It's been awhile...

Hey Teresa

I am sorry that you have had a rough ride with your first chemo.  It is a bummer and all I can suggest is just try and be as prepared as you possibly can for what may unfold.  Reading lots of posts about different things helped me a lot.  Some things you just can't be prepared for as you found out with your trip to hospital you poor luv.  I kept an emergency bag packed ready for the midnight rush to hospital but never had to use it thank god.

I found my hair fell out around the 13 to 14th day.  It didn't start to feel less tingly or sore until I had it totally shaved off.  A number 3 cut still left prickly prickles which weren't nice to sleep on.  I was astounded to watch as your hair follicles just start to lose their lustre and die.  It just showed how the chemo can kill off those good and bad cells so quickly.

I agree with you in that I have no idea how some people manage to work through their chemo, I tried desperately but through all the side effects like chemo brain, bone/nerve pain, nausea etc. etc. etc. I just couldn't do it and I didn't want to let people down either.

I found what helped me was that I took it "day by day and sometimes just hour by hour".  I also told myself a hundred times a day that it is all just temporary and that your taste buds will return, your appetite will return, your hair will grow back and on it went.  Don't feel bad that you can't work or you can't exercise or that you can't manage to put on makeup or clean the house like you used to because on the good days you will and when you get through this crappy journey you will eventually get back to doing all those things that you can't manage at the moment (that is if you want to by then cause you might have different priorities then, I know I have).

Take care and nurture yourself and congratulate your boys for being such a great help to their mum when she needs them the most.

LOL, wishing you a smoother journey that you have had so far, Mich xoxoxo