cancerblog

I love this blog! ‘Knickers Model’s Own’

by Tara Millar
A girl needs to shop but going through cancer can affect your employment situation…so when I began following the blog Knickers Model’s Own, where Caroline Jones swears to wear clothes only from charity shops for an entire year, raising funds for Cancer Research UK, I got totally inspired to head to the charity shops for some second hand (and cheaper) retail therapy.
I just had my first radiotherapy session, of which went well – you lay on your back and they align the designated permanent tattoos to their lasers and have a machine revolve around you. Although bursting for a wee afterwards you are pretty much free to leave when it is over and so I needed, or wanted, a little well done treat. Off to Cancer Research UK shop on Botanic Avenue with the complete intention of getting a full outfit. If this girl can get a new outfit every day, even one every week, I am sure I can rise to the challenge of finding SOMETHING. I saw all of her cool outfits and accessories and thought how the hell is she finding all these in a charity shop?! And then I did!
It was glorious. I mean, I could have found more that one outfit but I completed it. I got the dress, the jacket, the shoes, bag, belt and necklace (all for less than £25!!!) Check this:

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Do yourself a favour and follow this lady on Facebook for her outfit posts. You can also donate to her justgiving.com page  She is one third of the way to raising £36.5k! How amazing is that!? Her style is fabulous and hopefully they will also inspire you to give it a go.

I have also just challenged my friends to find themselves a full outfit from a Cancer Research UK clothes shop (or any charity shop really!) and post their images to me. This is going to be so fun! I would also love to see anyone else who raises to the challenge!!!

Chemo 5 & 6

by Tara Millar
Well after the weekend of coming out of hospital I had only two days before I returned for some more treatment. Not enough time says I who after receiving 30 needles in the space of my 2 week hospital stint needed much more time away – so a little bit of emotions came into play when I had the normal blood tests taken.
It’s over in a jiffy but just seeing that metal in my arm with all the other scars from the previous needles and my random allergic reaction to a plaster still marking my skin, even the nurse commented on how much I looked like a pin cushion.
Anyways, tests all done and good to go for chemo that day. I sought after the ward sister from the cancer centre who had wonderfully been able to put in my cannula the week before in one go and she got it again! Such a good feeling when you only have to do that once as they stick the cannula in and need to move it around a bit before the vein really takes to it. Then it’s taped down and the Taxol and Carbo get administered with all the pre-med drugs too. All good for Chemo 5. One more and I’m half way done!
IMG_1269I did eventually give in to that fast food craving by the way. It took 5 days to cave in but after trying to find what exactly my body was searching for, nothing was appeasing the mind from having that McChicken sandwich. I did it, I went to McDonald’s and had the meal and I felt great haha. It took care of the craving and that’s that.

Chemo 6
My final chemo day on the trial! I met with the head doctor, awesome woman, Dr Clarke, someone who makes you feel that you already know them and there was no need to catch up on who I was or what I was doing, just straight in great rapport.
I got some Magnesium to ease muscle pain and also my blood tests showed that I was at 0.69 marker not 0.7 on the magnesium scale in my bloods – nothing too drastic, but the sachets of magnesium are fantastic and they taste great too. I was having to wear very soft bras as it felt like my skin was sunburned when I wore my normal underwired Ann Summers lingerie and towards the end of my evenings my body would just ache. I normally avoid prescription drugs and be a person who would suffer through it and wait for my body to kick in with its immune system, but that’s low just now and sometimes drugs are just awesome!
The cravings I have now I guess are due to the steroids. It’s breakfast food! Cereal! Omg, I would eat my dinner salads and then before bedtime enjoy one, sometimes two! bowls of cereal. Cheerios and Special K with heaps of milk. I wouldn’t normally eat this many carbs, or drink calories in the form of milk, especially now since I am not getting to the gym so I have added 3lbs but I don’t feel super guilty. I am taking a lenient approach to all this just now as I know when my body is ready for extra exertion I am going to love it.
Celebrate time for me!!!!! I am half way through my cancer treatments!!! I have completed the clinical trial Interlace and now breathe, celebrate the milestone so far and look out for the next 6 weeks to come. That week my older sister visited from Scotland and we celebrated with some cake, art gallery visits, gardening, lots of chats and green tea. Can’t wait to see my girlfriends this weekend for some shrimp and venison gumbo! I don’t know what the next half of treatments is going to be like so before I get nervous, time to chill and take it all in. Get those breathing exercises done, got a colouring book, do some retail therapy, be a movie goer again, check in with friends.

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