Survival kit, Diet and Exercise

The sudden diagnosis of cancer doesn't come cheap, that's for sure. This is the stuff no one tells you about and to be honest if someone was struggling financially, this would seriously push anyone to their limit at an already fraught and stressful time.  You can get an NHS medical exemption card  by asking your GP to fill out the appropriate forms and send these off for you. Prescriptions are free to cancer patients in England. My exemption card is valid for five years. However saying that its not always feasible to be sitting in a waiting room with lots of ill people waiting to discuss with your GP all the side effects your experiencing and what medications you need.  However what is evident is the increase in day to day living and the costs incurred. 

Macmillan's new research report reveals the sheer scale of the financial burden faced by people living with cancer*

• Four out of five cancer patients lose £570 a month

The cost of cancer is calculated as the loss of income and the additional costs experienced as a result of a person's diagnosis

• One in three lose £860 a month in earnings because they are unable to work or have to cut down their hours
• Six in seven see their monthly expenses increase by £270 a month

*Figures shown are averages

http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Documents/GetInvolved/Campaigns/Costofcancer/Cancers-Hidden-Price-Tag-report-England.pdf

All advice suggests a change of diet (mainly fresh and organic) and then there is the cosmetic side of things, headscarves, cotton hat and wig paraphernalia.

I have included some frivolous items of choice to make me feel better, the candles and nice notebook. Because lets face it for two weeks out of every three you feel like you've done ten rounds with Mike Tyson and then been hit by a bus. 

 My work colleagues gave me an amazon voucher so I used it wisely and purchased a mannequin head and some music, which I have been constantly playing - positive vibes.

Here is a list of all the things I have needed so far and I'm sure I will probably be adding to it at a later date.

Cotton PJ's - for menopausal sweats hot vs cold

Candles for bath time/relaxation

Sleeping tablets (GP) & Nytol

Childrens soft toothbrush (change each chemo cycle)

Difflam oral rinse mouthwash for mouth ulcers (GP)  and Bicarbonate of soda/salt water (good for mouth ulcers)
Nice notebook to keep track of appointments, conversations at oncologist appointments, diet, medication, telephone numbers and side effects. 

Wig shampoo

Wide tooth comb to comb wig.

Mannequin head

Baby wipes

Headband - to cover your ears and back of head and pop on under a woolly hat

A cotton hat to wear in bed to keep your head warm and helps when shedding hair
scarves http://www.boldbeanies.co.uk
Jersey sleep caps http://www.annabandana.co.uk/about-us-ezp-1.html

Anti-bacterial hand sanitiser
Anusol  haemorrhoids cream- chemotherapy does give you piles and for this I hate you.

Gaviscon for heartburn

Senokot for constipation 

Ibuprofen for headaches

Vaseline

Sudocrem for dry soles of feet

Dermol 500 (GP)

Dermol 600 Bath Emollient (GP)

Fake eyelashes + glue

Eyebrow pencil

Eyebrow stencil kit

Pink blusher/bronzer

Dark nail polish (http://www.bcna.org.au/new-diagnosis/treatment/chemotherapy/nail-changes)

Tissues for the constant runny nose when you no longer have nasal hairs (http://www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/cancer-information/treatment/chemotherapy/side-effects/pages/hair.aspx)

Cough sweets for cold like symptoms and sniffles and sore throats, nasal spray.

Moroccan Argan Oil - to hydrate your scalp and massage into your scalp to stimulate hair follicles 

Optional

Clippers - for shaving your head 

Diet

Try and cut out meat and dairy products or at least only makes up 20% of your diet
Drink plenty of water - at least 2 litres per day

Spinach 

Blueberries/Cranberries

Dried apricots/pumpkin seeds
Lemons
Pineapple/Prunes
Cucumber/Kale/Ginger/Beetroot/Spinach/Broccoli 
Juicer

Green tea/fruit tea

100% orange fruit juice lollies for sore throats (but not great when your taste buds have gone, I felt like I was chowing down on a cows tongue)
Manuka honey 25+  (tastes vile)

Wheatgrass powder 

Exercise/Complementary therapies

Walking to feed the ducks (my favourite)

Acupuncture

Rebounding/mini trampoline (haven't managed to do this as yet, but its low impact on the knees and when I feel well enough will bounce like an uncontrollable bouncy person).

http://www.oprah.com/health/11-Tips-to-Get-Through-Chemotherapy

http://pollynoble.com/

http://www.bigjuiceltd.com/

http://www.juicemaster.com/juice-therapy/a-to-z-ailments/cancer

http://kriscarr.com/products/crazy-sexy-cancer/

Happy New Year 2014

Love and light x x

Study links birth-control to rare breast cancer- TN Triple Negative, 2009

Arguably this report was published some years ago in 2009 and whether it has any real validity is questionable, BUT it is certainly food for thought. It seems clear that additional research does need to be undertaken and that these correlation of factors need to be explored further. 

Here is the link:https://www.fhcrc.org/en/news/center-news/2009/05/birth-control-rare-breast-cancer.html

Parabens

What is a Paraben?

A Paraben are the most widely used preservatives in personal care products.

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/01January/Pages/parabens-in-breast-cancer-tissue-studied.aspx

Researchers found traces of parabens in breast cancer tumours in 2004 (Dabre, Journal of Applied Toxiocology) but the study left several questions unanswered and no concrete convincing scientific evidence to whether there is a link between the two was formulated. For example the study did not show that parabens cause cancer or that they are harmful in any way. The study did not look at possible paraben levels in normal tissue.

Which is lucky as I can only find Paraben free beauty products which carry an above average price tag! 

http://www.nakedbodycare.co.uk/blog/lost-the-paraben-plot

This group of chemicals have a variety of pesky names

Many major British and international brands use different types of parabens in products, often listed on the packaging as methylparaben, propyl, butyl or ethylparaben.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/01/12/paraben-chemical-linked-to-breast-cancer_n_1202144.html

http://www.girlblogsetc.co.uk/2013/12/the-paraben-debate.html

http://www.parabenfree.co/parabens-and-breast-cancer.php#.UsGMi9JdWSo

Parabens can also occur naturally - http://www.herbhedgerow.co.uk/are-you-eating-parabens/

Party trick gone tits up

My new party trick of pulling hair from my head, because I can - has slightly backfired in that I have a patch or two of baldness -which I just can't disguise (schoolgirl error). It seemed funny at the time.....

BUT without hair I feel that my head is too small for my body. 

I am indeed the shrunken head guy from Beetlejuice and that is clearly the dude on the right in this gif. However he appears to have a ponytail of hair which I had not previously noticed and is clearly sporting more hair than I currently have or can currently boast. 
Bugger..... 

Speak No Evil Or "What Not To Say To a Cancer Patient." by myangrycancer.blogspot.co.uk

Pubic Hair Migration

So 
with the  migration of pubic hair, this can mean only one thing. The inevitable is about to happen (the hardest part of the process).

I am about to loose my hair from my head. 

I asked my Hubster to shave my head this evening in the bath and take pictures to post to my blog.

I actually think the Freddie Mercury Moustache is quite fetching and the plant growing from my head adds some what character. 

I've gone down to a grade 1, which means less hair being shed around the house in the future days/week.

I have purchased a beanie from http://www.boldbeanies.co.uk/ (based in Wrexham)as the woollen headbands I have been wearing around the house are not something I can sleep in and will not contain the hair loss either. It's a Liberty print and I'm very excited :)

http://www.boldbeanies.co.uk/

The headbands have however been invaluable under woolly hats and it is only now that I realise that my own hair used to keep my ears insulated from the elements.

Happy Holidays and have yourself a merry grope

xx