StunnedMike

Thanks for the insight! I’m starting treatment 6 today. It seems like the side effects get a little worse and last longer each cycle. I have been getting through the treatments ok, so I shouldn’t complain.

Mike, it is taking me longer to recover for each cycle as well. Now I only have 1-3 days of feeling good before the next treatment. I have one treatment left and I'm just trying to keep my head up and plow through. I never knew this journey would be this hard with all the ups and downs. We will all get through this together.

Like my surgeon said, having hair is over rated! he's bald and at the time my hair was almost to my waist.

But anyway, hang in there a bit longer, hair loss should plateau out midway thru. I lost half of mine (drastically thinned out),had to cut 12 inches off of it, but I did not loose it all.

Hey!
I am lucky that I didn't lose the hair on my head (yet) but I did lose all the hair on my hands, feet, underarms, face and halfway up my arms. I still have to shave my legs. I was kind of hoping! Buzz cut is perfect for the spring/summer. Hang in there and before you know it, we'll all be kicking back and celebrating at the end of the summer.

I watched the entire first season of Game of Thrones after my surgery. Trying to do everytihing I did before. I only take it easy 4 days during my cycle.

Dear pak56:
I hear you! This nose thing is such a small thing in comparison to everything else we have to deal with. Still it's annoying and if left untreated can lead to more serious side effects - like an unstoppable nosebleed, and the need for more drastic treatment - like cauterization.With our already low blood counts and compromised platelets, a nose bleed that lasts more than 15 minutes can be quite serious. Better to use an ounce of prevention. The ENT also suggested using a humidifier at night. That would help alleviate the dryness as well. All my best to you.

I haven't had nose bleeds yet but I do constantly have dried blood in my nose. My Dr said to use a little triple antibiotic lotion on a Qtip and carefully put in on the inside of nose and it will heal the broken capillaries or veins that cause the bleeding. It works, I also use saline to keep my nose from being so dry.

Wow! Thanks everyone! From the bottom of my heart. I haven't yet experienced this side effect. I'm on my 4th dose of Cisplatin for cervical cancer and going through daily doses of radiation. I feel more at ease being aware of possible side effects and with all your input on how to alleviate the discomfort...it just gives me more peace of mind. Thank you StunnedMike for asking this question. Sending well wishes your way...and to all of you. <3

Thanks for checking on me. Last week was not bad. I just didn't feel like eating. I am back in the pool trying to swim about 3 times a week. I also had a couple of nice walks. Glad to hear you did good this cycle.

"...managed to hit golf balls on Saturday and Sunday"
I hope you were outside Carol
Glad you got out to do something you enjoy, it's key to dealing with this.

Yes. I see my doctor in about 1 hour and start the treatment tomorrow. I had a good down week. Started back swimming. I suprised my swim team last night by showing up for practice. Hope the treatment goes well. Good luck to you too.

did ya go some place warm?

Yes, I was in Charlotte NC. The day I left, it was almost 80.

Thanks for the tips!

mike, it will be like that for atleast 72 hours after treatment stops, then its just the residual side effects that you had previously. I warm up my hands by sticking them up under my arm pits for a few mintues.
Use your lotion..

Mike - I have the same side effect. Last night post chemo was the worst that I had experienced. Even my silverware was too cold to touch. I notice that it's mostly glass, metal and water that are the worst. It takes a couple of days for it to completely go away. I honestly was thinking of getting a pair of butler gloves to wear around the house. LOL!

Hi Stunned Mike - I'd say do as much as is SAFE to do. How does one figure out how much is safe? I don't have a good answer for that.

I had bilateral mastectomy just over a week ago - no reconstruction. That means no muscle tissue was cut. That's a HUGE difference between my surgery and yours. Recovering from having abs cut just takes longer. With no muscles cut, I was walking on day 2.... Riding a bike on day 6... Washing dishes on day 2... laundry... And Sleeping a ton... and suffering the annoyed glances from my better half, who wanted me to rest more. But, I'm an antsy kind of a person - difficult to hold me still... I've always been like that.

Honeslty, no running and no lifting weights for your kind of surgery sounds reasonable to me. But, I'm no expert. Those muscles take time to heal up... Perhaps you can frame things from the perspective of what you CAN DO as opposed to what you cannot do? Ask if you can do specific activities..and see what your doc's response is. I bet your list is bigger than you realize - but perhaps it does not include running and lifting weights yet... Maybe elliptical machine? Walking... swimming... biking... etc... By the way, biking outside is awesome... and spring is coming!

My surgeon said no lifting over 10 pounds for 6 weeks after my surgery. I did not feel like exercising until about 9 months after my last surgery (except for swimming). I had a total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingoophectomy, mass removal, debulking...

Sorry, new to WhatNext so late on this question. I have one for you, did your surgeon have you exercise in the weeks/days before surgery, or was that not a possibility (sudden diagnosis and surgery)?

There is an interesting article discussing the benefits of exercising before a planned surgery as opposed to just after it (typical rehab, which you are being prevented from doing for a while):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21925410

They sent me the full text article, it was a very interesting read, and an approach (prehabiitation) I think is sorely lacking with surgeons today.

Hope you are now back exercising!