Chop Rituximab and Cytarabine chemo for mcl.

Hi NY2011 and welcome back. The journey on these treatment can be so different and although I have a different type of NHL and followed a different treatment path I did ok with my 30 days (6 cycles) 750hrs total of R-EPOCH and on the whole I did ok, yes felt sick at times but never was.

It is all about finding the best sickness drugs that match you as one size does not fit all. Lets hope that your remaining journey is smooth and you get out the other end with little or no issues.

I did have developing Fatigue and you may find that this will build up over time so take each day as it comes but at the same time keep some activity going as this does actually help overcome some of the fatigue. 

During my R-EPOCH I was on my chemo for 120 hrs 24/7 at a time and the main issue I had was fatigue but my nurse team told me to keep active so I walked the ward corridors with my chemo stand after every meal and actually did a few miles a day.

Avoiding Infections obviously is very important but you will totally get this during these challenging times.

I would also highlight the importance of drinking lots of water as this will flush out all the toxins released by the chemo and protects your kidneys.

Hi, have they mentioned apprepatant to manage the sickness? if not speak to the team about whether its an option, as worrying about being sick is not what they would want for you. The drug is taken an hour before treatment and it blocks the receptor that triggers you being sick so it can feel strange initially but it worked for me and I was only ever sick after my 2nd cycle of rchop. Hopefully as Mike has said they will find the right combination and it won't be a concern with future cycles.

So sorry to hear about your trouble with sickness. I suffered after second R-CHOP, but it minimised after number three. Maybe takes time to adjust? My own experience tells me to stay questioning but trust the team. Ask... And keep asking! 

On highlanders last point - I don't think 'they' emphasise the importance of drinking water enough. My team said drink a lot / but only by surfing did I discover they meant water, not vodka

I drank a fair bit,but when you feel so sick it's hard to. On my Cytarabine chemo I drank very little, my blood pressure was so low they wanted to keep me in they told me to drink lots of water and then I was released. Bacardi would of been alot easier 

I'm so hoping I'm not going to be sick this time round i keep telling them,my csn doesn't take it seriously though 

Thanks so much for the advice, that's really helpful, I'm new to all of this.