Advice for Chemotherapy

U might want to post this in the Chemotherapy group too?

hi 

the first few should be np if ur relatively fit and stay positive , i worked through the whole course !

my hair fell out after the first session ! the worst thing for me was the metallic mouth makes ur food taste crap !!

i struggled to sleep on the steroids u have to take over the 3 days , bit of constipation for a few days .

there's all kinds out there to help combat the side effects , read up and ask questions .

hope it all goes well 

Some time ago someone suggested sucking frozen pineapple chunks to stop the metallic taste.  If you can stick it then use the cold cap to lessen hair loss, and also use the caffeine shampoo as people have reported that this also lessens hair loss - Alpecin is one trade name for this.  I did not have chemo but my brother in law did and these tips came from him.  He managed to wear the cold cap for two sessions but then just couldn't take it any more.  In the end using the Alpecin shampoo he didn't lose all his hair but a fair amount.  It grew back dark - he was white before so looks younger now than he did before chemo!  Hpe these work for you.

Des

As for steroids i have heard someone call them "the devil's tic tacs"  They are not the best experience.  My wife suffers from asthma and used to take them a lot and didn't get sleep for nights on end.  Now she tries to avoid them.

Des

Morning YoungMan  John,

Noticed you mention you are having Docetaxel chemo, hopefully others here who have had the same will give you their experiences of it.

My wife had this for breast cancer so i'm assuming these comments may well apply to you as well...

Take the meds they give you, they can ward off any reactions and help with nausea. Better to not be sick than trying to get on top of it if it has already started. Try not to take your last steroid in the evening they will stop you getting to sleep until the small hours otherwise.

Everyones docetaxel journey can vary slightly, so you don't know really what to expect until it affects you.

Get meds for both constipation and diahorrea as it can slow down or speed up your intestines rythmn so you will be covered for both options.

Firstly it took the docetaxel around 3 days to get fully into her system so it gave her what you could term a honeymoon period where you feel ok and wonder if it is actually doing anything. This was followed by feeling very fatigued and achey some days - for around a week.

Other things to keep a look out for are mouth ulcers, possibly oral thrush. Low white cell count (middle week of three) assuming this will be every 3 weeks. Where you are prone to picking up infections as your immune system will be quite low. Take your temp a few times a day and if it gets to 37.5 or higher that is when you ring the Onco Unit for advice.

You taste buds will suffer and food and even drink can taste odd, don't let this put you off eating just try changing your diet to food you can get some enjoyment from. Keep your fluid intake up as this will help keep you hydrated and keep your kidneys flushed.

Do keep a check on any tingling or numbness in your fingers or toes as this could be a sign of Peripheral Neuropathy and can get worse as you go through your sessions. This can become very debilitating and painful so if you find this happening tell your oncologist straight away - they may lower your dose slightly...

Hope this is of some help and that the chemo is kind to you, G n' J

Hi John,

I finished my 6 cycles of Docetaxel in July.... the actual process of having it is a doddle you just sit there and drink tea and nibble on biscuits which were freely available at Sunderland Royal Hosp - if you don't like needles you can easily look the other way - I didn't look at my arm once when the canula was in - but then I'm a wuss 

Afterwards I always felt ok until later on the day after when I started to get tired and achy and this got worse over the next couple of days, then started to fade so that after a week it was virtually all gone. Most of the time it didn't stop me doing anything I wanted to - I worked most days, I still walked the dog, did the dishes! etc ate what I wanted - although the weird taste in your mouth made the food taste funny on occasions - strongly flavoured foods I found better during this period. 

I drank loads of water, which means lot of trips to the loo - but most of us in this "club" are used to that, but its important to stay well hydrated, you may notice that your skin can get a bit dry on your hands - if so have more to drink - I kept several bottles in the fridge so I always had nice cold water available. I also had a non scented moisturiser which I used fairly often on my hands as they always felt dry...

Get a thermometer and check your temperature as often as you can and if it exceeds 37.5 give your nurse a ring immediately - don't do as I did once and wait until "office hours" to ring instead of doing it at 5:30am when I noticed the increased temperature - I got told off when I went in later that morning (in as nice a way as possible!). I managed to pick up two infections during my 6 cycles - Cellulitis and a UTI... both of which were treated with antibiotics and cleared up quickly enough to allow my treatment to proceed.

Earlier I said that I was ok most of the time - the effects of the chemo are cumulative and I found that cycles 1 to 4 were not too bad, but 5 was worse and with cycle 6 I just couldn't shake off the tiredness and aches and ended up having to take two weeks off work.

The time period while you are having the chemo seems like a long stretch when you first start but the weeks fly by and before you know it its all done and you can ring that bell (if you have one at your centre)… Good luck with it all, ,please ask any questions you may have.

Kevin

I got a post on fb last evening with 6 things to try if you get chemo related nausea so will repeat them here for you should this happen to you. 

1  If the smell of cooked food or food cooking makes you feel sick then eat cold or slightly warmed food. 

2.  Frequent small meals and snacks each day instead of large portions can reduce the feeling of nausea.

3.  Chewing food well can trick the stomach into thinking there is less there and prevent nausea and vomiting.

4. You could try having small meals a few hours before treatment but not just before.

5.  Light bland foods such as toast and crackers are better than rich food.

6.  Eat before you get hungry.

We also find that  sucking crustallised ginger tends to help with nausea.  Doesn't work for everyone but if you are poorly always worth a try and it tastes great and feels like a treat.

Hi

One of the most important things is to remember your blood count will be low, so steer clear of any one with an infection and check your temperature twice a day morning and night if you have a problem with either of these then phone your specialty nurse, 

hope that helps

joe