 12 of T unless I feel led to leave a study I am participating in that has the 12 weekly doses of T rather than 4 dense dose over 8 weeks of the T which would be the other way to take it. Are you participating in that study also? And if so ... does that mean we've talked somewhere else on these boards and my chemo brain is keeping me from remembering?
Just had my wig appointment with ACS yesterday and they order wigs on the 1st so it might get here before I lose my hair. We'll see. Of course I don't even know if I can be a wig lady .. but I did find one that I liked they just did not have many around and volunteered to order it in my choice of color. The one that I liked was really a dark hair color (probably closer to my natural hair color in the Winter - sans the natural highlights that I always have). But I was actually pretty taken with the little thing I found after we went outside and tried them there and looked at them in the mirror in natural light.
Looking forward to getting to know you!
Hugs,
Diana (I didn't wash my hair today teacup but I did finally take a shower so perhaps the stench won't drive you away)
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Okay ... here's my report:
Yesterday I ran 5 miles outside. I needed it and it was glorious. Then my girlfriend came over and we drove down to the American Cancer Society in Lincolnshire and I had my wig appointment. I got a little perturbed with her at one point because she was telling me that she watched a show on television the other night and someone had cancer ... and now when she sees a show on television when the character has cancer it reminds her of me and all the things that I've told her thus far. And she said that they must have really studied cancer a great deal because you could tell that this character really felt what someone would feel like.
WHAAAT!!!!????(This almost could have had me saying outloud WTF ... and I don't usually even use language like that ... but it might have been justified.)
You guys probably think I need a new friend! LOL.
Really she is a jewell. But she clearly LOST HER MIND yesterday!
I kept driving down the highway and without missing a beat said to her clearly and concisely ... "EXCEPT that 'he" doesn't KNOW what it's like to HAVE cancer and 'he' isn't FEELING anything. 'He' is a made up character on a television show and the actor gets paid to read the lines that they give him and then at the end of the day he goes home and he doesn't have cancer."
She GOT THE MESSAGE!!!
Just had to share that with you all!
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Okay .. so back to the wig appointment. Of course no trip down to Lincolnshire would have been complete without a text from my brother who wants to come and visit this weekend or next week when I have my second treatment and knows that somewhere around then will be when I will lose my hair ...
and he TEXTS:
"I can bring my hair cutting clippers and we can shave each others heads"
WHAAATT?
Now he didn't know I was driving down to my wig appointment with my girlfriend who had gone temporarily insane ... but really??? I think I could have been in a very bad dark sitcom comedy if it weren't really happening to me. So instead I was more than agitated.
But when I got inside and we were in the appointment room, I asked my friend to just stop a minute and pray with me and then I relaxed back to where I had been before I got in the car with those loonies (LOL) and had a good time trying on wigs and hats and scarves. My friend took pictures with my camera (at my request) and we had a ball with me trying on a bunch of knit and other type of hats that had all been made or donated and were ripe for the picking.
My 'Michelle' wig in a blonde shade will be ordered March 1st and I came away with a small knit cap to wear to bed and such (might catch some of the hair I guess too) and then
1) a pretty bronish varigated crocheted and knitted hat that looked good with and without hair
2) a striped hat made with the little fringe popping up all over the place - I adore it. It is so much fun!
3) and a round knit hat made from some soft but fuzzy blue yarn with variations of color and gives the resemblance almost that I am a synchronized swimmer a la Esther Williams. It looks like I either have short blue hair or a fuzzy swim cap. It's a hoot!
Dinner was delivered from friends from church - a most delectable vegetable soup and loads of bread and a brownie pie and salad. I vegged on the couch with my husband and went to bed relatively early last night. It was a great day really.
Except for those insane people.
Who let them in?
LOL
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and then there was today .... TUESDAY ... (which was actually yesterday)
I went through three sets of pjs last night. Pretty much soaked through a set of flannels the first time, a pair of cotton flannel like pants and a cotton thin t-shirt the second time, and awoke to pretty wet pair of thin cotton jammie pants and a short sleeve shirt (one of my cut down the middle ones even).
My husband reminds me that sometimes I sweat at night! LOL He was such the comedian this morning! I do sweat SOME times .. but three sets??? Ha Ha
Then I made a real birdbrainded move ... I wanted to go walk at the mall and get there in a hurry. So I got dressed in my yoga pants and sweatshirt and threw back some orange juice with my antidepressant meds (two I've been on for a while now - no worries there compatriots) and grabbed an Activia strawberry yogurt to eat on the way. this was about 7:30 am
Walked and walked and walked at the mall before the stores opened. I'm talking hours. Then I called my mom and was talking to her and browsing through some stores. Did stop and drink water at the water fountains. Then I went and tried dresses on at Dress Barn because my nephew is getting married in Florida over Easter Weekend and I would really like to go. And ended up at Sears just browsing around when a friend called around 12:15 pm. And I suggested we go out to eat and even commented on my breakfast but not because I was hungry right then and then talked her into coming into the store to look at these really really SOFT slippers on clearance.
But ... when she was parking ... they made an announcement about giving stuff away and I am all about the FREE stuff. So I had her meet me near the front where the laser light was going off. This was Sears - not the KMart blue light special however. And it turned out that the guy was going to do one of those Jin Su knive, etc. demonstrations. I'm still about the free so thought we should at least stay for the first free thing.
And we're there and we're watching and we're oohing and aahing and being silly with the others so he'll get it over with and give us our free stuff. And all of a sudden I feel this WAVE ... I look at her and say "Anna ... I've got to go sit down." And I take about five steps away to a display shelf and let myself down to the ground with a little crash as I grab the steel partition on my way. And everyone at the presentation looks over at me and the guy keeps going on with his schtick and I wave Anna off and tell her to go ahead and hear the presentation that I'll be okay. And then Sears starts swirling around and I am on one wild, spinning, turning rollercoaster ride. So I put my head down sort of between my knees and lean forward. I can feel the flush on my face. Anna wants to call someone and I tell her "nah .. but maybe you should get the car." So she goes to get the car.
Now this all occurred right about the time the guys is telling everyone what the knives were going to retail for at the store in a couple months and what he'll throw in today and what the price will be. And he keeps droning on.
And Anna returns. And I am thinking that I could buy these knives for my nephew and his bride to be (LOL) Now who is insane???? But then I think better and we leave and get in her car. And she gives me a Ghiaradelli chocolate square that evidently came in the Sunday paper :-) and that does the trick right away ... at least I have something. (Mind you I am not diabetic, hypoglycemic, apathetic, or diabolic (al) )
And I make her swear that she won't tell her husband Joe or my husband Ron. But then she laughs and tells me in her sweet wonderful English with the Portuguese accent ... "No, I am going to tell Joe, 'Diana didn't want to buy any knives so she faked like she was fainting so we could leave.'"
I love Anna!
Word to the wise: Eat More Breakfast. Eat something more substantial than yogurt and juice. And if you are going to be out there for hours ... STOP and EAT something at the TWO food courts that they have that are open for goodness sakes!! Diana you are insane. And you talk to yourself too!!!
I am so silly!
Returned later and bought the green with cream polka dots sleeveless dress with the sassy ruffle that slims to no end for THE wedding! Wonder what it will look like with a bald head. But today ... no worries :-)
Hugs!!!
Me
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PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME FOR MONOPOLIZING THE BOARD LAST NIGHT WHEN EVERYONE WENT TO SLEEP :-)
Final words before I go to bed .....
Happy Leap Day!
May this be the most incredible Leap Day you have ever experienced!
Do one special, special, special thing for YOU today!!!!
4 years from now this will be a WORLD HOLIDAY!
Saturday night, my 19 year old son suggested that each Leap Day should be a World Holiday and I have 4 years to make it happen! You guys are going to rock today!!
LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!
Diana
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Diana, you write such fun stuff, but woman, I could never keep up with you. :-)
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Diana, just a quick question, was this your steroids day???? LOL! Heck, even on my steroids days, I can't keep up! LOL
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Just about to head to bed now, end of day 3.
I had yucky gastro issues today. Felt overly full and bloated, and constipated despite the drugs I'm taking. I mainly blobbed on the bed feeling sorry for myself.
Really hope I sleep okay tonight and have a better day tomorrow.
(((hugs))) to everyone. G'night.
PS - Am I the only one on here who has taken leave from work? You all seem like such superwomen to me!
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Thanks everyone for the warm welcome.
Diana you made my morning, had me laughing out loud.
I dont have a gel band for the wig, it's not so much the way it feels, but the way it looks! I just need to get over it and realize no one else is paying as much attention to me as I think!
Hope everyone enjoys their extra day today!0 -
Diana thank you! I got tired just trying to mentally keep up. I need to get out more lol.
Feeling better today minus the fact I couldn't sleep. So going to try to get up and go ing and maybe get a full day of work in today.
Many sunbeams to you all today. ( we are having storms)0
