Hi! I’m Lake and I’ve just started my first chemotherapy treatment yesterday. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and thought I should reach out though I’m not sure what for really.
I’m not someone who ever naps but I had a 4 hour nap today which felt weird! Is this normal?
lake x
Hi Lake Platinum Lake and welcome to the Macmillan Community but so sorry to hear about your journey.
Navigating the cancer journey can be such a stressful and challenging time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' cancer type can help a lot.
Over my 25 years on my journey I have had over 750hrs of chemo so yes, napping at weird times is rather normal..... your body needs more sleep than normal to allow it to recharge..
This New to Community area is like our reception desk where we look to direct you to the best part of the Community for you to get support. The Community is actually divided into dedicated Cancer Support Groups (Discussion Rooms)………… but you don’t say what type of cancer you have but if you care to have a look through THIS LIST you will find all our dedicated cancer support groups listed.
These groups are safe places to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support from members who are navigating the exact same journey.
Have a look through the LIST above and once you find the support group for your cancer type....... click on the link and when the group page opens you will see a [Black - Click to Join - Banner] at the bottom of the page, click in this box and this will then confirm that you have joined the group.
When you are ready……. you can introduce yourself by putting up your very own post by clicking [+ Create new post] or [+] in the top right of the group page.
You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post.
The Macmillan Support Line is open between 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00…… this service provides cancer information, practical information, emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear.
We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow 3 working days for a reply.
Talking to people ‘face to face’ can be very helpful so do check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in your area, do also check for a local Maggie's Centre as these folks are amazing.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
Hi Linkan2 and a warm welcome to you.
As you will see from my reply to Platinum Lake I have had a lot of Che o over my 25 years and honestly I over thought it at the start….
My great CNS (Cancer Nurse Specialist) initial words were “……Mike you can read all the information available and then start to catastrophise that every side effect that you have read about will happen but the reality is very often rather different….. take each day as it comes, celebrate the good days, endure the not so good day”…… and she was spot on.
You may find it helpful to connect with others who are or have navigated the exact same journey so can I recommend you join our dedicated….
……. support group as this will be to talk to others with a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support.
You will find more support information in my reply to Platinum Lake above but if you need further help to navigate the community do get back to me ((hugs))
These are some of my simple tips…… although the links are actually from a Lymphoma Charity I also volunteer for but the information is transferable across different cancers.
Nausea may be a challenge, but remember you must not to suffer in silence as there are lots of tools available - but your team need to know how you are getting on as at times it is trial and error to get the right one. I was only sick once during my 750+ hrs of main chemo and this was down to a bad food choice…… I just wanted some takeaway food….. believe me it’s not a good idea.
Cancer-related fatigue may well build up over time so take each day as it comes but at the same time keep some activity going as this does actually help overcome some of the fatigue..... the less you do the longer the recovery.
These signs are everywhere in our Heamatology unit….
There is a real Risk of infection so care needs to be taken to control infection contacts. Generally it takes about 48 to 72 hours for the body to break down and/or get rid of most chemo drugs.
But the effects of the chemo on growth areas and your general immune system will last for weeks and is important to remember that you may well be more open to infections at about days 7-14 as this tends to be the window when your immune system is at its lowest……. then the body recovers in time for the next cycle….. but the more chemo you have the longer the recovery can take so by the end of treatment it could take a few months this to recover completely.
I was given this simple rule for keeping eye on infections…… If my temperature is 37.5°C, repeat in one hour. If my temperature has increased, whether I feel unwell or not, I must call it in……. This is especially important with regress to Sepsis as sepsis doesn’t always cause a high temperature though, especially if someone is taking steroids……. below 35°C could be a sign of infection which your immune system may be unable to fight so this needs to be called in.
I would also highlight the importance of drinking lots of water (the aim is 2 litres every day) as this will flush out all the toxins released by the chemo, protects the kidneys and keeps him well hydrated.
It is VERY important to have accurate contact information/names/numbers for reporting in issues especially during out of hours and weekends.
Based on my long experience we were not hermits….. we went out……. our mental health is importantly to consider. Just not crowded places like supermarkets, restaurants etc. We would meet up with family and friends in a quiet corner of a garden centre….. fresh air is a good healer……. We had family (4 granddaughters) and friends visit the house. The main thing is check that folks visiting are not carrying a bug…. coughing, sneezing etc….especially children. We would open the windows and let some fresh air in, good hygiene control…… We did this all the way through my main 2 years treatment 5 months of Chrome, 45 sessions of radiotherapy and 2 Allo (donor) Stem Cell Transplants….. and I did not have one infection.
((hugs))
Hi Linkan2
You've had some great advice here from Mike, and the philosophy of taking a day at a time is a good one.
As you mentioned you have endometrial cancer, you may want to join the womb group, where the lovely ladies there have experience of undergoing chemo for this type of cancer and will be happy to help support you. This is the link to join the group-
I hope everything goes well for you.
Sarah xx
