Hello everyone, hope you are having a nice Friday night . I am due to start my first chemo in 4 days and I can't lie, I'm starting to feel a little anxious about it. I thought I was rock solid, than I attended Look Good Feel Better ( which was fantastic by the way) and I had a huge reality check. I just looked around at those beautiful ladies and something clicked; I realised that I am too going to lose my hair in a couple of weeks and I will deal with some or all of the side effects of chemo. I will not feel as fit and healthy as I am now. I am trying to prepare myself the best way I know: by getting organised. I am buying items like ginger tea , bicarbonate of soda , pretty scarves and all the things I read might help with some of the side effects. Putting weight on is something I don't need . Or my kids starting to get sick with random viruses and fearing I'll catch something ( and then I stress about going to hospital and leaving the kids home ) . Beside I think in the last couple of months I've absorbed too much infos and my brain is now trying to process it all and slow down. And I'll admit it: it's that time of the month , possibly my last, and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by it . I am going for a long walk tomorrow , hoping to clear my mind and I am going to book myself for some yoga classes, hopefully I'll be able to do them. Is there anything you strongly recommend I should get before starting chemo ? Hope you have a good night . Federica x

I am waiting for my treatment plan and worried if I am told that I need chemo. will find out this week. also wondering how my body would cope with the treatment, the side effects and not feeling healthy. I know if its prescribed thats what I will need to do but these things are going through my head even before its been subscribed. I will be curious to see responses to this. Good luck Marg x

You are doing all the right things and your concerns are natural and pretty much what we all go through. When I had a worry, I always did what I could to reduce that worry. Sometimes this was reading about the issue (in the info from the doctors and BCNA) and sometimes by taking some action. To reduce the worry of catching a bug or virus there are some things you can do. Practice good personal hygiene ( I had a shower morning and night, always washed my hands before eating, had a special glass that only I drank out of, had a particular chair in our living area that only I sat on) Have visitors wash their hands when they come, we bought a bottle of hand sanitizer that was kept at the door! Have a small bottle of hand sanitizer in your handbag and use it after touching things like trolley handles or door handles. Avoid going out if you can in the week that your immune system is most affected (usually the 2nd week if you are having chemo every 3 weeks). Knowing you are taking precautions can help to make you less worried. Also ask people not to visit if they are unwell. Exercise will help your mind and body. It helps strengthen your immune system and reduces stress. Yoga would be excellent, walking is what I did. Biotene mouth wash and toothpaste are great for looking after your mouth care. I also changed my toothbrush (a very soft one) each round of chemo. The first chemo is hard because you don't know exactly what to expect. But in my experience the chemo nurses were very reassuring and take special care of you for that first round. In my experience I felt unwell (a bit like the flu) for about a week after chemo, then started to feel ok but you have to be careful of your immune system for the next week and then felt pretty normal and well for the third week. Wishing you all the best and I am sure that you will get lots of helpful advice on here. Take care. Deanne xxx

Deeanne is spot on with her advice on sanitation and exercise. I just wanted to add that if you are worried about looking after your children should they get a virus, it would be worth buying an antiseptic mask at the chemist - just for when you are in their room, dosing with meds, etc. I also found it helpful to have a meditation CD beside the bed with earphones - some of the pre & post chemo meds can play havoc with your normal sleep (some of our pink sisters used to clean the house at all hours!) A good meditation CD can lull you into a coma in 10 minutes. All the best. I hope that chemo is smooth for you, and the sooner you start, the sooner you finish. Michelle xx

Hi Frederica. Ditto for all of the above. I am in the second week of my second round of chemo. The first week is the one you have to just go with the flow! Your body dictates what you need to do; rest, sleep and eat! The second week is where I feel I am returning to normal; just not quite there yet which is how I feel at the moment and then hopefully next week (3rd week) I will be back to my old self and thats when I can catch up on housework stuff, coffee with friends and any jobs I need to get done. Things that i have found important so far: look after your skin - moisturise everywhere, my skin is just so dry especially in the first week and I feel like a teenager with acne and cold sore type things that come and go. I always set myself a gaol to exercise at least 30 - 45 minutes a day. If I got that done I felt I could give myself a big tick and I feel so much better for it. I started off by trying to eat healthy and still do but sometimes it just doesn't happen but I try not to beat myself up about it and acknowledge that these are extra ordinary times and I am doing the best I can! Another thing I have found is to find time to relax - not just rest or sleep but to take the time to listen to a relaxation CD which helps to focus your mind on your emotional and physical healing. And a big one for me has been booking a holiday at the end of the year - a celebration of completing this journey and achieving success! It gives me something to look forward to and plan for. I find that this cycle of chemo is a bit of an emotional one, coming to terms with the loss of my hair and maybe this journey and everything I have been through is starting to hit me. But again I try not to beat myself up. Its not what we would like to be doing (relaxing on a beach on a tropical Isalnd springs to mind!) but it is doable. We will get there and be so much stronger for the experience. I wish you all the best and keep blogging because you will get so much support on here! Tanya xo

Hi Frederica Everyone has given great advice above so I don't have much too add but I can say that it was much better than I thought it would be. I must say I felt relatively normal when leaving the chemo ward and would go shopping on my way home only to hit a wall. Took me two rounds to realise this and to be a bit gentler on myself, so after chemo take it easy. I had this mentality that chemo would change me so I tended to act like I normally would, chemo didn't change me but it slowed me down a little. I had the hand sanitiser every where and made sure my kids used it all the time too, someone must of had my back because it has been the only six months that no one actually got sick! Good luck. Tash xx

First chemo in 4 days | BCNA Online Network

16 Replies

Tashie125
Member
12 years ago
Hi Frederica Everyone has given great advice above so I don't have much too add but I can say that it was much better than I thought it would be. I must say I felt relatively normal when leaving the chemo ward and would go shopping on my way home only to hit a wall. Took me two rounds to realise this and to be a bit gentler on myself, so after chemo take it easy. I had this mentality that chemo would change me so I tended to act like I normally would, chemo didn't change me but it slowed me down a little. I had the hand sanitiser every where and made sure my kids used it all the time too, someone must of had my back because it has been the only six months that no one actually got sick! Good luck. Tash xx
Tashie125
Member
12 years ago
Hi Frederica Everyone has given great advice above so I don't have much too add but I can say that it was much better than I thought it would be. I must say I felt relatively normal when leaving the chemo ward and would go shopping on my way home only to hit a wall. Took me two rounds to realise this and to be a bit gentler on myself, so after chemo take it easy. I had this mentality that chemo would change me so I tended to act like I normally would, chemo didn't change me but it slowed me down a little. I had the hand sanitiser every where and made sure my kids used it all the time too, someone must of had my back because it has been the only six months that no one actually got sick! Good luck. Tash xx
tannie53
Member
12 years ago
Hi Frederica. Ditto for all of the above. I am in the second week of my second round of chemo. The first week is the one you have to just go with the flow! Your body dictates what you need to do; rest, sleep and eat! The second week is where I feel I am returning to normal; just not quite there yet which is how I feel at the moment and then hopefully next week (3rd week) I will be back to my old self and thats when I can catch up on housework stuff, coffee with friends and any jobs I need to get done. Things that i have found important so far: look after your skin - moisturise everywhere, my skin is just so dry especially in the first week and I feel like a teenager with acne and cold sore type things that come and go. I always set myself a gaol to exercise at least 30 - 45 minutes a day. If I got that done I felt I could give myself a big tick and I feel so much better for it. I started off by trying to eat healthy and still do but sometimes it just doesn't happen but I try not to beat myself up about it and acknowledge that these are extra ordinary times and I am doing the best I can! Another thing I have found is to find time to relax - not just rest or sleep but to take the time to listen to a relaxation CD which helps to focus your mind on your emotional and physical healing. And a big one for me has been booking a holiday at the end of the year - a celebration of completing this journey and achieving success! It gives me something to look forward to and plan for.

I find that this cycle of chemo is a bit of an emotional one, coming to terms with the loss of my hair and maybe this journey and everything I have been through is starting to hit me. But again I try not to beat myself up. Its not what we would like to be doing (relaxing on a beach on a tropical Isalnd springs to mind!) but it is doable. We will get there and be so much stronger for the experience.

I wish you all the best and keep blogging because you will get so much support on here!

Tanya xo
Michelle_R
Member
12 years ago
Deeanne is spot on with her advice on sanitation and exercise. I just wanted to add that if you are worried about looking after your children should they get a virus, it would be worth buying an antiseptic mask at the chemist - just for when you are in their room, dosing with meds, etc. I also found it helpful to have a meditation CD beside the bed with earphones - some of the pre & post chemo meds can play havoc with your normal sleep (some of our pink sisters used to clean the house at all hours!) A good meditation CD can lull you into a coma in 10 minutes.

All the best. I hope that chemo is smooth for you, and the sooner you start, the sooner you finish. Michelle xx
Deanne
Member
12 years ago
You are doing all the right things and your concerns are natural and pretty much what we all go through. When I had a worry, I always did what I could to reduce that worry. Sometimes this was reading about the issue (in the info from the doctors and BCNA) and sometimes by taking some action. To reduce the worry of catching a bug or virus there are some things you can do. Practice good personal hygiene ( I had a shower morning and night, always washed my hands before eating, had a special glass that only I drank out of, had a particular chair in our living area that only I sat on) Have visitors wash their hands when they come, we bought a bottle of hand sanitizer that was kept at the door! Have a small bottle of hand sanitizer in your handbag and use it after touching things like trolley handles or door handles. Avoid going out if you can in the week that your immune system is most affected (usually the 2nd week if you are having chemo every 3 weeks). Knowing you are taking precautions can help to make you less worried. Also ask people not to visit if they are unwell. Exercise will help your mind and body. It helps strengthen your immune system and reduces stress. Yoga would be excellent, walking is what I did. Biotene mouth wash and toothpaste are great for looking after your mouth care. I also changed my toothbrush (a very soft one) each round of chemo. The first chemo is hard because you don't know exactly what to expect. But in my experience the chemo nurses were very reassuring and take special care of you for that first round. In my experience I felt unwell (a bit like the flu) for about a week after chemo, then started to feel ok but you have to be careful of your immune system for the next week and then felt pretty normal and well for the third week. Wishing you all the best and I am sure that you will get lots of helpful advice on here. Take care. Deanne xxx
margiemoo
Member
12 years ago
I am waiting for my treatment plan and worried if I am told that I need chemo. will find out this week. also wondering how my body would cope with the treatment, the side effects and not feeling healthy. I know if its prescribed thats what I will need to do but these things are going through my head even before its been subscribed. I will be curious to see responses to this. Good luck Marg x

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