Cancer Type
I have just found out that my breast cancer is HER2 negative grade 3. I am waiting to see oncologist to see what treatment will be. My surgeon said I will have chemo first then radiation therapy. I wo...
Forum Discussion
Totally normal response Gal, and many many people here have had exactly the same.
Many of us have ideas of chemotherapy that were formed in the past, the quite distant past for some of us. Chemo has come a long way since those memories were made. It's far more nuanced than it used to be, and the medications for side effects are much better. My mother had breast cancer at my age in 1986 and spent two days vomiting non-stop after each dose. I didn't vomit once. Retched once, but didn't vomit. Click on my name to read the details of my diagnosis.
Almost certainly you'll feel really tired and fatigued, and almost certainly your hair will fall out. You'll probably have headaches a bit and your tastebuds will change, food will taste odd. And you might feel some nausea from time to time. Those are the five main things that seem to happen to everybody, no matter what type of chemo they have.
I can't emphasise enough how we all react differently to the same drugs! I had breakfast on Thursday with @"Kiwi Angel" who had the same chemo as me. I had trouble with my hands, she did not. She had trouble with fluid retention, I did not.
Some people are able to work through their treatment, others take a few days off, and some take the time off their jobs completely. It's just so varied.
I had a massive panic attack before my chemo started. I was very very scared. And also traumatised by family events of the previous five years. We all bring baggage into our treatment and that can affect how we feel prior to starting.
BUT! Once you start, you will be amazed how routine it all gets. The first one is the scariest because of the unknown. Subsequently the absence of that fear makes it a lot easier.
So my advice is to do the things that distract you from the anticipation. Hang out with your friends, exercise, throw yourself into a hobby, watch some tv. I watched a bunch of stupid sitcoms that briefly stopped my noisy brain from yelling. Meditation and mindfulness are excellent as well. It doesn't come easily to me, but after trying a few I settled on an app on my phone called Headspace.
Be kind to yourself, a little selfish even. Now is the time to put yourself first. Keep the stressful people and events to a minimum. Accept help once chemo is underway. That's a big one for a lot of us here to get over! We're often the ones who are fixing all the problems and taking care of everyone else! It was a very hard thing for me to do but it was invaluable.
When people ask me now how I coped with chemo I say fair to middling, good bits, bad bits. I perceive that I fell into the broad band in the middle that neither got off lightly or suffered too badly.
That you've got a wonderful support group will be great. And we're all here for you on this website. Take some deep breaths and hang in there. Big hug, K xox
Many of us have ideas of chemotherapy that were formed in the past, the quite distant past for some of us. Chemo has come a long way since those memories were made. It's far more nuanced than it used to be, and the medications for side effects are much better. My mother had breast cancer at my age in 1986 and spent two days vomiting non-stop after each dose. I didn't vomit once. Retched once, but didn't vomit. Click on my name to read the details of my diagnosis.
Almost certainly you'll feel really tired and fatigued, and almost certainly your hair will fall out. You'll probably have headaches a bit and your tastebuds will change, food will taste odd. And you might feel some nausea from time to time. Those are the five main things that seem to happen to everybody, no matter what type of chemo they have.
I can't emphasise enough how we all react differently to the same drugs! I had breakfast on Thursday with @"Kiwi Angel" who had the same chemo as me. I had trouble with my hands, she did not. She had trouble with fluid retention, I did not.
Some people are able to work through their treatment, others take a few days off, and some take the time off their jobs completely. It's just so varied.
I had a massive panic attack before my chemo started. I was very very scared. And also traumatised by family events of the previous five years. We all bring baggage into our treatment and that can affect how we feel prior to starting.
BUT! Once you start, you will be amazed how routine it all gets. The first one is the scariest because of the unknown. Subsequently the absence of that fear makes it a lot easier.
So my advice is to do the things that distract you from the anticipation. Hang out with your friends, exercise, throw yourself into a hobby, watch some tv. I watched a bunch of stupid sitcoms that briefly stopped my noisy brain from yelling. Meditation and mindfulness are excellent as well. It doesn't come easily to me, but after trying a few I settled on an app on my phone called Headspace.
Be kind to yourself, a little selfish even. Now is the time to put yourself first. Keep the stressful people and events to a minimum. Accept help once chemo is underway. That's a big one for a lot of us here to get over! We're often the ones who are fixing all the problems and taking care of everyone else! It was a very hard thing for me to do but it was invaluable.
When people ask me now how I coped with chemo I say fair to middling, good bits, bad bits. I perceive that I fell into the broad band in the middle that neither got off lightly or suffered too badly.
That you've got a wonderful support group will be great. And we're all here for you on this website. Take some deep breaths and hang in there. Big hug, K xox