Chemo - Pre Assessment

Hi Everyone - warning long post but hopefully helpful.

Just had my pre-assessment for Chemo today, to say it has hit me with a sledge hammer don't even cut it! I had thought my partner and I had researched as much as possible but evidently not enough. The assessment was by telephone due to Covid. 75 minutes on the phone and you can imagine our brains were fried! Made loads of notes and will use the next week to become more familiar with them. I hope you find some of what is stated here as helpful too. 

So, I knew which combination I was being given, Paclitaxel (for one hour weekly) and Carboplatin (30 minutes weekly). Radiotherapy will follow this every week and on all other week days. Weekends off, lucky me! 

Things my previous research missed: 

1. Need to avoid a whole range of foods including runny eggs, (hard cooked yolks only), blue cheese, don't like anyway, soft cheese (brie got sent to a friend! - boo hoo!), undercooked red meats and fish... not had a rare steak for ages anyway and my kids know how much and why I hate sushi. No unpasteurised dairy, and a range of other stuff too. Looks like more research required this week! To avoid herbal medicines too. 

Covid restrictions mean no partner allowed in with me, so need lots to keep me occupied. Got to shield too so cancelled two 'last visits' before treatment began. Boo - Hiss!

I am able to try the Cold cap to help minimise hair loss, no guarantees of course. One question for anyone out there, does the 'regrowth' in a certain area itch like after shaving? Yewwwh!

Nurse discussed how they use Red, Amber Green traffic light system for side effects so you know which are more serious, very helpful as we had this as a high priority question. 

Ginger is the new wonder anti nausea treatment, Biscuits, tea, ginger beer, whatever, however you prefer. I know what's on my shopping list now!

Moisturising the skin is essential which I already knew... was told by a lovely Afro Caribbean Nurse (who used it regularly on her hair - then stopped to find her hair more silky)  that Coconut oil actually is quite drying rather than moisturising! Any thought on this folks? E45 cream the item of choice apparently. I will go with that. 

Water-based nail polish - dark colour- the new trend is best to 'attempt' to avoid nail damage (not guaranteed) Apparently loads of ladies go in sporting all colours of the rainbow and interesting designs. Worth a shot. could we have a fashion parade for water-based best nail art?

Loads of other stuff around diarrhoea, sickness, constipation etc. all in the booklets. 

I was asked who my Macmillan nurse was, i had to tell her i hadn't been allocated one as my initial diagnosis was at a different hospital. She will look into it for me. Always worth asking.

Finally, and the 'piece de résistance' I have to go in and collect a form to then go to the pharmacy to collect..... a 5 Litre urine sample bottle! OMG! lol For those initiated, it's a 24 hour urine sample to hand in ahead of chemo! I was informed... you don't need to fill it!!!! I howled! lol.

Ah well, I have a week or so to digest all this info and more before it all kicks off. Feel free to ask questions, I may or may not know the answers!

Thanks

Sal60