New and so confused
I am Grade 2, sentinel lymph node free, deciding if the 4 or 5% difference of having Chemo or going straight into radiation and onto tablets and with the added severe family history of kidney and hear...
Forum Discussion
@newby24 If you search the discussions, you will find out a lot about chemo and other treatments. Just try not to get too anxious before you know how you're going to react. It's not a fun time but for most of us it's doable. I found it helpful to keep a notebook on the bench to record how I was feeling + temps and meds that I'd taken (I would have forgotten, otherwise). That will help you to get a handle on how the chemo affects you over the course of the weeks and is very useful when you see the onc. The other thing is, don't suffer in silence! If the meds they send you home with don't cut the mustard, ring the clinic (even on the weekend) and tell them. I made the mistake on my first time of thinking that I couldn't do much about the nausea on the weekend and suffered until the Monday when I didn't need to. And the new medication sorted me out straight away.
The other thing I found really useful was to get a zip-up folder from Officeworks (I started with an ordinary sized folder but ended up having to upgrade to a lever arch), a couple of packets of plastic sleeves and some dividers. I filed all of my paperwork in this so everything was in one place and easily portable. Because the folder zipped up, I didn't need to worry about things falling out and I could also slip in the odd thing (like cold cap headband).
The other thing I found really useful was to get a zip-up folder from Officeworks (I started with an ordinary sized folder but ended up having to upgrade to a lever arch), a couple of packets of plastic sleeves and some dividers. I filed all of my paperwork in this so everything was in one place and easily portable. Because the folder zipped up, I didn't need to worry about things falling out and I could also slip in the odd thing (like cold cap headband).