Chemo tips

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Hello,

My first time here and I’m sure it’s been mentioned before but I can’t navigate too well on my phone so I thought I’d just post

Im about to start my chemo journey (ER+/HER2 and BRCA2 positive) and I had a few questions for you knowledgeable people:

- Hand and toenails, do these need to go dark in colour to avoid falling off? And does it matter if I use normal nail polish/strengthener/top coat or do I need gel based?

- is it worth purchasing a chemo hoody? They’re £85 so not cheap, but allows access to arms and chest for lines… is it necessary for comfort? I do run cold generally! Hands and feet too!

-can you have anti anxiety drugs before they do anything? I struggle with huge medical anxiety (needles, lines, cannulas, being in a medical room)… i had a huge internal panic and woke up on a hospital bed with 20 manic hospital staff just for my original cannula fitting for the MRI scan (to give you an idea of the level of medical anxiety i have).

I’m incredibly scared, especially now I have tested positive for the BRCA2 gene, the cherry on the cake, trying to remain positive but the fear of the unknown is real.

SusanHB 1 month ago

I completely get the sensitivity. I fainted a couple of times at the beginning of my treatment, but after that it was honestly quite straight forward - nowhere near as dreadful as I had expected. I did not take any medication for the anxiety.

I didn’t buy any special clothes. I just wore a top that buttoned down the front so it was easy to access my port. I did make sure I wore something really soft and comfortable and I always took a soft blanket with me (that a kind friend had bought especially for that purpose!)

Ask the nurses about nail varnish. I didn’t lose any nails. Nor did they discolour. However, my nails were definitely weakened. I’m 5 months beyond my chemo now, and I can see where the healthier nail is growing through.
I had my toe nails pained a few weeks after I finished and that appeared to do quite a bit of damage to my big toe nail. I’m just waiting for all that to grow out.

Best wishes. It won’t be as bad as you think.

Beaglehats7647ea 1 month ago in reply to SusanHB

Thank you so much!!!!!

You’ve completely put my mind at ease and I really appreciate it.

well done for getting through it, incredible x

SusanHB 1 month ago in reply to Beaglehats7647ea

You’ll be through it before you know it

Lovely Louis 1 month ago

Good luck with chemo, and it isn’t as bad as we think. The staff are all lovely and know what they are doing. I didn’t use anything on my nails either and nor did I lose any. They did become very brittle however. I always wore a short sleeved top or tee shirt and took a cardigan to wrap around me if needed. I also wore leggings since you are connected up to a drip.i always needed the toilet and as one hand is effectively out of use it was far easier than undoing zips or buttons!