Chemotherapy tips

Hi @Aussiegirl19. So sorry to hear about your diagnosis.I too have a mum and younger sister who are thrivers and was diagnosed November last year. I also had 2 lumps. Ditto to all of the above. Peter mac in Melbourne produce their own mouthwash which is bicarb and salt based but tastes nicer! I also was prescribed the pink gel for mouth ulcers which numbs things and works a treat.Try not to overfloss as the gums are a lot more sensitive and you can upset them. Good luck with your chemo. I'm glad you have your sister and Mum there to support you in this.All the best!

I need a wisdom tooth out and a crown but was not urgent so I will be doing it once I'm in remission. 
The breast care nurse recommended I do get a clean done at the dentist though before starting treatment so just make sure you do that and leave the rest for later is what I recommend. 

I agree with all the advice already given. I had a checkup just before being diagnosed and should have had my wisdom teeth taken out but there was no time. During chemo one wisdom tooth became badly infected which sent my white blood cells plummeting so no chemo that week. So be careful of infections. I was also advised to rinse with either bi carb or salty water 4 times a day and floss. No mouth ulcers but I got a cold sore that took weeks to heal. I struggled to eat as everything tastes terrible. I was told by dietitian to have hospital grade sustagen to boost vitamins and minerals. 

I had a good clean before chemo and as I had a broken tooth had the stability checked out. I kept up really good dental hygiene throughout chemo including flossing daily and I never got one single mouth ulcer. Luck possibly but reducing the amount of mouth bacteria is worth trying.

As to chemo we are all different. Keep in touch with your team. Ring them if not well and want to check all okay. Report all side effects as adjustments can be made as they go to ease them.

I had a clear mammogram 5 weeks before I found a stage 1 lump. Mine was grade 3. But 18 months on and things going well. Chemo isn't  fun but the results are great for a grade 3...very responsive to chemo. Kath x

It's either constipation or diarrhea! Neither is good, so finding out what keeps you on the straight and narrow as soon as possible is a big plus. It may change if you change chemotherapies too. I got myself very organised on A/C only to find it didn't work on Taxol. If you take anti-nausea medication, it can add to constipation. I was lucky, didn't have nausea and my oncologist agreed to take me off the obligatory anti-nausea meds every week on Taxol. That fixed  it! 

You are right about constipation being a problem on chemo. Although it doesn't effect every one. I prepare myself diet wise with what ever helps to  ease the constipation before each chemo treatment.  Pears , apples , prunes, lots of veggies.  I still usually require Movicol for the first couple of days. Dental care is also important and having a check up before chemo is a good idea.

I just had another thought and re read what I wrote - of course the doctors and nursing staff are also great and have many ways of easing anything that is worrying you  ...   and get some pears (or whatever makes you go) and incorporate them into your diet especially a couple of days before chemo.  Would I be the correct ladies, that the constipation (and the word seems bland, it does not cover the arrghhhh) seems to be one of the most common side effects.  For me just those few days after chemo.  Pam

My oncologist was big on the mouth hygiene.  On my first visit he told me to go to dentist and get checked pre chemo, he then also advised that I get a childs toothbrush and brush after eating everytime.  He also told me about mouthwashes (eg salt and bi-carb) so maybe he just has had a lot of patients with mouth problems??  Mind you I did all above and had minor probs only.  The rest, you are on the correct site to get help if needed, these ladies have all got remedies/ideas that are tried and tested just for you.  I went out and bought a lot of stuff that I never used.  We are all different, and unless you are in a remote area were you can't just pop down to chemist I wouldn't worry about anything.  In fact try to relax, chemo is not nice, but not as bad as I thought it would be.

Re dental work, agree with the advice given especially not doing work if you can do it before or after however worth noting that I had no dental problems while on chemo and my dentist said he would not have known if not duly advised before I started chemo. I had A/C and Taxol. No mouth ulcers either. I did swish and spit religiously twice a day - my oncology nurse said 4 times is great but people find it onerous or forget, always doing twice every day was just as good. I'm on Femara which is not good for bone density but the only problem (a deep seated crack) undoubtedly started before I went on Femara, although discovered later. No bone issues with an implant to resolve the problem, just a bit of bleeding but that's because I am on blood thinners!

To my understanding the issue with chemo and dental work is the risk of infection as your immunity will be compromised.
If the crowns are urgent or leave you at risk of infection, you should probably have them done first but if not, and they are not going to cause you problems for a few months while you are having chemo, it is probably not so important.

The chemo I was having, FEC and Docetaxol, affected my gums, making them rough, tender and in the case of FEC, receded around the teeth while I was on it.

You just don't want to be going in for major dental work while having chemo if you can avoid it.

There are a lot of articles on here regarding tips with chemo if you have a look, I found that reading through them gave me lots of good advice so I put together a coping kit with medications to deal with the side effects.
While you are having chemo, you can also come on with questions if you are struggling to deal with something.

Give your Oncologist and your chemo nurses LOTS of feedback about what side effects you are experiencing, you can ring them for advice at all hours, I had an email address for the Pharmasist at the hospital (Gosford Private) to ask questions and had a foolscap list of side effects I ran through with the Onco every review.

Get a thermometer, and monitor your temperature regularly.
If you start before chemo you will know what your regular temp is usually.
Mine is always below the "usual" 37 degrees, so if it started to climb towards 37 I was wary and started to monitor.
I ended up in hospital with two of the Docetaxol doses because of high temperatures. If you catch them early it is a shorter stay!

Chemo is horrid, but doable and once you know how your body reacts you can manage the side effects better.

Good luck, Jennie