chemo today

Yay - 1 down. Just take each one as it comes and deal with the different side effects as you go.

Side effects seemed to hit me as the drug moved through my body and ending with my scaly mouth.

I was advised to eat whatever I found easy to digest during at least the 1st week after chemo - there are no rules. Water does taste funny and you need to drink a lot of it for the 1st 24 hours after to flush it through, so I found lemonade iceblocks were heaven in my mouth. Biotene was also good as a calming mouthwash.

This is a great place to hold your hand as you go through each stage and especially side effects as they come.

Wishing you hugs through this. 

I also drew a picture of my treatment plan and coloured in each spike or blob after each one to keep me sane. I have 1 thing left to colour-in after 1 year of treatment :)

Kester,

Exactly, stay focused, day at a time! It's usually day 3 it hits, if you have any questions, your oncology nurses are wonderful! and any problems you are having, dont hesitate to call. Like mine said, it takes a little time to see how you manage and what they need to change in terms of meds. Yes definitely keep rinsing with salt water, I did this consistently, it helps, unfortunately still got mouth ulcers but honestly they werent bad at all! I had a reaction to Maxolon, it made me sick LOL, gosh there was something else they used instead, I'll have to look it up. But if its working! Great! :)

I like your description LOL crawling up a hollow log, oh you may not feel that way at all!!! step at a time.

Feel well, and nurture you every step :)

Hugs Melinda

Thanks Jane, yes still on dexmathasone and have maxalon to take as well.  Not getting much nausea yet but am weary,  Have been doing the mouthwash stuff and hoping to avoid ulcers, I always drink a lot of water so that is not a problem. So far I am eating well.  Thanks for your input, it is much appreciated , hugs Kester

Hi Melinda, so glad it is all over for you.  I am still doing well day 2 so hoping it continues.  I expect there will be days when I will feel like crawling up a hollow log but I know it will end eventually, much love Kester xx

You will be fine

We all react differently and I find each round to be different sideeffects wise

Make sure you listen to your body and thise antinausea tablets are there for a reason so if you need them just take them.

Gut health is very important so hydration, good food and plety of rest are the order of the day. Any time you feel the need to rest up just do it...

As soon as steroids run out you will feel gut impact so olety of soups and water and regular mkvicol.until.you get soft stools (not unusual.to be connstipatwd one day and have massive runs the next) so.movicol until.loose bowls hit are important.

One fruit that really works throughout is bananas - both for energy and works to avoid contipation plus good if you have the runs (advice frommHospital dietitian) so my home has been full of bananas since I started Chemo.

Also you may start to get mouth irritations or ulcers so as Jane said brushun with bicarb sida and gargling with salty water is great.

All in all just listen to your body and if im doubt call the number on your "emergency contact" card and they can help you work out if sideffects you are having are normaal as well as how to deal with them best way possible.

And we all have our good and bad days and somendays are stoic and others we woos but overall as miserable as a sideffect may make you feel it does go away and the moment it goes away you almost completely forget about it... May make us moserable at times but it is doable and there is defnitely light at the end of the tunnel ??

All the best

Jel.

Hi Kester,

Glad you got your first AC down!!! I had 4 FEC 3 weeks apart and 8 taxol. Im now 6 months post chemo Yay!!! With the first rounds, it hits you about day 3. I like you was super drug sensitive, so every 3 weeks was on hospital for 2 days hydrating after the infusion. I couldn't walk and couldn't eat much at all. Took me about 9 days to recover each time, then a week of bliss before the next. Everyone is different, and suggest take each one as it comes. My Oncology nurse did say, how I reacted with the first one will pretty much set the pace and it did of how I was going to go. So it was just a matter of being ahead of it for myself with their help.

You'll do great! 

Melinda xo

Hi Kester, You might find the first few days straight after chemo are pretty good, because the steroids (dexamethasone probably) and anti nausea meds that were given to you with your ac chemo are still in your system. By the weekend you might find yourself feeling more fatigued and dodgy in the tummy, so don't be afraid to take the anti nausea medications such as Stemetil or Maxalon if you were prescribed them, as they can stop you feeling the nausea in the first place if you think you will be prone to it, which will make it easier to keep your appetite up. Then over the following two weeks you gradually improve. That's how it was for me anyway.Oh and food will taste different so try extra spices and seasonings, and maybe try foods that you haven't had before, or thought you didn't like. As for hydration, if water becomes blurgh try mineral water or soda water, or ginger ale. Good luck, on tough days it is tough, on good days you can still feel like a champion, and on days when you need it, take a rest day. The proportions are different for everyone. Oh and keep up your mouthcare. I found carb soda in water was good, with an occasional salt water rinse. Jane

Hi Jel, thanks for the input. I am feeling pretty good this morning. Woke with the headache still but mild. Had an early night and took a Dolased for the headache which has a mild sedative in it and slept all night except for one pee run. I filled the freezer before I went in for treatment so all I (or Bill) have to do is thaw. Thank heaven for freezers and microwaves.  Find I am feeling very tired but yhat is par for the course. Hope I continue as I have started but feel a bit guilty when I read some of the journeys some girls have on here. Once again thanks and big hugs, Kester xxx 

one other thing I wish someone warned me about before my 1st Chemo is that drain it causes on ones energy in the 1st round... Initial 5 or 6 days I found every time I sat down I would doze off without realising... Only mentioning this in case you are alone home and cooking... I have had several burnt meals and one near fire while cooking as I would sit down and next thing would be woken up by burt stench as I would doze off without noticing... So if alone at home and cooking do set an alarm each time tou walk away from the stove these first few days... Weridly only hit me that way on the 1st round but it did hit hard...

Jel

Hi Kester,

I found the 1st to be the hardest as far as immediate sideffects went... Also had a whopping migraine set in but a panadeine forte latter it settled and did not make a come back.

Walking helps with feeling nauseated. The more you walk the more you will burp and nausea will stop. Also the worst of nausea is in the initial 6 to 10 hours so that too will be over soon. Another thing that halps is earing oensucking on grapefruit or drinking just some lemon squeezed in water.

If you have not had any movicol before the Chemo please get some from the Chemist in the morning and take 1 and have it twice daily the initial 2 to 3 days as AC Chemo.gives you a case of 'cement poos' due to anti nausea meds they administer with it and can hit you immediately (movicol is gentle and effective) and tou tou do not want hemmoroids or fissures down the road from straining.

Do not fret if you feel a bit flushed / feverish (kind of same feeling as before getting the flu as that too relatjvely normal with the 1st AC) initial few days. And be on a lookout for the "Chemo fog".  It hit me hard the first 3 days making thinking a very hard task and I almost ODed on my take home.meds by almost taking wrong ones even tbough I read labels 5 times.  I now make sure someone else also checks my meds in the initial 3 days just in case (or if nobody arround I separate anrinausea from steroid and olace each in a separate zilock bag and write days and times when need to be taken on the outside of each bag with a marker then after I take each dose I cross off the rime slot - stops me from taking same med twice in error).

Also spups soups soups are great food the the first few days (for looking after digestion) - Hospital dietitian advised as much in soup form as possible with heaps of meat and veg (and easy on noodles and potatoes...)... Helps hydrate you nourish you and keeps tummy and gut going....

I am glad your 1st Chemo was eventless and just hang in there.  Nausea will be gone soon and all future Chemos I at least have found to be far lesser 'assault' on my system. 

Hugs

Jel