Happy to say day 3 went by very well with no surprising side effects. Well, I did learn that bacteria overgrowth is happening already and that I was being slack with mouth hygiene so that is now a priority. I did wake up with a bit of a sore throat and some mucus but I wrote it off to maybe having an allergic reaction as that is one of the way my allergies present. I am allergic to toothpaste and brush my teeth with bicarb soda and I thought myself not needing to rinse my mouth with salt... well I was wrong. Luckily I did get get my backside out of the bed at that sore throat feeling and decided to rinse my mouth and gargle with salty water - just in case... Happy to say pain gone and did not return and mucus subsided. I am both shocked and amazed that the bacteria work that fast - less than 48 Hours post being administered chemo they made themselves very very visible... Learned my lesson well and resolved that now will brush plus gargle with salty water both when I get up and before going to bed plus after every meal. I am hoping this keeps that mouth / throat bacteria at bay... I did find that somehow I am still needing to work a bit harder to concentrate as far as my vision goes and to kind of think twice about everything - almost as if I am not believing what I initially perceive to have seen or heard and am probably dozing off a bit too easily if I plonk myself on the sofa but I reckon it may be just my brain releasing from that fear of the unknown that it was dealing with in the past few weeks without me even realising it was happening... Also does not help I have to hide for the rest of this week so not to run into mum (who we are keeping my BC a secret from until she gets back from an o'seas holiday she departs on Sunday for). She lives 1 suburb away so I always fear should I venture outside I may run into her - and she thinks I am at work... I am hoping that after she goes I will be able to get out more and walk in the daylight as being indoors is making me snooze way to much... I should mention that I went to the 'look good feel better' workshop and it was a pleasant experience. I would very highly recommend it as apart from meeting some gorgeous women (both facilitators and attendees) I definitely learned more both about things to be aware off in terms of personal hygiene and caring for my skin and scalp as Chemo starts to take its toll. Interestingly learned that it is not a good idea to take to my hair with an electric clipper thing as I planned to do as apparently we need to lease some hair to help protect the scalp. And here was me planning to shave it all off myself as soon as mum left the country as I truly do not want to wait for it to fall out.... So instead went to the hairdresser and booked myself for a shearing session for Tuesday morning. Figuring he will do a better job since I need to leave some 'fluff' on the scull and make me look less ridiculous that I would do myself. Oh yes, and the workshop definitely reinforced my decision that I am not going to be getting a wig. I mean I guess I should never say 'never' but somehow in spite of how realistic they looked and how the idea of appearing to look 'normal' appealed I cannot get past the feeling that I hate caring for my hair now (I am the wash shake and do not bother to brush girl now when it comes to my hair) and the amount of care that goes into those wigs sounded like the worst chore to me... I cannot imagine trying to stay on top of taking care for myself as Chemo progresses and at the same time caring for a mop of pretend hair more than I would care for my own... I should mention that I am starting to get a very itchy scalp so guessing that is part of Chemo and maybe a sign that my hair will be going fast so again an idea of some pretend hair sitting over my scalp making me even more itchy and uncomfortable is not appealing in the least. So, all in all, I think I have been having it easy compared to many other women as both the steroids and anti-nausea medication have been working for me. Yes I do have a need to snooze more but there is no major tummy sickness about and I am grateful for it. Yes still burping (still amazed I manage to burp muchless to burp at just drinking water) but there has been no nausea. Also Movicol has been working well for me and day 3 visit to the loo was very uneventful (and I was so grateful to have avoided the pain and distress of day 2 attempts...) so sticking to Movicol twice daily as per doctor's orders. All in all I am doing a lot better than I expected to and am so immensely grateful for it. I know there is a lot ahead and it will be getting bad at times but for now planning to enjoy this peace as much as possible plus to try and create some sort of 'self care' routine for myself before things do get worse as i am thinking that I need a routine of both maintaining the more strict hygiene now that I am prone to bacteria plus need to be more organised with meds... So much for me and my day 3 - happy to keep it univentfull :) Jel.

Glad things are going well. I've luckily avoided any mouth issues...my first round I brushed my teeth after every time I ate...which was frequent...but my gums got a little ouchy...so backed off a bit. I now just brush morning and night and floss when I feel I need ...especially after eating nuts. Prior chemo I did have a full dental check and clean which I think has really made the difference for me. Now as to napping...your body has been poisoned and although it's good to do some exercise if you feel able to...if you feel so exhausted you need a nap...well have one. Your body needs repair time also. I've been finding I can do exercise one day and then need a rest day. Best of luck day 4...it was my worst day in all cycles even with additional steroids. Take care. Kath x

Hey missy Staystrong.you re doing great. I m on cold cap trial but my hair came out anyhoo 2 wks ago. Things i wish i had known which might have saved my hair for alittle longer were try not to wash it too much or comb it.trust me on that one. Pigtails are the way forward. If you can give it a gentle wet comb and Pigtails your hair. It saved what i had left for an extra week or so. The itch is a killer cool air on a wet head is the nicest thing! I m not sure what you ve been told about wigs but i ve got one and apart from.the feck does this move to people know moments i m having at the minute. It s really easy to use and look after? Stay strong x

Hi Kath, I know what you mean about dire mouth and gums. Because I cannot use toothpaste I found couple of weeks ore Chemo that bicarb was causing small nicks in my gums so went and bought a soft toddler toothbrush. I have been using that one for the past week and so far so good. The rinsing with salt is starting to aggravate my tongue I think but am going to persist as even this early on my tongue is so terribly coated in white it scares me. The snoozy thing is so weird. I am not feeling overly sleepy but it is almost the moment I close my eyes I can just sleep for ages... for me it is weird as I normally cannot sleep during the day and even at night never get more than 5-6 hrs tops. I know it is Chemo and early days and body is adjusting but still freaking me out I am sleeping this much. And thank you again for sharing your experience with me Kath as it is so helpfull and reassuring to hear what one can expect ?????? Jel.

Thank you for the advice Mirvine ? The lady demonstrating wigs gave us a talk about them and the products and care and such which frankly just alienated me completely. So much so i was the only one there that had no desire to try any of the wigs on. All I do with my hair is wash and towel dry as is and use no products. Always been too much of a tomboy I guess and never been able to get out of bed early enough to do my hair or make up. Itchy scalp is slowly driving me nuts but I am still resisting the urge to scratch as been warned in the workshop that may cause infections so counting the minutes until I can chop it off on Tuesday. I reckon it will be nice and cool after that. Not that my hair is long now - I cut is earlier in the year but it is super thick and impossible to feel cool with it as is. I did not try cool caps as Oncologist said there is no way of avoiding loosing hair on AC Chemo so decided to do away with it ASAP as waiting to find clumps of broken off hair would drive me nuts. My whole life I whinged about thick hair being a curse and how I would prefer it was thin. Now that I am about to experience the 'no thick hair' bit I must admit it is all a bit freaky. Not to mention then being told by the Chemo nurse on Monday leg hair will NOT go. So we loose head hair, eyebrows, lashes, underarm and pubes but legs still require deforrestation ?? I guess the big guy 'upstairs' has a weird sense of humor ?? Jel.

I must say I am pissed off that I still need to shave my lower leg. My upper leg and arms have hardly any hair. I also had my hair clipped at day 18...the sensitive scalp didn't start for me until day 13. Have you got a sleep cap? I find my prickly head sticks to the pillow...even though I have only one patch left...size of 50c piece at my crown. My head gets really cold at night.

AC Chemo - Day 3 | BCNA Online Network

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