Your Personal Favorite Side Effect Tricks and Tips

[debnevada]

Since we have some newbies (in week 16 I consider myself now a "near-newbie"....how about posting your tricks for side effects?

Itching
This one is gross. I don't shower as often but use baby wipes on the naughty bits all the time. LOTS less itching.

Band-Aid anti itch gel spray for those intense spot itches...not good for big areas but Gold Brand Green bottle red top works nice.

Nausea:
Found this candy called Gin-Gins....described as a helpful candy for chemo. Works pretty good. Also ginger tea but it tastes like ****. They have a drink called Ginger Soother. Peppermint mints help too.
www.gingerpeople.com

i have more but ring in please,all...

Deb

[jools57]

thanks for those tips...especially the showering one...LOL...i havent really had too many sides...mild itching...finding that water really helps...lots of it...

anyway anyone have anything for hair falling out??? so far its just the gray ones, but i need all the folicles i have!!!

thanks again...Jools

[l-horn]

When I can't sleep and I'm bored I buy stuff on the Internet that I'd otherwise never buy. I've been getting UPS deliveries for weeks. Today I got some nifty towels. It's like Christmas. If you stretch it out, you can get a new 'present' every day although my last binge I bought so much stuff when it arrived even *I* was surprised !!

I haven't cracked the home shopping network yet but I did almost buy a knife set the other day and then thought, 'What am I going to do with 200 knives ?' Actually I really just wanted the samurai sword. That way when someone is walking their dog and stops to poop in my yard I jcould ust walk out the front door with a big ol' sword in my hand and waive it around, ninja style. That or toss one of them there pointy star blade thingy's at it.

[jools57]

LOL...i wondered who'd buy those kinsu knives!!LOL

[PSP-n-Me]

my hair started thinning at first, then went to to the point where I cut it real short to hide the thinning - 2 days ago I bought a wig..I don't think there is anything you can do to prevent it from falling out, if there is I would love to know - Don't color or perm hair while on treatment is probably a good tip...

[nygirl7]

hahaha Ihorn I went through the same Ebay phase as you - oh my GOD my credit cards literally almost exploded!  Got some great shoes but my gosh how many feet do I HAVE that I needed so many, many pairs of them!!!!!!!!!!!



My favorite side effect tip - ice cream, by the gallons :)  It helps each and every side effect known to man, I guarantee!

[orphanedhawk]

Deb: Have you tried making your own ginger tea? Just take fresh ginger root, grate a piece of slice really thin. Pour boiling water over the ginger and let steep about 10-15 minutes. Strain, sweeten and add water as needed, to taste. It may taste better than some pre-made product. My daughter used to take ginger capsules for motion sickness.
  Morning nausea: Hot cereal. If its really bad, have someone else make it and eat it in bed.
   Hair: I have dry hair and tx made it like straw. Once I realized it wasn't just falling out but also breaking off, I started using jojoba oil. Its good on the skin also after a shower and before the lotion.
  Sorry to say, my hair is still falling out but there is some fine stuff growing back in.
  itchies: Avoid fragrances, natural or chemical. Products with gentle natural, non-drying ingredients have worked best for me.
   Dragon Tea available from alchemistlab.com helped me a lot with easing the itchies. And hurrah for gold bond when nothing else works.

[PSP-n-Me]

hahaha you're a trip girl!  I love the tattoo idea - maybe that's what I should do - a big DIPPY on my head in bold colored Green to match what used to be my flaming red hair LOL

[mustangshelly]

I am still laughing hysterically at the baby wipes...and I thought I was alone lmao!!!!  I love the huggies with shea butter...
as for the sides
rash, gold bond red top,benadryl and itch it like heck cause it feels good and you might as well enjoy something feeling good to do!!
nausea...eat a bunch of **** then puk...ahhh that feels better...now my eyes are puffed to no end lol
hair loss, still got some left, colored it and then had highlights put in, I figured screw it , if it falls out i,ll shave it and get a big tattoo MOM put on my head
dry mouth,sores and cracks...rinse,rinse and eats lots of icecream..mmm
mood swings ..i PMS 24/7 just ignore me
fatigue? don't stop till you drop, lots of starbucks
weight gain or loss. I eat what I crave, even if its frootloops at 2am in my sleep!
seriuosly, the sides for some really stink but think of hopeful svr for all 4ever! hugs :)shelly

[l-horn]

UPS man showed up again today. In the past couple of months:

Silver Colibri lighter
1200 piece professional poker chip set ( whatever ...)
White linen robe
Ivory straight edge razor ( I haven't killed myself yet. Still learning ...)
Lots of skin/hair care products from MensScience
Professional Bar Set ( Yes, I'm still going to drink after I'm done )
Mahogony Humidor ( and smoke )
2 cartons of Davidoff Premiers ( a lot )
A sliver cigarette case ( but in style )
3 watches
Some really nice ebony ashtrays
Waterpic
Braun 9800 series electric shaver. ( very nice )
A set of martini glasses and tumblers
A couple of pipes and some imported tobacco.
Various knives
Various grooming kits
A pair of Armani sunglasses
Hot lather machine and 2 dozen barber towels.
Various talcs, aftershaves and colognes.
A couple of cuban fedora hats.
Various clothing ( ties and shirts mostly )

You know, GUY stuff. Whether I'll use it is another story but damnit, it's fun. I can always give 'em away as gifts.


Basically the theme here is I'm gonna do lot of shaving while drinking martini's and smoking.....AND I'll know what time it is at all times.

[Lady E]

Jeez! You should start your own Ebay! LMAO
I've probably done an equal value with my painting...had to do SOMETHING with all of this idle time.

I'm right there with you brother.
E

[Myown]

Baby wipes???? I'm finished tx, but NOW I feel itchy after reading that.

[debnevada]

i did NOT mean my naughty bits itched.  

I meant that showering less and using baby wipes kept my ENTIRE SELF from itching as much.

Now i have grossed myself out.  and everyone else.....

Great ones, ya'll

Note to I-Horn:
I need some stuff........shall i send you some links?
Butttt......the stuff you bought sounds very suaaavvve

[painterlady13]

I wasn't able to use the Gold Bond Red as it has menthol in it and it just made my rash worse.  But I started using Aveno lotion with oatmeal for dry itchy skin.  Then about halfway thru treatment I found goatsmilk soap in various scents (for a while there I felt like I had leather for skin, it was sooo rough) and it took away the dry skin. I found a lady nearby that makes it but you might be able to find something like that at a natural food store or on the internet.  

Also I found the hair salon at WalMart carries a shampoo and conditioner called NIOXIN for thinning hair (suggested for cancer patients)  and while it is expensive it is worth it,  I still lost hair but probably not s much s if I had not used it.  And I use a pick to "comb my hair" as I lose less hair that way.

For dry mouth I used Biotene mouthwash and toothpaste and when I got sores on the inside of my mouth the last 6 weeks of TX I found KANKA softgel brush. It is made just for that it doesn't taste bad and it has a numbing agent that allowed me to be able to eat.  even fruit hurt at the time.  I think the KANKA was the best. But then I was desperate

[Forseegood]

Are you I-horn or James Bond? sheeesh! you forgot to tell us about the skin mags:) Oh and the Mens Science stuff is nice, but they put the same stuff in as female products, just marketing schemes...but you have taste - that's for sure! Those Braun things are good!

[pigeonca]

Your shopping list serves as a great idea-bank for gifts.  I never know what guys want for their b'days, etc., and now I have this list to consult.  Have fun with your toys.

BTW, my brother is hooked on antique neckties from e-bay.  Nobody wears ties much anymore, so there's some really cool ones available.  He recently bought one with a Frank Lloyd Wright design (I hope the quack's not related to the architect).

[meki]

Oooh - I'll hit this one up in a little bit!

[Forseegood]

Nice idea about the ties....and the name tie-ins...lol....

[ladybug52]

My favorite was finding a new job an hour and a half away. How does this help sides you ask?? When you're tired, pull over and sleep. You can always blame it on traffic.
Dry skin: Aveeno oatmeal baths, aveeno lotion, aveeno sunscreen. Aveeno shea butter worked the best for my hands.
Nausea: Drink fluids, pomegranite juice, water with any kind of juice, snow cones.
Hair: Color it and cut it. Don't let them see you go gray. When I was dragging myself around with dark circles under my eyes, scratching like a heroin addict, and yawning in everyone's face, my hair was the color of a 20 yr old. I think I really fooled everyone into thinking I was much younger than I acted:)
Bayby wipes for the butt: Oprah did a story about this, I heard. They make this product for adults who want that fresh all over feeling. I just used scented hair spray on the little mass of dyed hair and got that fresh scent that turned heads when I walked by.
Anxiety: The hep C forum. It kept me up all night, but I never felt alone!
Hugs to all,
Bug

[meki]

Nausea - Go Barf... cause sitting around all day feeling like you have to is horrible.

But once you're done - Get something like crackers and ginger ale in there. Keep your foods bland, try to stay away from spicy things, they really irritated me. Anything too sweet, too anything bothered me.

If you have a real problem and are losing so much weight - and are retching continuously - see a doc - ask for Phenergan - get the suppositories.

First... the suppositories going in make you forget about nausea, until you either eliminate them (grin) or until they actually calm your stomach down.

Tiredness: Sleep. As much as possible. Forget everything. Just relax - put on headphones - whatever it takes. Your body is working triple time and trying to get better - deal with the chemo - etc. SLEEP LIKE A BABY.

Insomnia: I'm more a naturalist --- not like vitamins or non-pharmaceuticals, but more like - don't take it if you don't need to. I didn't take ANYTHING to get rid of it, except for occasional AMBIEN when it got really bad.

But I did set myself up for those nights when I just couldn't sleep.

Examples:

Books to read
Crossword Puzzles or Other Word Games
Computer Games
Borrowed the Game Boy from the kids and played those
Did late night cooking
Baked Cookies
Learned to do a HOOK RUG kit


Itchy skin: After a shower I would douse myself with OLIVE OIL --- and for a little fragrance - add perfume. I would stand there while I put my makeup on and did my hair.

LOOKING LIKE VINCENT PRICE (per mremeet)
Uhmmm I poured on the makeup - I learned how to counteract the raccoon eyes as much as possible - I highlighted the top brow with WHITE and used a green or yellow underneath the eyes... I eyelined so that it looked like "shadow" instead of green skin... LOL! I wore ORANGES and Browns to give that Natural health look - and used light colors... As if it were summer...

But the secret is --- Light colors applied HEAVILY.

LIPSTICK --- and whitening your teeth really help too, to detract from the haggardness you feel.

Making yourself look good helps you feel good.

Remember - Look at yourself in NATURAL LIGHT Before going out in public.

ALSO -- Invest in GOOD TWEEZERS.

Very important.

You WILL grow a goat beard. (Ok - maybe you won't but the chances are there and they are pretty high... don't shave or it will be permanent. LOL!)

Your HAIR:

You're going to thin or lose some... A few folks have hair that gets healthy.
Mine... well let's just say BOZO would have been able to claim me as a family member. LOL!

I couldn't dye my hair - but I could keep it really mosturized with good hair products... Splurge a little go to a salon and ask for the most mosturizing conditioner and conditioner packs they have for your texture of hair.

Try to stay away from the blow drier - but if you have to --- leave some conditioner in your hair.

Itchy bumps --- depends on why they are there - but there is a thing called "SKEETER STICK" sometimes that helps... Others --- Gold Bond... Or even other things like Monistat --- but be careful what you use - it can cause problems.

Nails: Ah hah! Yes --- my toenails grew out like hooves --- I had to find HUGE clippers to cut them --- and even then they were tough tough tough. I decided to go a little longer than normal --- and to decorate them really pretty... studs, rings, etc. Nice paints... nice decorations on them --- was kind of fun...

And because my feet used to get HOT HOT HOT -- I would really show them off with BLUE nail polish and a sparkly jewel...

Make sure you keep lotion EVERYWHERE in your house -- one in the kitchen - one in the bathroom - guest room - bedroom - living room... Get a pump bottle for them - cause you need them all the time.

Water --- Water --- Everywhere.

Juices.

Keeps you hydrated.

CHILLS:

Buy yourself an electric blanket. It's very helpful when you're sitting there shivering and nothing works.

Bad Mood:

Get a dart board and pictures of things you Hate... Example: A pile of pooh... Ex Presidents, ex husbands, wives... tax specialist... Throw darts.

Do things to get out of a bad mood... Walk if you can --- if you can't, change your setting - whatever it is. Sometimes bright light helps to change your mood --- and sometimes darkening the area changes your mood. So try and figure out one thing over another.

SMELLS - ok - My sense of smell is heightened -- I found that putting peppermint oils in boiling water -- or smell good things in the water --- changed my mood to  the better.

Any onions, bell peppers, garlic frying in oil in a pan made my mouth water --- just the aroma was good.... And that would help - I kept a bag of chopped up stuff that I could fry up --- and the family could use it if they wanted to to cook with... But just the smell helped me out.

But bad smells --- they would gag me --- or make me just plain ill.

So I also kept candles, fragrances - oils - potpourri, etc. everywhere.

Now --- keeping yourself smelling good is probably a good part of hygiene.

MAKE YOURSELF TAKE A SHOWER each day, if you can. Make yourself up each day --- Make your bed each day. Those are routine things that can help you keep a good attitude and make you feel better about yourself.

Even if it's only for a few moments and you hop back into bed.

CLEAN SHEETS...

Don't laugh. I was super sensitive and needed my sheets clean every other day.
Otherwise my skin would itch a lot.

Talking to people on forums --- and just reading them helped my anxiety --- and made me feel not so --- ALL ALONE...

That's a very important thing. To me... I felt isolated and totally alone.

Now - it's different - I know there are thousands of folks just like me.

Eat Healthy - Drink lots of water - stay away from alcohol - slow down on sodas - try to exercise if you can --- but most of all - DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP FOR FEELING AWFUL.

Most of us do.

Give yourself the freedom to say "NO" to people.

Don't spread yourself thin.

Make getting better your priority - and don't feel guilty about it.

PAINS:

Stretch a lot - do what exercise you can. It helps --- it may not be enough - but combined with healthy eating it can help. Some of us have arthritis and other things that make pains awful --- do what you can - when you can --- even if it's just lifting your leg while sitting down in a chair or couch. Stretch your body.

But if pains get bad - let a doctor know - they could be a serious side effect.

OK - that's enough for now.

LOL! I write a ton when I sit down and get a hankering - so hope you have a good cup of coffee.

Hugs to all - and hope you're all feeling better.

[meki]

Oh - and forget the baby wipes!!!

Invest in an Electronic Heated Bidet that attaches to your toilet seat.

One of the BEST Things my hubby ever bought me!

HONESTLY!

You'd have to try it to understand --- heated seat --- warm water cleansing... you're so clean --- life is good ----and you will absolutely love it.

Although - Baby Wipes are excellent portable things --- and are an amazing creation to the world! LOL!

Meki

[meki]

"When I was dragging myself around with dark circles under my eyes, scratching like a heroin addict, and yawning in everyone's face,"

No kidding!

[Forseegood]

youre amazing! you must know how to type really fast! I type around 60, when I was first out of college, and worked as a legal secretary, still didn't get any faster, so I wasn't a very good legal secretary...my mother typed 100, back when they couldn't make mistakes cause they used to use carbons, whew!

Anyway, I have an abstract knowledge of treatment, one thing I do know about is make-up though, ha ha! I already have slightly dark circles, what I use, and have for awhile now, is a real good, high quality concealer...you need high quality cause the cheaper ones usually look cakey, which makes you look even older, or give you that inverse racoon look, with white under the eyes! ha ha!

The one I use is from Janet Sartin, it's the best one I've ever used, and I've tried all the high end ones, and this one isn't even the most expensive one...I've turned my girlfriends on to Janet Sartin, she makes excellent lipsticks, etc, too....They only sell it at the Nordstroms here, and maybe Bloomingdales, but I don't know about other states, Janet Sartin is out of NY I believe...really conceals any dark spots, under eyes, wherever and lasts a long time, without getting dry looking or oily either...

[meki]

I'm a Prescriptives Freak ... LOL!

But being where I live --- makes it Maybelline time --- with good lotions and stuff.  But I'm VERY particular about what I put on my face or body --- It doesn't have to be expensive -- it just has to be good.

I've never heard of Sartin - I'll have to check it out. Online? Hmmm?

I can use some Mary Kay --- but not a lot --- for example the mascara hurts my eyes. But the nail polish is the bomb -- that and Opi.

I can't do Avon yet... Nor Estee Lauder --- Estee kinda goes ick on me.

I like Shiseido - but sometimes the colors just don't go with my skin color. And Lipsticks have to be the 14 hour or more kind with a long lasting gloss.

I have to admit tho... My 11 year old (just turned 11 last  week) daughter had some mary kate and ashley stuff ----- Wooohooo - I tried it... some sparkly something - I dunno. But I loved it... LOL! Shhh.. Don't tell.

I do like a lot of different brands - but Sartin.. Hmmmm.. gonna have to see.

There is this one make up infomercial that was just powders that I saw the other day --- I was thinking Titanium dioxide poisoning - LOL - But it looked interesting - my skin is just so dry tho. So I usually stick with creams.

Alright - oh - depends on what I am typing I can hit 85 - 95 wpm if necessary and the words are small - but a lot of errors, because I'm usually on the phone or listening to something.

Just FYI - LOL - I'm a police dispatcher --- that kinda explains the hyper quality and the speed.

Oh oh oh - and I have to tell you - today was the first symptom free day in the last year and a half.

No real pains (ok stiff joints - but that does NOT count) no major bleeding -no headaches - no dark moods - nothing.

Weird -- keep hoping tomorrow will do the same thing. Yanno? Cause it feels REALLY GOOD to feel normal.

It almost made me cry when I realized that I kinda felt normal the whole day. It was such a relief... no pain meds - no nothing.

Have a great day all.

Meki

[Forseegood]

oh, I'm so glad for you! I was talking to my girlfriend who is still suffering sides a long while out of tx...I just want people to feel like you did today, ya know? youre so young too...compared to me anyway...anyway, yeah, you can get Sartin off the internet, and I think there's a way you can color code to your skin...telling you, their lipsticks, concealer, really, really good...I use a lot of her products...

since we're on make-up (wonder how many guys are still reading, ha ha!) there is this stuff called Revitalash, that is supposedly guaranteed to make your lashes really longer and thicker in 4 weeks, or your money back...my eyelashes are so small now...maybe that will be the only good thing about interferon, ha ha! I think I'm going to try Revitalash, I don't have any lashes to put my mascara on, it's weird! they used to bat my eyebrows!

It's good that you have a profession that actually helps people, good on you...you must have nerves of steel!