Once I had talked with my oncologist and made a date to start, my mind turned to preparing for chemo.
Some of the things I wanted to do were about me feeling better, and some of the things were medically necessary.
Here are the things I did in the nine days between when I booked my chemo date and when I got there.
I hope that this might give you some ideas as you are preparing for chemo.
Eyebrow Tattoos
Funnily enough, my first thought about hairloss was not about the hair on my head, but rather about my eyebrows.
For someone who has never really cared about her eyebrows, this was a little strange, but in my opinion, the lack of eyebrows makes cancer patients look really sick.
That may not be the reality, but it is my perception.
So I decided to get my eyebrows tattooed.
Sure there are other options, like temporary tattoos or drawing on eyebrows, but I really didn’t want to be dealing with that every time I left the house.
I have never had this done before – in fact, I’ve probably only ever waxed my eyebrows a handful of times in the past, so I didn’t even know where to start.
My biggest issue was finding someone who could do it the very next day. I wanted it done as soon as possible so that the healing would all be done before I started chemo.
I had to learn quickly the difference between microblading and powder brows, and I went with powder brows as they were less invasive and had a quicker recovery time.
It took around two hours to get done, and I had to spend a week not getting my eyebrows wet.
About six days after it was done, my eyebrows started peeling, as tattoos do.
Normally, they would be touched up in about six weeks, but I can’t get that done during chemo, but they still should last about 1-2 years, plenty of time for my eyebrows to grow back.
I of course still have eyebrows, and currently I am happy with the tattoos. Time will tell if I still like them when they fall out.
Ordered Wigs
I initially baulked at the idea of wigs. I just thought I would go bald. I don’t feel the need to hide that I am a cancer patient – let them stare, I say!
But I have an invitation to a friend’s twin daughters’ 21st, and I realised that I couldn’t rock up there bald. It would be the first time out with no hair, and I would become the centre of attention – which is not right at a 21st.
I have no idea what sort of wig I want, there are so many options – and not just how the wig looks.
I needed to learn about synthetic vs real hair wigs, what lace-fronts are and how to look after these wigs.
In the end, I decided to buy a few really cheap wigs to get me started, and once my hair is gone, I can decide which I like best and what I am going to do.
My starting point was Amazon, where I ordered this wig. There are so many choices though, and I am so tempted to pick up a few cheap, brightly coloured wigs for fun.
I will book an appointment with a local wig shop too, once I decide what sort of wig I would like, to buy a better “going out” wig.
Echocardiogram
Okay, this one wasn’t something that I wanted to do, but it was required by my Oncologist before we got started.
This gives him a baseline for my heart function – which thankfully was good – so that there is something to monitor any changes against.
The echocardiogram was basically an ultrasound looking at my heart. It took about half an hour and was easy.
Insertion of Infuser Port
I decided to get an infuser port inserted for my treatments.
Even before I saw my medical oncologist I decided that if I was going to have more than four infusions I would get a port.
My veins are okay, but small, and when I am cold they like to hide away – and if you know anything about medical facilities, then you will know they always tend to be cold. Heated blankets are my best friend!
I had my port put in on the Monday before starting chemo on the Thursday.
It’s a really simple surgery lasting only 15-30 minutes. I stayed overnight in hospital as usual, since my surgeon operates in the evening.
I’ve had no pain from the surgery or the port after, so let’s hope it stays that way.
Fingernails
Another concern during chemo is the damage that it can cause to fingernails.
There are lots of suggestions, such as painting them black and keeping them short.
Just this year I have started to have my nails professionally done, painted in shellac about once a month. I keep them a natural colour.
The day before I had my first chemo, I went and got them done in the usual way but quite short.
I might change to black polish later, but right now I think I’ll stick with this.
Often it’s not recommended to go to nail places because of the infection risk, so always make sure you are happy with the hygiene of the place you go.
Mine doesn’t do a “proper” manicure – no cutting cuticles or anything, just polish off, trim, file, polish on, so I think I’m happy to take the risk.
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Essential Supplies
I spent a bit of time reading posts and watching YouTube videos looking for hints and tips on how to best cope with chemo, and here are a few of the things I bought that I thought might help me.
Seasickness Bands
Nausea is one of the most common side effects with chemo, so I wanted to be prepared.
Even though I have never been motion sick in my life, I don’t get nausea from anaesthetics and I didn’t get morning sickness, maybe this would be the thing to bring it on.
So I grabbed these wristbands from Amazon. I figure they couldn’t hurt to wear for the first couple of days.
Gin Gins
Chewy ginger candy was another of the recommendations I came across online, specifically Gin Gins.
There are a few different types, but I bought some of these ones to eat before, during and after treatment, just to try to stop the nausea.
I don’t always love ginger, and while these are strong, the taste a lot like Gingernut biscuits (might just be an Australian thing?) so I quite like them.
Ginger tea was another suggestion and I already had some in the cupboard, but that could be another option for you to try.
Another thing that might only be Australian are Fruit Tingles. We can get them from almost any grocery store or online.
They are based around Bicarb, so. have that tingly feeling in your mouth and help with mouth ulcers, just like rinsing your mouth out with bicarb in water (but they taste a lot better!)
Protein
During cancer treatment it is recommended to get 1 – 1.5g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
And when you’re plant-based (like me!) getting the right amount takes a lot of effort, so I have a whole pile of favourite supplements that I like.
Again, sorry to my international visitors, I mostly use an Aussie brand, but you may be able to find something similar over on Amazon for yourself if you can’t get these.
My brand of choice is Muscle Nation. I first tried them because I could buy them at my local supermarket and they regularly had great specials.
Lately I have been buying from their website because I’ve discovered good deals on there too. It also helps when I can combine my order with my daughters and we get even bigger discounts for bulk.
Here are the products I like best (all vegan friendly)
Of course, they have plenty of other vegan-friendly and non-vegan options.
Ice Gloves/Socks
To be honest, I haven’t purchased these yet, but I am fairly sure I am going to before I start Doxetaxel in a few weeks, I just need to talk with my oncology team about it first.
Neuropathy is a real concern with Doxetaxel, and keeping hands and feet cold restricts the blood getting to them and can help to prevent it.
I liked the look of this set, and a big bonus is being able to buy another lot of just the ice packs rather than a whole – I’ve heard that two lots are needed to keep hands and feet cold during the whole infusion.
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I recently saw a study that found that doing balance exercises can help prevent neuropathy in your feet during the course of chemotherapy. I wish I had known this to try as mine is pretty intense (I’m 5 months out from from my last Taxol treatment and 3 months out from finishing chemo altogether and not much improvement so far). I am planning to start some feet specific exercises now to try to retrain or regrow some nerve function, but prevention is always better than rehabilitation. I also did use the cold mitts and socks and I do think those helped – you will likely want a very thin pair of socks to wear so you don’t get frostbite.
Thanks Meredith, I will look into those exercises and I love the sock tip – I wouldn’t have taken any, but it really makes sense.