Chemo Live '25

Follow Russ Read-Barrow through a real-time day of chemotherapy (Cycle 4 / Day 1), from anti-sickness meds to cold cap agony, hospital food highs, and ending with Crocs and conditioner. Honest, funny, and raw.

MY STORY

Russ Read-Barrow

6/3/20254 min read

Ever wondered what a chemo infusion day is actually like? Possibly not.

(NOTE: Excuse lack of follow up photos in advance... still getting used to this bloody blog set up and cannot work out a good way to do it. Link to original LI post here: https://tinyurl.com/5abztmf6)

But - as family, friends, and colleagues have asked me what really happens, how long it takes, what I do, etc - I thought I’d share it. In real time. Or close too - turns out I'm already an hour behind.

It’s Cycle 4, Day) 1 - and it’s just gone 9:00 AM.

I’ll post a quick update every hour or so, all the way through till I’m done.

Lots happening today, and even a surprise additional treatment which should make for a good selfie or two.

Stay tuned.

10:00 AM
Just tried to add a video. Failed. So it's selfie time instead. Pre meds (anti-histamine, anti-sickness, dexamethasone) going in through my port.

English breakfast and cappuccino (minus the carby stuff) going down well....

11:30 AM
Cetuximab is on - 2 hour infusion underway.
It’s the one that likes to mess with my skin (witch's nose), but that will come later in the cycle.

Antihistamine’s kicking in now so I’m feeling a bit drowsy. Not quite enough to nap and awake enough to start obsessing about lunch.

Full disclosure: I now get chemo at the BMI in Bath - a private hospital. So this is definitely a bit more elevated than where I started - the RUH chemo ward, which had serious 1930s energy. Still amazing staff, but more patients, less time, less food, and terrible chairs.

Menu is here... what to have...

12:00 PM
Ummmmm. Nothing has changed. Aside from me eating keto balls... and watching The Last of Us. Cetux still flowing...
And this bad boy is winking at me...

1:00 PM
Turns out hourly updates may be excessive, but here we are - and hopefully I will fall asleep soon.

An enforced breather now, before the next load of drugs. Lunch time.

Anyone know this is called a cloche? Learn something new...

2:00 PM
Atropine injection done - it’s used to counter the side effects of irinotecan (coming up shortly). Basically helps stop small muscle spasms, so there you are.

But more importantly: Scalp Cooling has begun.

Never done this before. A few hairs have started falling out (not the moustache — thank god), so we’re trying it.

Hair: heavily conditioned.
Headband: on.
And now… my skull is in a vice. Of ice.

It is bloody painful, actually. There was me thinking it would be like a cooling spa mask. Really should read more.

There is no chance I’m falling asleep. But at least it looks good.

Staying cool, and conditioned. And wincing throughout.

3:00 PM
Irinotecan’s now going in - along with… something else I’ve already forgotten. I think this one runs for about an hour.

We had a brief issue with the port, but it’s been flushed and we’re good to go again.

Cold cap still going. The first 10–15 minutes were pretty painful - proper brain freeze - but it’s settled now. Bearable, unless I actively think about it… so I’m actively trying not to.

Also, just realised the whole setup makes me look a bit like I’m plugged into the Matrix. Maybe I'll wake up bald and fluent in kung fu.

4:00 PM
Irinotecan is now done. They’ve just set a timer for another 1.5 hours of scalp cooling, which probably means I’ll be here until 5:30 - maybe closer to 6pm. That still hurts.

The final bit of chemo gets hooked up in about half an hour, so just waiting for that... for Bob.

Annoyingly, I’ve realised all the yoghurts here are totally off-limits because… keto. One tub is basically your entire daily carb allowance.

But - a small silver lining - NICKS salty peanut protein bar. Insanely good. 5g of carbs. Basically tastes like a Snickers. Might just make today OK.

5:00 PM
Got about 15 minutes left on the head cooling. Cannot wait to get this thing off.

Just had a big dose of Cetuximab - which, honestly, I can’t even remember exactly what it does right now. I know it does good stuff, but in terms of the bad… I think it messes about with my skin? Something like that.

Also: Bob has been attached. My trusty chemo bottle, now plugged in and along for the ride.

He's pictured here, next too his far bigger, greener, and more permanent sidekick of mine. Always close, filled with electrolytes, water... and the odd beer.

Kind of wish Bob was made by YETI too. He could use a makeover.

Just ordered one last meal (not ever - just for today): ham, egg, and avocado. Actual last meal will be better.

Nearly home time.

6:00 PM
Infusion done. Cooling cap off. Hair absolutely smothered in conditioner - cannot imagine how smooth it's going to feel later.

Huge thanks to the amazing nursing team at the Bath clinic: Sonia, Cordelia, Jess, Nikki (especially for keeping me fed.) Would tag them, but I don’t think any of them are on LinkedIn - which makes me love them even more.

Spend a day scrolling LinkedIn and you’ll see the sheer volume of mundane, self-congratulatory noise and uninteresting b*llshit that people choose to shout about or, worse, "thrilled to announce." Meanwhile, nurses like these quietly look after 18 chemo patients a day, then just go home — and do it all again tomorrow.

Final plus of the day: finally started Sopranos (only 25 years late). Already spotting some surprising parallels with my own life - more the cancer, and fashion, than the mob life. Might be another post in that…

Hopefully leaving soon...

7:00 PM
Final one. Back in the house. Hair needs washing. Food needs eating - Katy Read-Barrow on it (hero.)

I need to lie down and somehow hold off sleeping until about 10pm.

This photo is taken the moment I finally found my car, after completely forgetting where I parked it. A gentle reminder that chemo-day drugs do weird things to the brain (fear not, driving ability remains Piastre-esque post chemo.)

Also gives you the full outfit rundown:
Bum bag, stolen tracksuit bottoms (thank you Ed Williams), Crocs, and my newly conditioned, high-gloss, post-cold-cap hairstyle.

Some serious things to unpack.

All in all, a very long day, but not that bad.
Totally exhausting, and I’ll definitely need to psych myself up for scalp cooling next time.
(I swear I need the next size up on the cap - which was small enough to fit Owen Rogers' mini head.)

Thanks for the support X