Date set !!

Hi Michelle F6eb802 

Brilliant that you have a start date, I like your description of how you feel i think that's pretty much how I felt. Personally I didn't do much to prepare other than trying to get a deadlift pb at the gym ( think my priorities were a bit of). I would say getting some meals pre cooked and in the freezer is a good idea incase you don't feel like cooking, also some good books or a tv schedule. You've probably seen on here the things people buy, I only bought a limbo sleeve pre treatment and then mens baggy boxers and water wipes and that was a couple of weeks into treatment. A lot of people seem to buy a sitz bath. Also stock up on your moisturiser. At the latter end of my treatment I went through a lot of towels as I had a lot of mucous and had them on the sofa, bed etc basically any thing I sat on to protect them. Good luck for the 20th. Sending hugs. Xx

Hi Michelle,

I'm sure people here will chip in with suggestions, but I would start by saying use the time to shop and prepare/freeze easy meals in case you can't be bothered or are not very hungry. Start looking for things to watch or books and mags to read. I found this helpful because some of the time I was just pretty fatigued and even if not needing to sleep, just needed to rest. 

You might also want to get a sitz bath, they are useful for cleaning and soothing and you can even use them as a loo if 'going' gets sore or painful - doing it into warm water can be easier. I also had a small hand bidet (the one I had was called a Happy Po and was really useful in keeping clean without having to use dry toilet paper, I still use it now)

Hopefully the weeks will pass quickly for you; think of this time as training for an event

xx

That's great news, it really feels good to get that start date.

Some great advice already, I would just add start moisturising now. That whole bikini bottom area and your anus. Any new creams test them now, so you feel happy using them during treatment.

Very best wishes for the 20th.

Ally xx

Thank you and for the info x

Hi Michelle,

Good that you’ve got your start date. 

It’s a strange time between diagnosis and starting treatment- a sort of no man’s land where there are lots of different emotions swirling around. 

It’s good that you have a bit of time to prepare and can see that you’ve already had some really good advice. Moisturising and getting a sitz bath and stocking up on easy foods are all great tips. Loose soft clothing is good too. For the radiotherapy I made sure I had easy bottom half clothing with no zips that I could just pull lower for the treatment. I know that some places ask you to wear a gown but this wasn’t the case for me. 

All the best for getting prepared. Xx

Hello Michelle F6eb802 

We all know the huge feeling of relief once the start date of treatment is decided; up until that point life seems to be a round of scans, investigations and appointments and a great deal of trepidation.  But you start, you will get into some sort of routine and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

However you might find that in the next three weeks you will be getting constant deliveries from Amazon!  I certainly did and those included stick on disposable sheets which certainly came in useful towards the end of treatment and immediately afterwards.  And I bought Tena incontinence briefs as well for travelling to and from hospital.  I never needed them but either the chemo or the radiotherapy gave me diarrhoea and I wanted that extra bit of security.  PEB24 has reminded me about lower clothing - I bought a couple of pairs of tracksuit bottoms which were comfortable, warm and easy to slip on and off.  Water wipes are good and Aldi's children's wipes with coconut are really good during treatment when even soft toilet paper feels more like sandpaper.

You will have a radiotherapy planning meeting where you might have tiny tattoos (but some hospitals don't do them now) and an explanation of having a full bladder prior to treatment, this can be a wee bit taxing, especially if you have had children and don't have quite the same iron control that you once had.  But don't worry, the session itself only takes about 15 minutes and you can do a loo dash before you get dressed.

Wishing you all the very best, please let us know how you get on.

Big hug

Irene xx

Hi Michelle F6eb802 ,

It's good to hear that you have a start date for your treatment. Getting that date filled me with a need to get started & also a fear of what was to come but that fear eased once that first day was over & I knew what to expect & what my radiotherapy sessions would look like. 

I see it’s already been mentioned about preparing some easy meals for days when you don’t feel much like cooking etc., I batch cooked a few meals & they came in handy. Water wipes are a good buy too, these are with the baby wipes in the supermarket or boots/superdrug etc., they are good to use instead of toilet paper when things get a bit sore. 

I'm sure there’ll be lots of other suggestions but if you’ve any specific questions just feel free to ask. 

Nicola 

A Sit bath is a must, as is puppy pads for the bed . I only used scent free soap and washed my hair separately to a shower. Tell the nurses , how you feel everyday. Everything they said would happen did, do they know there stuff . Take the Morphine and Painkillers, you will need them . Get water wipes too.as you won't be able to use loo roll..You can do this , keep in touch on here,  everyone is amazingly helpful x Good luck.