Getting ready for Chemo, any advice?

Dear @Sabina 33, My chemo is 2 1/2 years behind me. I'm sure lots of network members will add to my thoughts. I think your oncologist will work out a chemo 'recipe' for you, based on your results. The main things I learnt are that everybody reacts differently to chemo, but there are patterns eg when you are likely to lose your hair, suffer fatigue  lol. But there are lots of great tips for treating side effects and looking after yourself that will help. And besides this great network there is a lot of online, phone and written information available when questions arise.

Hi @Sabina33
Welcome! Chemo is always a daunting thought but as @jennyss says, reactions can be so widely different that it’s hard to know what any one individual will experience. Your oncologist will outline what treatment is recommended. Mine gave me a sheet of information on each therapy - this was very helpful, particularly to refer back to later. Remember that lists of possible side effects are just that - a list of what’s been experienced by a large number of people. You won’t get all of them! Losing your hair is likely so have some thought whether you want try cold cap. It too varies in effectiveness. 
Many patients suffer fatigue, but not all - I had none and worked throughout. Similarly nausea - drugs may help a lot so don’t suffer in silence but again, I had none. Most people start to recognise a pattern of good and not so good days and can plan accordingly. Remember chemo is finite, take one day at a time and count down the number of treatments! Best wishes. 

Hi Sabina33,
I finished chemo last year.
Everyone reacts differently to chemotherapy, as everyone’s doses aren’t the same, I had dense dose AC every 2 weeks for 8 weeks, then 12 weekly pactlitaxel. I had quite a few side affects, but by  telling you this you have a lot of support with your oncologist, and your oncologist nurse, to try and get the nest dose right.
Dont be afraid to use the 24 hr hotline number you will be given if you’re not feeling well, as they are there to advise you and help you through, just remember you are never alone.
Be very up front with your oncologist, as they are there to try and make chemotherapy tolerable for you.

I am almost finished chemo and everyone has given great advice - just want to say that you need to be mentally prepared for needing help at times because you have 3 kids. I am sure that you are used to running your household and taking care of your children and all those indispensable things that mums do. Chemo can be very tough for a few days of each cycle if you’re on dose dense AC - hard to put one foot in front of the other. Ask for help and accept anything that is offered. I had beautiful ladies from my church bringing some meals each treatment,  my cousin would pick me up, sit with me and drop me home after and bring the meal for that night. My sister did washing and ironing. I felt so loved and that made it all so much easier. I am very independent and with 4 kids I think I am pretty capable, but I needed help or our household would have crashed. 

Thankyou all for your insights, I’m frightened of starting but also want to dive in and do it now! as you all know the waiting for each step, each result and plan is hard.  Not going in blind is helpful, have been reading some of the other discussions and it’s good to have some understanding of it all. I read all the medical stuff but it’s the advice on practical stuff that you all offer that’s great. So, I have purchased a few head scarfs and Beenies and am ready to let my 7yo girl shave my head, will be doing some soup cook ups this week and will definitely keep a bag packed because my Husband choice would be something 😂
I am also practicing the acceptance of help and will take up some offers of meals from friends for around my treatments,  thanks for being here and sharing x  

Hello @Sabina33!  I finished chemo a few weeks ago. I had EC it’s like AC, then paclitaxel. I found that by the end the first cycle of EC, I had a “pattern” of fatigue days and better days that stayed pretty much the same for all four cycles. That helped a lot with planning. 

I felt the same - I was so stressed ‘waiting’ for it to start that I just wanted to get on with it. I think it’s easier mentally once you get into the swing of it. You will be fine - just one treatment at a time, and one day at a time. 

Sabina33 said:

Hi beautiful women, I’m new here, I’m a 33yo mum with 3 kids, recently diagnosed with hormone +, stage 3, grade 3. Had a double mastectomy and lymph nodes removed on the 30/3, going to see the oncologist next week and start Chemo. Would love some advice on preparing for this, recovery from surgery has been hard but chemo is more daunting to me... 

Hi Sabina, 

Sorry you have had to join this club. I was 34 when diagnosed and pretty similar stage and grade....that's over 6 years ago now! Chemo was definitely the hardest for me out of all the treatments. My tips are....
Take your anti nausea meds 
Rest Rest Rest even if you're feeling on top of the world - it's the steroids that are lying to you
Paint your nails & toenails a dark colour - I honestly believe in this as I painted my nails and forgot to paint my toenails and a month after finishing chemo all my toenails fell off
Drink tonnes of fluids to flush the chemo out after you've had it
Don't stress if you don't eat or drink as healthy as you thought you might (I thought this way)....eat and drink what makes you happy, keeps you hydrated, energised etc I lived on Savoy biscuits 24 hours of the day and always ate a bucket of hot chips when I was having my chemo

Have you thought about cutting your hair shorter? 

Absolutely accept ALL of the help! Sometimes it's hard but a lot of your friends and family might not know what to say but they can show you by the way they help 

Goodluck my friend  :)

Hi Sabina33,
I know it sounds weird , driving to my very first chemotherapy session I wasn’t nervous at all, was singing in the car to some favourite music, my husband was driving me, he sort of looked at me are you ok lol.....
Something no one has mentioned, have you thought about having a port?
The reason I ask is that I didn’t, and now if I need blood taken, it’s a nightmare finding my veins, as I can only use one arm due to having all lymph nodes removed from surgery side.
I had a Pic line put in after my third treatment, but that only lasted in my arm for 3 weeks as I ended up with blood clots in my arm, so it was removed, other ladies that had a Port put in had no issues. So that’s something I would ask your oncologist.
Maybe it was just my bad luck, but having a Pic line there was always a risk of blood clots, but it doesn’t happen to everyone. 

Waiting to start chemo was the hardest part for me.  I did have a wide range of side effects but they were mostly manageable.  The most problematic side effect for me was having mouth sores.  I would rinse every day with salt or use biotene.