11 Tips to Get Through Chemo
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When FOX News Channel coorespondent Jennifer Griffin was diagnosed with Stage 3 triple negative breast cancer, she knew she was in for a battle. "Trust me, I am in warrior mode," she assured her family and friends.
To raise awareness about this rare form of cancer, Jennifer has been blogging about her journey and the remarkable lessons she has learned along the way. She's offering 11 tips to help women deal with chemotherapy—from someone who as been there, done that and is now officially cancer-free.
1. Get your teeth cleaned before you start because you can't get them cleaned during chemo and you tend to get mouth sores. You can minimize these by brushing your teeth three to five times a day and rinsing with a mild mouthwash—I use a mild, dry toothpaste and mouthwash called Biotene (baking soda and saltwater gargles work, as well.)To raise awareness about this rare form of cancer, Jennifer has been blogging about her journey and the remarkable lessons she has learned along the way. She's offering 11 tips to help women deal with chemotherapy—from someone who as been there, done that and is now officially cancer-free.
2. Get your wigs now—find a really cute, fun one or two and go with your girlfriends before you start losing your hair. Have fun with it—no one in Hollywood wears their own hair—they are ALL wigs! I am a redhead right now and never was before and love it. I don't know about the drugs you are taking, but the typical chemo drugs cause your hair to fall out on day 14 to 17. Shave it off before it starts falling out —it's much more empowering that way. Invite your girlfriends to do it with you. Plan to have lunch somewhere fun afterward. Embrace it. Bald is very powerful, but remember to get a hat —a fuzzy fleece one—because bald is also breezy and you will catch drafts that you didn't even know existed. You need to sleep in the fuzzy hat all the time. I like to wear cute knit hats over the wigs because they look a little less wiggy and a little more young. (Let your friends throw a hat party for you—like a baby shower but with hats.)
3. Get some nice body lotion and lip balm because the chemo dries out your skin. (On the flip side, chemo is better than Botox and takes all the toxins out of your skin. Suddenly, your face is as smooth as a baby's butt.)
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