Feeling anxious chemo

Hi HazG. Everyone reacts differently to chemo but there’s no reason why you should be confined to bed or unable to function? If you experience any side effects then the nurses will make sure you have the relevant pills and potions to deal with them. You may feel a bit rubbishy at the beginning of each cycle but then have several good days towards the end so plan your life around it by taking it a bit easier early on and planning some treats to look forward to later?

Yes it’s annoying feeling that you’ve recovered from the op and then are potentially making yourself feel a bit poorly again but look on it as an investment. Yes you’re cancer free at the minute but this is the belt and braces just to make sure that anything minuscule that might have escaped is dealt with.

At the end of the day it’s your decision and nobody can force you to have chemo. Hopefully the cancer will never return but if it did, would you kick yourself for not doing everything you could to have prevented that happening?

Give it a go. If you’re really struggling then they can reduce your doseage and if you decide to stop altogether then that is your right but you don’t know how it’s going to be until you give it a try.

Hope that hasn’t  come over as brutal - my friend was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years before me and she told me to take everything offered so I did. It can be tough at times but I just tried to distract myself by getting on with normal things and ticked each session off as they went by.

Take care

Karen x

Hi there, the worst treatment is the first as you don’t know what to expect. You will get into a routine and know what to expect during each cycle. Everyone is different.

couple of common side effects:

hands and feet - you will feel the cold and react to the touch of metal.......just be prepared, wear gloves when going into fridges etc.

mixed effects of going to toilet - constipation and diarrhoea- but you will cope with this.

I found drinking anything really hard - one day you will like something and the next hate it.......just mix up the drinks. You will find drinking anything cold hard for the first few days - due to oxaliplatin treatment. 

eat whatever you like - try to keep your weight up.

good luck and keep in touch.

paula xxx

When I had my first chemo appointment I made a bit of a fool out of myself in the unit. The whole picture of the situation gave me a seriously 'flight or fight' response and it was very strong to fly. They're odd places and the visuals more than anything remind you that you never thought you'd be somewhere like this. 

However, it was absolutely nowhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be. The staff are lovely, you get snacks and it runs like a well oiled machine, in one door and out the other. 

The differences I felt were the neuropathy (disappeared after 4/5 days) and for the first couple of days I had a nap in the day which I wouldn't usually do. Also tap water tested rank for days but if I boiled then cooled the water it was fine. Weird I know. 

After that I actually felt pretty good and my bowels were working better than in years. 

You'll be fine. They'll adjust things if it's too much.