Macmillan Info is AMAZING!

Hi all,

I just wanted to share how the Macmillan information can be really useful.

On Tuesday I had my first chemotherapy session. The immunotherapy went without a hitch. Next was Paclitaxel, within seconds of the drip starting I noticed my port felt warm, my throat felt odd and I instantly remembered reading somewhere in the Macmillan info about if your throat felt weird then to raise the alarm. I shouted my nominated nurse for the day (who was never far away anyway) and said 'my throat feels wei...' at which point my throat completely swelled and I couldn't finish the sentence. Within seconds I was surrounded by 6 nurses and a Dr pumping me full of counteractive drugs and it only took seconds for my breathing to be back to normal and a couple more minutes to feel completely normal except for loss of hearing in my right ear and my eyes being red.

I'm so grateful I read that info, not having experienced chemo before I'd likely just have thought it normal without reading it. A few hours later someone else in the room had a similar reaction (to a different drug) but obviously didn't raise the alarm as quickly because the emergency bells went off, they were absolutely fine afterwards too though.

I've never had an allergic reaction before and I'd had all the anti-allergy tablets and pre-meds so it was a massive surprise but at least now I know just to shout if it should happen again.

Thanks to Macmillan for being so amazing!

To reassure people this isn't a 'normal' thing to occur - the nurse said to me as I was leaving that they can go weeks without anyone having a reaction and then they get a day like that one. Even if it does happen though they are on it and on it quickly just shout out ANY concerns you have, they will listen.