Hi and a warm welcome to the board from me. Do you know what chemo you’ll be having and if there is any spread? My usual advice is to stay away from google as it is misleading and downright scary in places - stay on here and the Bowel Cancer uk Board. It will be a tough year ahead but Bowel Cancer is very treatable and there is lots of support available. There is a section for young people on the Bowel Cancer uk site too.
Ive attached a booklet about possible treatments but if there's anything specific please ask
No chemo is pleasant or easy. Depending on what Chemo you are having will vary what symptoms you are likely to have. I have just started Folfox, it’s made me sensitive to cold and has effected my appetite with taste and smell senses changed. Keep gloves close by you’ll need them for using the fridge or freezer as the chemo causes a stinging pain in your hands.
Please do not use google they’re not reliable. Use the Macmillan or Cancer research uk sites only for accurate information.
Chemo makes you feel sick. Doctors usually discharge you with anti sickness medication to combat this and again it varies what chemo you’re having. You can always ask the doctors for additional anti sickness medication if required there’s nothing worse than feeling sick and suffering when you don’t have to.
If you go into the treatment with a knowledge of everything you may experience you find that when it happens it’s not such a shock. The nurses and doctors are amazing and they are there for you 100% of the way and they’ll help with any fears or questions on the day.
I pray your treatment goes well please take care of yourself and most importantly be kind to yourself.
I had stage 3 colon cancer in 2019. After op I had 6 months chemo : IV OXALIPLATIN and Capecitabine tabs on a 3 week cycle.
I suffered nausea for the first 3 months - thereafter they sorted me with emend antisickness tabs. I also took on a daily basis 20% CBD oil after my first 3 cycles. My oncologist didn’t want me to take anything, but I decided to take the CBD OIL and it worked.
My symptoms:
1. Nausea - sorted by starting on Emend and taking CBD OIL.
2. Frost bite in hands and feet.......wrap up warm after IV OXY, even in summer. I wore gloves all the time, plus thick socks. Beware of touching metal or anything cold.
3. Thorax constriction- cold air after OXY IV - drink Luke warm liquids
4. Bouts of constipation and diarrhoea- I didn’t take any meds for this - but they will give you some.
5. Unable to drink enough fluids - couldn’t stand water - tasted metallic, hated tea and coffee. Tried everything. One day I liked Diet Coke, next day I hated it. .....experiment.
6. Very tired - I slept a lot.....listen to your body.
7. My weight varied by approx half a stone during 3 week treatment - lost it all during weeks 1 & 2 , then gained weight in week 3. Initially I lost about a stone in weight overall. So my advice - eat what you want, try not to loose weight, you need your strength.
Enjoy week 3 when you take nothing. You will start to feel normal again.
It is not easy, but doable. It surprised me how much inner strength your body calls upon.
When you are half way through your treatment cycles - u r then on the home run.
good luck and keep us informed of your progress. xxxxxx
you will have a choice of IV OXY via a drip, or you could have a PICC line fitted. I didn’t have the PICC line because I was worried about the treatment going any where near my heart muscle. I also have cardiomyopathy and have a defibrillator fitted. my brother had a PICC line fitted and raved about it. They can then easily administer the IV OXY and do your blood tests without any more needles.
I took with me hand warmers and a cotton towel to wrap around the arm the IV OXY was going into. Most of my IV OXY went into veins in my hand - poor veins further up my arm.
I did try the IV OXY over 3 hours instead of 2.........but decided that I had the same symptoms after 3 hours as I did after 2!. Play it as you go along.
The worst treatment is always your first - because you don’t know what to expect and are very nervous. Only thing I would say is that I don’t like any pain at all and therefore if I can do it - anyone can. once your first cycle is out of the way , you will know what to expect and will deal with it .
the McMillan nurses are wonderful - anything you are worried about - ask them. Just remember why you are doing this - to rid your body of that thing called Cancer. Good luck
Hi I'm sure that your team will talk you through your treatments and give you information regarding side effects. Use this information and like others say, don't Google! I had 7 rounds of Folfox 5FU with infusion and a pump which I wore for 48 hours on a two weekly rotation. . I found that I felt most ill in those 48 - 56 hours then gradually recovered. I was nauseous for the first 48 hours but the anti sickness drugs really helped, as did eating smaller meals more often. I was very tired and my hair thinned but didn't fall out completely, a plant based gentle shampoo really helped.I had a couple of breaks in my treatment as my neutrophils didn't recover (basically white blood cells which help fight infection) and this was the reason I stopped after 7 treatments. Wishing you the best of luck, hoping it goes well. x
