How much should I read up on chemotherapy?

Caibo

I have had a whirlwind of a month.Was diagnosed with grade 3,invasive and Her 2 .Had a partial mastectomy and after pathology have been asked to do chemotherapy. Waiting to see oncologist this coming week for chemotherapy plan. Wondering whether its helpful to read up as much as I can on chemotherapy and what to expect or just wait and see what happens.I have been reading that everyone is different with the side effects of chemotherapy. 

Afraser

Hi @Caibo
It’s a bit mad at the start - the whole idea, the surgery, the entirely new language! Chemo is a scary beast but not always as bad as it’s made out. It’s hard to know how it will affect any individual - same cocktail, similar diagnosis, very different reactions. However, your oncologist will advise what particular chemotherapies you are having (it may be more than one) and should be able to provide you with written information about what it is, how it works and the range of side effects possible Remember this is a range - you won’t get them all! Depending on your particular regimen, fatigue and nausea are relatively common. I didn’t get either, so common but not inevitable. Medication can make both more bearable so be prepared to seek help, for any side effects. You may get a reasonable idea of how you will fare in the first few weeks - side effects can often follow a pattern so you know when your good and bad days are and can plan a bit better.
Everyone is different - some like to know as much as possible beforehand, others would rather go with the flow when and if stuff happens. There’s no right or wrong way, you’ll find what suits you best. Chemo is finite - it ends. Keep your sights on the future. Best wishes. 

kmakm

That's correct @Caibo! Some people barely break stride, keep on working and pretty much breeze through. Some get a ton of side effects and are really incapacitated. The bulk of us (including me) fall somewhere in between.

I had a type of chemo called TC. It really affected me in my hands. However two others here who had the same chemo round the same time had no problems with their hands.

You will get fatigued, and you will lose your hair (though maybe not if you use a cold cap). After that, it's a 'lucky dip'. Some people get the runs, some get constipated. Very few people vomit. There are good meds for that now.

For most people, the steroids prop you up for a few days and then you have several days feeling pretty rubbish. After that you feel better day by day. It's important to drink a lot of water and to exercise daily, whatever you can manage. It's been proven to help with the side effects.

The side effects tend to be cumulative so by the time you get to your last infusion most people are pretty tired.

Whichever chemo cocktail you go on, your oncologist should give you some written information. Be guided by that. Some people like the control and knowledge that in depth research can give them. If that's you, be a little wary of Dr Google though. There's a lot of old and misleading info out there. You can always run a fact check through here. It's a fantastic hive mind!

Welcome to the forum. It's a place none of us wanted to be, but now that you are, I hope you find it as warm and helpful as I have. K xox

Caibo

Thanks @Afraser @kmakm ..that’s helpful and makes sense. I think I have found that reading up on it is making me more anxious so will take it one step at a time,for now at least. Maybe once I have the information from the oncologist, I will look for more information here. Thanks for the welcome and support. It’s good to know that I have somewhere I can trust to turn to. xxx

kmakm

Our pleasure.

Well not really but you know what I mean! 

jennyss

Sounds good - wait until  you have more information about your pathology and proposed chemo regime from your oncologist. Then you can research. Many network members find if very helpful to keep  a diary/exercise book - can use it for noting day by day events and reactions, questions.  You've probably already got a bundle of information. I ended up with a briefcase ! Lol.....and two years later it's under a bed somewhere!