Trying my best to help my mum!

Hi,

Sorry you find yourself here, but glad you’re finding our posts helpful for you and your Mum.

I too had the weekly chemo regime for 6 cycles (Paclitaxel and Carboplatin). I found it good in as much as the side effects occur in a more balanced way across the month rather than the extreme highs and lows some people get. Also having bloods and vitals checked every week by the medical team is reassuring when it comes to any issues being acted in quickly. With me, the cumulative treatments didn’t really make any difference to the nausea, but I did get progressively more tired, and have issues with falling white and red blood cells. That for me I think was the only downside of weekly treatments - the blood doesn’t have time to repair itself between treatments. But there are other solutions for those things, so nothing to worry about unduly.

You didn’t mention whether your Mum was given anti-sickness meds after as well as before treatments? - I was given two different sets of tablets to take for 3 days after each Carboplatin dose (3 weekly), and an optional one for the Paclitaxel only weeks. I also found ginger tea and ginger cookies a great standby to help with bouts of nausea, peach juice to help reduce metallic taste in the mouth, and Biotene toothpaste and a soft brush to prevent mouth soreness.

I’m a strongly believer in positivity as a healer. Glad to hear you and your have this - and I’m putting mine to the test again now having re-started chemo after a recurrence this summer.

Love to you both,

Bxx

Hi B..

yeah she’s been given anti sickness meds before and after treatment she just takes them continuously rather than just the 3 days afterwards as she was being sick prior to starting treatment. 

thanks for the tips for the nausea, I’ll be sure to give it a try for her to see if it helps.  

I also wondered if you knew with the weekly treatment how long it takes to stat seeing the CA125 markers come down? They have said my mum will get a CT scan on week 9 and that’s when they would consider surgery, I’m so worried about the surgery side of things as she’s lost so much weight from being so unwell before the cancer was detected, she’s only 4stone 8 and my worry is it would be too much for her. 

sorry to hear your starting chemo again, it’s an awful disease, you seem a strong positive person, I wish you all the best with your treatment xx

Hi again, and thanks for your good wishes .

I had my surgery before starting chemo, so my CA125 markers came down really quickly. Hopefully though your Mum will see some improvement at each check - and ultimately it’s what the CT scan shows that gives the biggest clue as to how well the chemo is working to shrink the tumour and kill off the cancer cells. My CA125 went as high as 404 and as low s 19, but I’ve known others who’ve never got above 75 or below 35 still staged the same and having the same treatments, so I think it’s a very personal thing.

I hope your Mum is able to find something to help her overcome the sickness as it’ll help her to get through surgery and recovery when the time comes if she’s as fit and strong as she can be.

Big hugs and best wishes to you both,

love Bxx

Thanks B, for your advice and sharing part of your story it’s appreciated. 

she got new sickness medication yesterday so hopefully it helps her.

sending my love and support, take care xx