Due to start chemo in next few weeks - question about acrylic nails and hair dye

 JelloH  oh I'm so glad to hear that your recovery is going well. I can definitely relate to pressuring myself to do everything right so I'll definitely try to chill out more abd just go along with it and let the experts deal with everything.

I was looking at the exercise book abd was shocked it said to start them the day after surgery!  I'll definitely remember to do those and go for walks.  I'm so used yo being active and going to the m so I'm hoping by then I'll be dying to do anything so a wslj abd chest exercises will be better than nothing.   It is reassuring to know how well you're healing and able to do those things.

How lovely that you live near the sea too.   yes you'll be able to indulge in lovely fresh fish and seaside waljs in the summer!

we live nearer the country side and loads of woodland so I'll have some nice walks. 

Do you drive?   Have they mentioned if/when you can drive after the op?

Thank you.  I really do appreciate you sharing your experiences with me.  Its definitely going to be a work it out as we go along situation. 

Today we bought so much cheese abd Christmas goodies at the farm shop   I intend to fil myself full of so much cheese that I put myself off it do I won't miss it whilst having chemo!

Hope you've had a lovely day xx 

 JelloH and Dolly_D you've picked me up big time this evening! 

The tip on not cutting the hair all off is a good one with the cold cap. I'll remember that one if Im offered it. 

If Im starting chemo January Id better get going with the make up session booking you've both done. I've booked on a meditation course with a website called Future Dreams which was mentioned by a friend. Trying to find something to chill me out as Im tense and not sleeping. Also contacted a support group that meet on Fridays- need to find out when I can drive and am going to join them for a free lunch, chat and they have a therapist there during the day too. There's a choir and an excersise group the breast care support worker emailed through to me that are local. Will look at them in the new year when I know whats what with chemo timetable.

Had a day of loads of phone calls. Set up a covid vaccine and flu now op is done and chemo not started. 

The excersises are fine to do. Im on the week 2 now. But had no drain or reconstruction. I made a video of myself doing them first day which I prefer to follow than the paper.

Going to look at those courses now x

Morning, I’m so glad that my somewhat rambling messages at times have been of some help.
For me, I’ve found my cancer journey at times fairly isolating and very much a job to have to get on with on your own. I must say though, I have a super supportive husband, daughter and family. But most of the time with these treatments/ops/tests you’re just whisked away to ‘get on with it’.

I’m so glad that I ventured on to this forum, in the very short while I’ve been here I’ve learnt tons! All practical things, questions that often pop in your head, questions that may seem silly but are the things that get us through, things that make us feel a little bit better about ourselves.

It’s great to hear that you’re booking into lots of different things lots more support and help with things that can just get you through.

With regards to sleeping and meditation, at the beginning my sleeping was hideous, it was the only time I was unable to ‘shut it off’. I found a few sleep meditations on YouTube that I just run on my phone. It depends what you’re most comfortable with. For me some of the ‘talking’ ones are a bit too much but some of them the voices are just really soothing and somehow get me off for a good few hours. There are a few, again YouTube videos that run all the time which is meditation type music (think posh up market spa!) which are quite nice. And then, this is a personal thing I think - some people can listen to it some can’t (it makes my mum want to throw her phone at the wall!) - finding your right ‘noise’ for me it’s green or pink (there’s also brown, white…) Something else that I just grab a 10 hour YouTube video of and just leave it playing really quietly on my phone in the background and it somehow just helps stop some of the personal noise in your head.

I hope you have a positive day.

Breathe, one step at a time, we’ve got this ️

Well i slept during the meditation course and then woke up (screen off so dont know what happened!) and again I slept for most of the night from 11pm without sleeping tablet. So I'll try those youtube videos again - like you mentioned I'm having difficulty finding one that doesn't get on my nerves!Will perservere!

 Ninsim  I'm so glad that we helped to pick you up 

It sounds like you've been super proactive with joining groups and organising your flu jabs.  How are you feeling after doing that? I'm finding these things give me a sense of taking some ownership on things.

That's great.  I haven't done any courses yet but I've signed up to three online Look Good Feel Better courses in January.  I'll be on the  nailcare course on 8th Jan, hair loss, sculpture care and new growth on 9th January and headgear, wigs,  brows and lashes on 23rd (all being well depending on my chemo appointments)   I'll book the face to face makeup course once I'm well into my chemo. 

That's a good top about videoing the exercises.  I'll remember that.  I'm glad that your surgery recovery  is going well.

I'll be seeing my clinical oncologist tomorrow so I'm guessing I'll start chemo very soon.

I totally agree with JelloH  thos forum has been a godsend.  It's nice to chat tonothers hung through it too and be able tonadk questions and read other people's experiences. 

I've not tried any meditation for sleep but I imagine it would annoy me!   I don't think I'd have the concentration span for meditation!  It must have been a good course though if you slept through it Ninsim !   I'm glad that you've managed to get some sleep though. 

Sending you both big hugs and positive energy  ️ 

Youtube meditation videos are really annoying. But this lady was good, no messing about or talking rubbish just straight into breathing and relaxing. Might book next one 24th Jan if it means quality sleep! 

Feeling like Im doing all that I can to protect myself with the jabs. They looked at me crazy when I said i was 12 days post mastectomy sitting there! But I am doing physically well. Tired and a bit headachy now- the jab might make me sleep tonight! 

Had a nice luchtime walk today. Im having first councelling talk tomorrow just initial consult via Tenovous.  A friend walking with me tomorrow then hygenist appointment will take up the day.

Then Thursday and hospital for results. And plan hopefully. This is still all feeling alien and not me. 

Children are home on Friday school closed. Then Christmas will come and go as it does with a little less fuss and stressing about it this year because there are more important things to bother about than one meal and a few presents! 

Good luck Dolly_D with your oncologist tomorrow, I hope it goes as well as it can and you can start to put a treatment plan in place. It seems a little scary at first, but it’s weirdly calming that you can actually start to put it straight in your head rather than just waiting…

 Ninsim It sounds like you’ve had a really nice positive day today. These always help to carry us through. I hope Thursday goes as well as it can for you  and hopefully you can also start to get a plan to start moving forward.

This is a long and twisted road that we are travelling, learning constantly along the way. With strength, courage, positivity and good open lines of conversation like this, we’ll get there somehow.

Take care Ladies x

 Ninsim that's really good to know.  I might try the course myself as I only sleep if medicated which I know isn't ideal but it's the only thing that's worked for me so I'd been keen to try this.  Which one is it?

That all sounds really positive and I'm glad you're getting out for walks and seeing your friend and have organised some counselling.   That's all great. I'll keep everything crossed for you for your hospital appointment on Thursday.    Please let us know how you get on. 

I completely can relate to what you said about it all being so alien  That's exactly how I keep describing it to people  

And absolutely the right attitude about Christmas.   We've said exactly the same.  We're doing Christmas but without the stress or pressure and I'm enjoying it this way. It'll just be me and my partner at home, chilled out with nice food and no pressure to be anywhere. Going to fully make the most of it!

I've registered for the Macmillan First Steps group tonight.  Apparently they mery monthly and there's walking groups etc too so I'll give those a try.

Hope you're having a nice and relaxed evening   xxx

 JelloH  thank you   yes I'm weirdly feeling better knowing that it's going to be starting soon.  When diagnosed on 1st December my consultant even commented on how healthy and normal the breast looked.  Now it's visibly very swollen and much larger than the other one.   The changes in the 2 weeks since diagnosis have been so fast I'll be relieved to start the chemo. 

 JelloH  Ninsim Thank you for you positive posts.  I'm feeling very lucky that our paths have crossed during this very strange time for us all 

Wishing you both a lovely and relaxed evening xxx 

Hope all goes ok with plan for treatment tommorrow for you. Ive been medicated with the sleep, last night the first since 21/11 that I've slept without a zopiclone tablet all night 11-6ish. Website is futuredreams.org.uk and it was an online so you can look for Lucy Burke and was £11 but if someone can't pay they have email to ask for help with payment. A friend of a friend recomended a cbt tapping course on there- no idea! But it wasnt down so gave this one a go. They have nutrition and pilates, yoga and getting strong type things too. 

 JelloH long and twisted - yup, what a road! Weirdly my breast went worse 2 weeks after finding lump, did think it was me noticing more but then after the biopsy it was so bruised and i just couldnt look at the breast - had to wear a sports bra all the time. Im better with looking at my one boob body now. Just me- lots arent and Ive conversed with someone yesterday on another thread thats really struggling with looking at themselves.

Yes ladies, we will have better days and some not so but lets hold those better ones tight and try to dump the rubbish ones into a big bin somewhere xxxx