Week one is usually my 'fatigue, lethargic, treacle brain week', with week two evolving into my 'mouth sores, ulcer and croaky throat' week where the fatigue is easing but desperately hanging on! And week three my pick up week!…Yay!
On an emotional level the run up to Round 4, has been the most challenging for many reasons, where there have been a lot of 'roller coaster moments' ! First an foremost there was the 'manky boob' episode in week 3 and if there is to be a 'silver line', it was the week delay in the chemo treatment , which gave my body more time to recover for the photo shoot ; the ultimate 'roller coaster high'.
With the physical changes continuing to take hold and becoming more obvious, there are certainly times that I feel despondent, however it is the 'deluge' in personal growth that has been happening since my diagnosis that has overridden any 'hopelessness' that sometimes sneaks in ….and as I said previously 'It has taken cancer , 'my epiphany', to make me 'feel' the the strongest , most confident and beautiful I can ever remember feeling! I guess Its a matter of not looking at what you are not , but all the things that you are!
On the other hand , I feel quite guilty and sad for Steve, who has continued to struggle with what has been happening. Steve is a good man and probably dealing with it all in the best way he can . He certainly didn't sign up for this, it isn't fun and cancer unfortunately didn't come with an instruction manual so I try to understand.
As I look back on previous posts I see Steve was an absolute rock, and since my first chemotherapy, as I have been 'stripped bare' I can see it has progressively got more difficult for him. As it is; we are coping in such different ways ….. I do feel that Steve very much loves and cares for me, however copes with his pain and his feelings by retreating... a characteristic that existed pre cancer!
To be honest, I can't help feeling angry with Steve sometimes for the way he is dealing with things and it has been quite painful, however I try to understand and know he is trying to do his best! It is so important not to forget how those around people going through illnesses , are coping and not underestimating the effect on them.
So… back to my chemo treatment day and the 'Cabbage Patch Capers' hair dare….. Becky, my DIL , was my chemo buddy this time. She was on half term from school and I was pleased that she was able to come. Being a little more daring, we drove to NGH with out cabbage patch hats on and we were pleased that we captured everybody's attention when we arrived in the Oncology unit as this meant that there were lots of photo opportunities and more importantly, a significant increase in on the day donation's, with people approaching us to give us money.
Round 4 raised an amazing £113 via Just giving and at least £25 (exact figure TBC) in the sealed charity donation box! This makes a fabulous hair dare total of £1051.74 for the chemo refurb. at Northampton General Hospital. Thank you all for helping me make a difference!
Proff. Eldeeb has left NGH and I was seen by a Dr Knighton on 4th April for the first time for my pre chemo review. I was quite anxious about this review, as I and been prepared for he possibility that the chemo would be delayed due to the infection in my breast and I had questions about the start of the Herceptin treatment, so Steve came with me to this appointment.
The 50 minute delay in being seen was soon forgotten by the both of us , when we met the charismatic Dr Knighton! He was absolutely charming and explained that he had been reviewing my notes and had noticed mistakes in letters sent to my GP re my HER2 diagnosis , so had been checking and confirming the correct diagnosis. Steve and I were reassured and impressed by his thoroughness and even more pleased when he said chemo could go ahead as planned and that the Herceptin could start!
Dr Knighton examined my breast as part of the consolation and after satisfying himself that it was healing well, he spoke to me about the look of my poorly breast area and answered questions I hadn't even thought to ask about how it would look going forward. It really isn't a pretty sight, and without seeking it, he seemed one step a head of me and sought to reassure me that I would be pleased with what plastic surgeons would be able to do for me. It was nice that there seems to be such a personal approach to this consultation and hope that this will continue going forward.
As I was starting the 'Docetaxell' part of the chemo treatment, I had to take steroids on the day before, in readiness for the side effects. The steroids I have been taking have typically affected my weight and for a few day's my face swells a little. This isn't such a big deal (face) at all and whilst this is something that I notice, it doesn't seem that obvious to others unless I point it out.
On the day there was a significant delay in having my treatment , as my medical notes had been lost and they were unable to give me treatment without these. My treatment eventually started after signing another set of forms and having and ECG.
DIL and I managed the boredom with some socialising and posing for 'photoshoot selfies'.
We met an older lady with a great sense of humour who was dressed elegantly in purple and wearing magnificent purple turban with a jewel at the front! 'She looked like a movie star from the past' !
This lady was accompanied by her daughter, and having initially brushed a side some first signs of familiarity, as the conversations developed I learnt that the daughter , Liz Donald , was the locum DR. at my GP surgery who I first went to see about the changes in my breast. It certainly is a small world!
It was a tiring and productive day, but not the last I'd seen of the oncology unit that week. I returned to NGH the next day with Sue, my DIL (ex mother in law), for the Herceptin Treatment. We again wore the Cabbage Patch wigs with the intention to procure more donations, and it worked!
The treatment was administered in about an hour, however I needed to be monitored for side effects for 6 hours at the hospital, so we occupied ourselves with scrabble and more socialising!
We met Karen Currie, who was undergoing her first round of chemo and was using the cold cap…. Karen, said the first 15 minutes were the worst and had thought to take it off…however found it doable after that period, so continued wrapped in a blanket!
We got to speaking about cosmetic products and parabens, a widely used cosmetic ingredient, linked to cancer. It seems Karen is an independent consultant for 'Arbonne' a cosmetic company, specialising in 'safe' products…. so worth checking out !
check out the link about parabens:
http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/skincare/worry-about-parabens-00000000028428/
There is more and more interest in Paraben free products and my friends Chloe Hobbs and Claire Friend are 'Forever' consultants, who also supply paraben free products. I have changed over to the deodorant and toothpaste thanks to these gal's!
Anyway ….Having reacted well to the Herceptin treatment , I will be having Herceptin treatments alongside the Docetaxel in round 5 and 6…. After round 6, I will go on to have this every 3 weeks for a year and I think this will be administered through the Groshong line at home. I'm secretly hoping that there is another way to administer this so I can get the Grohong line removed after round 6 and can get back to some normality! I will of course check this out with Dr Knighton at my next review!
I am having Hercepting as I am HER2 Positive. HER2 is a protein that can affect the growth of some cancer cells and I have a high number of receptors, which stimulates the cancer cells to divide and grow.
Herceptin is an extremely expensive drug and feel very lucky to have access to the NHS…they certainly seem to be throwing all thats out there to save my life!
So… that brings you up to speed with my medical adventures…..and I'm due Round 5 on 28th April! There will be no hair dare on Round 5 as I am saving my self for round 6…..MY FINAL ONE!!! My plan is however, to collect on the day donations!
With the physical changes continuing to take hold and becoming more obvious, there are certainly times that I feel despondent, however it is the 'deluge' in personal growth that has been happening since my diagnosis that has overridden any 'hopelessness' that sometimes sneaks in ….and as I said previously 'It has taken cancer , 'my epiphany', to make me 'feel' the the strongest , most confident and beautiful I can ever remember feeling! I guess Its a matter of not looking at what you are not , but all the things that you are!
On the other hand , I feel quite guilty and sad for Steve, who has continued to struggle with what has been happening. Steve is a good man and probably dealing with it all in the best way he can . He certainly didn't sign up for this, it isn't fun and cancer unfortunately didn't come with an instruction manual so I try to understand.
As I look back on previous posts I see Steve was an absolute rock, and since my first chemotherapy, as I have been 'stripped bare' I can see it has progressively got more difficult for him. As it is; we are coping in such different ways ….. I do feel that Steve very much loves and cares for me, however copes with his pain and his feelings by retreating... a characteristic that existed pre cancer!
To be honest, I can't help feeling angry with Steve sometimes for the way he is dealing with things and it has been quite painful, however I try to understand and know he is trying to do his best! It is so important not to forget how those around people going through illnesses , are coping and not underestimating the effect on them.
So… back to my chemo treatment day and the 'Cabbage Patch Capers' hair dare….. Becky, my DIL , was my chemo buddy this time. She was on half term from school and I was pleased that she was able to come. Being a little more daring, we drove to NGH with out cabbage patch hats on and we were pleased that we captured everybody's attention when we arrived in the Oncology unit as this meant that there were lots of photo opportunities and more importantly, a significant increase in on the day donation's, with people approaching us to give us money.
Round 4 raised an amazing £113 via Just giving and at least £25 (exact figure TBC) in the sealed charity donation box! This makes a fabulous hair dare total of £1051.74 for the chemo refurb. at Northampton General Hospital. Thank you all for helping me make a difference!
Proff. Eldeeb has left NGH and I was seen by a Dr Knighton on 4th April for the first time for my pre chemo review. I was quite anxious about this review, as I and been prepared for he possibility that the chemo would be delayed due to the infection in my breast and I had questions about the start of the Herceptin treatment, so Steve came with me to this appointment.
The 50 minute delay in being seen was soon forgotten by the both of us , when we met the charismatic Dr Knighton! He was absolutely charming and explained that he had been reviewing my notes and had noticed mistakes in letters sent to my GP re my HER2 diagnosis , so had been checking and confirming the correct diagnosis. Steve and I were reassured and impressed by his thoroughness and even more pleased when he said chemo could go ahead as planned and that the Herceptin could start!
Dr Knighton examined my breast as part of the consolation and after satisfying himself that it was healing well, he spoke to me about the look of my poorly breast area and answered questions I hadn't even thought to ask about how it would look going forward. It really isn't a pretty sight, and without seeking it, he seemed one step a head of me and sought to reassure me that I would be pleased with what plastic surgeons would be able to do for me. It was nice that there seems to be such a personal approach to this consultation and hope that this will continue going forward.
As I was starting the 'Docetaxell' part of the chemo treatment, I had to take steroids on the day before, in readiness for the side effects. The steroids I have been taking have typically affected my weight and for a few day's my face swells a little. This isn't such a big deal (face) at all and whilst this is something that I notice, it doesn't seem that obvious to others unless I point it out.
On the day there was a significant delay in having my treatment , as my medical notes had been lost and they were unable to give me treatment without these. My treatment eventually started after signing another set of forms and having and ECG.
DIL and I managed the boredom with some socialising and posing for 'photoshoot selfies'.
We met an older lady with a great sense of humour who was dressed elegantly in purple and wearing magnificent purple turban with a jewel at the front! 'She looked like a movie star from the past' !
 |
| film star! |
This lady was accompanied by her daughter, and having initially brushed a side some first signs of familiarity, as the conversations developed I learnt that the daughter , Liz Donald , was the locum DR. at my GP surgery who I first went to see about the changes in my breast. It certainly is a small world!
It was a tiring and productive day, but not the last I'd seen of the oncology unit that week. I returned to NGH the next day with Sue, my DIL (ex mother in law), for the Herceptin Treatment. We again wore the Cabbage Patch wigs with the intention to procure more donations, and it worked!
The treatment was administered in about an hour, however I needed to be monitored for side effects for 6 hours at the hospital, so we occupied ourselves with scrabble and more socialising!
We met Karen Currie, who was undergoing her first round of chemo and was using the cold cap…. Karen, said the first 15 minutes were the worst and had thought to take it off…however found it doable after that period, so continued wrapped in a blanket!
We got to speaking about cosmetic products and parabens, a widely used cosmetic ingredient, linked to cancer. It seems Karen is an independent consultant for 'Arbonne' a cosmetic company, specialising in 'safe' products…. so worth checking out !
check out the link about parabens:
http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/skincare/worry-about-parabens-00000000028428/
There is more and more interest in Paraben free products and my friends Chloe Hobbs and Claire Friend are 'Forever' consultants, who also supply paraben free products. I have changed over to the deodorant and toothpaste thanks to these gal's!
Anyway ….Having reacted well to the Herceptin treatment , I will be having Herceptin treatments alongside the Docetaxel in round 5 and 6…. After round 6, I will go on to have this every 3 weeks for a year and I think this will be administered through the Groshong line at home. I'm secretly hoping that there is another way to administer this so I can get the Grohong line removed after round 6 and can get back to some normality! I will of course check this out with Dr Knighton at my next review!
I am having Hercepting as I am HER2 Positive. HER2 is a protein that can affect the growth of some cancer cells and I have a high number of receptors, which stimulates the cancer cells to divide and grow.
Herceptin is an extremely expensive drug and feel very lucky to have access to the NHS…they certainly seem to be throwing all thats out there to save my life!
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