I was diagnosed in late July with oesophagus cancer, been through all the tests, scans and meetings and I'm about to have one more meeting with my chemo team early next week before chemo starts .... what can I expect to experience in the coming weeks?
Stay positive and keep off Google. Your best source of information is on here, asking people who have had it, got it, or caring for someone with it.
The side effects of chemo vary depending on what chemo you are having. If you have FLOT you are likely to feel fatigued, tired, sick, runs, headaches, temperature. It's individual for each person really. I have had four rounds of flot and am just recovering from surgery.
Please click on my profile picture it will take you to my diary so far. It may help you.
Sorry you find yourself on this journey it’s not an easy one. If you are anything like me you are in good hands with a lot of people interested in your care and getting you through this. Chemo is hard, the affects are cumulative so I found the first two rounds unpleasant but not too bad, the next two a lot harder. Side affects vary between people but have a lot of common ones which the team should make you aware of. Make sure you tell the nurses your side affects as they happen as they should be able to assist in getting medication to help where needed. Do keep as active as you can, there is research to show it can help with chemo and, if you are having the op, your recovery after.
Good luck and keep asking questions we are all happy to help where we can.
Thanks for your response, I am having the op, and I think that my chemo is planned to start next Tuesday, although I will have to wait to have that confirmed at my meeting on Monday. I do plan to work during the chemo as much as I can maybe even doing one day less per week. Is this a realistic goal in your opinion?
Hi, and welcome to the forum we all wish we didn't need. I've found the support here very comforting though, as you're full of anxiety, especially in the early days.
I'm at the in-between stage, having just finished 4 rounds of FLOT chemo and have my operation booked for 13 October. I thought I'd be able to work during chemo, and did with the first round. However, there was no way I could work through the rest. The fatigue is honestly like nothing else I've experienced. I'm a self employed typist, and even lifting my arms to type was difficult, not to mention the 'chemo fog' affecting concentration.
It wasn't all like that, but certainly the full week afterwards was awful, and it got worse with each round. My last round was postponed for a week as I still hadn't recovered enough. I also lost all taste straightaway, and this has only just started to return.
However, I'm now 3 weeks post chemo and already back at the gym, so the efdecrs start to wear off quite quickly. Another plus point, if you're having FLOT chemo, is that by about the end of round 2, beginning of round 3 I found my eating significantly improved. I have gone from only being able to eat soup, mash etc, to now being able to eat a full roast beef dinner! It's bloomin' lovely, and I'm making the most of this before my op :-)
Two bits of advice I've found absolutely invaluable was (as Geo said) don't Google, but also take one day at a time. Don't think too far ahead. Once you start chemo the NHS take you in their arms and take good care of you. Wishing you all the best.
I was lucky and had my companies support which allowed me to stop working when chemo started but I did still check emails etc. I think it will be hard to only cut down by one day especially as you get into the third and fourth cycle. I had nausea, fatigue, hands and feet affected by cold, hot flushes, diarrhoea, chemo brain fog and more. Most days I had naps and just felt rough. If you work will allow it I would see how you get on and work when you can. It’s going to be a hard year so eat as much as you can now before the op, drink whenever you want (I hate I now have to wait an hour after I’ve eaten) and look after you.
You'll need all your reserves to get through the next year. But equally there will be periods, like waiting for chemo start or in between chemo and surgery or surgery and second round of chemo, where you may feel able to work for short periods. Its very individual.
In response to financial support. I got in touch with Macmillan support line and spoke to someone on the financial line about attendance allowance for my dad. I'm currently filling out the forms and gathering any letters we've had from doctors etc as evidence. There's alot of questions etc to wade through, but I think it's definitely worth applying for.
It's also not means tested, so it doesnt matter what your financial background. I found the man on the macmilllan line very helpful. He even told me I could ring them to help with any questions on the forms.
