Starting chemo
Hello everyone :) I'm starting chemo in a week - and would love anyone's top tips about it. My type will be a fairly standard one I think - 8 cycles, every two weeks. It's 'AC' (doxorubicin a...
Forum Discussion
Hi @HelenlovesSnoopy
Reactions to chemo vary immensely so be prepared! With A/C, the most common side effects are hair loss, fatigue and nausea. Cold cap may offset the effects and save your hair so worth checking out. I didn’t have any fatigue, chemo brain (cognitive confusion) or nausea. You will be provided with medication to offset nausea - if, like me, you haven’t any, you can ask to skip it - I found it caused constipation. But many have found it a great help as nausea is pretty horrible.
The taxanes (including Paclitaxel) are considered easier by most but I really loathed mine. Most side effects were annoying but relatively short lived - cleared up
quickly once treatment stopped. Bloody noses were helped by nose oil (from the chemist), loss of tastebuds just had to be lived with (happily the few things I could taste were healthy, all alcohol tasted vile during chemo!) but peripheral neuropathy can linger. Some day clinics offer ice gloves and feet covers to help, also worth checking out. In any event, tingling in the hands and feet should be reported ASAP to your oncologist as it can get worse. Some don’t have any problem with PN at all.
I got ‘something’ ( it turned out to be a recurrent infection caused by a large and stubborn seroma) just before my first chemo so my oncologist kept me in hospital overnight after discussing it with me and my surgeon - just in case! I was fine. But if it has to be deferred for a week or so, it’s also OK.
Best of luck, I found counting the sessions down helped, a smaller number to be gone through every time! When I got to half way, it felt remarkably good.
Was it worth it? I will never know for certain but 11 years on, I am here, living well and it all seems a long time ago. That’ll do me. Best wishes.
Reactions to chemo vary immensely so be prepared! With A/C, the most common side effects are hair loss, fatigue and nausea. Cold cap may offset the effects and save your hair so worth checking out. I didn’t have any fatigue, chemo brain (cognitive confusion) or nausea. You will be provided with medication to offset nausea - if, like me, you haven’t any, you can ask to skip it - I found it caused constipation. But many have found it a great help as nausea is pretty horrible.
The taxanes (including Paclitaxel) are considered easier by most but I really loathed mine. Most side effects were annoying but relatively short lived - cleared up
quickly once treatment stopped. Bloody noses were helped by nose oil (from the chemist), loss of tastebuds just had to be lived with (happily the few things I could taste were healthy, all alcohol tasted vile during chemo!) but peripheral neuropathy can linger. Some day clinics offer ice gloves and feet covers to help, also worth checking out. In any event, tingling in the hands and feet should be reported ASAP to your oncologist as it can get worse. Some don’t have any problem with PN at all.
I got ‘something’ ( it turned out to be a recurrent infection caused by a large and stubborn seroma) just before my first chemo so my oncologist kept me in hospital overnight after discussing it with me and my surgeon - just in case! I was fine. But if it has to be deferred for a week or so, it’s also OK.
Best of luck, I found counting the sessions down helped, a smaller number to be gone through every time! When I got to half way, it felt remarkably good.
Was it worth it? I will never know for certain but 11 years on, I am here, living well and it all seems a long time ago. That’ll do me. Best wishes.