#5 ROLLING WITH IT

With last week’s Chemo/Immuno on Thursday they had to push Tuesday to Wednesday this week (to allow for at least 6 days in between) so hello from Chemo Day! Keep up at the back please. Thankfully no blood test required this week so I was in early doors and hooked up by 9.30am and out by 12 noon. And I got a bed this week. Always a bonus as comfort levels go up a notch including a welcome opportunity for a nap.

Been a week of ups and downs. Immunotherapy knocked me sideways again this round and spent Saturday and Sunday feeling a bit rubbish. I feel quite lucky listening to some people’s experiences but that’s not to say I have escaped completely so thought I’d give you a quick low down on the main side effects I am facing. Not because I’m seeking sympathy (as that doesn’t help me in the slightest) but as I’m sharing this journey I am trying to be as honest and informative as I can be.

WASH AND GO (LITERALLY)

Touched on hair loss in last week’s ‘blob’ and not many manage to avoid this. Apparently you can wear a cold cap (it’s a -5º gel cap) during treatment which freezes your hair particles which in theory prevents hair loss. It doesn’t always work and I didn’t even consider it to be honest mainly due to the pain associated with wearing it.

What I hadn’t thought about prior to my own journey, was ‘other’ bodily hair loss. Nose hair has gone! And apparently my eyelashes and eyebrows will also fall out at some point although these are hanging on presently. Strangely after shaving my legs last week my legs are now suspended in ‘stubble’ animation. It’s like they are not long enough to be rubbed out with the towel after a shower but short enough to never grow again. I am in growth limbo.  I am part hedgehog, part Duncan Goodhew.

My scalp is tender and oddly prickles me at night. I found a sticky roller in the draw we bought from IKEA for removing cat hair and after a podcast suggested rolling a lint roller or gaffa tape (extreme! I didn’t fancy getting that stuck and trying to explain that one at A&E) to remove loose hair, I thought I’d give that a go. Did it work? Yes! Do I feel like I have stooped to an all time low. Oh Yes.

TIRED.COM

I don’t think anyone escapes this one. I have had to acknowledge that I can no longer put my foot down and zoom around at 90mph and instead I mostly slowly cruise control my way through the day at a steady 50mph. Some days I am diverted along a restricted 30mph urban road, with speed bumps and heavy traffic, and on those days I often admit defeat and park up. It’s frustrating but it passes and I can restart my engine the next day usually. 

BE KIND TO YOUR KIDNEYS

Loss of appetite can be a problem due to nausea and sickness. They give me an anti-nausea dose before chemo and to be honest I am fine with this as I haven’t really experienced nausea since although I do get ‘off’ days when my stomach feels ‘fussy’ shall we say.

The hospital advises avoiding some food groups (spicy foods, alcohol, orange juice, dairy and herbal remedies) mostly because they are associated with aggravating the stomach or kidneys. The kidneys are working overtime flushing out the chemo so hydration is key. Meanwhile there is a slight metallic taste in your mouth from chemo which is really hard to get rid of. Brushing your teeth several times a day and gargling on bicarbonate of soda or mouthwash is essential.

PAMPER YOURSELF

A podcast I listen to said: “your nails gain a ridge for every chemo” and they do. Advice is to cut them short and use a nail protector. Some people get infections and their nails lift right off. Gross! So I am soaking them in castor oil at night whilst dousing my skin in various oils also to help with dryness and the odd sore. According to hubby I smelt like a roast dinner the other night after I tried out some rosemary/jojoba oil mix. Sunlight is to be avoided due to sensitive skin and very hot water. Thought I’d be excused from washing up but there’s a thing called Marigolds.  Apparently.

THE STOOL SPECTRUM

Without going into too much graphic detail let’s talk poo. They warn you may get diarrhea or constipation or if you’re going for gold, a mix of the two throughout treatment. Thankfully so far I have managed to maintain what I would say is ‘normal consistency’.

When I was in my early 20s and went backpacking through Spain and France I experienced constipation quite badly. Basically, once I hit France all movements ceased – I think a diet of bread and copious amounts of cheese coupled with dehydration were the culprits – and due to our travelling circumstances, it wasn’t very practical to be taking laxatives all the time to release the ‘monster’ so to speak.

So I would wait until we knew we would spend at least 48 hours at a campsite (rather than putting our tent up in a field) and I was safely within a 20 yard dash of the nearest toilets. That was a fun experience I can tell you. The boyfriend I travelled with at the time had Crohn’s disease so his movements were often unpredictable and fluid shall we say. In hindsight, I don’t think backpacking was for us…. I remember coming across an old diary years later where I had written in big bold letters on the front; “HAPPINESS IS A CAMPERVAN . . ”

At this point in my ‘how are you coping with cancer’ perspective, if I don’t “shit my pants” or get piles during this entire experience I feel I am winning on so many levels.