Chemotherapy
Can anyone help a new member about to start chemotherapy end of the month with advice about preparing themselves , coping during treatment and any other advice they can share ?
Forum Discussion
50 Replies
- @Shellshocked2018_my anxiety levels are on the rise again and sleep is starting to elude me again as well. Might be time to take a temazepan and get a good night's sleep.
I'm really struggling with losing my hair and I'm not sure why as I'm not a vein person. I think it's because I've never had short hair in my life. I'm not sure I'll be able to cope with the cold cap that the prof said I should try as I have good hair😁
I'm enjoying time with my hubby as he has been off on leave since my surgery and will be until the 30th January when he starts his new job which will be pretty intense. Much top secret stuff that he won't be able to talk about.
I have so many appointments coming up this week my head is spinning and will trying to work in between.
Starting to feel sad about about my eldest son flying the coop and moving to Sydney too. Life will be very different, but I'm also so excited for him to start this new chapter in his life.
I'm currently trying to find my big girl panties but they are hard to find.
I didn't mean to hijack this thread😁
Big hugs - My best advice for surviving chemo is drink heaps of water before, during and after treatment. Even mild dehydration makes it harder to find a vein and increases your chance of nausea and constipation.. Chose water over tea or coffee when you are in the chair. Accept offers of help that are actually helpful and smile vaguely when people say/do/advise ridiculous things. Good luckMxx
- Everybody on this forum are amazing.
My visit to The Oncology Clinic regarding Chemotherapy is January 25th. I will find out how much and for how long and when it will all start.
Already know that once Chemotherapy is finished I have been told that I will be having 6 weeks of Radiotherapy 5 days a week.
Thanks sister I will look into the wig library at RAH, there is also a wig library at Victor Harbor which is closer to me, so if I don’t find something suitable there I can have a look in RAH.
Have already ordered a couple of head scarves of EBay in preparation.
Went and purchased a Iced Tea Diffuser jug, as I think I would struggle drinking 3 litres of just plain water a day during Chemo.
Will stock up on Coloxyl with senna and gastro stop.
Would like to know more about colour on your finger nails?
Anyone else have any reactions or what did you do to prevent nails lifting?
Kesmusc was that Gel coating from a nail salon? Or Shelac?
Did you do both finger nails and toe nails?
CathyMac how are you feeling leading up to Chemo, Things are starting to hit home with me now, struggling a bit.
Need to put on those bid panties now....
Thanks again everyone😘 - @CathyMac,
I used a gel coat nail polish, pink, not black and had zero problems with nails, actually they grew as per normal. - @CathyMac haven’t had a real thorough look to see if is a part 2 - was a 2015 post - try the search bar and have a look.
- Looks like most things have been said. If your friend is in Adelaide. RAH has a great wig library. Op Shops have great scarves and hats (YouTube has ways to tie them) I would suggest having some things on hand - Coloxyl with Senna, Gastrostop, hand sanitizer, wipes, toilet wipes.
- Thanks ladies, I start my 1st round of chemo on the 21st Jan so this information is very useful. @Romla do you know if there is the second part to the story that she wrote for the second round of chemo. As I'm having 4 x fornightly then 10 x weekly. So would be interested to know how the second round went!
I have a question. Re nails. Is it worth trying to protect finger and toe nails with black nail polish? Does it work for some and not for others or does it not work at all?
You are all so amazing and the knowledge I have gained from this forum has helped me immensely.
I hope you all have a great weekend. - The only thing I can add is that if you have bad side effects and your meds aren't working to control it enough, then please see you onc or breast care nurse as they can change medications for you to make things easier. I had my pre chemo drugs and post medications changed half way though and it made a big difference. Don't suffer in silence. It is hard but totally doable.
I also found that I couldn't handle straight water so I drunk soda or mineral water with a bit of lime or lemon juice added. I also stocked up on lemonade icy poles for the days I felt real nausea at least it kept me hydrated. Day 3 to about day 10 were the worst for me. ( I was on TC ) For some reason I found carbs easier for me like pastas and chicken noodle soups.. Don't be hard on yourself if you aren't totally healthy with the food you just have to go with what you can handle. I was blessed I didn't have ulcers at all but I used biotene toothpaste and mouthwash which really helped. All the best for the chemo. x - I found this earlier post from Janine which may be useful.
Chemotherapy - Everyone's Treatment and Side Effects Are Different... Part 1
Just about everybody these days knows someone who is undergoing Chemotherapy for some form of cancer, and it amazes me how many of these people suddenly think they are an expert on what you are going through and what side effects you will have....I'm no expert, I can only tell you what I experienced, but having spoken to other chemo patients, many side effects are similar they just vary in degree.The only person who can determine what type of chemo you have is your Oncologist, and he bases this on your own physiology and the type and severity of cancer that needs to be treated - you can sit in a treatment room with 20 other people and there is a good possibility that there won't be 2 people having exactly the same treatment.
Will it hurt???My chemotherapy was intravenous, basically they inserted a needle into a vein and the drugs were dripped into my arm. I'm not a fan of needles, but other than the initial prick of the needle there is no pain, or wasn't for me and nobody else in the chemo treatment room appeared to be in pain either.As the treatment went on it became harder to find a usable vein, but the oncology nurses are experts at finding what they need!My chemotherapy was in two parts - initially I had 4 treatments with 3 weeks between each session, then I had 12 weeks of weekly chemotherapy.For the first 4 I was given the option of staying in hospital overnight on the day of the chemo, I chose to do this as I wasn't sure what to expect, I don't take any medications (don't need any) apart from an occasional headache tablet, so was a little concerned how my body would react. I'm very glad I did, particularly for the first treatment.....Treatment 1...Funnily enough I was actually put into the same room I had occupied after one of my operations so I actually felt right at home. They brought in dinner which I happily ate, I would regret that later, I was hooked up to an intravenous saline drip to re-hydrate and I settled in for the night. I wasn't tired so watched tv for a while, then started to feel a little nauseous from the food. Turned the light off and slept for about an hour or so, then woke with a headache which quickly manifested into a full blown migraine - couldn't stand light, noise, movement, I lay there miserable till the nurse came in and gave me some stronger pain killers.Most people I've spoken to report getting headaches - some of this is probably reaction to the actual chemicals, but it is also from dehydration....So...IMPORTANT POINT 1 - make sure you keep yourself well hydrated before and after your treatment!!!My mum picked me up the next morning and was waiting for me in the coffee shop with a cup of tea and a cream cake - the sight of the cream turned my stomach completely. Other than that I actually felt okay, a little tired maybe.Of course, the oncology nurse and doctor had told me all sorts of things to be aware of and prepared for - I had a list to put on the fridge - what medications to take and when; to rinse my mouth with salt and water several times a day to avoid getting mouth ulcers; to do a crossword or sudoku puzzle to keep my brain active; to watch my temperature, if it rose I was to get to hospital; to expect to have my worst days 3 or 4 days after the treatment; and, of course, to expect my hair to fall out in 10 to 12 days.Well, I have to tell you that for those 3 weeks in between the treatments I didn't have any of those apart from having a couple of days of really bad fatigue - I had a little thinning of my hair but not much, however.....IMPORTANT POINT 2 - get yourself a wig before undergoing your first chemo and get your hair cut short, if you don't want people to notice, get your hair cut in the style of your wig.I didn't suffer too badly with nausea but there were some things that the mere thought of completely turned my stomach: alcohol, and dairy products like milk, yoghurt, cream. Also, I had a horrible metallic taste in my mouth which made everything tasteless, even my favourite Thai Green Curry. I found that the third week just before the next treatment that I could handle a white wine spritzer but I could only cope with a dash of milk in my tea.My hair was below my shoulders and takes forever to grow, but when I started to notice hair starting to come out I bit the bullet and asked my neighbour (who is a hairdresser) to cut my hair short, I figured it would not be such a shock when it really started to come out.Treatment 2
The first thing my oncologist said to me is "How come you still have your hair???" It was coming out but although thin was still fine. Now I know other people whose hair has fallen out in exactly 10 days from the first treatment - like I said, everyone reacts differently.When admitted that evening I discovered that I was not on the oncology ward but the surgery ward and that I was sharing a room - the hospital was full! I was a bit concerned for whoever was to share with me as the one thing with being linked up all night to a saline drip is the need to constantly use the bathroom!!! As it turned out it was another breast cancer patient who had undergone her first chemotherapy treatment that day, it worked out really well.... I was able to tell her my experience - which was actually pretty non-eventful, and it relieved some of her worries. Warning her about the headache I had encountered we both took stronger pain killers from the start and had a fairly relaxed, pleasant night.Ten days later, under the shower my hair came out in huge chunks, I stayed patchy for a couple of days and then get the razor out and shaved it - I would suggest shaving it as soon as the big chunks fall out, it's more distressing looking at the parts that are left than a bald scalp, at least it was for me.As the first round of treatments continued I did notice that I would have times where I felt great and energetic, but that I could descend into fatigue very quickly, sometimes it would be something as simple as being out for lunch, and suddenly my body would say enough.IMPORTANT POINT 3 - listen to your body, remember you are putting a whole lot of chemicals in to it, if you are feeling like you have some extra energy enjoy it but don't overdo it, otherwise you'll fall in a heap.After the 4th round of this cycle my oncology nurse called me to see how I was doing....I basically told her that if she wanted me to come back for another one of those that it wasn't going to happen!!! She promised that the second type of chemo was like baby doses.......we'll see.....I'll tell you about that next time! - It's hard to to prepare beforehand as reactions to chemo are very variable. But probably best to assume that you may get the most common reactions - hair loss, fatigue and nausea. Hair loss can be at best challenging. Many advocate shaving or, my preference, a really short, short haircut, to avoid the trauma (and mess) of losing hanks of hair. Whether you go au natural, particularly in warm weather, use scarves, hats or wigs is personal preference. Check out day oncology or your cancer council branch about wig libraries so you can try that option cheaply. If working, you may want to do as I did - set up an option for leave, if required and if possible. I had no nausea or fatigue, preferred to work and did throughout, but it's not possible for some or just too much of a burden on top of everything else for others. Make sure you seek medical assistance for nausea - drugs can help. If others offer help for the early weeks - providing meals, doing shopping, childcare etc - say yes please! Time enough to rethink what help you need if you find you are going OK, but assistance in the settling in stage may be invaluable. Also prep spouse, older children, close family that this may be really tough going, and that stepping up, helping without asking, and maintaining a sense of humour (it can be utterly absurd!) will help everyone through it. It's finite, it will end. And, we all hope, so will the cancer. Best wishes.
