results after mastectomy & chemo plan

Best of luck with chemo. I was nervous the night before. I've mentioned this in another post but I took a few things for chemo, including:

a bottle if water with ice cubes
thinly sliced apple / rice crackers
magazine/ipad
scarf
warm socks 
 
I avoided hot drinks an hour before or after ( my oncologist told me to so that I avoided ulcers)
I also avoided soft drinks/ milk drinks etc the nurses offered.
I visualised a relaxing place like a beach when they were injecting me and I did this for radiotherapy too sometimes. 

I also did one nice thing either before or after chemo. I look back at my first day of chemo with my sister where we stopped for sushi, a holiday during the first week of chemo and a mini break in the city after my last treatment. I only have 2 photos from chemo so my memories are of 
The activities I did. I also just sat in a garden/ in the sunshine to feel better sometimes. 

I don't know if any of this is useful, but it worked for me. Take care x

@LMK74 regarding hair loss. I think I must be one of the few people that did not shave my head. My hair just came out gradually. What I found most useful were cloth caps I wore to contain my hair at night so it didnt go everywhere. I got mine free from the cancer council shop. My eyebrows came out in stages. 
I now have hair and eyebrows again. When you are in the middle of it it is confronting. Looking back I just got used to it.
My only advice is do what you can now. Stock up on food for freezer and pantry.

Good idea, pack now. You may tolerate chemo really well, but the last thing you need while doing treatment is worrying about packing up a house. I hope chemo goes really well for you.

@LMK74 thanks Lisa. I'm booked to do my chemo at North Lakes, which is much closer to home for me at the moment. I will be moving in with my boyfriend once I get my tax return back. He's currently staying with his parents in Norman Park & works on that side of Bris, so we're looking for something on that side of town. Advantage for me is it will be a lot easier to get a job once treatments are over than it is on this side of town (Deception Bay) with a much shorter commute. 
My lease here isn't up until 24th August, but I'll move sooner if we find something suitable. I just need to get my tax return so I can afford to move. I was paid until the end of my contract 7/7/17) + annual leave, but taxed at around 36%, leaving me rather short changed. 
I'd rather not break my lease, but this house should be very easy for them to re-let, especially as I had them put in ceiling fans & an air conditioner early this year. I'm hoping that as it's so close to the end of my lease they'll just do a mutual termination of lease. 
I just need to start the cull & pack now whilst I have some energy left. 

Hi mkitty68, I was nervous as hell starting chemo and whilst it's not a pleasant experience it's not as bad as I expected. Yes my eyebrows and lashes are falling out but not much we can do. The chemo nurses are brilliant at the rwbh. I had tears rolling down my face for my first ac  chemo as I was petrified from all the horrible stories I had read. Only two more to go. Don't stress, you will be ok.
Lisa x

Thank you @Brenda5 for those tips, I'm a bit nervous about it. 

Gee I have never heard of all the nodes positive. Thank goodness it's been detected before its metastasized. I had the exact same chemo except mine was every three weeks instead of two. Best tips I can give you is get a special card from your oncology doctor to fast track you in the hospital emergency ward should you need to go there. I didn't go to emergency but it did make me feel much more at ease to know there would be no hours and hours waiting if I had needed to go. Tip two is get yourself a good thermometer and if your temp rises to 38C or more go straight to emergency. I checked my temp twice a day every day and although i got close to 38C it went down after a few hours and I got over whatever infection my body was annoyed at. Follow those two tips and you will be right as rain. <3

Hey @MKitty68, Excellent that you've got your plan ready to go. Wishing you all the best with it. Xx 

People who've never done it say 'Its only hair.'  
Mine's now growing back, slowly. I'm ridiculously pleased to have eyelashes--no more pointlessly stabbing the mascara wand into my eyeballs trying to make the best of the stragglers that hung on until nearly the end.

Thank you everyone,
Marg, for me it also means getting through the chemo faster I think. 
They have also told me that I will definitely lose my hair, and possibly my eyebrows & eyelashes as well. I know that i really going to affect me, but at least I am prepared for it to happen.