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Everything seems to be wrong
I was diagnosed with DCIS on 8 April. Due to the size of the calcification, a double mastectomy was recommended. And surgery is now scheduled on 20 May. The waiting is hurting me. I have been having s...
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@lovemoon
You’ll have a better idea of what you want/need after the first treatment but the following may help:
*Have someone to take you to day oncology and home first time - you may be absolutely fine, but just in case.
*Many encourage drinking lots of water, ‘to flush through the chemo’ but since no-one told me to at the time, I just drank normally. Being well hydrated is important for getting to veins, but having to go to the toilet while on a drip is a pain in the neck! I sprang a leak once in the toilet and had to be rescued by grinning oncology nurses in gumboots and rubber gloves! Also, I wanted to be sure the chemo was doing its work!
*Oncology nurses are a special breed of wonderful - they’ve seen it all, usually are very funny (humour really, really helps with all this stuff!) and will look after you, check you beforehand.
*You can read, doze, listen to music or whatever suits - remember one arm will be a bit occupied. You’ll probably be offered a drink and a snack.
*Count the treatments down - every one completed, one less to be done. It may pass more quickly than you imagine. Side effects vary - talk to your oncologist about what to expect, whether you can use cold cap or other cold treatments to protect hair and extremities.
Best wishes.
You’ll have a better idea of what you want/need after the first treatment but the following may help:
*Have someone to take you to day oncology and home first time - you may be absolutely fine, but just in case.
*Many encourage drinking lots of water, ‘to flush through the chemo’ but since no-one told me to at the time, I just drank normally. Being well hydrated is important for getting to veins, but having to go to the toilet while on a drip is a pain in the neck! I sprang a leak once in the toilet and had to be rescued by grinning oncology nurses in gumboots and rubber gloves! Also, I wanted to be sure the chemo was doing its work!
*Oncology nurses are a special breed of wonderful - they’ve seen it all, usually are very funny (humour really, really helps with all this stuff!) and will look after you, check you beforehand.
*You can read, doze, listen to music or whatever suits - remember one arm will be a bit occupied. You’ll probably be offered a drink and a snack.
*Count the treatments down - every one completed, one less to be done. It may pass more quickly than you imagine. Side effects vary - talk to your oncologist about what to expect, whether you can use cold cap or other cold treatments to protect hair and extremities.
Best wishes.