This is how fast it happened! I received my pathology results on the 8th March and on the 12th March was my first chemo session!! I had some stuff to do beforehand though. The biggest for me, and for any woman I guess, was the issue of hair. I know that the general image people perceive of cancer patients going through chemo was bald and sickly looking. So, this is what I prepared myself for. The type of chemo I was getting was called FEC. (Perfect as it sounds like an Irish swear word!) Heehee! That tickled me at the time! The FEC treatment was likely to include hairloss. I had the option of trying out a cold cap to help reduce the hairloss. I was going to give it try. I had long-ish blonde hair at the time and the last thing I needed was to watch that fall out! So, I decided to prepare myself. I started to look at shorter styles. I had never had short hair before!
Hayley Geurts is not asleep but online looking for short, cropped hairstyles. Any ideas? Having haircut on Thursday to prepare for chemo. Don’t freak out when you next see me… ;o)
10 March at 00:26Hayley Geurts is getting nervous about her new hairdo tomorrow….
10 March at 22:55
Before picture, taken in Australia with my GORGEOUS cousin Taryn.
After haircut
I look very much like my faaaaaabulous friend Sharon Mackay! Feeling goooood!
I then had to have a port inserted. This was a small device put into my chest, which was linked to one of my main arteries by a small tube. It meant that I didn’t have the drugs going through my arms. The chemo drugs are such that they can burn the veins and completely ruin them. Yuck! It hurt when they put it in, but it was a benefit to have it!
Email to all:
Hi everyone,
Wow, I have been overloaded with information about what is to come next. I’m going to outline it as simply as I can to give you a bit of an idea what is to come (and what you can specifically pray for)
Today I went to Bishops Wood Hospital (Middlesex) to have a “port” inserted. (ouchy!) This is a direct line into my veins so that future blood tests and drips inserted will be much easier and less painful.
Tomorrow morning I will be having a radical haircut, in preparation for the chemo side-effects. Then in the afternoon I start physiotherapy for my arm and shoulder, to try and recover as fast as possible from the surgery.
Friday I will have the stitches removed at Pinehill in the morning and then at midday I will be going to Bishops Wood again for the first round of chemo.
The chemo will be FEC (standard apparently) and will be a course of 6 treatments every 3 weeks, so even with my bad mathematics this means 18 weeks worth. This takes me to the beginning of July.
I hope this then gives me time to gather up some energy for the Race for Life on the 11th July (sponsorship can be done at:http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/maizymoo) and our big birthday/anniversary bash on the 17th July! I hope you will all be there (7:30pm The Broadway Hotel in Letchworth). I will be sending out invitations shortly, but if you are on this list you are considered as guests of honour! You are sharing this journey with me and I am so overwhelmed by the love and support you are all showing in one way or another. It may not be a huge spread of food but there will be a bar available and we have an amazing DJ who’ll be keeping us all on the dancefloor! It would be amazing to see you there!
After that I am hoping to ask for a bit of time off before radio therapy starts (July and August) but not sure if I’ll get it… I want to be up on my feet dancing for joy at Together@Shuttleworth in August!
Again, I can’t thank you all enough for your support. Plus, if you feel that these emails are a little too detailed for you then please just ask me to take you off the list, I won’t be offended at all!
Please pray for the numbness in my arm as it is still quite painful and also the new port in my chest, it feels horrible. Please pray that the bruising and swelling go down soon.
Lots of love and hugs,
Hayley
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