Chemotherapy infection control

We haven't been told to monitor blood pressure or oxygen. The oncologist told us to do temperature a couple of times a week unless feeling poorly and the chemo nurse said do it twice a day.  Bit of a difference there. Thank you for your advise I gave found it very helpful 

Thank you - very good advice. The oximeter surprised me - is that something we need to watch out for? And yes, I hope your disc trouble resolves!

Hi downlander. For us the oximeter is a way of life. The first thing the doctors do is stick it on your finger. Husband is now known as ET at the chemo centre as he cracked a joke about it with the staff during his first session. It is all about getting to know what your norm is, then when something alters you can flag it to the professionals. There are many reasons why blood oxygen levels can drop such as getting a chest infection or when red blood's drop -this could be as a result of kidney problems or from the chemo. You have probably read that docetaxel is the first line chemotherapy drug for treating PCa. It works by stopping the rapidly dividing cancer cells from doing so. Unfortunately it is not selective and affects other cells in the body which would also naturally divide rapidly such as hair, gut and bone marrow. Personally we have found it useful a couple of times during the chemo journey. During the first 21 day cycle it started indicating an irregular heart beat which was confirmed by the blood pressure machine. This was due to the WBC drop and treatment with Filgrastim, and allowed the doctors to modify the timing and dosage for the second session. At the end of the 2nd 21 day cycle the oxygen levels started dropping and the blood test confirmed that red bloods were dropping and an increase in Epoetin alpha was indicated.

My husband is three years down the line from yours and was initially warned that he may only have 6 months as the cancer was extremely rare and aggressive, and the experts weren't sure they could get on top of it as it was doubling every 2/3 weeks. The cancer has affected his kidneys and infiltrated the pancreas as well as lymph nodes. What I am trying to say is that, because of his underlying health issues, his ability to cope with the chemo is probably more compromised than most will experience. The consolation is that the doctors would not have recommended this treatment if they didn't feel he could cope with it as throughout they have stressed QOL is paramount in his case.

I think of the thermometer, oximeter and blood pressure machine as a bit of a safety blanket and an early warning system. Having regular blood tests throughout the journey should flag up any issues without the necessity of your keeping such a tight monitor on your husband, as well as how much confidence you have in your medical team. The scientist in me makes me a belt and braces person and having a microbiological training provides a more informed understanding of test results. The chemo journey is individual for every person and their partner, friend or relative. If you are the kind of person that wants reassurance then invest in monitoring devices.

The majority of people on chemo manage to sail through it without needing the additional drug support. I do not know what the blood test regime is in the UK whilst on chemo. In Greece a CBC is taken after 7 days and a full bloods after 19/20 days which gives a good indication of what is happening and how the red and white blood cells are balancing out, as well as effects on kidney, liver....... Our blood results are sent to us by the lab on the day of the test and I send them on to the doctors. The same thing happens with the MRI/CT scans. We still have to have a negative covid test before each IV session. As we have a 4 hour drive to the chemo centre we liaise with the oncologist the day before setting out so that we don't have a wasted journey.

I forgot to put in my previous post that the dirtiest thing in your kitchen is your dishcloth, closely followed by the tea towel. Give the dishcloth a quick sluice in bleach at the end of the day and allow to dry overnight. Put the tea towel in the wash basket every day and get a fresh one out in the morning.

It is definitely a roller coaster journey but remember to have fun on the way.

I am only on the HT/RT journey but I find reading your posts very informative and concise and are a great help and aid to anyone going down the Chemo route. It's great that you are posting ant I think your posts will be very much appreciated by all.

Best wishes

Brian.

Thank you for the feedback Brian. It is difficult to know how much to put in as I do not know how much information you are supplied with in the UK prior to having chemo. I apologise  if I am teaching my grandmother to suck eggs.

We were having a lovely cup of coffee this morning, sitting looking out to sea, when we got a sudden whiff of a septic tank being emptied by the 'honey wagon'. Funny how your mind association works. It reminded me about loos. Anyone who has been to Greece will know of the vagaries of the Greek plumbing system. When we had our house built we made sure you could put the paper down the toilet. I digress. Hubby had radiotherapy 3 years ago which was very successful but left him with slight incontinence at night if he is stressed or has nightmares. Tena pads are an essential safety precaution. After chemo we found that he needed to use his standby pants as more protection was in order. Everyone has little accidents and as wives we just take them in our stride and thank goodness we have washing machines. The drugs need to be flushed out of the system and we were advised to drink more than normal even though liquid intake is limited due to the CKF. This flushing takes 2 to 3 days and can be out of any orifice. I found this out when I inadvertently took a sip out of his water bottle on the way back from a chemo session and was left with a most odd sensation in my mouth for several hours. The take out from this is, whilst the chemo is being flushed from the system, 1) hugs and cuddles are essential but be careful who you kiss. 2) If you have any little accidents ensure that clothes, bedding etc. are washed immediately and separately from other articles. 3) If you have 2 loos dedicate one for your husband to use and to flush it each time -preferably twice. 4) Mop up any spills immediately with toilet paper -why can't men aim straight? -then wash your hands and clean the floor and seat. 5) Have a shower at least daily with your own wash cloth and towel.

Having got to the bottom of things, pun intended, hope this helps on the journey to keep everyone having chemo safe.

I'm so grateful for your taking the time to write such detailed responses. We have a BP monitor and thermometer already, and now a diary for these notes and oximeter on the shopping list. I'm also wondering whether the school volunteering is worth it, so thinking of giving that a miss for a while. As you say, it's only for the duration of the treatment. Mr D is in his early 60s, has a Gleason of 9, diagnosed only the end of May when his longstanding 'running injury' hip pain was xrayed and identified as bone mets. Nobody talks prognosis here in UK, but we're being positive, as he's getting triplet therapy - extra hormone too. I'm so glad we started thinking about infection control early. All these responses have been so helpful and reduce the sense of overwhelm - thank you all so much!

Hi Downlander, 

I have found it really helpful to read people’s advice and experiences. Where did you get your thermometer and oxometer from. My husband is starting chemotherapy in a couple of weeks and I want to be prepared. I just started looking and not sure which is the best to buy. Also, are salads a no no? We eat quite a lot of them. Are there other foods to definitely avoid? 

Hello Jane.

Try getting the thermometer and oximeter at a chemists. Alternately a well known on line shopping platform have them. Personally I find the digital thermometer easier to use. Check out which oximeter the chemist has as they are usually tried and tested and check prices on line for comparison.

Salad leaf has a large surface area and is difficult to fully clean so I am avoiding it whilst my husband is on chemotherapy. Just think laterally and make like Greek salad where the tomatoes and peppers are easier to wash, add peeled cucumber and top with grated peeled carrot, or use shredded white cabbage heart. Even though it has been summer I have preferred to cook all meals to minimise the risk of any bugs in the food. The chemo can affect the gut so there is less stress on it if you eat smaller meals but more of them.

Some people sail through chemotherapy with no problems, others find it more troublesome. No one knows how you are going to react so make sure your medical team know of all side effects as they have an arsenal of supportive medication to either stop or reduce the them so that your husband maintains his quality of life..

All the best for his treatment in a couple of weeks time.

We bought the thermometer from boots and it is ok. We are avoiding salads and on the odd occasion we did have lettuce I washed it for ages. I read somewhere not to drink bottles water which surprised me. I now only buy veg and fruit that can be peeled. 

Thanks Alwayshope for all the info. It all feels a bit daunting, but I’m sure we’ll get into a routine with it all.