Starting treatment soon

Good morning Beatrix88, I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis but you have come to the right place for support and tips on treatment possible side effects. You are in that period of not knowing what is going to happen scary scenario. I recall when I was first diagnosed planning my funeral and deciding to sort out my belongings and ask my children what they would like as I didn’t know anything about anal cancer. I first started bleeding in and off occasionally but decided to visit my doctor in the month of November and straight away she said it’s not haemorrhoids and sending me to the hospital. Wow I was so scared and started googling (not always wise) to see what it could possibly be. I had the tests and did have surgery to remove the area but unfortunately they said cancer cells were in the margins and I was stage 2 no mets like you. I had the same as Nicola with first and last day of the six weeks intravenous chemo and tablet form chemo the rest of the time during radiotherapy sessions. My first visit with my oncologist has to give you all the possible side effects and that was so scary. Ever read the piece of paper that comes with paracetamol! I wasn’t sure I was ready to go ahead with it and told her. She said that is your decision! She did say I was young 66 at the time and I was chuffed at that remark and will cope with what is thrown at me. This was when I found this site which has been a godsend with members helping me cope. My best advice was if you get side effects you don’t get them all at once if at all. On the start of my treatment around the second week I encountered radiation cystitis so took cranberry pills and loads of water. My husband was the cook during my treatment but to be honest I could have done the cooking but it was a nice break from having to be the cook between us and thought it would do him good to do it for a change. He also did and still does the shopping as I hate shopping. There are lots of tips about creams and potions to use and not all suits everyone, my bathroom cabinet proved it. I did start using a gel I bought online from day one with agreement with my oncologist called StrataXRT. It kept my external skin in good condition and around the forth week of treatment I did start to experience some internal inflammation. They will give you painkillers of what you need, As Irene says if you are on opioids then take a stool softener. They gave me movicol to take daily when on morphine. The famous sitz bath is great, loose soft boxer type knickers a size up from Amazon and I bought some harem trousers. When you get your dates and times you find yourself soon ticking the days off and reaching your goal. You should have a telephone number to connect you to your team 24/7 if you need help and advice on treatment effects, mine were great and I felt supported. The hardest part for me was when the treatment ended and you get a build up of effects but because you do not have the daily treck to the hospital you can just relax at home and rest as you may find you sleep a lot. I’m two and a half years post treatment and doing great. I would advise you to exercise if possible and regularly do pelvic exercises to keep your hips mobile. I will mention there are certain foods I just cannot eat and the gut can change but hopefully as time goes on this will also repair. Keep us informed of your journey and we can all help in contributing to your healing

Mumof3xxx

Just to wish you the very best in your treatment - I know very little about breast cancer but I am thinking of you.  And yes, if you are finding things unbearable see your doctor.  My GP prescribed anti-depressants for me, they didn't make me dopy but blunted the edge of those terrifying thoughts that were going on in my head all the time, day and night.

Irene xx

Thank you so very much …. Me too x

Hi Beatrix88,

a warm welcome to our merry group - we will hold your hand all the way !  I am 10 months post treatment for T2 N1 and I can't believe how quickly it all passes by - and I am now NED.. Like you will, I also had the pump for week 1 and 5 of chemo. It did make me feel nauseous but I was given tablets to combat that and it helped.  Going to bed at night with the pump and getting dressed, bathing were awkward but it is only a week at a time so you just focus on Fridays!! You can get a sleeve to protect the pump in the bath but in the end I didn't bother and just rested my arm on a chair at the side of the bath to keep it dry.  I gave up on showers for those weeks. Taste of food wasn't quite the same also but that is short lived. I dreaded the 5th week but in the event it wasn't so bad as I expected - I think because on the 1st week I also had an infusion before the pump but not on the 5th week.  The chemo affected my appetite but just try to eat little and often and don't worry too much about diet - you need your strength.

You don't say how far you have to travel to hospital but my advice would be to gather all the support you can from friends/family to help with lifts in and out on a daily basis.  I had people on a lift rota and it was invaluable as I couldn't have coped mid way through treatment as I had over an hour journey.  I was petrified about having 'accidents' with diarrohoea but I managed just fine by using loperamide - which they prescribed to me.

I was prepared to lose my hair and had it cut so I could wash it and let it dry naturally to protect it more which was the best decision I made!  My hair thinned but I never lost it all.  

The treatment is brutal but just go with the flow and you'll be ringing the bell to signal the end in radiotherapy dept before you know it.  Its no walk in the park and post treatment can be tough but we are here to support you through it all.  Good luck and ask all the questions you like!

Thank you I may just do that. All the very best to you too, take care xx

I’m beginning to realise that whatever it is that helps to ease my mind is definitely worth a try. 

yes we can do this…. Stay in touch xx 

Hi Nicola, it's good to hear you coped well with the treatment.

There is only me and the cat at home, so yes my thoughts run away with me at times almost leading to a full blown panic. Anyway I had my planning scan today and got the tattoos, so one step nearer to starting. 

Thank you for your advice and support. xx

Hi Jaycee, yes the side effects really freaked me out when the oncologist listed them. I have good friends and neighbours, but do worry about being on my own through the night, but having a 24/7 telephone number to contact makes me feel a bit better about that.

Thank you for your help xx

Hi Cranford, Its so encouraging to read the replies from yourself, Irene, Nikki and Jaycee and how you got through the treatment, so thank you all for that.

I live about 30 mins away from the hospital and want to start organising lifts there and back but haven't been given my treatment times yet. Apparently they do have patient transport but I would be waiting around for a couple of hours.

I normally straighten my hair but like you I plan to just wash it and let it dry naturally and hope I dont lose much.

Thank you for your support xx

That’s great Beatrix88  that you’re one step closer & you’ll hopefully soon have a start date, it’ll not be long as they’ll not want anything changing, for example your weight etc., before you start your treatment as these measurements they take during the planning scan are very exact.

I certainly found that once that first day of treatment was over much of the anxiety I had about it disappeared & I just slipped into the routine of visiting the hospital each day. I have to say the combination of both treatments did cause me some fatigue, the plus side of this was I had some of the best nights sleep I’ve had since having my eldest daughter some 35 years ago!

Try & keep yourself occupied for now until that date comes through, I batch cooked a few go to meals for the freezer for days I didn’t feel much like cooking & got some bits in that i could freeze like salmon etc., that took little preparation & I could just bung in the oven, it’d be worth getting some nice picky bits in too in case the chemo affects your appetite & you don’t much fancy a full meal. I also set up a full watch-list on Netflix etc., for sofa & duvet days. 

Let us know when you get your start date I’ve everything crossed for you. 

Nicola