Hi, my mum who is 73 is about to start chemo for stage two inflammatory breast cancer. She’s going to have Paclitaxel and Carboplatin for the first three months. I’m worried about side effects, particularly risk of stroke. Is there anything we should know to try to mitigate them beside rest, monitoring and a good diet? Thank you
Dear Anon89
Thank you for getting in touch with Macmillan online community, my name is Pauline and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurses on the Macmillan Support line.
I am sorry to read that you are worried about the side effects of your mums upcoming treatment. Supporting someone with a cancer diagnosis can be very challenging and can bring up a lot of different emotions.
We know that having any kind of chemotherapy can cause side effects, however the difficulty in supporting someone is that we have no way of knowing which side effects will affect which patient. Some patients can go through their treatment with minimal side effects and needing little management, unfortunately others will have much more input due to some difficult side effects. This is why it is important to be observant and to report any changes to your mums’ team as soon as they become evident. The quicker the side effects are reported the quicker and easier they can be managed.
It is a good idea to keep a note of your mums’ hospital contacts in a safe place that is easily accessed. Some people will put the numbers on the fridge for example.
Your mum will be given an ‘emergency number’ by her team. The term emergency number refers to anything that cannot wait until her next appointment. This includes any new side effects or any signs of infection that she may have. This is the quickest way of accessing someone from her team.
In the case of an emergency such as breathing difficulties or chest pain, she should call 999.
Some cancer treatments can increase the risk of heart problems, however it may be reassuring for you to know that your mum will be given a number of tests such as blood tests and possibly scans to monitor her body, specifically her heart and identify any issues so that they can be addressed before starting treatment. Your mum will then be monitored throughout her treatment and asked to report any changes or side effects she may experience. again, to ensure that her condition is managed with best of care.
We have this booklet that may be helpful to read through. Pages 72 to 87 give advice on ways to improve heart health before and during treatment. Discussing things like diet and exercise to improve general wellbeing and heart health. The booklet also refers to coping with stress which can be a challenge to anyone going through cancer treatment. The British heart foundation have this useful information which explains what stress is and how it can affect the heart, as well as some useful tips on how to cope with stress.
We would be happy to talk through the support available to help your mum cope with her treatment if she would like to give us a call.
Please feel free to give us a call on our helpline, 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or email us if you would like to discuss further.
Ref PG/SMc
Best Wishes
