chemo question please?
Hi all, As some of you may have seen from my past post regarding the return of the cancer, or should I correctly say, it was never all taken at that time even though they said they had got it all wi...
Forum Discussion
I am sorry to hear about your experience with treatment and that you are now looking at chemo. I went through two months of A/C and 'The Red Devil' (doxorubicin) fortnightly treatment. It was rough but I had been warned about the side effects and ultimately the treatment shrunk my tumour. I am now doing three months of weekly Taxol, with far less nausea than A/C. As everyone here says, chemo is a personal experience.
I am not a veiny person but the nurses have had no trouble finding veins, using the ultrasound machine in the clinic. I did not use a cold cap because I thought it might be pointless with The Red Devil and because I was often quite cold. I had lovely mahogany hair. My hair started falling out between my second and third sessions. The third chemo just fried my hair and it just looked awful. I got my husband to do a buzz cut which looked stupid because it was patchy. I went the full Sinead and have been for a few weeks so it grows back evenly.
Preparation was partly practical and partly emotional. I made the mistake of not ordering caps or headwear beforehand and the postage took two weeks! I had to borrow an uncomfortable pink cap from the clinic before mine turned up. I ordered a pretty tie-dyed comfort cap from Elly-K which I cover with scarves. I have a bamboo purple cap from the Hat Show that I wear at night. I found it important to be comfortable, so I wanted bamboo or cotton fabrics, with no big seams. I felt pretty fabrics or colours I love would cheer me up. My cap fits under my sun hat, which makes me happy.
Before I shaved my head, I tried to psych myself by watching the documentary on SBS about Sinead O'Connor about a month ago :'( The week she passed away I had a good cry for her and for my hair. I rang my hairdresser to explain why I had not been back and they were so lovely. My hair was my identity and it took a few weeks to acknowledge the loss. As it gets towards the warmer months and once I get a bit of fuzz on top I might not wear the caps so much, in honour of Sinead <3
I am not a veiny person but the nurses have had no trouble finding veins, using the ultrasound machine in the clinic. I did not use a cold cap because I thought it might be pointless with The Red Devil and because I was often quite cold. I had lovely mahogany hair. My hair started falling out between my second and third sessions. The third chemo just fried my hair and it just looked awful. I got my husband to do a buzz cut which looked stupid because it was patchy. I went the full Sinead and have been for a few weeks so it grows back evenly.
Preparation was partly practical and partly emotional. I made the mistake of not ordering caps or headwear beforehand and the postage took two weeks! I had to borrow an uncomfortable pink cap from the clinic before mine turned up. I ordered a pretty tie-dyed comfort cap from Elly-K which I cover with scarves. I have a bamboo purple cap from the Hat Show that I wear at night. I found it important to be comfortable, so I wanted bamboo or cotton fabrics, with no big seams. I felt pretty fabrics or colours I love would cheer me up. My cap fits under my sun hat, which makes me happy.
Before I shaved my head, I tried to psych myself by watching the documentary on SBS about Sinead O'Connor about a month ago :'( The week she passed away I had a good cry for her and for my hair. I rang my hairdresser to explain why I had not been back and they were so lovely. My hair was my identity and it took a few weeks to acknowledge the loss. As it gets towards the warmer months and once I get a bit of fuzz on top I might not wear the caps so much, in honour of Sinead <3