Treatment #4

The pump

I always called the day they unhooked me from the pump "Dump the Pump" day.

smokeyjoe said:

How's it going with the

How's it going with the folfox  ..... I may be switching to that if my scans on Monday are not good.   Seriously not looking forward to a switch in chemo.   .... I'm on folfiri and avastin ..... I'm used to that one .... I basically know what to expect and can manage it quite well.    Look out I may start to pick your brain for information and help!!!   What pre-meds do you get, I'm wondering if they are the same for folfox and folfiri.  

Steve tolerates the Folfiri
Steve tolerates the Folfiri well. The idea of switching to Folfox is scary. At least it is to me. He likely hasn't given it a moments thought. Lol. I guess it's fear of the unknown. So many seem to worry about going on the Irenotecan. That seems to be a scary one for people. For me it's oxy. Steve plays guitar so I think the neuropathy from the oxy would affect his QOL.

Coloncancerblows said:

My hair has started coming

My hair has started coming out and I said oh screw it.....I'm going to start wearing the wig!  I love not having to mess with my hair in the mornings! haha

I lost a lot of my hair too.

I lost a lot of my hair too.  It was very long and thick and wavy.  I cut it to about shoulder length because every time I washed it or brushed it the hair that was falling out would take other hair strands with it.  I Ilost quite a bit that now when I put it in a pony tail I have about the same amount of hair that my daughter had when she was a toddler...plus it is very fine and dry now.  So around the house I just put it in a pony tail or in a bun.  When I go out I wear my wig...I chose a medium length with fairly straight strands...oh, and no gray!  I say wear the wig if it makes you feel better.  Oh, I also use bobby pins to put my hair in a small bun under the wig and also to secure the wig.

 

alex

Coloncancerblows said:

Haven't shaved my head yet. 

Haven't shaved my head yet.  I'm not self conscious about it at home but when I go out, I definitely wear the wig. 

Alex, thanks about the bobby pins!  I went yesterday and got some and it feels so much more secure now. 

shedding

My hair thinned as well. It didn't fall out completely, but enough so that it wasn't attractive - it was really thin all around and you could see my scalp.  I looked like the "before"picture in a hair club for men commercial.  I used to wear my hair slightly longer than shoulder length, but after it started to fall out, I cut it really short.  that was an adjustment.  

I bought a  wig and wore it to work. The wig looked nice, but it was so scratchy that I didn't wear it at home or around town on weekends.  I coped!  I shed like a dog, and there would be hair all over the house (I don't have a pet.)  I vacuumed a lot more, and cleaning the bathtub was depressing.  I'd run my fingers through my hair and there would be ten+ strands on each palm.

But.... after about five months of treatment, it stopped falling out and started to grow back.   I'd run my hands through my hair and nothing would come out. Nada. Zip. I was thrilled!  Don't know why this happened; maybe I got used to the chemo, I don't know.  

Now I'm on Xeloda pills (5fu) and haven't started to shed.  I'm hoping I won't, but if I do, I know the drill. Back to the wig!

p.s. if constipation gets really bad, try lactulose, a sugar. a couple spoons a day keeps everything moving along. it's availably by Rx only.

cheers

- Karin