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  • Tri
    Tri Member Posts: 247 ✭
    I hear you @lorns totally relate to your beach swim anticipation/apprehension. Sending you positive energy and lots of virtual hugs as you press through!
  • anne983
    anne983 Member Posts: 1 ✭
    edited October 2024
    Thank you 
  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 8,239 ✭
    Woohoo - well done @lorns xx.  Wishing you all the best for the radiation - just keep the lotions & potions up to it 2-3 times a day after each treatment ..... the 'anticipation' is worse than the actual treatment, I found!  ;) 

    I hope your nails & eyebrows & eyelashes come good too xx. 

    take care
  • Katie46
    Katie46 Member Posts: 231 ✭
    Congrats @lorns on getting to the end of chemo 🥳 it's a great feeling.

    My nails suffered on paclitaxel, they went brown and several lifted from the nail bed, a few of them more than half way down. I managed to hang on to them all, kept them as short as I could and used OPI nail strengthener. They grew back, and six months after chemo even the worst ones look normal again.
  • Tri
    Tri Member Posts: 247 ✭
    That’s outstanding news @lorns so happy to see you’re past that phase. I encountered the finger nail issues (basically a few actually fell off and my toe nails!) but they do grow back. Mine came back within a couple of months but they are brittle and a bit prone to chipping so that’s a good tip @Katie46
  • unicorn3
    unicorn3 Member Posts: 32 ✭
    Congrats to finishing chemo. It’s so good to get that out of the way.  Best of luck with radiation, definitely make sure you moisturise as much as they tell you to and keep hydrated
    my nails were really brittle for months after chemo they would break at the slightest touch but I didn’t lose any and have been using nail strengthening polish when i remember. Keep them short so they can’t catch on anything

  • lorns
    lorns Member Posts: 20 ✭
    Made it to 2025! I finished radiation on the 16th December and had my port out on the 17th. All done before Christmas - woohoo. 
    My skin fared pretty well with radiation. I used the StrataXRT gel - expensive (even with onc discount code) but so damn worth it. My skin didn't blister and while it was sensitive and very red, was manageable. 
    We had a lovely Christmas and had a week at the beach after. Note for anyone with compromised nails after chemo - wear covered shoes when walking/scrambling along rocks. I ripped my big toe nail off on the first day when I missed a step up the rocks and caught the toe nail as my foot came down. Eek.
    I went back to work last week. I've been very lucky to have had enough sick leave to take time off while in active treatment. Trying to get the brain going again is hard work and I get soooooooooo tired. But it's nice to be back. It's funny/weird to run into people who didn't know why I was off - and try to work out what to say to them. The new short hair is very different to my old hair cut so lots of people do a double take. I'm about to go get my first haircut to deal with the mullet that's appearing - although my nephew thinks I should roll with it 😊🤣
    I started Zolodex and Letrasole last week. Chemo put me into menopause so I was already dealing with hot flushes, fatigue etc. The joint pains are the worst of it so far. I have the option to switch to another AI or Tamoxifen if side effects are too much. I'm considering having a hysterectomy or at least ovaries out if I tolerate the AI. Save me having to have monthly injections, reduce risk of ovarian cancer and I'm not planning on anymore kiddos.
    It's weird being out the other side! I'm supposed to be "better" but feel like shit, tired, fat and no hair - the irits from the compression sleeve. I put on tons of weight over chemo (steroids suck!) so none of my clothes fit - worst part of going back to work is trying to find clothes to wear. The "nothing fits" uniform I've been wearing all summer is unfortunately not appropriate for work.
  • Tri
    Tri Member Posts: 247 ✭
    That’s a wonderful update @lorns well done you! And here’s to a happy NY.
    That’s a great observation about how you feel now. A friend “warned” me that people can feel adrift. This forum has been a help 🌸☺️🌻!
    In my case I decided that I would treat myself as a “restoration” project, because after 14 or 15 months of treatment, I admit I felt pretty depleted! It gave me time to rebuild before immersing myself into the busy-ness of everything! 
    Your post - the enjoyment of Christmas and the beach and the mullet - gave me a terrific smile 😃 to start the day. Sending you lots of positive energy to manage through the hurdles and hi fives on getting to this point! 🙌 ⚡️💐
  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 8,239 ✭
    oooh, I winced when I read about your toenail coming off @lorns!!    What a great post, tho - Well done on getting thru everything you have, specially the rads - but the aches & pains are exactly that - a pain! grrr    Check our 'search' area re oophrectomy/hysterectomy re hormone control .... 

    Pace yourself at work, as it may well take a while for you to get 'match fit' for 'normal' work again.   Your body has been thru a LOT & is playing 'catchup' xx. The mullet sounds interesting! Get some pics before you get it cut off!  ;)   Make haste slowly, take care

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