Hi Hope everyone is well and has had a great start to 2012. It's Friday the 13th today and I have just got home after my very first chemo treatment. After all those sleepless nights, bad dreams and thoughts and so much stress my first chemo is in and I survived it. It wasn't anything scary at all. The unknown was the worst. I know that receiving the chemo is the easy part and that I will face some interesting days over the next week or so but I'm still thrilled that i went to the clinic and it all went fine. I stayed awake worrying most of the night. It has been two really big days. I had my chest port in yesterday and chemo today. The nurses were lovely and I felt very relaxed which was a nice surprise. Just wanted to share my "high" moment and send encouragement to the new ladies who will be starting chemo in the near future Will keep you posted on my bodys reaction to the drugs. Have a great weekend everyone Mel xxx

Hi Mel, It's great to hear your first chemo went well and that you wanted to share your 'high'! I know there will be women in the network probably feeling as you did - so it is great that you shared your experience. I hope you took time out for yourself over the weekend and are doing okay. Cheers, Daina

Glad that ur first chemo went well... Sometimes the not knowing is the worse part. I hope r treatment goes well & pls keep us updated. Xx Smiley

Hi Mel, first chemo in....well done! I am 43, a mother of 1, and also having chemo, ready for round 5 next week (I had chemo in 2009, but was diagnosed with secondary BC in 2011 so am having a second lot of chemo now). Yes the nausea can be a real bugger...I had terrible, severe nausea with my first lot of chemo in 2009. I felt like I was having morning sickness 24/7, while living on a rocky boat out at sea! It was dreadful, so I know how you feel! I ended up taking Zofran for it which really helped (Stemetil and Maxolon did absolutely nothing for me). I'm told there are some much better anti-nausea drugs out now that work really well, so whatever you do, don't suffer in silence. Tell your oncologist the nausea is unbearable and he/she should prescibe you a heavy duty anti-nausea pill. I also found eating very small amounts frequently, including ginger nut biscuits, seemed to help. This time around, after my first round of chemo, I am having no nausea at all which is a huge relief. I went to see a Naturopath after round 1 of chemo and she prescribed a herbal tonic for nausea. From the day I started taking it, the nausea stopped completely! I wish I had done this with my first lot of chemo in 2009. As for the Dex...yes, it certainly does pep me up!...I tear around like a mad-woman...zipping here and there!. I talk non-stop and cant stop moving! My GP presribed a low dose sleeping tablet to help me sleep at night and it does absolute wonders (Temazapan)! I dont feel groggy at all the next day and wake up rested and refreshed. I think half the battle is being able to get some sleep!! Have you tried valerian? It is a natural sleeping tablet that may help too. In 2009 when having chemo I took Difflam mouth liquid and ate iceblocks to help with a sensitive mouth and ulcers etc. Difflam is available at the chemist. I also had a very sensitive scalp when losing my hair after both lots of chemo. Even after I shaved my hair off, my scalp was still sensitive for quite a few weeks afterwards. My head was so sore that I took panadol and slept on a satin pillow to help lessen the pain! Now I have a downy coverage over my head and no pain whatsoever. Mention every side-effect to your oncologist Mel, because most of the side-effects can be managed successfully. I have a chart on my wall called "Chemo Countdown", and I tick a box after each chemo...it's nice to watch my progress and to know that I'm slowly getting through this challenging treatment. When I tick the last box I'll be treating myself with something nice! Look after yourself Mel. If you need rest, take it. You are one round down and you survived...well done! Take care, Celeste x

Hi Mel, is the upset tummy related to diarrhoea at all? The hospital prescribed me Gastro-Stop (which you can also get over the counter at the chemist) and it is great at relieving the symptoms of diarrhoea, including stomach upset and pain . I had the runs quite badly with my first lot of chemo and Gastro-Stop worked really well. Celeste ?

First chemo | BCNA Online Network

15 Replies

AmyT
Member
14 years ago
oh you poor thing, it sounds like you have had a rough time of it all !! The sedation they gave me for the portacath worked for me although I was completly written off for like four days and wasnt well at all, and im not looking forward to getting it out in a year or so I must admit. I had mine put into my arm thankfully as I have had dble mastectomies and wasnt too keen on having it it my chest, and was lucky on the day and got a a doctor from a private hospital. I was meant to get my 2nd chemo on tuesday last week but my white blood cells were down too .25 so had another blood test on Friday and they were up too 1.7 thank god as i have four kids and trying to juggle them with chemo and a ex husband can be rather difficult lol. not feeling so flash today but im sure it can only get betta....would also love to keep in touch with you....cheers Amy xx
AmyT
Member
14 years ago
Hey Mel, I've just had my 2nd round of chemo and enjoyed reading your comments : ) The first round for me was just terrible to be honest as they gave me 4x the normal dose of sedation to put in a porta cath and then i had the chemo on the same day. I had another round on Friday and it hit me yesterday and last night i hardly slept and had sweats etc.......its hard some days as i'm normally such a get up and go kind of person and find this 'feeling' very frustrating at times. Onwards and upwards though and i am hoping to get my motivation back after another couple of days. The whole hair loss issue is hard isnt it, my hair fell out very quickly after the first chemo and all i keep thinking is that its a positive as it means its working : ) hope you are doing well today, Amy xo
Melg
Member
14 years ago
Hi Hope everyone is feeling well. I had my first Chemo today. Felt abit uptight but relaxed when I got there. Took my closest friend with me which was great. Decided to stay at my parents tonight as my children are at their dads this week and I didn't want to be alone. My mum noticed when I took my scarf off that my hair is really falling out now and she got very teary. I told her it's good it's coming out as the sensitivity might stop. I only have about 1mm of hair after I had it clippered off. I'm proud to be a baldy but have started wearing scarves at the shops as I feel a bit yuk when people stare. The kids notice and say people feel sorry for me but that's not something I want. It's so obvious with no hair or a scarf that you have cancer... Frustrating when I'm trying to lead a normal life. Saw my oncologist yesterday. She has halved my dex meds and prescribed some sleeping tablets that are short term so fingers crossed. I hope everyone is doing well with their treatments. Would love to hear about how treatments are going Have a great weekend... Find that funny thing that makes you laugh Mel xxx
Melg
Member
14 years ago
Hi Hope everyone is feeling well. I had my first Chemo today. Felt abit uptight but relaxed when I got there. Took my closest friend with me which was great. Decided to stay at my parents tonight as my children are at their dads this week and I didn't want to be alone. My mum noticed when I took my scarf off that my hair is really falling out now and she got very teary. I told her it's good it's coming out as the sensitivity might stop. I only have about 1mm of hair after I had it clippered off. I'm proud to be a baldy but have started wearing scarves at the shops as I feel a bit yuk when people stare. The kids notice and say people feel sorry for me but that's not something I want. It's so obvious with no hair or a scarf that you have cancer... Frustrating when I'm trying to lead a normal life. Saw my oncologist yesterday. She has halved my dex meds and prescribed some sleeping tablets that are short term so fingers crossed. I hope everyone is doing well with their treatments. Would love to hear about how treatments are going Have a great weekend... Find that funny thing that makes you laugh Mel xxx
Melg
Member
14 years ago
Forgot to ask.... What state and area do you live in. I'm on the central coast of nsw about an hour north of sydney. Hoping some other ladies live in Sydney, Newcastle or the coast and may like to meet for lunch or a hot choccie. Mel xx
Anonymous
Not applicable
14 years ago
Ha, ha, ha. how funny!...nice to have chuckle about that! Celeste?
Anonymous
Not applicable
14 years ago
Glad the gastro-stop is helping but what a pain about the port! Sounds like you've had a shitty time! Yes, I'd be going back to the hospital to get the port looked at. When I had mine put in not long ago, they gave me a phone number to ring just incase i had any problems with it...perhaps you could call them if you dont feel any better soon? Hope they hair shaving went ok! Celeste?
Melg
Member
14 years ago
Thought I'd share something that has put a smile on my face today. It's 11 days since my first Chemo. I had my hair shaved off last Friday after my scalp became extremely sensitive. Whilst showering this morning, I looked down on the shower floor to find that all the little caterpillars have left my garden... My pubic hair has beaten the hair on my head and decided to fall out in a big way today. It's not everyday you can do your own bikini line with just a face washer. I havnt stopped laughing today as my girlfriends ring to check how I'm feeling. My mum laughed and said " looks like you'll have a brazillian for your birthday tomorrow." I didn't think my 75 year old mum even knew what a brazillian was. I hope you all find something that makes you laugh this week. Mel xxx
Melg
Member
14 years ago
Thought I'd share something that has put a smile on my face today. It's 11 days since my first Chemo. I had my hair shaved off last Friday after my scalp became extremely sensitive. Whilst showering this morning, I looked down on the shower floor to find that all the little caterpillars have left my garden... My pubic hair has beaten the hair on my head and decided to fall out in a big way today. It's not everyday you can do your own bikini line with just a face washer. I havnt stopped laughing today as my girlfriends ring to check how I'm feeling. My mum laughed and said " looks like you'll have a brazillian for your birthday tomorrow." I didn't think my 75 year old mum even knew what a brazillian was. I hope you all find something that makes you laugh this week. Mel xxx
Anonymous
Not applicable
14 years ago
Hi Mel, is the upset tummy related to diarrhoea at all? The hospital prescribed me Gastro-Stop (which you can also get over the counter at the chemist) and it is great at relieving the symptoms of diarrhoea, including stomach upset and pain . I had the runs quite badly with my first lot of chemo and Gastro-Stop worked really well. Celeste ?