Tamoxigang thread 49 when Sumer is y cumen in and we get out the Pimms

[Lilymaid]

New thread!

Wine I have just dyed my hair with a Daniel Field watercolour hair dye. I think someone has mentioned this before so I knew about it. If you leave it on for an hour, it provides a permanent dye. You are supposed to do a patch test 48 hours before - which I think you might want to do! My hairdresser says she can obtain organic hair dye which should be OK given that I am still on oral chemo so will use her next time rather than faff about at home (she couldn't fit me in for a long session on the only day I could manage).
So far, one day on, hair hasn't fallen out and scalp not irritated (didn't follow the advice on the 48 hour test as was out carousing the night I should have done this). Although my hair colour is naturally dark brown, I chose light brown and my hairdresser says I should have gone for dark blonde instead ... but I'm not in the first flush of youth and I didn't have any make up on when I went to the hairdressers. Anyway, her advice is generally to go down a few shades from your natural colour.

Amber you have an amazing way of putting things into simple terms I did have to look on the Macmillan site yesterday after various posts regarding stages.

Did you have your last chemo on Thursday wren and how is your cold? Still trying to shake mine off!

Wine - v jealous of your hair growth! I am in quite a lots of pain/discomfort as have seromas where both breasts were removed. Surgeon said he would drain them next Thurs eve (private) but they are so big it's almost like I have my breasts back. Ouch!

Mummy, Wren I'm fighting off a cold right now too. It's not a full blown one - just a niggling cough, sore throat that's responding well to loads of homemade honey and lemon drinks.

Had a lovely day on the Southbank today with DD and DH then a delicious Mexican at Wahaca. I drove us there and parked on Waterloo Bridge. I'm that rare breed of Londoner who finds driving even in London very relaxing. We were blasting the Frozen soundtrack :) Obviously now I'm home I've crashed! Tomorrow we take DD to a sing-a-long Frozen show in our local cinema. I'll see if I can accompany DD and DH or not (not sure I can cope with 100 young girls belting out every song from the movie ).

Then DD goes to her Grandma's for a week so it'll be a quiet one for me.

How are you all enjoying the holiday weekend?

Oh, ouch wee, warned me about those!

Is there any chance you can go back to get them drained earlier? I've got an appointment with my Consulatant for next Friday to get the dressings off but the BCN said to come back earlier if need be and she could drain them.

*they warned me

Sorry, and thanks to kitkat and lily will look at the Daniel Field stuff. I am having lots of fun picking bits off my head but know I shouldn't!

Glad you're home, wine. I liked what you said about this thread and really agree.

I'm reading hair colour advice with interest (the wash of fine fair I have so far is completely white). My dcs have vetoed my suggestion of bleach blonde, so it's handy to hear from you, Lilymaid, that a shade or two lighter than normal works best. No hurry it seems.

I got my last chemo done, thanks, Mummywheel. Very relieved. Deep in weird side effect territory now, perhaps in part because of the cold remnant (will keep drinking that honey and lemon, thanks Newnormal) but that will pass. Trying to push ahead with radiotherapy; I got my hopes up that I would finish roughly the same time as dcs start school hols, but the appointment they've sent is a week later. It doesn't seem much, but it rather tipped me over the edge emotionally...

I was going to have mine dyed with Aveda.
Unfortunately back on chemo and hair falling out again.

Happy Bank Holiday weekend everyone, hope the weather is better where you all are, rather than this here dismal Cornwall.
I whole heartedly agree with your sentiments about this thread wine and you put it so eloquently, especially for past midnight.
Still waiting to hear if anyone else has been prescribed TAC rather than FEC and FEC-T. From other forums, seems it might be a favourite of consultants in the West Country, although also seems to be an aggressive and therefore effective treatment. I have kind of based my expectations on the experiences of the people on this thread and so would be good to know if anyone has had exactly the same.
Another question - eyebrows and eyelashes. Thinned, lost all together, after chemo? And did you draw and stick them on or not bother?

Yes Wine, think I will phone BCN tomorrow. I also seem to be having a bit off seepage (sorry tmi).
I've not dyed my hair since I was about 15. Interesting idea....mostly I still have stubble but it's only 5 weeks since chemo!

considerably, the onc nurse recommended I should use Lipocils to preserve my eyelashes and brows. I can't say whether it works yet, as I've only had 1 FEC so far, but she said the experiences had been good.

I did find the applicator very annoying, it's hard to get any product on it and the brush seems very dry, so I have also bought some rapidlash which may have the same effect.

Spent today gardening, and now my right hand is swelling up. Dammit, I don't want lymphoedema.

I do hope you haven't got lymphodema, Traviata. It seemed to be gardening that did for me, but I'm still not sure why as surely activity is good?

Biggerbuns, I think it's individual oncologist preferences that decide TAC vs FEC-T. TAC is clearly quite a tough regime - as i know from friends on another forum. When I quizzed my oncologist on the choice she said there wasn't evidence that one was more effective than the other. Obviously I don't want to think TAC more effective than what I've just had (but completely understand that you will want to!).

And on eyebrows/ eyelashes. Still a bit of both (starting from very hairy eyebrows) but definitely looking a bit pink rimmed now with my poor eyes vulnerable to blown grit.

Bugger about the hair, Foofoo.

wine it must be lovely to be back home! Wishing you a speedy recovery.

I got my hair coloured at a good salon. They used an organic colour.

I couldn't handle grey either.. It turned out brighter than I expected due to all the grey. Salon did warn me, and offered to darken it. (But I decided to stick with a funky colour to go with funky hair style...)

For your scalp I recommend Moogoo shampoo. And they also do a cream for scalp, which is really helping with my psoriasis. My local chemist carries MooGoo brand, but it is also available online.
I am a total advocate for the brand since I've managed to almost complete rads without my skin breaking, using MooGoo nightly.

thanks Wren. We can't win it seems, as I've been told exercise encourages swelling, and certainly if I walk briskly it shows immediately in my fingers. How much are you affected?

Regarding the hair I dyed mine with a semi permanent loreal one 2 months after my last chemo, I just couldn't strand the grey, feel too young to be grey ! First I tried a dark blonde but that didn't take, think it wasn't strong enough a colour so I moved on to auburn and now am brown.Mine came back really curly, was poker straight before but as it's growing it's getting straighter

Traviata, I haven't seen anyone properly about the lymphodema yet, but I reckon it so far counts as mild. What is dispiriting is that I've been told that it will get worse with radiotherapy. It's definitely true about the walking making it swell, though. I hadn't realised... I'm trying not to make a meal of it, but have asked for a referral to the specialist.

biggerbuns, I had AC-T, which I think is the same, in reverse order? 4 sessions of AC followed by 4 sessions of Tax. It is the regime that my hospital in south of Ireland seem to stick to. My side effects were very similar to those I read about on here from FEC folks. The C in AC and FEC is the same drug.

My eyelashes and eyebrows hung in there during AC, though pretty sparse. They fell out completely during Tax. Meanwhile, my hair started coming back while in Tax.. I missed eyelashes the most. I used a soft plum eyeliners to give my eyes some definition.
When my eyebrows were sparse, I lightly used pencil to fill them in a bit. Once they fell out, I didn't bother doing anything with them. I had a longish fringe on my wig, so it was like they were just hidden.

I think I had no eyelashes or eyebrows for maybe about 8 weeks.
2 months after chemo, I now need to get my brows shaped, and I can wear mascara again.

Wren I think you're wise to see someone as whilst they can't get rid of it the earlier it is found the better. They might give you a compression sleeve to wear at home or something

Just realised it's 6 months since my last chemo my eyebrows are still quite sparse though sometimes I wonder if they always were and I'm just noticing it more now. I use brow zings to give my brows more colour and definition .Lashes are back to normal

Hope everyone's having a good bank holiday weekend, I'm at the inlaws by the sea it's lovely

Thanks for all the replies, didn't mean to make it sound like it is more effective. Other forums do make out that the SEs are worse but unless one person has had both, not sure what they are comparing it with. All sounds fairly similar to me. From the little I was told am having 6 cycles if TAC, with steroids from the start. Hair loss fairly standard on day 18 apparently with hamster cheeks to go with it.
Someone else has recommended rapid lash to me, so might give that a go. I gave quite dominant eyebrows (Denis healey if I don't pluck) so will be quite noticeable when they go, so wigs with a fringe sound a good shout. I have a wig trying session booked for 10th June - quite looking forward to it.

biggerbuns I've completed 5/6 Fec and my eyebrows and eyelashes are thinning. Still applying mascara but no need for eyebrow pencil. Lots of people recommend keeping finger and toe nails short and applying a dark nail varnish. I've been using a nail oil and nails have been fine, but then again I'm not having tax.

wren great that you have now completed another stage. When do you start your radiotherapy? I was wondering how long the break between that and chemotherapy would be generally.

Hi! Everyone. Quick question as I'm panicking here a bit. Had first Docetaxel on Monday after 3 FEC. SE's kicked in Thursday. A lot of pain in right leg, extreme exhaustion, and then yesterday a rash in basically all my joints.

However today I have started getting intermitant cramp like pains in my chest and stomach. Rash hasn't got worse and seems to have settled.

No temperature but panicking a bit about the cramps. Anyone had this??? Not sure if I'm over reacting.

Thank you, mynewnormal. Feel like I've dodged a bullet and cos I look so well it's hard to justify carving that time. Keep toying with the idea of joining a posh gym (just for the conservatory with deck chairs). Think I might! Just hope I go there!!!

Sounds scary feline don't have personal experience, but a quick google(Macmillan site so ok) shows chest and tummy pain does seem to be a side effect of docetaxol.

Do you have a phone number to call? Might still be worth checking to help reassure you.

feline I think you need to ring hospital tonight. I was advised to ask for my Oncs Registrar when I rang out of hours. You will have probably have been given instructions on what to do in out of hours.

I just checked Macmillan site to remind myself of normal SE. I'm on phone so can't copy/paste, but it refers to chest pain and breathlessness, and advises to call hospital if you experience this.

Checkout Macmillian site, treatment, chemotherapy, drug name.

Best of luck. Crossing my fingers for you.