Chemo to start

If you were sent a Breast Cancer pack it would be a good idea to keep a diary. I found it helpful as I experienced so many things each time & found it good to look back on. The first round I had terrible itchiness but couldn't scratch due to lymph nodes being removed & trying not to draw blood, tummy ache & the runs, pain - heels, feet, dry heels with the skin peeling. Nobody tells you about the pain, no nausea thank goodness, mouth ulcers & the worst of all is loss of taste. Everything tasted horrible so lots of milk drinks like egg flips, thick milkshakes etc to keep up nourishment. I found a pattern of day 3-4 until day 7-9 the worst time before I started to feel better but each treatment took longer to get over.

I also made sure I got up and dressed, lay on the lounge. Staying in bed you are more likely to not bother getting drinks, in the loungeroom you tend to drink more.

All the best as you go through chemo, it is nasty but you will forget how crappy you feel when you've finished. You just remember it being draining. There is an end to it but if you can attend a Look Good Feel Better course you might meet some chemo ladies & being together during your treatment makes all the difference. Deb

Hi Glynnis,

My experience was a little different to Robyn's but I had a different type of chemo too. I basically felt like I had the flu for about a week each time, then would start to feel ok during the second week and feel pretty much normal in the third.

Be prepared with some medications just in case you get some of the common side effects. Take any nausea medication even if you do not feel sick as it works best at preventing rather than trying to make you feel better after you feel unwell. Have something for diahorea and constipation. 

I also used the Biotene mouthwash as you do get a lot of mouth effects mostly caused from a dry mouth. Like Robyn I tried to walk everyday that I could during my treatment and found this really helped. Any problems that did arise, I just made sure I told my doctor and chemo nurse. I also found the ladies on here a great source of practical advice.

Hope that it goes ok for you. Everyone is a little bit different in what seems to happen so I think the best advice I received was to prepare for the worst but hope for the best. I think I ended up somewhere in the middle of these two possibilities. Some days were hard but there were many more that were surprisingly good! Take care and good luck. Deanne xxx

Hello Glynnis,I finished my chemo 15 months ago now,but I can still remember that first one as though it were yesterday.The one thing that surprised me on the first day,was that nothing really happens to change the way you feel  straight away.You can expect to not seep much for a few nights,because you get given Dexamethasone,and it's a steroid,and it keeps you 'going'!!! If you have any housework to catch up on,then that's the time!!! On about the 5 th day,you may start to feel tired,randomly throughout the day.When it hits you,it is an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion.It can last for minutes or hours.On about day 10, you will start to pick up again.The second week you need to stay away from crowds,because you are very susceptible to infection,then the third week you feel great! Then it starts again!!! Some of the side effects that affected me,are sore throat,( I used Biotene mouthwash and toothpaste) a very nasty skin rash( I took Zyrtec and it really helped) constipation( take coloxyl straight away,don't wait for it to get worse) bizarre food cravings( especially for salty and savoury things) and for me,that was about it.I was very fortunate I believe,compared to some ladies.I walked every single day of my chemo( my oncologist suggested this) and it really helped with my energy levels.Oh and don't forget for the first 3 days of each cycle,drink 3 litres of water.All the best and stay in touch on here for support throughout your chemo.Cheers xoxRobyn