3 weeks in; 3 weeks to go.

Hi Mel77d2f884 

Welcome to the forums. Half way through, keep counting down those days. We all react and cope differently with treatment, the fact you are still at work says you must be coping well. All I would say is take time of if you need it don't push yourself to hard your body is going through a lot and no job is worth it. I found water wipes essential as regular toilet roll was to rough also I wore mens baggy boxers as my skin was sore and girl pants aggravated it. I had my chemo via a picc line and pump and bought a thing called a limbo sleeve for showering which accommodated the picc and pump and all the wires etc and kept them all dry. Good luck for the remainder of your treatment. Sending hugs. Xx

No specific advice, you seem to be doing really well. Just wanted to say use radiotherapists for advice and support if you do start to get any side effects. I managed to keep working but am self employed, I would think you might be wise to prepare to take some time off as the treatment progresses, you might find yourself quite fatigued and having to think about work is just too much. 

Just reading on another thread about the little hand held bidet called Happy Po, and it reminded me - I have one and it is lovely to use to clean your bottom, then you can just pat dry.

All the best

Mel77d2f884 

I didn't have to work, and am full of admiration that you have continued as the fatigue can be overwhelming.  You may well have to give yourself a bit of leeway in in the coming weeks and take sick leave, possibly for longer than a few days.  You are having cancer treatment after all and this particular regimen is widely recognised as being tough.

Keep on with the moisturising all the way through (although no thick creams before treatment) and plenty of rest.  When treatment finishes you may well need additional pain relief including opioid drugs which cause constipation.  If you do need those, remember to stop the loperamide and a daily Laxido (stool softener) helps keep the stool soft when opeing the bowels.

Very best of luck, and remember we are always here to help.

Irene xx

Thanks for the message! I've already requested time off around the time of my second chemo treatment. I was feeling a bit fatigued this week - so I'm assuming that's a sign of things to come. I bought a bidet attachment that hooks into my regular toilet.  It's been a lifesaver!

Thanks for the kind words of support.  I'm definitely preparing to take sick leave as needed. I've learned to listen to my doctors - who have told me to listen to my body!

The creams and the bidet attachment to my toilet have been welcome relief.

Thanks for the support!  I have a port - which has been helpful with the chemo, and hydration.  

I have water wipes and a bidet.  The two have been lifesavers considering the amount of time I now spend in the bathroom.

Hi Mel77d2f884 ,

Firstly a huge well done for completing the first half of your treatment, you’ve done amazing being able to keep up your normal hours at work too! I’m in awe of you because although I held up great physically almost to the end of my treatment (aside from a little soreness & some radiation cystitis) the fatigue really did get the better of me quite early on & I found myself having to take a nap each day following my radiotherapy appointment & I would still be in bed by 9pm! Having said this I was refurbishing a dining room table & chairs in week 3-4 of my treatment. But this is what I tell people when they worry going into this treatment, there are common threads in side effects etc., but we are all individuals & react accordingly. 

My best advice to you is keep doing what you’re doing as it’s obviously working for you but moving forward listen to your body, don’t try & push yourself too hard, rest when you need to & be kind to yourself. Your body is being bombarded with 2 very toxic treatments & will need lots of rest to recover & heal but you’ll already be aware of this. 

Wishing you lots of luck with the second half of your treatment. 

Nicola 

Hi Mel77d2f884,

A very big well done on getting to the halfway point. Brilliant that you have managed to keep working in what sounds like a very demanding job. 

Things do tend to ramp up in the latter stages of treatment in terms of pain, skin breakdown and tiredness so it’s probably a good thing that you are considering some time off. As others have said, this is a challenging treatment, although I know from this forum that responses are individual depending on so many variables. 

My only advice would be to listen to your body, be kind to yourself and do not feel guilty about taking some time out from work if you need to. You may find that all or most of your body’s resources and energy are diverted into healing and recovering. 

Wishing you well for the weeks ahead xx

I worked with a number of Muslim ladies. They rinsed after a wee using a little watering can with a long spout. 

I decided that would be a simple and cheap solution. So far I haven't had any problems and when I'm not using it tucks in a cupboard out of the way.