Looking for advice during treatment and what to expect.

Hi there, welcome to the club that no one wants to join. I am sure you will find lots of support on here. I blooded throughout my treatment as it helped me but this one in particular might be of interest, best wishes

Chemo blog post

I have put together a First Aid Chemo kit - thermometer is essential to check for infections then it’s all about not getting infections - most likely to come from hurting your skin so I have insect cream, insect repellent, antiseptic wipes, antiseptic cream, plasters, a nail file to respond quickly to them getting snagged etc. Useful to carry hand cream to avoid them getting sore. 

EC gave me constipation - it might be worth thinking having something to hand for that.  I only needed it once or twice each cycle but I did start adding prunes and all-bran into my diet.

A good mouthwash is worth having and if your gums bleed or you get ulcers the nurses should be able to recommend a good one to avoid infection - I use Difflam.

Like you I was told I was “fit and healthy” enough and I got through fortnightly EC pretty well - rested when I was tired as was active when I wasn’t.  I’m now on weekly Paclitaxel and finding that harder as my liver function has been affected and I feel breathless which has turned out to be anaemia but I still go for a decent long walk most days just slowly.  Just be kind to yourself!  It’s not a failure if we get side effects and we’re all different and going to experience different things.  I found j was telling a failure as I might not manage to complete this second course of chemo, we’re reviewing in another fortnight, due to the side effects but they are the experts in balancing ti pros and cons.  

I hope it goes well!!  

Picc lines can be quite sore - mine was used straight away and was sore for about a fortnight. Now it is fine. They seem to play it down - my nurse said they don’t want to scare you - but I would rather have known than think there was something wrong!  Don’t know it’s there now….

I had 4 cycles of EC followed by 12 weeks of Paclitaxel, which I am half way through. I am finding the Paclitaxel harder, mainly because a weekly cycle gives you little respite and it feels like continual Groundhog Day. I have found constipation a bit of a problem and have had to push hard to not be stuffed full of antisickness meds. So I keep a stock of Lactulose and use prunes etc around the days of treatment. It’s worth also having Immodium for when it goes the other way. I have been lucky not to be sick at all. Chemo is hard on your nails, I am using a product called Polybalm to rub into the nail beds a couple of times a day, it got good results in a clinical trial.  You may have issues with taste (even water) so a bit of trial and error is required around those days. I found cordial useful for helping me get water down on the worst days 

Thank you. Last night I started to be more scared about the PICC line, bc I was looking at cover-ups and waterproof covers, then reading what to do if it starts leaking, etc.

Thank you, that's going to be very helpful.

I read you kept working. That's also my plan (or wish), and I discussed it with my boss. Did you work from home or on-site?

I asked my boss to have an office for myself, but now I'm in doubt if I should go to work at all, and risk getting an infection.

My Dr said EC will definitely affect my immune system and will require me to inject a growth factor. But that will be my second bout of chemo and closer to Christmas time, so I was thinking of maybe staying at home those 2 months.