3 weeks post chemo

So for about 2 out of these 3 weeks I have felt like I have had the flu. My bones ached and every nerve has been hypersensitive, from my toe nails right to the tips of my finger nails. My toe nails and finger nails ached so much that I did not want to go out as that would mean having to put on shoes. The minute I put shoes on my toes and toe nails throbbed. Every time I washed up or cooked and especially trying to peel plastic film off containers my finger nails throbbed. To the extent that wringing a cloth to clean was painful. 3 weeks on my nerve endings are still sensitive but nothing like it has been. Lets turn to the hair, well I have dark hair and so my hair on my arms and legs was dark. I had some white on my head but now that my hair is starting to grow back I look like John Snow, seriously that is not a good luck. I have more white hair on my head than before and the hair on my arms and legs is also white. I didn’t realise that Chemo could affect the pigmentation of my hair. On the plus side you can’t see the hair as much as before and believe you me that will save a lot of hair removal time!

Oh and then there are the eyes, I no longer have any eye lashes and my eyes constantly water and then the water stings the skin around the eyes drying it out. To the point I nearly hit a cyclist whilst driving in Bristol or a dark rainy night.

Then there’s the issue of food and taste buds which are still off and the upset tummy on numerous occasions but I know the end is near and all this should return to normal soon.

Finally the Chemo brain and just not being with it. Well what can I say, I survived the last 5 months without doing anything stupid or forgetful albeit I have had several near misses and if I was at work I definitely would have been negligent. However, the last couple of days have been busy and I was in Devon picking up some stuff, whilst down there I thought I would return stuff that belonged to my ex that she had not been able to take. This communication led to her sending me an e-mail. Anyhow me and my son stopped off at the service on the M4 on our return and as we sat down I received a call from Barclaycard about some transactions on my card. Apparently, someone had spent over 200 pounds on the card online, so they had to cancel the card due to the compromise. I then saw the e-mail and started reading it, whilst reading this upsetting e-mail, phone in hand we left the service station. My son telling me to hurry up and to stop reading as he was eager to get home. We arrive home an hour later only to discover that I had left my handbag at the services. I was so annoyed with myself and the only thing that concerned me was my Chemo card and a pair of earrings my daughter had bought for me. My son immediately rang the service station, explained the situation only to be informed that they had not recovered a red handbag. He even insisted they look again at the table where we were seated. The purse contained my drivers license, which I needed to hire a van to move my son’s things at the weekend. Obviously when I told him that he was not best pleased and started on at me albeit he made me realise that I had to cancel my cards quickly as someone could spend quite a bit through the contactless facility. Anyhow, once he started I disappeared to the bath for some respite. At that point I saw a message pop up from my reflexologist on Facebook, informing me that someone had contacted her in an attempt to locate me and that was because I had her card in my purse. She sent me the gentleman’s name and contact number who lone behold lived 40 minutes away and attempted to contact me urgently so that I would not have to cancel any of my cards. I really could not believe that this person had picked up my handbag and then made all this effort to contact me to return it. I then met his wife today and she invited me in for a cuppa and I spent an hour chatting to this lovely lady. What a lovely couple and it is people like this who restore my faith in humanity.