New diagnosis

Firstly obviously just a huge hug to you, I know what it feels like to be catapulted into unknown scenarios, but knowledge is power.

First meeting with your oncologist may be different to mine but at my first appt,  I met my doctor, who was lovely, he took me through the scans and MRI scans to show me exactly what the surgeon had done, explained there was a small hole in my mass and I was to have 6 sessions of chemo every 21 days. He asked me if I was physically ok after hysterectomy and. he went through all the drugs I would be given and the side effects...there are an awful lot of boxes to tick but I have to stress they don’t all happen and he was quite open about what he thought I would experience and what I wouldn’t.

so that was  on January 26, lasted about 45 mins, then was popped outside to wait for appt for the pre assessment appt which is with an oncology nurse.

The pre assessment appt was on February 11, so 2  weeks later. Anyways at this one , very through medical history taken, asked about allergies, took bloods,COVID test, Blood pressure and weight recorded, ask about lifestyle, if your eating,sleeping, exercise...just to see how well you are in yourself.....lasted about 1 hour.

dates given for first chemo session, Feb 17...so just under a week later.

My chemo was Wednesday every 3 weeks, ..once you get started on chemo you go to have your bloods checked 2 days before your next session so it’s Mondays for me every 3 weeks. 

I would say the fear of chemo is real, I found the period between diagnosis and starting chemo, stressful..I was basically scared, I didn’t know what to expect, there was a lot of tears. I reacted ok thankfully to session 1 and had about 4 days of being groggy and tired but picked up quite quickly.. and in the following period was bouncing around the house, buzzing in fact. So it’s not all doom and gloom, of course you will have good and not so good days as you go on.

oncologist said stick to the lockdown rules, try to avoid supermarkets at peak times, avoid people who have colds or are unwell but to go out for exercise

The anti sickness drugs are really effective , first chemo I had the anti sickness through the drip, but on second session , I took a tablet. They give me 3 further tablets to take on evening of session, then next morning, following evening. I try to eat as well and snack  as often as I can and I haven’t felt sick. I took the approach of always having something in my tummy and it works for me.

I didn’t feel unwell when you are on the drip, it’s via a cannula in your hand and that can be a bit uncomfortable going in..but the nurse said drink lots of water for 3 days prior to chemo session as it plumps your veins up and easier to get needle in.

My first session was long, they take it slow to make sure you don’t have a reaction to any of the drugs, first chemo via drip I had antihistamine,steroid, and anti sickness, then 2 chemo  drugs with a line flush in between all of these and a final flush for 30 mins, went in at 11:30 cane out at 7pm...

My hair started coming out on day 16, and it was quick, I had been seeing a “wig lady” and got to see her and we shaved it off, it happens with this set of drugs...it was hard, but for me shaving it off was better than the hair constantly shredding... you may be offered a cold cap... it worked for b.positive ( fabulous, wise poster on here)

Second chemo slightly quicker by an hour.

My chemo centre is modern, chairs are in groups of four, both times there have been wonderful ladies willing to share their experiences, and the first session  I crumbled a bit, few tears and they soon got me back on track. I spent most of the time listening to them and got some fantastic tips from them.

Volunteers bring around tea, sandwiches, crisps and fruit so they feed you as well.

I kept a chemo diary ....so I was expecting to feel groggy and achy on the following Friday and over weekend, from Monday I picked up and felt ok...

My oncologist saw me a week before my second session to make sure I was ok, what I had experienced in case he needed to tweak the doses.. answer any questions I had ....so you are monitored all the time and I have a number to call if I need to speak to an expert out of hours, so that’s comforting.

chemo #3 I had a bit of sickness and achy legs and very tired ....lasted again from Friday night to Sunday morning, so a pattern does start to emerge.

chemo 4 to 6 followed same pattern and there is a cumulative effect... more fatigue, and I had a couple of mouth ulcers and tingling in feet and thumbs.

The actual chemo sessions i treated as counselling sessions the nurses were lovely and there was a group of ladies going every 3 weeks so you saw the same faces and they were all very chatty, my centre was actually a very happy place to go.

I suppose the best advice is to try to be in the best physical state you can be eat well, drink lots of water, try to stay active, little walks and try to find some mindful distractions ... a lady suggested knitting/crochet...adult colouring... I have been using the sewing machine a lot as it needs focus...others read... whatever you enjoy.

I have finished my six sessions now and waiting to see oncologist for final post treatment debrief, my CA125 is 6, so I’m hoping for good news and a discharge from him.....my overall view is it is tough, but it’s do able

I hope that’s a start, please keep in touch and let me know how it goes...

big hug

xx Sue