* i wore my wig to work today, it's cute and all...but i hate having to wear it. it'll just take some time for me to get used to wearing it. really, the hair loss thing is one of the worst parts of this. not that i had that great of hair to begin with, but at least i had it and it was mine!* my voice is messed up again from the drugs. it's not like a sore throat when your voice is messed up, it's more like my throat/vocal chords are being squeezed. so, when this is happening it's hard for me to talk on the phone, or talk at all for that matter. it's not painful, just irritating because i can't really get my voice out correctly.
* still avoiding the Ativan to see how i feel and sleep without it. i've been waking up pretty much every hour or two without it, so i'm getting very disrupted sleep...but i feel less drugged/groggy the next day.
* i was at work all day today. i am feeling a little more drugged out than i did over the weekend. this is the week when it all hits pretty hard and my blood counts plummet. so, things'll probably gradually get worse before they begin to gradually get better again.
* thank you, kori for the cheese and asparagus...i do love both! sorry i didn't call you back, see above message about not being able to talk.
2 comments:
Hey Kelly-
I got the same sore throat-voice thing when I started Taxol. It lasted about 6 or 7 weeks then slowly got better. My doc said the same swelling I was getting everywhere was in my throat causing the symptoms.
Are you getting swelling and puffyness from your chemo? I gained over 12 pounds in 3 days the first Taxol treatment)...My body seemed to swell less with each treatment, like it was getting used to the chemo. All of the symptoms related to that have gotten a LOT better.
Sipping hot drinks (Hot Gatorade became a favorite believe it or not!) and sucking on hard candy or Vitamin C drops helped me.
Below is a link to somethng i have wondered if someone could wear under a wig.
I have a little neck scarf that works the same way. The center of these things are filled with a gel stuff that is also used in gardening. it is sold under many names...hydrogel, solid H2O are two I remember. When it is dry it looks like rock salt and when you wet it, it soaks up the water until it looks like tiny chunks of clear jello only firmer. Water wont drip or squeeze out of it. The little neck band I have really helps keep me cool for hours.
If you are "crafty" I bet you could make a little round flat pillow out of this you could slip on top of your head under a wig and it would work! The link is for a hard hat one that might be too big. If you want to try making one I can give you a little more detailed description of the process for making the scarf thing I made.
http://industrialsavings.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=968&Category_Code=hardhatcool
Good luck with the wig :)
Deb C.
Hi Deb,
I haven't really been swollen anywhere else (yet). I've been losing weight immediately after chemo since nothing really tastes good, but then gain it back by the next treatment.
So far the heat's not getting to me too bad, it's mostly the itchiness of the wig. It's got bangs and I hate having hair on my face. I do have a t-shirt material soft-cap to wear under it, so I think I'll try that today and see how that feels.
Great ideas about the hot drinks and vitamin C drops!
Also, thanks for the cool off tips. A friend of mine made some of those neck things for her son when he was in Iraq.
I'm glad I have the wig...it is my friend, but also my nemesis!
I might eventually have to go your way and just do the bald/scarf thing on a more regular basis!
Take Care,
Kelly
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