Today we say goodbye to our fabulous cancer warrior. To say that she was a warrior is an understatement. She fought her disease and kicked its ass over and over again and continued to beat the odds so that she could continue to build memories with her family and friends. Yesterday morning, on July 24, 2017, she decided it was time to end the fight. She will always be remembered for her honesty, her humour, and her strength. Rest in peace, Fabulous Cancer Warrior.
Thanks for writing guys your questions are much appreciated and I hope will save your some embarrassment. Your questions, I must say, do come from a really good place and it’s pretty evident that you mean to comfort and be there. That’s really all that matters.
As for getting asked about my health welllllll……. that depends on the individual I guess. Personally I like to pretend I’m not different from anyone when I’m in a group so no I don’t like being asked about it in that circumstance. But one on one, I’m fine with it as long as it’s in the lines of “Let me know if you need anything”, “I’m thinking of you”. It’s not unsolicited advice or ignorant. (we all know how I feel about that)
Now the food issue is also very individual. I happen to have a lot of food sensitivities for a lot of reasons, chemo being one, those close to me know what I can and can’t eat and it’s a very limited variety. I also have this thing where I won’t eat food from a kitchen that I don’t know (pot lucks? forget it). So if you feel food would help the family maybe get informed first before arriving to the door with a pan of lasagna for a family that is vegetarian lactose intolerant.
Now onto my crafting talents! Those who know me know that I have a hard time backing away from a crafting challenge. I love creating so sewing and crafting are a great fit me right now. As I’ve mentioned before, creativity keeps the old noggin going with it’s planning and sometimes re-planning. The ease to which I’ve taken to these projects I owe all to my mother who, with 6 girls, always make sure we were the best dressed in church. I had a little sewing machine next to hers and make doll clothes with her remnants and always accompanied her on her fabric shopping days (where were my sisters? I have no idea). Same went for knitting and crocheting. I can still hear her in my ear, when I try to short-cut a method. “You’ll just have to do it again because you’ll know it’s not perfect”. And she’s always right!
Talents I wish I had????? well everything else of course! I wish I was more athletic, musical I guess and super mensa smart!!!! I don’t know if any of that would have helped me with my life, so I guess I’ll settle with what I’ve got.
Thanks for the questions gang , I hope it helped AND I hope that by my next blog I’ll I’ll have some exciting news!
Stay tuned
Sorry I haven`t written in a while but I`ve been busy feeling sorry for myself. Yup! That doesn`t seem like me at all but hey! sometimes things just get to you. It`s been 2 weeks of dizziness, nausea , weakness and the worst breathlessness. I can`t climb a simple flight of stairs without taking a nap! I`m serious! I went from working out like a madwoman to not being able to climb stairs without feeling like I`ve climbed Mount Everest! AND…. I. Hate. Not. Working. Out!!!
So there you have it! my moment of weakness. I`m now going to turn my attitude around because feeling sorry for yourself really does nothing but bring everyone around you down and Goodness knows I don`t want to do that. My family has been so wonderful, cooking for me, serving me, running errands for me and just generally being there for me. So what the hell do I have to complain about? SNAP OUT OF IT! DONE!
OK so I`m kinda running out of advise for you. Who knew one day I`d have nothing to say? Well never nothing, just helpful tips (and never BT stories obviously). So here is what I`m proposing. How about you use the comment section to ask questions on stuff I haven`t addressed? Like a Q and A session. You may ask something others have wondered about, or something embarrassing, or just a clarification. Let`s try that shall we?
OK, OK, I know you`re waiting for the Bobby Tee Story time. So. We`re visiting Boston with friends a couple of years ago and having a great time doing all the touristy things. The Boston Tea Party Tour, Cheers, boat cruises and even a little jaunt down the river in a swan boat! We rented a car to go up the coast and had a great time visiting little beach villages along the way. Turns out the Toronto Bluejays were playing in Boston and our clan decided it would be great to see a game at Fenway Park. Well it`s like 30degrees out there and me and heat are not friends. So I decided that on that day, I`ll read under a tree instead of roasting in the sun. So BT and his friend Pete (ya I said your name buddy) take the car and head to Fenway Park to get tickets. This is Pete driving “Holy Fuck Bobby Tee!!! Why are there so many bridges and underpasses? Seems like we`ve been driving forever and we`re not getting any closer” Well you guessed it, they`d been driving in circles for like an hour! They finally see the park and some fairy I`m sure, guides them to the back parking lot. Whew! finally! So they see this very official looking guy and decide to follow him because he seemed to know where he was going. The guy walks into the stadium and BT and Pete follow along. Meanwhile, the guy goes down a maze of corridors and of course our guys are lost. They wander the corridors and finally see a big door. That should be a door to the outside of the stadium and they`re thinking the ticket booth should be out there. Finally! So they open the door and step outside and where are they you think? Yup right on the field during practice! Security is like all over them wondering how in the hell they were able to pass ALL the security!!! Their answer? ” We were just following some guy!” Good news is they got the tickets and didn`t go to jail.
Well that`s about it for now. I do have a little project I`m trying to put together and I`ll let you know about once it gets off the ground (hopefully). In the meantime, send me your questions and we`ll discuss!
Bet you didn’t see that one coming! The absolute touchiest of all the touchy subjects! The Big One! The subject we just assume no one will talk about except in rhetoric and in popular language.
I’ve already disclosed that I’m a “gasp” atheist and I make no apologies for my beliefs and By The Way, I’m not a monster! Imagine! I don’t follow a Book that kinda, sorta, maybe gives me moral guidelines depending on the time in history that is. Some of that shit that is written in there is messed up! Men can’t cut their hair or their beards? Women must cover their hair in public? You can own slaves? You can commit adultery if it’s to have kids? And the list goes on and on. Being a history major, religion has always been at the forefront of history, justifying power, theft, slavery and murder. But times have changed (kinda) and people for the most part realize that religion is really what you make of it (mostly). Hopefully you use it in your life to be kind, generous and sometimes even forgiving. If an organized, political organization makes you feel better and gets you through hard times, Praise the Lord and Start A Prayer Circle. HOWEVER , this is not how I roll so don’t try to impose it on me.
I don’t need that threat hanging over my head of eternal damnation if I don’t follow the rules of whatever religious organization. It’s like, “If you’re good in this life, you’ll be rewarded in the next.” The ultimate capitalist ploy! How about being kind just to be kind? How about paying it forward without any expectations of being rewarded? Some philanthropists will give to charity just to give without their names being attached to the building (but they do get a massive tax break though dammit!)
Please don’t assume that everyone who is dying gets close to God! We will all follow whatever beliefs make US feel better not what is prescribed by society. My take, as you probably know is to leave behind a lasting legacy of kindness, laughter and crafts of course! When I’m gone, all I want is to be remembered helping people cope (with his blog I hope), making people laugh (even though that is BT’s job obviously) and sharing life lessons!
So I think you can see on how I stand on this subject. But seriously! Messed up shit happened in the name of religion and keeps happening!!!! Seriously someone’s gotta talk to these people! OK I’ve said my peace and I don’t think I offended anyone. And if I did,? Suck it!
And now ladies and gentlemen, it’s BT story time! I know that you forward to that because let’s face it you can’t make that shit up! And I know that it basically has nothing to do with my cancer but …. let’s face it! It’s hilarious and when I’m a little down, I just think of one of the stories and I’m in a good mood! Thanks Babe!
It’s January in Toronto and the World Junior Games are on and we have tickets to like 18 games! As you know, we are big hockey fans so we’re determined to use all the tickets either by sharing with my nephews, friends and kids. My daughter is like 7 months pregnant and they had bought nose bleed tickets, knowing of course that BT would not let her climb up there and that he’d for sure let her sit in our gold seats. So off BT and Silvano go in search of the nose bleed seats and Renee and I are quite comfortable in our seats. Well the boys stumble onto (ya I don’t know how that happens) a private box with waitresses, wine, food, tablecloths….. The trick I guess is looking like you belong. They are sitting very comfortably discussing the game as if they are owners (to fit in obvi) with their glasses of wine. Then some guy behind them whispers “That’s Walter Gretzky” WELL!!! That was all they needed. BT turns around and winks at the guy kinda shushing him like he’s incognito. The waitress (a newbie) gets all flustered and says Mr. Gretzky this isn’t your box, it’s somewhere else BUT it’s OK, the owner isn’t here and I’m sure he wont mind. WHAT THE FUCK!!!! #1 Walter Gretzky is over 80 years old and #2 BT looks nothing like him. But Ladies and Gents, the story doesn’t end there. Boxes are open in front and people are sitting below you. By then, everyone thinks Mr. Gretzky’s in the house. Canada scores! BT gets overly excited and spills his wine on 2 lovely Canadians bellow him who were wearing white Team Canada Jerseys that the Grandmother had hand knitted!!!!!!! The old gal spend 500 000 hours knitting and BT, Excuse me, Walter, ruins the sweaters with a glass of wine. The couple was excited that Team Canada scored and it probably makes for a good story for them to say that Walter Gretzky spilled wine on them. I just can’t believe the shenanigans he gets himself into! You’re Welcome!
Hope you enjoyed that one!
If you just tuned in, you’ll see a bit of booboo has been made on my page. Sorry about that! I was trying to get help from the techies and one of them published the wacko page by mistake! I’m correcting it and will post the text in the proper format.
As promised in my last post kiddies, today is the day we tackle the most awkward of creatures – The person who spouts nonsense in an attempt to make you feel better about your situation (a.k.a. make themselves feel better). Here’s how we are going to go about this. ” I’ll quote what people have said to me” then I’ll say what is in my head (watch out!) and then what I really said that would be socially acceptable in polite society. But first an update.
Radiation on my poor little head is all done and I’m not too worst for the wear. My brain feels fuzzy sometimes and dizzy but all in all pretty good. The double vision is still hanging around but that gets better and better every day. The radiation has really messed with my sleep cycle though but I’m sure that’ll pass. The oddest thing is how I lost my hair. This is me Tuesday evening
AWWWWW
And then as I’m taking my shower, this is what happened
It was like a cat was sitting on my head and just decided to vacate!
So now it’s the wig format! Geezzzzzzzzz
Bon! Here we go! I know most people really do want to help and seriously don’t really know how, so they get all uncomfortable and spout nonsense that is usually some sort of religious rhetoric thinking it’ll comfort you. Others, let’s face it are just annoying assholes!
Lady in the bra shop selling mastectomy bras “Your faith must be tripled now” – In my head “Ya moron, I’m an atheist so for sure, we are not all religious you know” – what I really said “Ya”
“I’ve done some research on the medication you’re taking and your doctor really knows what he’s doing” – In my head “Seriously Dr. Google? I think I’ll listen to my doc who has 16 years of university and 30 years experience instead of Google!” What I said “Ya I’m lucky to have him”
“God only gives us what we can handle” – in my head “Ever heard of suicide moron? I think that’s an example of “god” giving a little more than we can handle” – what I said “??????”
“My friend took Aloe Vera juice and it cured his cancer” – In my head “Yup, I saw that in my chemo cocktail, they’ve researched that! THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE TO THAT SHIT! INCLUDING MASSIVE INFUSIONS OF VITAMIN C” What I said “I’ll talk to my doctor about that”
“My friend changed his diet to all clean and it cured his cancer” – in my head “I’ve been doing that and more my whole life asshole! STOP BLAMING THE VICTIM” – I draw the line with this one and actually say what is in my head.
My all-time favourite “Big pharma is making money with cancer drugs, they have a cure they just don’t want to release it because they will loose money” OK THERE!!! I can’t shut up about that one! Every day, new medication comes along that helps us live longer. Cancer is no longer a death sentence in so many cases but a chronic disease that gets treated until something new comes along. HOW DARE YOU!!!! The scientists devote their lives to this cause and you come out with that???? And then I kick them in the teeth! BAMM
Whew!!! That felt good to get out of my system! I hope (just a little) that I didn’t offend anyone with this but if you recognize yourself here, just know that sometimes saying nothing is best. Or if you really need to say something THINK before you say it. It may be meant to be comforting I understand but sometimes it’s just plain rude and ignorant!
And now for the laugh of the day – Trump! Need I say more???
Next time well we’ll talk about something funny I hope. A BT story may be in store for you.
Hey gang! Last time I blogged I mentioned that we’d get to the amazing people I’ve met during my journey and we’ll get to that in a few. First for an update. Well turns out the problem with my eye is indeed a tumour on my orbital bone that is pushing the on my eyeball (its the size of the eyeball! ewwww!) and there’s a little activity in the cranium so…. last week was radiation to the orbital bone and the skull for 5 days. No biggie, but turns out my brain is not a fan of getting scrambled so I’m nauseous and unbalanced and still seeing double out of the right eye. Good times! Eating is a bit of a challenge but I force food down my neck anyway knowing it’ll help me heal. Of course my friends and family make sure I eat good stuff! Good news is that I’m getting better every day and I really think I will be able to resume my projects next week! Can’t wait ! Haven’t seen any signs of hair loss yet! Yahoo!! I forgot another trick for those of you who are losing your hair and/or growing it out, a satin pillow case! Less tugging on the hair and skin (I try everything to prevent those nasty wrinkles).
Now for the people I’ve met along the way. It goes without saying that the medical team that has been a part of my life for the past 9 years are exceptional people. They are a testament to humanity and kindness. The way they make sure to treat you as a whole person and not just a disease makes you feel like they really want what is best for you AND your family. You would think that going for treatment or for an appointment would be depressing and intimidating but everyone from the volunteers to the doctors are positive and upbeat people. Even in the chemo room, people are talking, laughing and making the best of their situations. I can’t say enough about the nurses in that room. I really feel that they are my friends and their openness and kindness make it easy to confide in them, joke with them and just be genuine with them. We share pictures, stories and great laughs!
Surprisingly enough most people getting treatment are really not negative (some are of course but I feel that these people would be negative about everything). They are up-beat and, like me, feel confident that the treatment will either work or at least patch them up. Smiles are usually the order of the day in that place, if not, I try to crack jokes to get people laughing . Usually works to! Asking for a mani-pedi usually gets a good laugh. Understandably some have no hope and the looks on their faces are telling of their struggles. I’ll admit that breaks my heart until I realize, “wait a minute! I’m in that same boat! Wow! Back the truck up!” I wish I could go talk to them but I feel that’s it’s really not my place to do so. That’s why my visit next week will be to see if I can distribute cards to patients guiding them to my blog. If I can only help a few I’ll call it a good job!
A couple of weeks ago I met a gentlemen that’s about my age who happens to be a relative of a relative, who has terminal cancer and he’s the most energetic happy person I think I ever met! His life story is such a tragic one too. Physically and sexually abused as a kid, suffered a debilitating boating accident where no one thought he’d make it, more injuries and finally a terminal cancer diagnosis! He’s sick every single day but according to him “Hey! Life is good! I have a couple years left and I’m making the most of it!” He bought a big camper and travels when they can and is basically making the most of his situation. He always has a smile on his face and bitterness is just not part of his life (even towards his abusers). He just wants to leave behind positive vibes and good feelings. He’s a good person, a great husband and an amazing father! What a great legacy really. Even though you don’t know him, and I don’t feel that it’s my place to tell you his name, I hope that you will remember his life lessons so that his life’s work will somehow live on.
So many other people have come into my life during this journey that I just can’t, at the moment, think of them all. All of then with different stories, different backgrounds and different ways of coping. I like to think that they have helped me to either adopt their ways of thinking or thinking “Hell No!” I’m not going to be that negative Nelly! Either way, people have an impact on your outlook and it’s up to you to do the cafeteria thing and pick and choose what’s right for you. Just try to stay on the positive side of the train. Remember, No Negativity Allowed On The Danielle Train!
Ok that was not humorous at all! Bummer! Maybe it’s time for a funny BT story! This is a doozie! BT and I are fans of Pink! Her energy and music are really inspiring for strong women. Anyway, Renee bought me tickets to her concert in Toronto and it was going to be a big girls’ night out with cousins and aunts (8 of us). But wouldn’t you know it, BT’s feelings were hurt because he wasn’t invited! “But I love PINK too! You’re all being sexist!” WAAAAAA!!!!! Dinner and the concert were great despite BT pouting back at Tara’s house. Next day, Renee and Silvano had tickets to a Leafs game and after an all day pouting session, BT convinced Renee to give him her tickets to the game so that she can meet up with friends in downtown Toronto.
Off the three of them go downtown, Renee to meet friends and the boys at the Air Canada Centre. Do any of you realize how expensive it is to get roaring drunk at an NHL hockey game? Well BT found out! I guess he felt a little guilty about Silvano paying for the tickets so he just kept buying beer. Not a big deal really until they somehow weasel their way into the ACC Lounge and STEAL two really nice ornaments! The story does not stop there. They find out where Renee and her friends are and proceed to drink more beer out of the pitcher no less! She kicks them out and sends them to another bar to eat something so that she won’t have to carry the two home. They taxi it back and she has them engaging in a water drinking contest and goes to bed. I get up the next day and see these awesome trinkets and think “Oh how nice, BT thought of stopping and buying me a little something!” He gets up and of course remembers nothing! So we did the logical think and look up pics in his phone. Pics of them sneaking out with the ornaments AND a picture of BT wearing a white beanie and carrying a Chihuahua!! WHAT THE FUCK! He has no clue! It would seem that one of the bouncers had the little dog and BT must have asked him to take a pick with his dog and his hat????? That was a rough day after the night before for BT! You’d think he’d have learned his lesson, but no! There are like so many BT stories like this it just makes my life unpredictable and funny. I know you don’t do these silly over-the-top antics to make us all laugh BT, but come on!! Great job babe!!
Next time we’ll try to tackle awkward comments people make to try to make you feel good!
Hello again you fabulous peeps! I ended my last post promising to share with you some of my and BT’s projects that have kept us busy and sane (well me anyway, the verdict is still out on BT), and we’ll get to that in a bit. First an update on my condition.
As you know, my right eye has been bothering me with double vision and of course the MRI shows a tumor on my orbital bone that is pushing on my eye. And here I thought my eyelashes were getting soooo long that they touched my eyeglasses! My super-awesome friend and neighbour radiologist also found a little activity in the cranium (that 3 other docs missed) so that is getting treated right away. So bottom line, radiation to both eye sockets and the cranium and a little shot on my hip as well. I must say that the efficiency of the Cancer Center blows me away. Got the tests Friday, doc calls Monday, I get the planning done Tuesday and radiation started Wednesday. They don’t fool around. The pain is bothersome and the nausea from the wonkey eye drives me nuts! Can’t really read for any long period of time but I figured out how to get Siri to read my Kindle books to me! Bonus! That bitch can do anything! Oh and I’ll loose my hair again it seems. Tabarnac!
Now for the projects. Keeping your mind off your troubles is challenging I know, but with projects that need creativity and problem solving can save your sanity. My favorite activity of course is designing and sewing but I also got into painting and other crafts. Sitting around the house also gave me the bug to re-decorate! I turned my bedroom into my own oasis and I absolutely love it. It is so relaxing and soothing. Since I’ve had cancer, we re-decorated the dinning room, kitchen, ensuite bath, master bedroom, outdoor sitting area….. BT being super handy took all winter to build himself an awesome wine cellar that should be on HOUZZ! All made from refurbished material (most from a church that had been torn down). He also build a meat room for our son-in-law (yup! you read that correctly “a meat room” for his homemade prosciutto, sausages, cheeses…) And now he’s working on a fence so that the grandchildren don’t head for the street. Once that is done, he’ll be starting on a wine cellar for them too. Let me tell you Mr. Busy Body needs to feel useful and these projects help. Just look at this awesome wine cellar! The door, the marble floor and all the wood is from the old church, the walls and ceiling are from cork flooring that a friend had taken out of his house and the metal rods are from an old theatre that closed down years ago. Only the lighting and the ventilation system is new (he keeps it at about 14degrees).
He did all the planning and building himself! I guess he’s not such a goof after all! That room kept his mind going and his creative juices flowing! I’m so proud of him!
AND NOW FOR MY PROJECTS OF WHICH THERE ARE MANY
This owl duvet is my latest finished project. My little Daniela loves owls so of course Grand-maman had to make her a duvet for her big girl bed. It took a lot of planning and was quite a challenge but that’s what we need right?
A few of my sewing projects
And my little sock animal zoo
And a few paintings
You get the idea I think! (notice the paintings are all abstract, not my forte but what the hell right?) Anything to keep my mind from going to that dark place, I think up new projects. AND I feel that I’ve left something positive behind.
Enough of my mad talents (for now), next time I’ll write about some of the amazing people I’ve met during my journey. You’ll enjoy I hope!
Sorry I haven`t written in a while but this past week has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me. You know that week when you have tests done and you wait for results? Well it was that kind of week. You go through the tests and then you wait for the doctor to tell you one of three things : 1- There`s nothing more we can do for you so get your affairs in order; 2- This treatment isn`t working anymore so we`ll try something else or ; 3- You`re all clear and cancer free. My results? 2- the treatment has stopped working so let`s try something else. Here we go again! The tumor in my liver is a little larger and as far as I know, my bones are stable. The real issue is that there seems to be fluid in my lungs and around my heart. A quick fix my doc tells me, but I have to see a cardiologist. The other bigger issue is that my right eye is acting very wonky lately. I`m seeing double out of that eye and it annoys the shit out of me. I can`t drive unless I wear an eye patch! Son of a bitch! So now I have to have an MRI to see what the hell is going on there. Doc says it may mean radiation again. No biggie! As long as it gets handled I guess. Whatever! I`ve decided to think that it`s a small tumor and they`ll zap it away. SO THERE!! I also need to change the chemo treatment to another concoction (fuck! I hope I don`t lose my hair for the 4th time)!
A weird experience that I forgot to share is when I needed a biopsy of my liver. After having gone through several rounds of different treatments, my doc thought that maybe the reason my liver tumor wasn’t decreasing was because it was a totally different cancer and was not related to the breast cancer. He wanted a liver biopsy to help him determine if the tumor was fed by estrogen because we took several steps to eliminated estrogen from my system (3 different kinds of estrogen suppressors, bilateral mastectomy and radiation therapy to fry my ovaries) but the tumor didn’t react to those treatments. A biopsy is a super simple procedure where they insert a big-ass needle to extract a piece of the tumor. Sounds easy right? Here I go to the hospital and a radiology specialist, using an ultrasound to locate the tumor looks at me and BT and says “I`m not touching that” What the hell???? The tumor is located under the lung and he`s afraid to nick my lung! Maybe Dr. So-and-So can do it using a CT ? So off we go to see that doctor. “Can you do the procedure doc? I really need this biopsy.” Negatory!! “Could someone in Toronto do it” He didn`t think so. WTF am I supposed to do now??? The doc thinks there may be another doc that can do it but he`s on holidays. He calls this doc at home and he gets to the hospital in about 30 minutes. (My friend and neighbor who is a radiologist also said he wouldn`t do it but this other doc is known for being a bit of a cowboy and getting results). The doc is very small and is from Newfoundland. For those of you who are not familiar with this province, let`s just that the residents are incredibly friendly down-to-earth people with a very peculiar accent. In he walks “Lord Tundering Jesus!! I can do this!” . By this time BT is shaking in his boots but every nurse in the department told us that this was the guy to get results. Whew! He did it without a hitch! Thanks a million doc! Turns out the tumor is estrogen fed but for some reason, my body doesn`t seem to react to the medication.
OK enough of that! Lets get back to being fabulous. We`ve gone over skin care pretty thoroughly so on to make-up tricks. My sister and my nieces think I should do a YouTube tutorial but…. I feel that there are so many good ones out there that I don`t feel I`d be helping you. This is a good tutorial for mature women I`m not a cosmetologist, I just know what works for me. So how about I just write about little tricks I`ve used? Good! you all agree.
So what do you think? It seems like a lot of steps but it will become second nature after a while. Try it out and tell me what you think.
I hope you enjoyed this page even though there are not BT stories. I`ll keep you up to date on my test results and future treatments in the next few days. I`ll also share with the little projects that have kept me busy and somewhat sane. Next week I`m working on a series of paintings for my sister`s Mother in law so I`ll be sharing those along with past projects.
The last time I posted, I had shared tips for dealing with things like hair loss and such. I just want to clarify that I’m not endorsing the products I wrote about. I just wanted to let you know that there are products out there that can help with our particular needs. The brands that I mentioned are the brands that I found work for me. You might need to try different brands in order to get the ones that work for you. Now that that’s cleared up, lets talk about skin care.
The 4 most important rules for skin care are: Stay out of the sun, moisturise, stay out of the sun and moisturise. Get the picture? When you’re on chemotherapy, your skin is very sensitive to the sun so you can suffer from sunburns very quickly. You don’t need that in your life that’s for sure! If you must go out in the sun, make sure that you slather on the sunscreen thickly and often. There are several companies that make sunscreen from natural ingredients too. Any discoloration of the skin (a so-called “healthy tan”) is actually skin damage and let’s face it, once you reach a certain age, skin damage ages you a lot. You know what I’m talking about – wrinkles and age spots. Yuck!
For my face and neck I use one of those vibrating, rotating thingies that cleans and exfoliates your skin, that way the products I use seem to work better. I use a Clarisonic tool with a sensitive brush attached. I really swear by it, it cleans your face and gets rid of all traces of makeup. Once my face is uber clean, I use a face oil (there are several on the market) at night followed by a good night cream, eye cream and a neck cream. I know, I know, it seems like a lot, but like I said, your skin can get really dry with chemo. In the morning I skip the oil, and use a serum followed by a good face cream, eye cream and neck cream. A moisturising face masks once in a while helps as well. Another tip is to apply coconut oil on your face before a workout then wash it off in the shower after a few hours. Coconut oil also works well for your hair as a deep conditionner.
As for body skin, you also need to take care of that or you’ll have a serious case of the itchies. I find that dry brushing helps a lot. Before you shower (don’t use hot water because that’ll dry your skin even more), brush your skin with a dry brush that you can purchase at any drug store or beauty supply store. I was told that you should brush in the direction of your heart in order to help drain your lymphatic system. The brush helps get rid of your dry skin so that when you moisturise, your skin will absorb the cream better and leave you with soft skin. I also use the dry brush on my arm and hand before bed because I suffer from lymphedema and I feel that the brushing helps drain my lymph nodes and my hand swells less (for the correct procedure you should see a physiotherapist that specialises in lymph node draining).
One particular chemo treatment left me with very dry hands and feet (they call it “hand and foot syndrome” – they couldn’t have come up with a better name for it? like maybe “crocodile skin syndrome” or even “skin-so-dry-you-can-sand-your-floor-itis”). You skin can crack and bleed and it can be quite painful. The remedy? Try not to do chores that involve chemicals on your hands and that includes dish soap. It’s a great way to get out of doing dishes. Rubber gloves don’t really help because it can make your hands sweat and aggravate the condition. Use a good thick hand cream and apply it often during the day. If you want, you can wear cotton gloves after you’ve moisturised. The same goes for your feet. Use a very light touch to exfoliate your feet and apply a good foot moisturiser. Try not to go bare feet because that really dries out your feet (no socks and sandals however or I’ll personally hunt you down and bitch slap those socks right off you!). You can, however, go to bed wearing socks (not the ones you had on all day – gross!) after you’ve applied your moisturiser. What works really well – I’m not kidding- is slathering on Vicks Vapo Rub on your feet and slip on socks afterwards before you go to bed. Another treatment that I find works well is a paraffin wax treatment. You can buy a home kit (that’s what I did because I do it at least once a week) or visit an esthetician. The wax helps soften your skin and your cuticles (those get super-dry).
I hope that was informative and I’m sorry I couldn’t inject more humour in my page this time. I just couldn’t come up with a funny Bobby Tee story that involved skin care. Unless you count the fact that he discovered he can use hemorrhoid cream under his eyes to reduce the bags under his eyes. Everyone knows that old trick!
Fabulous Cancer Warrior 