Carbo/Taxol

Hello Nit.Thu57

I had carbo/taxol and 6 hours 15 mins sounds about right. I was in from around 8-5 for the same chemo however it took a little longer as I used the cooling cap. I also had blood tests done at the hospital on the actual day that I had to wait for. 

It seems a long appointment but when you first go in they need to do your obs, height and weight etc. Bloods are needed unless you have had them taken within the last couple of days by you GP practice. 

It takes them a while to put in the canula (if you have one) and to talk you through what is going to happen. They need to run through a saline flush first. You are then given your pre meds- I had piriton, an anti sickness and then they had to run through a steroid infusion (dexamethasone- I think it was called) This all would take around an hour. The paclitaxel infusion is given first and takes 3 hours to run through. After that it is another flush. The carboplatin takes around 1 hour. Then there was another flush. After that they talk you through your meds and what you need to do at home so that takes perhaps another 30 mins. Then if you are feeling well you can go. 

At my hospital volunteers come round with regular cups of tea/coffee with biscuits and also at lunchtime they bring sandwiches, yoghurts etc. So yes 6 hours does sound fairly accurate. Most people who were on the same infusions as me would arrive around 9 ish and go around 4. People who were just on carboplatin tended to be there around 2 hours.

Hope this helps but if you have any questions please do ask. Good Luck

Jane

Hello and welcome to the group

I agree with jane2511 about the timings.  I had carbo/taxol last year and was I in the chemo unit from at least 0830 to 1630.  There is a chemotherapy thread on this forum but I am not sure how to attach it for you to read-if you type on chemotherapy thread in the search it may come up or someone else may be more savvy and able to attach it for you.  I hope all goes well.xx

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Here is a link to the pinned Chemotherapy support thread: community.macmillan.org.uk/.../chemotherapy-support-thread

Thank you . I've read several threads saying they administer benadryl beforehand . Are many people allergic? 

You will likely get more responses if you post on that thread !

In my hospital they gave you Piriton in case of any allergic reaction. Also steroids. I did not have any allergic reaction, just the normal side effects. However there are ladies on here that I remember did have reactions. Am not sure how many do actually have reactions but I suppose that is the purpose of the piriton before hand- it's to help prevent reactions. 

Thank you for adding the link xx

Hello Nit.Thu57

Good luck with your forthcoming treatments, the nurses will monitor you throughout treatments and you will be in safe hands. Please do remember to drink plenty of water on the day of treatments(you will be having lots of trips to the loo, while hooked up to the chemo, they unplug you so you take the stand with you to toilet )and the days following, I was advised to do this to flush out the kidneys from the chemicals in the chemo. You will be given drugs following the chemo to stop nausea and any possible inflammation, you probably have already been given a card for emergency -this is a signal to the medics that should you present yourself at A&E with a possible infection, you must be treated asap for possible sepsis.So everything should be in place for the treatments to go smoothly. I bought a thermometer as was also advised to take my temperature regularly during treatments. Do take a book or knitting etc as it's a long day. I took my iPad to watch films etc but it was pretty much impossible as too much going on and interruptions from the medics constantly checking on you, and trips to the loo etc, LOL!

Hope all goes well, take care x