If I knew then, what I know now!So FEC and Tax are different forms of chemotherapy, you guys probably know this by now and if you don't, then where have you been all summer? Now to be blunt, Tax felt worse for myself... It is known as 'FECs big ugly sister' and with bloody good reason. However, I believe a big part of this, is being hit with the vampire drug after you have been bombarded with FEC 100, so the accumulation of poison in your system is not going to help. If you know someone going through the side effects of chemo, or are tackling them for yourself... (sorry to hear that chick, good luck :), ) I have tried and tested the best symptom hacks and am here to share the with you things that actually work and help you on the road to recovery quicker and so you don't make the same mistakes I did! 1. Coconut Oil for mouth ulcers, sore mouth and nasty taste Honestly, this worked as both a prevention and cure. For prevention, start on the same day as your chemo, just after you have had your hit, and after you have eaten. Rinse your mouth out with water every-time you eat, this prevents the build up of bacteria from the food, which I find can aggravate your tongue and once it gets bad, you have more of a fight to make it better. After rinsing, take a teaspoon full of coconut oil (extra virgin, cold pressed and raw works best), smooth gently on your lips like lip balm a little, and then put the oil on your tongue. Let the oil melt until it is liquid and hold for 7-10 minutes in your mouth or as long as you can stick it. Swish it around and gargle a few times too. Repeat about 4 times a day after you have rinsed your mouth. After the oil, try not to eat again for a few hours. Repeat for 7 days. I only discovered this gem on my last two chemos! I had NO ulcers, NO sore mouth and NO bad taste. Try to cut down on toothpaste, I found even the most sensitive can burn and it does not stop the ulcers. Gargling warm salt water last thing before bed, and after brushing your teeth, in addition to the oil really helps speed things up. Stick with it, and you will find the symptoms just don't develop! 2. Hot drink miracle Aim for two glasses of hot water with lemon every day. There are numerous amazing side effects to drinking lemon water in the morning, just Google it. Its quite tasty and helps to settle the stomach after all that medication and brekkie, it also has an alkalizing effect to your blood PH which is bad for the cancer growth!. Now ginger tea helps with the headaches and nausea but can burn your mouth a little, so go easy with the quantity, plus it is super tasty. Turmeric tea is lush when your settling in at night; all three of these drinks have anti cancer benefits! Green and peppermint tea can help keep the water intake interesting in the middle of the day and can be a very refreshing lift. Lemon and Ginger Tea makes for a great chemo drink, keep the colds at bay! 3. Bathe every single day I know this isn't environmentally the best thing to do, but we are on chemo so lets cut ourselves some slack here! Bathing has its practical reasons like keeping you clean and free of developing nasty bacteria on your skin that doesn't affect 'normal' people. It is also a great time to relax the body and mind. The hot water and lack of gravity puts that pain on hold for a bit and encourages blood flow, so this became the only time in my day when I could practice mindfulness without my mind going directly to the pain. Fill it right up, put your whole body in the water, including your little bald head and eyes, just leaving your nose and mouth above the water. Breathe deep and slow, feel your chest floating and sinking with each life giving breath. Do this every day for as long as you can, to keep yourself sane and clean! 4. Natural heartburn and sore stomach remedies Coconut water is a god send for heart burn. I would also have one Weetabix covered in natural (Pasteurised!!!) yoghurt one hour before bed, sounds odd but it worked for me every time. 5. Look after those nerve endings, E45 is your best friend The fingers and feet become can become very painful. Reduce your chances of infection and vein pain in the feet and hands by soaking them for at least half an hour daily, in hot water. When your done, dry them off and smoother them in E45, repeat E45 before bed too. When I didn't do this daily I found it difficult to walk, my feet were very puffy, hot and swollen, this is a great preventative method. Furthermore, keep those feet uncovered! wear flip flops/ sandals as much as possible, as this prevents bacteria build up around the toe nails and could save you your nails! Wash feet quickly after going outdoors with open toe shoes. 6. Drink your weight in water Not literally, and not really a 'hack', but too good to leave off the list. Honest to God, to feel the difference between chemos when I drank massive amounts of water was staggeringly insane! Aim for around 2 litres a day and have a mixture of hot and cold drinks to benefit you in different ways and too keep it interesting. Start the day before your chemo and continue through until the onset has passed (for me 7-10 days). The nurses are able to find your veins so much easier when you fill your veins with water, so they jab you less with the needles and your on your way. When the drug is working its way through you, the water flushes it out much quicker and it helps to manage your side effects better. It also helps your skin from getting so dry and makes you look less ill. After the onset, you can reduce your intake back to 8 cups a day. 7. Avoid foods high in sugar, spice and dairy This applies mostly to the first week of chemo, and apart from the yoghurt to settle the stomach at night, I would avoid dairy altogether for the first few days. I found after eating cheese, I would almost immediately feel 'heavy' and lethargic. Milk and cream would make me nauseous and encourage the bacteria growth in my mouth that I was relentlessly fighting off. Soya milk is high in oestrogen apparently, so I avoided that too, but coconut milk I had no problems with. Unless you want to ruin your hard work with your stomach and mouth, do not touch even the smallest bit of spice and as for sugary foods like cakes/chocolate, trust me when I tell you the sugary come down is nowhere near worth the 5 minutes of eating the actual thing... I have seen myself crash to the point I had to sleep, thus ruining my days routine so badly, I could not sleep a wink in the night. It is so not worth it. 8. A rigid routine to help the body and mind. This is a mind over matter thing, but my god it works. Before you go to bed, think and write down what you want to do/achieve the next day. Try not to focus on the things you can not do but the things you can, for example, you CAN physically walk up those stairs, it may take you all day on your hands and knees but you can do it, (how else are you going to spend your chemo time!). Don't make it too ambitious and listen to your body, everyone is different. So the routine that worked best for me on the worst days of Tax went like this: Seems boring, but by sticking to the same time everyday, my body learnt when my recovery/ rest times were and I could time my next 'spurt' to an activity like cooking or walking. By eating the same time every day I also felt less sick and tired and always had the next thing to look forward to. Mix up your routine whichever way that suits you, but for the first 7 days after chemo, stick to it like religion. I personally recovered so much quicker when I done this. 9. Go for a walk everyday Even if it is just for 10 minutes. Walking at a steady pace can really help with the pain, the increased oxygen in your system makes you feel fantastic and the beautiful scenery can really lift your spirits... Whats not to love? Not to mention, your days are so boring now, it becomes something to look forward to and breaks the day up nicely. Me, loving life in Margam Park. If your legs are tired from walking, try and opt for cycling. It is a great way to get your blood pumping without the impact on your feet. 10. Set achievable goals For example, 7 days directly after my chemo I would aim to have food out of the house and in a restaurant. This would usually be the first time for me to wear my wig and make up and became the mental bench mark to my recovery. Your goals can be anything! to holding a conversation without loosing your breath for longer than 15 minutes to walking up a hill. Once you hit these goals, you begin to feel unstoppable at recovery. Of course everyone is different, but I found even though I became weaker as my treatment went on, I became alot better at managing my side effects and thus improving my mental wellbeing. This fight can be as hard as you want to make it or as manageable as long your willing to put the effort in. It is a hard time, but look at it this way; Do that extra 1% here and there. Walk that extra, drink that extra, eat that extra and sleep that extra, and eventually the 1%'s will add up and could become the overriding factor in you beating this mother f****r!! Please share below if you know anymore chemo hacks to add! |
A ' no holds' page about my life with incurable advanced Breast Cancer, in the hope it will give a realistic, detailed account to other young women going through the unfortunate illness.
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