Chemo

Hi Lindy 

Chemotherapy can be very daunting ..I felt the same ..

I am now 3 down out of 4 Chemotherapy cycles

I am  on Paclitaxel and Carboplatin. 

I was so worried about the side affects ..

But they were very doable. 

Your oncologist will go though all side affects with you  ..

I worried alot about catching an infection mentally this was hard ..

I started my cycle 22nd of November

1 day in hospital then approx 21 days off ..

I will admit due to the time of year(winter) I have limited who I see and do not go into public spaces. This helps to ease my worries 

Due to the combination of chemotherapy drugs I recieved I did loose my hair after the 1st cycle around day 14 onwards .

I choose not do do cold capping  .. you will be given the opportunity to dicuss this treatment . ..but for me personally it was not for me .but its worth checking out .

I was very prepared  for my hairloss both physically and mentally .I was given a NHS wig  voucher ..and choose a lovely wig  

You will have a fantastic team supporting you 

There is a dedicated triangle line that is available 24/7 for any concerns you get while recieving treatment. 

Try and take one day at a time ..

If there is anything you would like to ask pleaes do not hesitate. 

Best wishes .

Thankyou for your reply. 
My chemo will be palliative and although I know this isn’t a death sentence I’m very frightened and can only think of end of life and leaving everyone . 
just can’t believe this is happening to me

Yes, it was a huge shock for me as well as I have been very healthy up to being diagnosed with Serous Endometrial Cancer.  Mine spread to the surface of an ovary but the medical staff still used the word curative to me.  I hope the chemo clears up your cancer.  Hearing from people who are still alive and doing well years later after their womb cancer diagnosis helps my spirits.  I’m still trying to figure out if I want to do the 25 rounds of external radiation I was offered.  They did not suggest Brachytherapy for me.  I’m in Canada and we seem to do slightly different treatments here than you do in the UK.

Hi Miss Lindy

I had chemo during 2022 and am now 2 years post treatment. If you click on my name my profile will come up showing the timings etc.

It is hard when you are told you need chemo and I remember feeling really scared. My chemo was carboplatin and paclitaxel and I had 4 cycles of 21 days. I had a lot of fears about chemo before I had it but it was a lot different to how I believed it would be. it was tough at time and there were side effects. However it was doable and most side effects could be managed with medication. The first was the worst one as you don't really know how it will affect you but once that one was done- it felt a bit easier. 

One thing that can worry people is the hair loss but I did scalp cooling and kept a lot. 

If there is anything you want to ask about, please do so. 

Jane

Hi Miss Lindy,

I was diagnosed with womb cancer in December 2020, i had the full abdominal hysterectomy and was told the cancer had spread to both of my ovaries, it was in the washings and had LVSI. 
I did 6 rounds of Chemo which I was absolutely dreading. For me it was no where near as bad as I had been fearing. I felt poorly on day 3/4 after having the treatment every three weeks. My legs ached and I was extremely tired on those 2 days,  the rest of the time I felt okay and could carry on doing this things pretty much as normal. No sickness etc. I then did 5 weeks of radiotherapy. I had no side effects from this other than being quite fatigued when it had all finished. I think that was more the travelling back and forwards to the hospital every day though too. I finished treatment in Sept 2021, had a scan in October 2022 due to a bit of back pain and it was all clear. I have moved from 3 monthly check ups now onto 6 monthly ones and all been clear so far. I am over 4 years clear from date of my surgery. I know how scared and worried you must feel, I felt exactly the same but like DidiOntario said as well I really found hope it other peoples positive stories so I felt I should reply to you with mine. Wishing you both all the love and strength to get through your treatments. Catherine xxx

Thankyou so much . 
I’ve had my dates for blood tests etc and chemo starts on 4th Feb . Very nervous . My cancer has a high chance of reoccurring but doesn’t mean it will anytime soon and hopefully I get through chemo will zap all those microscopic cells that can cause problems .

Hi Lindy, my oncologist had given me a loooong list of possible side effects before my treatment started and it was terrifying. It helps to bring a loved one or friend with you, especially on the first day. I was most scared of having an allergic reaction to the carboplatin and paclitaxel. But the nurses assured me with a joke, "We have every known drug on hand to counter every reaction, so don't worry." In the end, it all went well. And the side effects (in my case) were limited to hair loss, some leg pain and tingling in the feet, as well as fatigue. You may have some sleepless nights. They sent me home with a tonne of pain meds and anti-nausea meds, and I didn't need any of them. I'm not saying chemo is PLEASANT. It's just that, you're probably not going to have every single side effect they warn you about, so take some comfort in that. I find the fatigue the hardest part to deal with. It accrues over time, so do ask friends and family for help. Put life on hold and focus on taking care of you while you're going through this. Fingers crossed it all goes well for you!

Hope yesterday went well for you take it easy listen to your body and take your temperature and dont hesitate to ring the triage line if you have any concerens x