h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You might try a 'Do It Yourself' store and ask for a box of dust masks http://www.homedepot.com/b/Paint-Paint-Buckets-Tools-Safety-Apparel-Paint-Apparel-Safety/Respirators-and-Dust-Masks/N-5yc1vZc5c7Z1z0t827

They are the same thing.

I have heard that chemo is a race to see is the chemicals can kill the cancer before they kill you.

keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers.

F S

When both my husband and my mum were undergoing their respective chemo the whole family kept stocks of antibacterial gel in their cars to have a squirt of before going in - every little helps, as they say. Also if anyone had even a slight sniffle - no visit.

A good thermometer for checking temperature was also a godsend, picking up slight fevers before any infection really took hold.

Deb

A good in the ear thermometer is a must; during chemotherapy your bodies immune system is not really up to much; Basically most of the signs and symptoms we get wehn we get an infection, just don't appear, so the only real way to know is by monitoring temperature, OK, so not like monitoring it constantly, but it is good to take occasionally, and then if feeling particularly ill, check it, and the hospital will provide a temp at which you phone the 24 hour chemo number at the hospital, and then, well, if your like us, and with no car, then an ambelence turns up and your into A&E, or emergency admisions, if its out of hours, or straight into the chemotherapy assessment suite, and the antibiotics are IV delivered... as, well, basically at that point (I was there three times durin g chemo), your within 24 hours dieing from septic shock, as the infection can quickly just take over the blood I got kinda used to the protocol by th e second time - alcochol hand getls were perminatly in my handbag, my coat pocket, and bacterial handwash, and hand alcohol gel, by the kitchen sink, and the bathroom basin, during treatment

Oh. yep; the chemotherapy agents, are just poisens, and its a race to get the cancer cells before too many 'healthy' cells get it... - hence my chemo randomly decided to distroy my tear glands (I can't cry anymore as they're broken now) - one of my chemo drugs is basically a neuro toxin, I think from an algi, which works by paralysing its prey... w worked to kill my cancer, but did rather mess up some of the nerves in my fingers and feet hm..... we're not ment to be frightening you, sorry! The history of the chemo drugs themselves can be kinda interesting, some are plant derived, some from algi, some from fungi I think, and others are bacterial in origion I still find reading about all that stuff so interesting, that sometimes I forget I had to have the stuff myself

I think with some of the hospital recomendations on hygine, infection control etc, they aire on the side of caution, and suggest every single thing you can/should do to avoid infection, assuming most people will remember, and practise a proportion of it, if that makes sense...

Thanks for all the infoand thoughts and prayers are always much appreciated

Yes we have supplied Ian with various anti-bacterial wipes, alcohol gel, etc and he knows to have no visitors with sniffles (or young children)

I'll pop to my local DIY store and check out their dust masks

Another thing to check out perhaps is the "clean diet". My mum has to follow this if her neutrophils drop below 1.5. It can be quite restrictive, and different consultants have different views, but mum's stuck to it.

As a family we've found it useful to track all blood tests on a spreadsheet. I set this up, with a column on the left for the different elements, such as platelets, neutrophils, white cells etc and a note about the "normal" range, and then new columns every time she has a test, which is once or twice a fortnight.

It's been so useful, and we have a family Dropbox set up so that whoever is with her can update the spreadsheet or scan any notes and everyone sees this immediately.

He's only on those build-up milk shake drinks, he can't even drink tea now, too painful There's only me and his daughter Caroline going round, and we're in constant touch with each other. Ian is keeping a spreadsheet on his computer and listing all his appointments, tests, weight, etc. Last week he was 14st 11lbs. This week he is 14st 4lbs, losing half a stone in a week is nightmare-ish. His pain has now crept up his chest into his throat and he's afraid it's going to affect his voice. As he lives alone, his only contact with the outside world is with his mobile phone, but I have told him he can still text me and I will be there in 5 minutes.

He went alone via NHS transport to Castle Hill on Monday. He got a booklet off the surgeon's team to show us the operation he is scheduled for after his 9-weeks of chemo then rest period, which is called an oesophagogastrectomy (no, me neither). They are going to remove his gullet, most of his stomach, and what's left will be in his throat. He will only be able to eat tiny meals for the rest of his life. He said he asked about holidays, and they said you won't get insurance to go abroad until you've been cancer-free for two years. He said "Not even a one way trip to Switzerland"?

I think he was expecting me and Caroline to laugh

I've been thinking for a long time what to say here, other than how shocked I still am at Ian's situation. The humour he still manages to show is really uplifting, and will guide him through this.

Thanks for posting, GB. Thinking about you both.

pah... no one needs insurance to travel... anyhow.... you do it with a lot of ... faith and ... hope I think

I saw from your fb page that it's three and a half years since you met. By coincidence I have a photo of me and my sons on the bookshelf taken that day, so I now have a focus for my thoughts of you. (I do think about you two every day, although I don't often say so

thoughts here also

Thanks 2legs

Thanks WS but it's more than that since we met (February 2013) when both our mothers were recuperating in The Beacon. The date we celebrate is when we became a couple

We enjoyed watching the tennis together Friday and yesterday, especially as the Murray brothers won

Glad you enjoyed the tennis I'm just glad the weather has cooled down a bit here... - this having the menapause every two months thing is not making me feel much better ATM - my testosterone levels fluctuate wildly due to the injections, and due to the way they do it, I get wildly high oestrogen and then wildly low oestrogen too, over the same period th heat was not helping

Now that I've got used to using my photo (taken 16th March 2013)as a focus, I shall continue. Kind wishes to you both.
I'm sorry for anyone who suffers in hot weather, especially you 2 legs as you have quite enough to deal with without the vagaries of the English climate. My various much less serious ailments respond better to heat than cold.

Today is support group day, but I can't take Ian as my older brother has scheduled a visit to Mum this afternoon and will be taking us out to the Trawlerman for a carvery, then probably stay until teatime. Caroline will be taking Ian, he wants to go as his arm is hurting, and he was told to report anything new. I checked him over yesterday and yes, his (whole) arm where he had the chemo injected is a completely different colour to the other arm. This is not something that was mentioned in the "possibilities" - he was told to expect pins & needles, sore feet & palms, but I guess everyone is different.

I'll be nervous until I get a full report, luckily Caroline has a good memory and she'll repeat what Helga says word for word.

a lot of people can get problems with teh injection site of the chemo drugs, especially in the arms... - I think my having the port fitted in my chest before chemo helped a lot, but then I guess a lot of people don't want the scar left there perminantly afterwards, and ports I think are rather expensive and not that common yet in the UK; PICC lines etc can be problamatic from infection point of view (I know the flabotomy nurses at my hospital were so so dismissive of 'central' lines like that, as they spent a lot of time having to deal with infections on them etc)... - I've heard of people putting cold, or warm compresses on the arm, whilst they're recieving the chemo drugs, to help aleviate any pain and help stop inflamation and brusing etc on the arm... Here's hoping there isn't a problem on the arm, and its just some swelling or bruising etc

Morning GB! Only managed to get back in here this week; after months of trying (thanks to Icy).Have not commented on fb.

A somewhat stupid thought has occurred to me, regarding remembering what the medics say. Try pressing the voice recorder on mobile phone as you enter consulting rooms. I don't think they'e restricted in those areas. That way you can play-back later for anything you may have forgotton. It is all too easy to forget when you are listening and feeling scared/stressed at the same time!

Prayer, hugs and kisses to you both.

Love Scorp.

Nice to see you back, Scorp! Probably worth saying here that if anyone has problems getting into their account, they should e-mail gurus (at) h2g2 (dot) com, and the guys there will help.

Thanks Scorp, Icy, 2legs

Ian has been put on antibiotics after the specialist checked his arm, the vein which had been used is hard and swollen, so they'll be using his other arm for chemo day (tomorrow)

His hair is coming out in clumps and I can see his scalp.

One good thing to report, I took a cottage pie round yesterday and he managed to get half of it down

Sending prayers and thoughts Ian's way.

I've been making hats for chemo patients - can somebody over there loom knit? It doesn't take long: A87875888

Pick his favourite colour and add a footie badge.

I was almost looking forward to wearing all mannor of differnt head-gear when I lost my hair from chemo... - the one certantity from chemo I was told was I'd lose my hair... and then I went and kept it all... OK, so it wasn't and isn't down to my bottom anymore, but I'm enjoying having it short for now, for a change

Oo, good news on the eating the cottage pie bad luck with the infection; I got several but the antibiotics got them every time