Treatment starts next week

Hello Glebe

So sorry about your diagnosis. 

I had exactly the same treatment as you in January 2024. My oncologist said to me that my chemotherapy was not at the full dose as the reason it is given is to agitate the tumour and make it more receptive to the radiotherapy. From my understanding, radiotherapy is the key ingredient in treating squamous cell carcinoma, chemotherapy just makes it that bit more effective.

I hope all goes smoothly for you and you get all the treatment you want. Setbacks are common though, for lots of reasons.

Best wishes

Mutti

Thanks Mutti

It is good to hear from someone who had lower dose chemo which I suspect I shall have. My oncologist is putting more importance on the radiotherapy side of the treatment.

Glebe 

slightly different, but when my bloods werent right for my 5th chemo, (was once a week, with 5 sessions of RT for 5 weeks) i was devastated, but the radiotherapist said 4 was fine, and its the radiotherapy that is the most important treatment, which i was surprised at, always thought chemo was the nasty most important treatment.  obviously as we all say on here,  everyone reacts different,  and the onoclogist and MDT team knows best. 

take care all keep posting, all here for you xx

jules

Hi Jules I found out Monday my chemo will be weekly like you and 5 sessions of RT for 5 weeks.

It's difficult to know so early on how I will react, I am just taking it one day at a time.

Glebe 

thanks for the update glebe,  (T2 N0 M0)

this time around i did find after the treatment finished i did need nanna naps as my husband calls them, so listened to my body.  during the treatment, i didnt react as such, by this time i had the jpeg inserted into smaller bowel, which got the calories up and weight up to just over 7 stone, (was 57 when it all kicked off july last year) as op was booked for reconstruction Jan 8th, treatment finished 29th November,

One thing that helped us massively was when we got the radiotherapy  times, they try to be as flexible as they can, ours was at churchill oxford, so just over an hour each way, so 99% of appointments they changed to the 8am ish times, which meant parking was great, if someone hadnt arrived, i got to go in sooner than my appointment, also we got to see pretty much the same faces each day, so very shortly we was all chatting about our diagnosis, some were throat cancer, some were same as mine, was a lovely little morning support group, also meant that my husband could get me back home and then go off and do his job.

my chemo was always on the monday, so after radiotherapy early friday before, i took the bloods sheet they give you and went to the blood box as we called it, at the churchill, to get bloods done prior to the monday.  as they wasnt confident my gp under a different healthcare area would get the bloods to them in time.  Did organise scalp cooling/cold cap to be fitted prior to the chemo appointment, just didnt want to lose anything else, after the masectomy, if you go down that route, google "look good feel better" and they have a cold cap video to watch, and what you need to prepare.  yes it was cold to start, but did the job, and with chatting to my husband or people in the chair next to me, hardly felt it, and i felt worth adding extra time to the chemo appointment.

Immunotherapy appointment now next tuesday, had the call yesterday, so blood booked with local gp, as treatment back in the same unit at stoke mandeville bucks where i had my breast cancer chemo mop up.  talk about full circle!! but it is 15 minutes away.

If you have any other questions i or other forum family can help with just pop it in, no question is too daft, small or silly.

The waiting is really hard, i totally get the expression scanxiety, but at least when treatment starts you feel like you are giving it a kicking.  Do you mind me ask where you are going for your treatment x

take care and all the best, jules

Hi Jules, I am being treated at the North Wales Cancer centre at Glan Clwyd hospital. I actually lived for a few years in Headington Oxford, just down the road from the Churchill, but that was many years ago now.

My chemo nurse mentioned the jpeg, but then when I saw the dietician she said no it would have to be nasogastric tube and I would have to be admitted, so I need to look more into that.

My Chemo is Monday mornings so they can do my blood test on Fridays after Radiotherapy. I have not opted for scalp cooling, instead i had my hairdresser cut my long hair short and i have bought a selection of chemo turbans and scarfs off Amazon 

My radiotherapy times are different every day, but everyone is friendly so there is always someone to talk to, and it has felt good to finally start treatment after all the waiting for tests and results.

Good luck with your immunotherapy appt. on Tuesday at least you don't have so far to travel to that hospital, I know what it's like my journey is about 40 mins.

Take care and let us know how you get on. Sharon