Hi all
I'm about to start Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy and suddenly the day before, having been quite strong and positive thru all diagnosis and ops etc, I am absolutely terrified!! I'm sure that it is 'going into the unknown' and not knowing how I will react to the drugs that is really worrying me. I've spoken to so many people and read so much but everyone seems to be different - I'm just hoping that I will be one of the lucky ones!! Here's hoping.
How did you all get on with the first day of treatment?
FormerMember
Hi, I havent had radiotherapy yet but i was absolutely terrified on my first day of chemo. I have discovered that it is the fear of the unknown. I have now started to try thinking that the treatment is going to help me, i think before i resented having to go through it all. I am now 1 chemo away from the half way point and knowing what to expect and how much i can do makes it so much easier. Talk to the nurses they are used to us all being anxious. I have also just started hynotherapy for anxiety, only had 1 session so far though so i will have to see how that goes.
Hi Lesley, I think we are all the same on the first day, its the fear of the unknown, your chemo nurse should give you what our doctors called an education, (dont know if its the same at other hospitals) I was very nervious on my first treatment, expecting all sorts of things to happen, but try and bare in mind that the side affects you are made aware of are rare and the chemo affects us all in differnt ways. Having spoken to some of my cancer pals the anti sickness medication has come on leaps and bounds in the last 2 years, I spent the day after my first treatment in my jimjams expecting to get rushed in to hosp, until I realised what I was putting my poor sis through, after the 3rd tempreture reading (normal again) I got to grips with myself and thought it would be a pure waste of time to carry on waiting for the worse to happen. The chemo nurse told me this was all very normal.
Try to concentrate on the treatment helping you, it can be hard but positive thinking helps, you may be suprised as to how quick the time goes in. Try and do things you enjoy watch funny films or even tearjerkers, read, cook anything to take your mind of things, One of my friends thought I was in denial because of what I did to cope, I have finished my treatment now, and just waiting to see the oncologist.
Keep your chin up and try not to worry, hope it all goes ok for you.
the thought of chemo and radiotherapy is scarey because we do not know what to expect but it isn't half as bad as you think it will be. Chemo days can be very long days, but once the needle is in your arm you just sit there. The chemo nurse administering the chemo might need to stay with you ( if your chemo is not in a drip) and you can jyust chat away, the time soon passes. Chemo affects us all in different ways, you might have mild or more severe side effects or if you are lucky hardly any at all.The anti-sickness medds are super at stopping sickness and nausea. Different side effectgs happen at different times in the chemo cycle so in the first month it isa good idea to write down them down in your diary. Then the next cycle you will know when you have tired days etc and can plan accordingly.
The drawback to radio is the fact that you have it every day and as such a long time can be spent travelling, all for a couple of minutes max under the machine. Having the tattoos done was more painful than the radio itself!
