Chemo Brian arrives, and the Primani Snood is introduced

Day 24

General status update

Hair: Now in protective custody for 48 hours – see below.

Nausea demon:  Struggling in vain to escape from his straightjacket, wherein he has been imprisoned by the Good Drugs. We can expect him to escape and start getting really arsy again around Day 3.

Chemo Muse: getting very annoyed with Chemo Brian; she is ITCHING to kick him into shape, with the help of the lovely speedy Dexy steroids, but realises she is going to have to wait for the other-drug-related fuzziness to wear off tomorrow.

Paranoia Demon: on hold because of the Good Drugs.

Chemo Brian: A long-feared arrival, he finally stumbled into Gurkha Towers today, dazed and confused, made himself at home, and started scrambling my brain – the Fo mental sharpness seems more than a little blunted. Hence the name, which appeared quite unintentionally on Twitter. I decided to keep him under that moniker, especially as @fionalaird immediately promised to send me a furry rodent of that name (Soft toy, NOT deceased. Or decomposing. Or in flames).  [MamaFo - pithy Yorkshire sayings, no 73, just one of many echoing down the decades: ‘you’re so sharp you’ll cut yourself, young lady, if you’re not careful’ - will probably be delighted.] About the reduced sharpness, that is, not the Chemo Rat. Or mouse. Or hamster. Rodent, anyway – um, where was I, exactly? Something about rat brains? I tell you what, let’s just move on.

Mouth: Numb with fear. Not connected to Brian, apparently

Sleep, lack of: on hold because of the Good Drugs

Anxiety level (1-10): on hold because of the Good Drugs

State of mind: see Chemo Brian

 

 

Posed by a model. No dogs were harassed with snoods in the administration of Fec2; image borrowed from http://b3ta.com/features/dogs-in-snoods/ , and  thus the person who posted that BEARS FULL RESPONSIBILITY

 

Am home from FEC2, woozy and rambling, a little bit high, and full of general benevolence to the universe, and more particularly to those who sent me good wishes and positive vibes for today on this blog, email, Twitter and Facebook – you know who you all are, and I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH.

The chemo went fine; I withstood the assault of Cold Cap II for the second time with no problems except for the muffled screams during the first five minutes. Happily R was away fetching coffee at this particular juncture, and by the time he returned I was able to affect a breezy, "bullets just bounce off me, dawlin’"*  

Then the chemo nurse injected the anti-emetics (various), the steroids (hello, Dexys, the Chemo Muse and I are both SO happy to see you again!), and then, at last the headline act: the Three Horsemen of FEC, one by one, starting with the jewel-coloured Epirubicin,

 

 

followed in short order by the less immediately visually appealing Fluorouracil and Cyclophosphamide, then half an hour after the chemo had finished, off with the cold cap, snooded and home … 

Yes, you did not misread; I did indeed say snooded, and snooded is what I immediately became after the cold cap was removed, and snooded I will remain for 48 hours, until I am allowed to wash all the goo from my hair. My hair is recovering from the assault of Cold Cap II, in a – I would like to think – cunningly swathed purple Primani (© @kirstiehepburn) snood, held in place with a headband, and that is how it must stay for the next 48 hours. R has started calling me Fo of Arabia, and enquiring as to how my stint as a shepherd in the Nativity play went, which could soon get very old; my pre-emptive response to the continuation of that kind of nonsense was simply to mutter 'Remember the Lysistrata, sweetheart, and be very, very afraid'.

I’ve always thought that snoods must be good for something - apart from inspiring  the traditional pastime of Nic Kershaw-snood mockery back in the day -

 

 

 

Not posed by a model - I believe this image actually IS, or rather WAS, Nic Kershaw

 

 

 and now I’ve found out what that thing is: for imposing temporary protective custody on chemo-threatened hair, post-cold cap administration. Sorted.

 

 

Yeah, I know I 'm looking pretty rough - that would be the 2 doses of chemo.
 

Still, only 4 more to go now....

 

* Yes, it’s a film quote – do you know who said this to whom in which movie? Without using Google? Scout’s Honour?

 

And, as an added bonus, here's a quiz question I DON'T think you solve can using using Google. Which famous British actor does the dog in the snood pictured below resemble? A prize for the first correct answer , possibly a brand new Primani snood.

 

 

 

 

 

Canine-  and 80s rock star-snood picture research by Professor R.E. Ashcroft, to whom many thanks.