Start Chemo in one month

There's a discussion thread on here somewhere with suggestions for recipes through chemo.  I had reflux and nausea throughout my chemo treatment (although I never threw up).  I was prescribed Ativan for the nausea which had the side effect of making me sleep so I used to essentially sleep through the first 2-3 days.  Then the symptoms would taper off.  Fatigue was a big one - not like anything I have ever experienced before.  I called it the jellyfish syndrome because it was as if I had no bones to hold me up.  Netflix and DVDs from the library got a big workout in the afternoon.  I did try to get out and exercise as much as I could, even if it was just a walk down the driveway.  Halfway through the treatment, I was able to access a rehab exercise class which was great.  I found the first AC the worst, followed by the last one.  Taxol wasn't as bad but tiring as I counted down the treatments.  My suggestion is to keep a notepad on the bench (next to the thermometer) and keep a "diary" of how you're feeling as well as what and when you have taken any meds + temps.  This will help you recognise your pattern, know if something is not right, and also comes in very handy when compiling information/questions for your oncologist.

While it's natural to be anxious, try not to anticipate the worst.

@Pinkcloverss  I had 4 lots of chemo, 3 weeks apart. I was lucky I didn't feel sick which was a bonus. On about day 3 or 4 I would feel very fatigued where I just lay on the lounge with my eyes shut but not asleep. Then I'd start to feel normal again but the skin on my feet went hard & silly me had to peel it off which added to the stinging sensation my feet had already. If your feet sting & it's painful to wear runners just get some soft slip on shoes with hard soles for when you go out. Then 3 weeks later I found stomach cramps & have the runs to add to that. Walking would make me feel puffed out so 3rd chemo I was very puffed & hot walking in, legs ached. On the 4th chemo someone drove me to the door as I couldn't walk from carpark. If you lose taste try egg flips & banana smoothies with Sustagen & salt & vinegar chips just to get some flavour. Don't stay in bed but get up & go to the loungeroom so you have to move about to get drinks or food. I think fatigue & loss of taste was worse but if you're into podcasts find some you'd listen to in readiness for fatigue as watching tv was hard on the eyes. Get some sour lollies or chips & rest. That was my experience & I did go out on good days to movies, fireworks Australia Day etc so you don't always feel crappy. Best of luck & try not to worry.

@Pinkcloverss and @Sharon01     I have not had the AC chemo, mine was TC but thoughts will be with you both.  I think it is really hard to compare to others as we all react so differently and as @kmakm  I think mentioned it is not as gruesome as
what you think just Grotty which sums it up perfectly.   My worse days were day 3 or 4 to day 10.  I didn't mix or go out for the first 2 weeks ( although had healthy friends come to visit the second week ) as I didn't want to catch anything but made sure on the 3rd week when you are starting to feel relatively normal I would go out for coffee.   Hand cleanser was my best friend and had a good supply. I found that normal water tasted disgusting so I ended up with soda water or mineral water with a dash of lemon or lime and on my worst days were it was hard to drink I had a stash of lemonade icy poles.  I have always been a healthy eater but my advice is just eat what you can tolerate. I ate plenty of pasta which I don't usually eat a lot of and if I felt I needed extra fluid I would have some asian noodles on hand.   I also found pineapple great as well as watermelon and red pawpaw.  Definitely I had the biotene toothpaste and mouthwash which I used constantly with a ultra soft toothbrush and never had a problem.  wishing you well and let us know how you go. xo

@DebbieMc im going thru treatment soon too. Quite nervous. What would you compare the symptoms to? Is it like a really bad flu? Sorry been just trying to visualize this recovery process to help me deal with it better

@Sharon01  Very sorry for the situation you have found yourself in, in Victoria we have wigs for hire & you make an appoinment & try on different wigs & head scarves & if you're not like me you return them when you finish with them. I too found not having hair great, if you're going out shopping or to the movies you don't have to wash, dry & set your hair. You get out of the shower, pop on a head scarf & there are some great ones out there & you're ready while everyone else are towel drying, using hairdryers while you are ready in no time. I lost my sense of taste which was a pain but I found Salt & Vinegar chips gave me some flavour, had egg flips & smoothies as food tasted awful. I wasn't sick either but be prepared for unexpected things like stomach aches, sore stinging feet, dry skin on your feet & they might tell you to paint your fingernails black but I didn't & my nails didn't fall off or change at all.
All the best as you start your journey, keep a diary so you know which days you start to get symptoms & can prepare for them. My bad days were like day 3 to day 7 before I started to feel better but a diary will help you as you go along.

Sorry wasnt tagged properly, @Sharon01 how are you going? 🙂

Sharon01 would love to hear how you are travelling. Im due to start AC in 2 weeks 

It's staggering how quickly you go from perfectly OK to constantly wondering about everything, panicking and becoming best friends with a pack of medical persons! All the above is practical and really useful. My suggestions are: don't overthink stuff - half of what may keep you awake at night may never happen. You will discover you can do stuff you never thought possible. To be fair, you may not really want to do any of it but take pride in the fact that you will rise to the occasion. Keep your eyes on the prize, getting rid of cancer, all the rest is just a means to an end and will pass. I found keeping busy (like @kezmusc I worked through treatment) didn't leave too much room to fret unnecessarily. But if you can't, occupy your mind as much as possible. And take every and any opportunity to make this experience work in some way for you - it's possible, hard work but it helps keep you focussed on moving forward. Looking back at what was is fine if you are going backwards, but you are not. Very best wishes.

Hi @Sharon01,

It certainly is a big slap in the face isn't it?  You feel perfectly fine even though you have cancer and then the surgeries and treatments make you feel like shit.  Your emotions swing from I'm gonna kick this things butt to cloudy fog of doom.

Chemo stinks and we would all rather be sipping margarittas in the Bahamas, but we all know why we are doing it.  Once you get the first one out of the way it gets a bit more routine.  It's the fear of the unknown at the start that does your head in.

What seems like an insurmountable 6 months does go pretty quickly once you get going.  Before you know it you'll be out the other end.

Side effects vary from person to person and the treatment you are going to have.  Do you know what regime you will be on yet?

My lovely cancer had spread to the lymph nodes as well (5 of the buggers) and the regime I was on was AC-T.

I managed to work (part time) through all of it except round 4 of AC. Ran the farm, rode my horse, went to horse shows and camped in the back of the car. Had heaps of parties etc planned for that time of year and managed them all and had a great time. Kept my hair using the cold cap.  Chose not to have a port and was fine, never got sick (I work in a public hospital). It was no picnic but I managed to have some fun in amongst it. 

Eat whatever tastes like food.  Chemo changes your taste buds and most things tast bland and blah, even chocolate which was very disapointng.  Luckily wine tasted the same LOL. I added salt to pretty much everything and ate my bodyweight in peppermints and fruit tingles.

@Sister has give you a good list of stuff you may need.

The only things I ended up using throughout was hand sanitizer by the bucket load (due to work) and I am a bit phobic of hand rails and shopping trollies normally. Some immodium (the fast acting disolvable ones) bi carb mouth wash for the first two months then I got pretty slack with that. Maybe buy a thermotmeter as well just to keep a check on things at the start. They'll probably tell you to get one.

You got this lovely.  We are all here for you.

xoxoxox

Conversely, it's fabulous how much easier it is to stay cool with no hair. I had chemo starting in January in Melbourne last year and being bald through the heat of the summer was a breeze. Showers are awesome too @Sharon01! Bizarrely it's not all bad. Not that I want to do it again mind you... Just keep your eyes on the prize, a cancer free life. It becomes routine very quickly and once you know how your body reacts, it's easier to manage. Deep breaths, be kind to yourself, and take things one day at a time. Oh and I found frozen fresh pineapple to be the bomb during chemo. Something about the enzymes. My GP put me onto it. Big hug, K xox