AC Chemo - Day 17 (Happy Dance due to great Gastroentorologist advice plus managing to avoid UTI)

Well day 17 behind me and I am so doing a happy happy happy dance....

First and for me the most important thing is that I have met with a Gastroentorologist as per Oncologist demand (Gastroentorologist agreeing I can continue Chemo was condition for them not to stop my Chemo.due to my severe tummy reactions and bleedd).

Well I see a fabulous Gastroentorologist and she is backing me up all the way - I do love the ability women have to apply common sense, not freak out and prioritise well. She gets that kicking the BC beast is the most important thing and agreed that what is happening to me is extreme and that normally she would never reccomend one goes through it again as there will be damage to the gut BUT she also feels that considering my diagnosis and how agressive my cancer is I must continue Chemo and she will be on hand should thing get worse and should medical/surgical intervention be required. Yes my gut and bleeds are extreme but with my preexisting conditions she would condiser it a mirracle for me not have reacted this way so we are going ahead.

Guys I swear when she said that I had the "harps play, sky parts and the holly light shines upon my head" moment... I was that relieved that she got it and would be on my side that I almost bawled from relief. All that pent up anxiety I have had since Oncologist said 6 days ago "I am stopping your chemo" came to the surface. Someone from the medical profession finally got me and did not find me a "crazy anxious woman". Finally someone other doctors would listen to as she too is a Specialist and is on my side, batting for MY team. I swer I felt like a gladiator locked alone in an arena being circled by predators this whole week. And suddenly I had been given this massive weapon so I felt unstoppable.

Yes I know I am going on and on and on but for me ever since being told "no chemo for you unless a Gastroentorologist signs off" I had felt like it was the end of the road and to know now she felt just as strongly and passionately about my having all the planned Chemo was literaly a new lease on life.

The remainder of the conversation was her talking through my reactions to chemo 1st time arround and how to prep and deal with the next round as she suspected now that my gut was tortured and bleeding 2nd time is bound to get worse so it was all about minimising the damage.

So here is my Gastroentorologist's advice for my gut and bum surviving this horrid AC Chemo (and i am sharing it here as I reckon it really can apply to everyone and anyone)

1. Chemo is a repeated assault on your stomach intestines and anus and the worst they will ever have to deal with so take is extraordinary circumstamces as we are talking bare survival and some of this advice goes against what would normally be reccomended as long term practice by a Gastroentorologist
2. Before your Chemo starts and throughout unless you are having runs relogiously take Movicol - religiously!!!. Do not wait to become constupated - unless you have runs just take it
3. Eat lots and lots and lots of soups with a lot of meat and lot of veg in them. Noodles OK but the other 2 essential. Highly reccomend chicken soup - lots of drumsticks and carrots onion celery... Cook in advance and freeze for when feeling like shit but LOTS of it
4. Unless you have the runs eat a lot od fibre. Eat heaps of veggies and heaps of fruit. Oranges and bananas will help cleanse your gut. Eat lots of salads. Eat lots of steamed and baked veg.  Eating fibre will not put too much strain on your gut so eat it until the runs hit
5. When the runs hit stop all fruit except for bananas. Bananas are good for when you have runs as gentle to the stomach and replenish vitamins essential for the healty heart which are 1st to go with runs. Eat lots of sweet potato as really good for the runs and more helpfull to the gut than traditionally eaten white potatoes. Eat chicken soup and a lot of it. Every time you go to loo with runs drink a glass of water. Replenish salt and if not eating chicken soup make a drink with a teaspoon of salty vegetable stock powder and boiling water and drink twice daily (but soup is best). Keep electrolites up... Yes good old white toast, plain rice or white plain baked potato also work but soup and sweet potato (in any form) are better.
6. Do not wait for hemmoroids to hit or to get a rectal fissure to start using hemmoroid creams or supppsitories. Start using the cream (and can do the same with suppositories) as soon as chemo starts as the assault on your rectum begins then and while you do not feel it due to steroids initially your rectum is being irritated and scorched. And when your arse stops hurting still use them as preventative measure. If no pain no bleeds no hemmoroids and no fissure then can use just cream once daily but use it. If using medicated cream and suppositories then only twice daily trough the whole Chemo and no more than twice and post Chemo end stop as soon as symptoms stop. Normally she would not reccomend cream and suppositories I use (proctosedyl) to be used for more than a few days as they have steroids in them but in case of AC Chemo she gave me a blessing to use them throughout (for months) as the steroid will help keep internal hemmoroids at bay and in her words prevention and management during Chemo are outweighing practice they reccomend outside of Chemo.
7. Small amounts of fresh (bright red) blood means you have internal or external hemooroids or a fissure so treat it but do not panic. You may want to see a GP to ensure that is all there is but even even if it goes on for days or weeks do not fear permanent damage as long as it is bring red and small amounts as once the rectum is hurt it takes a long time to heal. Heavy bleeds or feelong faint or weak while having bleeds mean call ambos or if in doubt see a GP
8. Dark blood in stool unless there is a lot of it or if it looks clotted need not mean intestinal bleed. Sometimes it is just a fissure or internal hemmoroids which is otherwise bright when you go to the loo but if you had not been to the loo in a while then it starts to slow down and clot and that is when it turns dark. So even if you see clotted dark blood in your poo do not panic. Do have a chat with your GP about it but unless you are seeing a heavy bleed or feeling weak or faint do not automatically fear an intestinal bleed. And if your poo feels weird to you get your smart phone and take a photo. Doctors love to see photos of our poos as they can then instantly know what they are dealing with.
9. When you do have dark red poo or water in the loo turns reddish when poo hits it do not automatically presume blood. Try to remeber if you had eaten any beetroot or cherries in the previous 3 days as both can linger in the poo for days and will give appearance od blood in stool.
10. Regardless of how much you care for your gut every next Chemo will have slightly worse effect on the gut so do not panic too much as tummy does not heal completely in just 1 to 3 weeks. Care for it as advised, do not blame yourself if the next Chemo is a tad worse and remember when chemo is over the gut will eventually heal

Well, for me at least these will be my new "10 commandments" for the rest of my Chemo and I am just relieved that I know how to take preventative steps this time arround and keep damage to a minimum.

In addition to my Gastro appointment the day had been very eventfull as my low netruphils are causing problems still. Early on in the day I started feeling initial simptoms of a UTI - you know discomfort when urinating and a need to urinate even when bladder is empty. Very unimpressed to say the least...

Called the cancer centre and they said unless running a fever go to GP and when I hit 38deg call them again so they can get a bed ready and head on down to Emergency. I was VERY unimpressed at the presumption that it is a matter of "when" and not "if" I hit fever ??

Condiering I had been hitting the toilet 7 to 8 times in an hour going to GP no easy task but off I went with a small sample of wee and they sent it off for analysis even though no trace of bacteria found with a stick test. They gave me anribiotics in case it got worse before results are back and off I was sent home to sook. Well determined not to let this damn thing win I drank like a camel. I spend the rest of the day loading my self with water either flavoured by 1/3 juice or vegetable srock powder (need to keep salt and surag else too much water harms tou due to watering down electrolites). I drank like 2 camels and kept on flushing my system and I think I may have won the battle. No antibiotics taken and by the end of the day no discomfort and stopped running to the loo with an empty bladder. My temp came down from 37.7 to mid 36s. So I hope this has worked and that today does not see the comeback of the symptoms but for now I am happy and hoping to be victorious (I really really really do not want 'horrible for the gut' antibiotics while on 2nd course od Chemo next week)

So, overall, the day ended well and I am still on cloud 9 over my Gastro appointment and the newly found weapon in my battle to continue Chemo ????????

Jel.