Hi Im Shelly i was rushed in for surgery on New year's Eve to have a tumer removed from my colon I found out a week later that it had still spread and I would have to have chemo unfortunately I have an infection under my scar and can't be transferred to oncology department until that's gone so I'm in limbo at the moment and I am a bit nervous of what the side effects of the chemo is as I have an autistic child
Hi and a warm welcome to the board. You sound to have had an eventful start to the new year but hopefully things will start to improve and they can get on top of the infection. Is it the scar that’s infected or have you got an infected build up of fluid at the bowel re-join? I had the latter and was delayed starting chemo by several weeks - if you click on my name then you can see my treatment timeline. Chemo affects everybody differently so it’s difficult to predict what side effects you’ll get. I’ve attached a link to a post that we started about chemo top tips.
The nurses will give you tablets to combat things like diarrhoea and sickness but tell them if you’re struggling as sometimes trying a different tablet or lowering your dosage can make a big difference. Fatigue can be a side effect so rest if you’re able to although I appreciate that may be difficult.
Things to buy - Aveeno cream with Shea butter or udder cream (Amazon) to keep hands and feet well moisturised. Gloves for inside and out. You will feel the cold in a big way so wrap up warm and cover your mouth with a scarf when outside. I bought some cheap gloves with little rubbery bits on the palms which were great for getting things out of the fridge/freezer - I got a jar of jam out once and it felt like a mild electric shock!
It’s a good idea to keep a bit of a diary as to how you’re feeling - it reminds you of any side effects and you might also find that a bit of a routine starts so you might feel a bit iffy for the first few days but lots better on your days off so you can plan something nice for those times.
Hope this helps but please ask if there’s anything else?
