@redflower Hi I am new to this..I am 41 married 19 years and have 2 kids. 14 yr old son and 12 year old daughter. got diagnosed 3 weeks ago have had lump and 2 nodes removed which were clear. phew the next week i had my portacath(?) put in.. which i am yet to name..annoying painful buggar comes to mind at the moment.i start my chemo 1st of may. any tips on First chemo welcome 🙂

@redflower I have put this post you made onto the discussion board you will get more answers here as anyone who reads discussion board will see it....

What sort of chemo @redflower ? It probably doesn't really matter when it comes down to it. You will have heard 'look after yourself' in the past and thought 'Yeah, right. As if I have the time.' You now need to make the time. You may have very few side effects, you may get the lot. There is no way of knowing until you finish. But, whatever happens, now is the time for you to put yourself first, listen to your body and let the people around you look after themselves..My son was 13 when I was first diagnosed. He quickly figured out how to feed himself if I didn't want to cook. After a couple of weeks he decided he could use the washing machine. Teenagers are resilient, they will cope for a couple of months.Don't sweat the small stuff, be as kind to yourself as you can. Ask questions as problems come up; there is so much information it is best to concentrate on what actually applies to you to start with.Good luck. Marg xx

Hi @redflower I am 37 married with two boys 4 1/2 and 1 1/2. I had my first chemo nearly 3 weeks ago. My treatment plan is I have chemo once every 3 wks for 3 months then once every week for 3 months. My advice try not to feel anxious about it. It was a major anticlimax when I got in there and was hooked up. The nurses are amazing and really attentive and talk you through every step. Drop lots of water the day before and try and have a good nights sleep. Bring warm clothes it gets cold. So a zippy top or cardigan and some tracksuit bottoms or yoga pants or leggings something comfortable. Bring a good book or someone who is good company. I also had a tv too. For me the symptoms I got after was like a hangover after too much wine. Fuzzy head (like the start of a headache) and nausea and that was it. That lasted for 5/6 days but now I know I should just have rung my oncologist and asked for better anti nausea tablets which I will do this time. Also on day 6 I got 2 mouth ulcers nothing major! Actually I was also quite constipated for the first 3 days but then my Irish Mammy stepped in and made me have a glass of prune juice every morning which I drink down like a shot or tequila because I hate it!! BUT it works. By day 7 after treatment I felt great again and back to normal. Day 14, which was yesterday,my hair started to fall out so this morning I got my hairdresser to shave it off. So for me my experience has been pretty good and my symptoms have all been very doable. Hope this helps. Just think whatever way it goes for you each chemo is one less and the end result is a cancer free body! You can do this xxxx

@redflower It can be daunting and I found it was the fear itself rather than chemo infusion had me panicking. I was petrified first infusion, but Staff really are so lovely, compassionate and professional. You will be put at ease very quickly, so deep breath, I think you'll find that you will be more than ok. Its more as it goes and accumulates, just make sure you hydrate the day before your infusion and try everyday from then, that I found hard to do, impossible actually. I did most of mine alone, even the first one so didnt have alot of support which was tough. I chatted on with other ladies there, but lots took in ipads or ipods to pass the time. Make sure you communicate everything to your Team, I took coloxyl drops for constipation, I was allergic to Maxolon, no anti nausea meds worked for me so Ativan was the only thing that helped. Rinse your mouth the first 4 days with saltwater as you will be prone to ulcers. :) Hugs Melinda xo

Hi @redflower, just sending you a big virtual hug. Xx

Chemo - New Member Redflower posted this on Activity page...

17 Replies

Unicornkisses
Member
9 years ago
Hi Redflower, I am on Nexium for the reflux and indigestion. You can get the lower dose 20mg over the counter at the chemist, but I take 40mg, your Oncologist can give you a script for it if it is an issue. I will take it every morning for the duration of chemo.

If you pick up the Nutrition for Cancer booklet at your cancer centre, it has things to avoid in it, but as said above, treat it as you would pregnancy, avoid anything kept cool in deli Windows, and anything kept hot in Bain Marie's. Feta cheese, Ricotta and a few soft cheeses also are best to avoid and eggs should be cooked so the yolk is hard. You might find the information as a download on the Cancer Council website.
Afraser
Member
9 years ago
Hi I didn't have any specific dietary advice but I lost my appetite on A/C for the first few days each treatment and then lost my taste buds when on Taxol. I ate yoghurt in small amounts. Curiously spicy food was just as tasteless as anything else when I was in Taxol but I could taste and enjoy flavours like banana, avocado, eggs and salad. It's all highly variable. Eat as healthily as you can, you'll soon know what you can't tolerate.
redflower
Member
9 years ago
lol yes know that feeling.. its like i have a mouthful of flour when i eat. and most stuff gives me intergestion.. bummer
melclarity
Member
9 years ago
LOL I was happy just to get food in no matter what it was, there was no particular diet for me couldnt stomach much of anything. So when I could eat it was what I could tolerate, different story now :) eat everything x
primek
Member
9 years ago
@redflower as above post and also avoid yogurts (and yukolt ) due to bacteria in them as we are immune compromised. As soon as finished try to eat from a large range of foods and a lot of fresh stuff and your body will rebalance it's inner health very quickly.
Melsie97
Member
9 years ago
Hi @redflower. I was told to treat my diet during Chemo like a pregnancy diet. No deli meat, no prepared salads, no yummy cheeses. I hope the rest of your Chemo goes well xx
LMK74
Member
9 years ago
Bevvsy, I have stage 3 breast cancer that they say has no node involvement that they see on the scans. I'm doing chemo first then surgery in the hope of having lumpectomy. Either way I would've had to do chemo. I know it's all confusing and so much to take in.
Redflower, welcome. I reckon just eat healthy or what you feel you can tolerate. Taste is an issue for me and I really have no appetite as everything tastes revolting. I also cannot drink enough water to stay hydrated and am starting to suffer from it.
All the best
Lisa x
redflower
Member
9 years ago
just thought id share.. my chemo yesterday did go well. anticlimatic like someone said.
no dramas yesterday or today.. TOUCHWOOD.....
just a question.. was there certain foods you avoided.. no deli foods or hot box foods or sugary drinks.. what about yakults for inner health um bacon that sort of thing.
thanks
Cassina
Member
9 years ago
yes I agree, the grade is usually chemo, I was very reluctant, but after reading this supportive network, I am now more positive, I was given a choice and said no to chemo, now I realize this was silly and have had 3 chemos so far, hard but not impossible and the chemo staff will help you through and it will go quickly
melclarity
Member
9 years ago
Bevvzy its not all about the nodes, grade 3 idc is generally chemo. You really need to talk to your specialist who will have definitive pathology. X Melinda