Chemo

Hi. 

Firstly, sorry to hear that you are on this pathway that we have all been on.  No one wants to be there but it may not be as bad as you fear. 

Chemo is different for everyone so your experience may be different than what I describe below however this is a rough outline and some suggestions that help. 

My chemo cycle was 21 days, with day 1 as chemo day.

I had 2 different chemo drugs given via a drip and would be on the ward for around 7 hours. The process takes that long because you are weighed and asked about your general health. After that a cannula is inserted into your hand, a saline solution flushed through, then steroids, antihistamine (helps with sickness and makes you feel sleepy so enjoy a lovely nap), then onto the core stuff. They will run the drip at a slow steady rate (for me this was 3 hours for one drug and 30 minutes for the second). 

in my hospital they provided tea / coffee and a sandwich lunch, however it is also fine to take your own lunch. 

For me the post chemo days were as follows:

Days 2 and 3 felt great which was due to the steroid tablets you take on those days. I had a good appetite and loads of energy. The downside is that the steroids disturb your sleep so expect to be awake in the night. 
you are given nausea drugs which definitely prevented nausea for me. Constipation was an issue and they provided laxatives which I HATED so we switched my diet to be vegetarian meals only for a few days each cycle and that removed the need for the laxatives  

Days 4-6 I would feel rough, needing co-codomol to help with muscle pain (I would feel as if I had flu). Those days I watched a lot of tv and did some light jobs around the house (such as clearing cupboard that was a mess ). My appetite was very small so I ate healthy small snacks and light food throughout the day rather than meals. 

Days 7-9 I still needed to be kind to myself but didn’t need the painkillers so much. 

Days 10 - 20 back to normal. 

Do buy an exercise book in which to keep a diary of how you feel each day. You will find it useful when the next cycle comes along to know what to expect and what helps you. 

Do go for a walk everyday that you can. Days 3-6 this is hard but it really does help with the stiffness  to have fresh air and move. 

Hairloss. You will lose your hair. For me this started after cycle 1. I found this distressing and decided to have my head shaved rather than see clumps coming out everytime I brushed or washed it. I wore headscarves rather than a wig as friends had said the wig is itchy and can be too hot. I used the scarves as an accessory for my clothes and they had the benefit of people recognising that you are on the cancer journey and showing acts of kindness to you which is lovely at this time. 

Fatigue - in the first few days of a cycle yes, however from days 10-20 not overwhelming. Do however try to exercise (walking, swimming, yoga etc) as it makes a huge difference to coping with chemo as well as feeling you have control over your life. 

I hope this helps and wish you well on your journey. 

Thank you very much for sharing your journey, it has given me a lot of insight!