Looking Good, Feeling Better

Appearance is a tad of an issue for baby lgibz these days. With the excess steroid weight, the horrific steroid face, the in-between hair stage (long enough to be 'hair' but too short to go wigless) and my constant 'why is she looking at me? does she know this is a wig?! is it slipping off?!' worries. Anyway, I've never been one for these wee groups. My parents convinced me to go to one at the beginning of my treatment where 8 of us awkwardly sat and ate pizza and talked about anything other than cancer, although that was probably the ony thing we all had in common. Since then, I've avoided the rest, making up petty excuses to miss them. I'd rather stay in 'the mushroom club' as my dad calls it and be oblivious to the cancer world and pretend I don't have it.

Well,  I'd heard of Look Good Feel Better and it sounded pretty good, although I was meant to get a personal one in hospital but it was never organised to I though i'd may as well go to this one, so on Tuesday, I attended a Look Good, Feel Better session. Basically, LGFB is a charity that aims to help women cancer patients in the most practical, positive way by giving them makeovers and make-up/skincare advice. It involved well over 30 young cancer patients, both male and female from both Sick Kids and the General Western who either are going through treatment or have gone through treatment sitting round a big table, getting their make up done. (Not so much for the boys, they engulfed more in face masks and moisturisers) The volunteers are all either beauticians or work in the make up industry and are all volunteers. We all got a huge gift bag full of skincare products and make up and got taught good regimes and tips in both areas.
     It was a brill night with some lovely people and is definitely something I would recommend to other cancer patients, you can get group sessions or one on one sessions. It's good to talk about hot flushes, steroid pains and sleepless nights with people who have experienced the same.

with my lovely nurse Fionaaaa in the mirror

So, this week I also got voted to represent the charities committee for my year group at school along with another girl. The three charities we're focussing on this year are the Red Cross, Teenage Cancer Trust and CCLASP. Two of which are very close to my heart and I have benefitted a lot from. Before I was diagnosed, I had a 'it's only charity' attitude, but since I've seen what only a small number of charities can do and the difference they make in general and personally to my treatment is absolutely unbelievable so my attitude has completely changed.

With chemo, it's a known side affect for your tastebuds to change and for you to get cravings, and I've noticed it. I prefer salty foods to sweet foods (eg. HP sauce to Ketchup) and I have a HUGE craving for Petit Filous and have since the very beginning of my treatment. they. are. amazing.

So I start my Radiotherapy tomorrow. I've had endless hours of planning and end of treatment scans in he past week and got my last 5 tattoos today for the radio. I've had 6 needles put into me in the past three days. Life is so unfair.