35 year old about to start chemo

Hi Cinnamon 611, thanks for sharing and your tips. I'm in a comparable situation and look forward what other group members suggest.. Fingers crossed and best wishes, Talking Listening xxx

Hi Cinnamon,

I’ve only had one (EC) chemo so far. My daughter had set up her old kindle fire for me, in hindsight I should have brought headphones too. I brought a flask of tea and a few ginger sweets.

I was fine during the chemo. Didn’t feel nauseous during or after, although I did take the anti-sickness medication provided. The only real issue, during the following days, was tiredness. I don’t know how you’re fixed but it would be good to have someone around to help if you don’t feel up to things. I tried to go for a short walk/exercise during the times I was feeling OK. I think this helped. I week later and I’m progressively feeling better.

I opted not to try the cold cap so can’t advise, I’m going for a wig fitting next week and i’ve already bought some bamboo headscarves.

Hope all goes well for you. It wasn’t as bad as I’d expected (I get bad travel sickness and thought I’d be ill). Planning ahead helped me focus and allowed me to feel more in control.

Bluebell xx

Cinnamon611,

I am very similar to yourself if you click on my name to see more detail. I have just completed my chemo after starting last October. Please don’t stress too much about the chemo. It is so different for everybody and so see how you react. Some react more than others. I can only suggest what helped for me and that was to drink plenty of water and then some more!!!! Have a bottle by your bed to sip during the night as your mouth and throat may become very dry. 
i ordered two wigs and lots of silk scarves etc and am lucky enough to have been able to leave them in their boxes. I wish I had only gone for the NHS wig and not spent a fortune on the natural hair one, however, it took the pressure off me in case the cold cap don’t work but it did for me. I had accepted that if I lost my hair, it was going to happen. My hair did come out quite a lot but it must of done so evenly as you couldn’t really tell by looking at me. My family and friends when talking over FaceTime etc cannot see much of a difference in my appearance only that my eyebrows thinned out. I still have all my eyelashes too. I have silk hair ties (stop hair going in dinner when you make it) and silk pillow cases which are meant to be gentler on your hair to prevent breakage. 
for chemo I took a warm fleecy blanket (gift from friend), my phone and charger, a magazine, juice, sandwich, Simple Conditioner, wide tooth comb, headband (thin material Alice type band to protect your forehead) and some chocolate!! The conditioner is to apply to your hair before the cold cap to avoid your hair sticking (mine never did), Alice band to protect your forehead from the cold cap and the rest to keep you warm and fed! The nurses usually offer you hot drinks, hot packs and if you are there over lunch or tea, hospital meals are offered to you. The chocs I found helped as some treatment can give you a weird taste in your mouth!  I suffered from morning sickness so nurses gave me anti-sickness in pre-meds (by iv and tablets) and meds to take home with me. I found it helpful to write all meds down (they can give you a lot) write the times you need to take them and tick them as you go. Chemo can give you brain fog!!! Keep a note of any symptoms (if any) to let your team know when you meet them for your review. 
I usually wait a couple of days before washing my hair in the bath with Simple shampoo and conditioner then comb through with wide tooth comb whilst still damp, let my hair dry naturally then leave it alone as much as possible. I usually wash it twice a week. A lot of hair came out (please don’t be shocked) but I got used to this and enough stayed to make me stick with it. It doesn’t work for everybody but I have been fortunate.

The cold cap does add extra time on for your treatment and so is personal decision whether right for you .

Also, if you work, please look into whether you can submit a critical illness claim if you have a policy. Many have time limits in which you must claim. 
Anything else, please ask me. 
You will be fine and there are so many lovely ladies on here to give you their tips. 

Warm hugs,

Bekky

xx

Best wishes to you too.  Like you I’m trying to prepare as much as I can.  I called Breast cancer now and they suggested https://www.cancerhaircare.co.uk.  

Thank you for your advice :) hope your wig fitting goes well 

Hi Becky,

Just a little note to say THANK YOU for your most helpful words and advice. I'm starting Chemo for my recurring Metastatic Breast Cancer on the 16th, your post has helped coping with my anxieties.

Sending you my very best wishes, Kiki xxx

Thank you so much for the link ️

P.S is it your local hospital that is organising your wig fitting?  My local hospital said the nhs service isn’t operating at the mo.  I have left a msg with https://www.cancerhaircare.co.uk.  Hope the rest of your treatment goes well x x 

Bless you Kiki. You will do it. Please take one day at a time and be kind to yourself. I wanted to share my experiences whilst still fresh in my mind. I know everyone is different but once you settle into a “new routine” I find that your anxiety decreases. Sometimes it’s the anticipation that’s worse but you seem to run on autopilot when going through it. 
I wish you the best of luck and let me know if you need to know any more regarding my recent experiences. 
Warm hugs, Bekky xx

Your advice is really helpful thank you so so much.  I do have a critical illness policy through work.  I contacted HR two weeks ago and again today.  They said they will get back to me with the company name.  I pay nearly a fiver a month through my payslip but don’t have any information regarding where it goes neither do they.......hopefully it will get sorted soon or I will contact my union.   I will pack a bag for my chemo session and a spare hospital bag to leave in the car just in case :) take care hope you are feeling ok x x