I plan to write through a list of the questions I get the most often. The Q&A below details many of them, but I also receive a lot of inquires on how to best help a loved one during chemo and requests for advice on cold capping. I’ll write though all of that shortly. In the meanwhile, the one thing I’ve learned from this experience is my need to pay it forward. I am always more than happy to answer questions. You can reach me any time via the contact form here or on Instagram via DM.

Q. What do you recommend for lashes / can I get lash extensions during chemo?

Yes, you can absolutely get lash extensions during chemo. My extensions lasted until after the 6th round of chemo. So did my eyebrows. I was that girl on the forums acting cocky about how my lashes were lasting until BAM! I woke on the morning of New Years Eve with nothing left. Of all the things I lost, I missed my lashes the most. I tried a variety of brands once they disappeared to the dark abyss.

……. yeah, it was not a cheap experiment

• Mac – no. These lashes were the hardest to apply of any brand I bought. The band is awkward and inflexible. I’m sure they’re great if you have natural lashes to apply them to, but they are not eyelid friendly.
• Lily Lashes. The Cadillac of lashes. Damn are these expensive but if you’re nice to them (spoiler, there is a learning curve on how to take care of lashes – and it’s an expensive curve) they’ll last about 25 applications. These were my “night out” lashes, but they are a little intense for day to day. They go on quite easily.
• Sephora Duchess Silk. These babies are the MVP. They’re about $18 a pair and also last 20ish wears if you’re nice to them. I wasn’t the best since I refused to let my boyfriend at the time see me without lashes and I slept in them. The ‘natural” ones can’t even be felt while you’re wearing them and they don’t look fake. The dramatic and full are a nice middle road for evening.
• Anything from a drug store – just no. no girl no.
• Duo. this is your only glue. Don’t get the black unless you’ve reached expert mode. I never managed to use the black without looking like I smeared eyeliner all over the place.
• Lash applicator – necessary. I used this one from Sephora

Q. The eyebrows too?

Yeah, these say goodbye as well. The Anastasia brand is pretty much your go to.

Get the lash stencils while you still have brows and figure out which ones are for you. If you’re like me and bad at make-up, I’d suggest watching some videos on youtube first. You’ll want the angled brush, pomade, powder and gel. Yep – It’s expensive to stay quasi normal looking during chemo.

Q. How much weight did you gain?

Society has this preconceived notion that chemo will cause extreme weight loss. This is not true for breast cancer treatment. The average weight gain during breast cancer treatment is 25lbs. Many will go on to see significantly more weight gain once they start hormonal therapy.

Chemotherapy includes a large bag of fluids, saline and prednisone. With each round of infusion you should expect to see about 10lbs of water weight. For me, the water weight took about a week to disappear each time but my actual weight slowly increased as well. I started at 122lbs and I was around 135lbs when all was said and done. Not terrible in the grand scheme of treatment gain, but still larger than I like to be. I stopped working out daily due to the cold capping but I still hiked and walked everywhere. I put in about 5-7 miles a day just in my normal commute.

I was back to 127 after surgery and I am now lower than my diagnosis weight (I fluctuate from 117-120 or so) thanks to intermittent fasting and getting back in the gym. To avoid weight gain you need to stay on top of it. However, invest in a few pairs of stretchy comfortable pants for that water weight after the infusion!

Q. Is it true I will lose all body hair?

Yup. 100%. I lost all my body hair about a week after my second infusion. You don’t know how valuable nose hair is until it’s gone. Buy tissue in bulk. My body hair slowly came back about 2 months after chemo ended.

Q. I hear you grow peach fuzz all over your face after chemo, true?

YES. It’s so weird and gross. Women try all kinds of things from waxing it to expensive removal methods. I used these cheap razors from Amazon and they work quite well. It will continue to grow for months after chemo. I’m almost a year out now and still need to use these once in a while although it has slowed down quite a bit.

Q. Did you use latisse?

I used the off brand version that I bought with a coupon via the GoodRX app. It’s normally about $200 and no, insurance doesn’t cover it. It took about 2-3 months before I was able to handle lash extensions again and no longer needed to draw in my eyebrows. I also dabbed that stuff in my biggest bald spot because hey! It was worth a shot.

Q. Tell me more about cold capping?

Do I recommend it? Absolutely. Did it work for me? It’s a meh. kinda, maybe, not really? I plan to write a full post about my experience with cold capping, the photos of my hair and the variety of items I used to supplement through the process. Until then, let’s just say my chemo cocktail, in particular the Adriamycin on the “lol girl, it’s not going to work” list but I rolled the dice anyway. I saved some hair but I was happy to have that hair. I wrote a lot about capping in the FB group – if you’re considering capping I suggest you spend some time reading through here first. https://www.facebook.com/Chemo-Cold-Caps-536642346358925/

Q. Can I get botox:

Yes, you can, per my oncologist. I refreshed my forehead, my 11’s and the corners of my eyes during chemo. I instantly looked better. Do the botox. 

Q. Can I have my nails done?

Pre-chemo I had gel manis and regular pedis every two weeks. I switched to SNS dip nails during chemo since they don’t peel or remove layers of the nail while being removed. Your nails will be sensitive, especially during Taxol. I’ve kept mine super short because the nail bed can get incredibly fragile and chemo nails are susceptible to ripping off – OOOF. Your nails will grow very slowly during chemo, so I was able to keep each set of dip nails for a month before I needed to replace them. I skipped pedis because of infection risk, usually due to the cuticle trims and questionable sanitation of the the foot basin. However I did chemo in the winter and that made it a little lot easier. Summer me would probably say, get the pedi, just go to an upscale location vs. your local ‘pretty nail’ and make sure the tech knows you’re immune compromised.

Q. Can I drink alcohol during treatment? 

The average breast cancer community answer to this will be some pseudoscience bullshit about alcohol converting to estrogen in the body. (ps, I hate you so much- go vax your kids and get off facebook) Most people are terrified of a glass of wine. Some people have their chemo side effects ramp up from drinking. Me? I was terrified to not live my life like myself. I experienced no additional side effects aside from a bit of fun and relaxation from that glass of wine! It really veries per person and I would suggest trying for yourself to see if it harms or hurts you, however please don’t trust the “it converts to estrogen” garbage. I abstained from alcohol 48 hours before infusion to keep my hydration levels up and again for 72 hours after while my liver is busy processing the chemo. Otherwise? I followed the mindset living my life as normal was the best option for me.

Q. Why didn’t you get a port?

A. Honestly my oncologist was probably trying to appease me since I was just getting hit with round after round of bad news. “You have good veins, you don’t need a port. The nurses in infusion will tell you do, just remind them I’m in charge” he said. In all my vanity, I didn’t want a port scar. I didn’t want a constant reminder of the chemo blazed into my décolletage. If you have HER2+ you’ll have a lot of rounds of hercepen and likely need the port. I am HER2 – and only required the 8 rounds of AC-T. They found a vein every time although the nurses did complain about it extensively. However I’m pleased with my lack of scarring.

Q. Can I continue using retinoids: 

Avoid. Chemo and retinoids is just a joke unless you’re game with your face looking like a desert and peeling nonstop. I learned this lesson quickly.

Q. What about travel?

Some Most people go through chemo avoiding all public exposure. I did chemo -> Charleston -> chemo -> Bali -> chemo -> Newport Beach -> chemo -> Portland – > Chemo -> Austin ->NYC -> Surgery ->Portugal. If your white blood cell count is high enough and you feel up to it, you should travel. Wanderlust does a thing or two for your mental stability. I was told to sit in the window seat as you’re exposed to less people and their germs. I wiped down the entire area around my seat and put on a new medical mask every few hours.

Q. Should I or can I take supplements?

You will need to avoid all antioxidants during chemo and radiation. I was told to take L-glutamine, folic acid, D and B vitamins. New studies are showing this was bad advice. If I did it over again, I would avoid all supplements. https://www.swog.org/news-events/news/2019/12/19/antioxidant-use-during-chemo-risky

Q. Other tips and tricks?

Hydration is incredibly important durning chemo both internally and externally. Carry a quality lip moisturizer at all times and shea butter lotions for your hands and cuticles. I loved the ones by Eu’ Genia Shea.

I drank water with Nuun tablets multiple times per day.

I can not emphasize enough how important it is to take Claritin (not the D) with the Neulasta. The bone pain as the Neulasta stimulates the white blood cell production is NO JOKE. A lot of research led me to the correct dosing. I took 30 milligrams spaced throughout the day for the 3 days before and 4 days after each infusion. Yes, that is 3 pills per day. Anything less and it won’t work.