Week 1 done - talk to me about side effects….

Oh and has anyone else had a weird throat spasm that wakes them up at night nd continues during the day? Not painful as such but like if you’ve ever belted out a tune and not warmed up - it feels just like that! 

this was part of the whole chest pain / jaw pain / heart episode - that also lasted into day 5 but hasn’t been here on weekend break from treatment. 

Hello AuroraHunter,

I found the chemo - I was on tablets, not sure which method you are being treated by -  didn't make me feel sick, but I didn't feel like eating much either. Think I snacked a lot on tomato soup, cheese on toast and yogurt, so it might be an idea to get supplies of your favourite small meals in so you have things to hand if you don't feel like eating. Other than that I had no real side effects with chemo.

One of my symptoms of AC was that I had a really sore bottom, and I realised one day, probably in the second week, that the soreness had just gone.

The radiotherapists treating me were pretty good and gave me creams to put on  to try and protect my skin right from the start, and would have a good look at my bottom every week. Around the third week my skin began to burn and it became pretty uncomfortable, but I drove myself to the sessions every day, an hour each way and I don't remember that being an issue, except that I was quite tired when I got home and would have a lie down - after the soup and cheese on toast of course.

I began to have discharge from my bottom which I was told somewhere along the line was the tumour breaking down, but I never found out if that was correct.

Side effects vary a lot from person to person, and come on gradually, so your medical people will be keeping and eye on things. Keep them posted all the time of anything you feel is concerning - they will have seen it before - and don't be a hero and suffer, especially if you have pain or itching or anything like that.

You are cracking on with it now, so keep going. Take care of yourself, rest when you can. This forum has been invaluable to me, so I would definitely ask here if you have any questions.

I am four years post treatment, and all good so far.

Hi

Well done on getting through week one. I felt sick from day 1 with the chemo but that only lasted five days as all my chemo was intravenous no oral. Skin felt like I had mild sunburn. The worst bit was the wind pain which I dealt with by cutting green veg from my diet, also my body tricking me into thinking I needed a poo when I didn't. As time went on skin got very sore and I was walking like john wayne going to the toilet was a mission not really painful but hardwork. The weekend prior to my last three sessions the mucous arrived like a bloody avalanche the hospital gave me nappies to get there and back, and after treatment finished having a poo was like passing razor blades dipped in acid.Keep counting the days. Sending hugs. Xx

Well done, keep marking off those days!

The side effects don't all come at once and the skin side effects didn't really kick in until about the end of the third week.  Even then, it is like sunburn and a gradual tightening of the skin.  For me it progressed to open sores but my treating team were on it and prescribed different creams and stronger painkillers which helped.

The fatigue built up too but towards the end of treatment I just used to get home and go to bed as I wasn't comfortable sitting.  My appetite disappeared and like Mrs Vanilla I survived on cheese on toast, mine was with onions and mustard - every single night!  It had to be a strong taste to appeal and hit the spot.

The worst bit was going to the loo.  Even not eating much you can't stop the 'traffic' and this is where my Sitzbath came into its own.  Somehow going with my rear-end submerged in luke-warm water was slightly less painful.  I was on slow-release morphine tablets and Oramorph syrup, and it is essential that you keep dosed up regularly to stop break-through pain.  The morphine doesn't get rid of the pain entirely but it does help.  I couldn't have done without it.

But a word of warning; I developed the runs during treatment, I wore Tena incontinence briefs for security although I never needed them.  However, once the chemo/radiotherapy was finished and I was still on morphine, I had severe constipation; opioid drugs slow everything right down including the bowel.  So start taking Laxido at the end if you take morphine.

I am sure you realise that nothing is off-limits for discussion so anything at all you need to know or need help with, just shout out - you will get through this!

Irene xx

PS  I had systemic chemo before chemo/radiotherapy and one day I had indigestion so bad that I thought I was having a heart attack - I happened to be in the chemo ward at the time which was just as well as I couldn't have moved to save my life.  It wore off and I never had anything like it again.  When you think about what they are putting in to us it is no surprise that our bodies protest!