Some observations from starting chemo and a few general cancer things

Cloughaclimber 27 days ago

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I wrote this as a way to remind me, but wondered if anyone else would find this interesting too.

These are the kind of things I wish I had known before I started treatment.

Abi’s lessons learnt from having chemo, plus a few general cancer things August 2024

You find out who really loves you, with some lovely tear inducing surprises
The sickness drugs really help – I didn’t feel sick at all
You may not suffer side effects immediately, as the steroids keep them away for a few days
The tiredness is different to any other tiredness and may catch you unawares
The oncology and MacMillan nurses are amazing and don’t mind being asked lots (and lots) of questions
People may well give you unwanted advice and/or talk about their cancer experiences. It is okay to say I don’t want to talk about it at the moment
Cancer Care are amazing
Writing down symptoms will help to work out a pattern of how the chemo may affect you - I love this MacMillan one - https://www.macmillan.org.uk/dfsmedia/1a6f23537f7f4519bb0cf14c45b2a629/13197-10061/MAC11664_E09_Diary_Fatigue_p03_20230914_KP_low_res
You may fart lots (more than usual!)
Even if your body tells you that fibre rich health chickpea soup is what it wants - don’t necessarily trust it - it may be tricking you
You may feel that you become self-absorbed about how you are feeling, but you kind of have to
That the cancer club is a shit club to be in, but you may meet lots of amazing people who become part of your new life
It’s okay to still feel happy and live in the moment and it’s okay to cry and get angry
You are not responsible for other people’s feelings regarding your cancer shit
Water based nail varnish is hard to find - but it is possible – I used https://uk.manucurist.com
Drinking lots of water is a good thing
Remember that everyone’s cancer journey is different
Choosing a wig/hats/scarves can be fun
PICC lines are a bit of a weird thing
It’s good to connect with others online (forums or on social media)
You can go from feeling like a zombie to feeling human again overnight and it feels brilliant
A weird white coating on your tongue could be oral thrush - which is easily treated

GRANNY59 26 days ago

Hi Cloughaclimber welcome to the forum and thank you so much for sharing this honest first hand update for others about what to expect, love it. This is the kind of information which people find so helpful and thank you again for sharing and hope that you are well.

gail

Cloughaclimber 26 days ago in reply to GRANNY59

Thank you :-)

Sharlou 26 days ago

Thank you so much for this! I am starting chemo on 5 September and feel clueless. I've got an education appointment with the nurse on 4 September so I'm hoping I feel a bit more clued up after that. Also - picc line, agree very weird. I haven't even had mine fitted yet but I feel completely grossed out by it Needles etc don't bother me but the thought of that line just floating about in my vein....bllleeuuurgh

Anyway thanks again for this and I hope you are well on the road to recovery xx

Cloughaclimber 26 days ago in reply to Sharlou

I completely agree about the pics line, it's the weirdest thing for me! I have found that it gets itchy too, but apparently that is normal. One thing I didn't know until I asked on a local cancer fb group is that you can get a prescription for the cover that goes over the picc line so you can shower, so no need to buy one. However, the chemist had to order one, so I didn't shower for a couple of days - yuck! So if you need one ask sooner, rather than later. I also bought some funky covers for it, from Etsy, which no one told me about beforehand. Should've added that to the list!

I had my education session the same time as the first chemo, which I thought was strange, but the lovely nurse who did the picc line (the day before) answered a lot of my questions and showed me the ward where I was to have the chemo as I wanted to feel prepared. This made me feel much better.

I am still having chemo, the list came about the other night as I couldn't sleep and I gave me some focus.

I hope all goes well for you on 5th xx

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