Waiting for oncologist ??

Hi @kezmusc thanks for the info and yes it all seems pretty daunting and I haven't even got to the appointment yet ! lol
I'm hoping it won't be needed but we will see hey. Yes I am familiar with Ondansetron as I am a volunteer ambo and it is one of the drugs we use. Will keep you all updated with the progress thank you.

Hi Jazz.

Chemo would be the most daunting appointing I think.  Don't forget, they will tell you every possible side effect you can get.  It doesn't mean you WILL get them.  I absolutely howled my eyes out after this appointment.  However everyone is different.  I had 4 x AC 3 weeks apart.  12 x weekly paclitaxel.  I managed the AC pretty well up until the last one which took about 10 days to recover from properly.  The paclitaxel was a lot more tolerable for me but I ended up with a weird skin reaction and had to stay on prednisone the whole time.  During chemo I had christmas, my twins 18th birthday which we had planned to go away for, my stepsons 21st, my step daughters formal and graduation and her 18th birthday.  I managed them all,  and had a great time.  I kept my hair with cold capping, didn't lose my eyelashes or eyebrows, worked two days a week and managed to still help my husband run the farm.  The only thing I had a major problem with was the Neulasta injection.  Major skin reaction, incredible bone aches to the point of not walking and ended up in ED.  I just refused to take it from then on.  I felt like crap on some days but overall pretty ok.  Oh and ask for Ondanzatron (not sure of spelling) for nausea as it worked a lot better than the other stuff they give you.

Thanks Melinda I can understand the thing of being easier because you are right you don't have to worry about their feelings as well as yours. It's awesome you are still together !! He sure is a keeper :wink:

Thanks @Molly001 Yes I have given that to her and she has been doing research herself about support groups etc. Unfortunately there does not seem to be much out there for same sex couples. We will keep looking though cheers.

Hi Jual the side affects sound a little scary !! Glad you are getting better with each session though. Luckily I already have a pretty good medicine cabinet but I will be adding to it I think. keeping a diary of each day certainly sounds like a plan too !! Thank you for sharing with me wink:

@Jazz26 It's good to hear that you have a couple of appointments now, I think having some direction helps with it all. I too attended my Oncologists 1st appointment alone and sat in my car incredibly distraught for a little while. I've always done majority of my appointments alone, only because I found it easier strangely as I didnt have to worry about how they were coping. 

So wonderful to hear of your supportive partner, I was only 6 months into a new relationship when I had my 2nd diagnosis, it was super tough, but he's been a rock and with me for 3yrs now :) 

So hold tight, a step at a time, and breathe, keep us in the loop how your appts go. Hugs Melinda xo

That's great news @Jazz26 we can all relate to wanting to get treatment underway. Fantastic you have a supportive partner to help you through, too. Make sure you give her the info for partners from your my journey kit. It's tough going and she may also find she needs someone to talk to. Good luck with your appointments.

Hi Jazz,

I have had 2 rounds of chemotherapy so far (3 weeks apart) and so far so good with 4 more sessions to go. The second round was better than the first as I knew what to look for in terms of side effects and had a range of strategies to deal with it so didn't have the same problems at number two. Found it helpful to record day by day each side effect and then emailed that to the oncologist and he was able to guide me on prevention the next time. After the first week I felt pretty reasonable and by the third week I felt back to normal. I found by about 7 -8 pm I am ready to rest and not as resilient as usual. Exercise helps according to the oncologist with side effects and have walked most days and gone to yoga. If you need chemo, I would suggest you look closely at the side effects and ask the nurses and oncologist for advice on how to manage them if they occur eg. Mouth washes for preventing sores, types of painkillers you can take, early use of Imodium for diarrhoea, prevention of constipation etc. and make a record and gather a kit of useful medications in case you need them. Obviously the type of side effects would depend on what chemo you have. Also with hair loss, I opted out of cold capping (decided against an extra 2 hours at a session) but found it helpful to cut my hair short and then when it started falling out, I had enough when my daughter told me she found it in her muesli! Got it down to a number one that day and haven't looked back. Also found the Look Good Feel Better workshop to be really good too. With regards work, I opted to stop work but so far could have done some work in the week 2 and 3 if I needed. 

All the best, Jual 

Yes I can understand the tears, I walked out from the biopsy and started crying because it suddenly hit me that it was real. I had nobody with me that day too which made it even harder, I felt like a sook and that I should be stronger. Luckily my partner has been able to come to all appointments since, so far anyway. It makes a huge difference especially when most of it doesn't sink in for me, I'm a reader when it comes to information intake. Unfortunately my partner has done this before with her dad so kind of knows what to expect, however this time round it's seen on a daily basis, closer to home you could say.  

Yes it will. Now don't feel silly if after the appointment you start with the tears. Even though from the very begininng I knew I was having chemo
 I was still in tears after the appointment  (waiting for a special heart scan pre chemo).  It was the realisation it was real. Yes I'd had surgery and breasts removed. But the chemo really is the bit that makes you really think "I have cancer". Bloody scary.  But I now think of it as a bit of damp dusting after a thorough clean.  Just making sure all removed. X