Beginning Chemo tips

Hello ladies! I begin my treatment next thurs at Leicester Royal for multiple target lesions on my liver.I just wanted to ask you chemo warriors for helpful tips that you have found to help thank you xx

Hi Deb,

I had IV chemo 10 tears ago and the one thing I would have liked to have done was to go to a beautician to get shown how to draw eyebrows on properly. I know it sounds a bit vain, but I hated not having eyebrows. I had a great wig but I felt I looked odd without my eyebrows which fell out towards the end of my chemo. xxx

Thanks for that help mine are already thin lol I will ask when I go out xx

Hiya debs
My chemo was twelve years ago but the thing I did was keep a daily diary of how I felt. As you usually have six or more over several months …it helps to know your bad days during the cycles so you can keep a normal routine around it and plan things.
Loads of ice lollies will help too.
Hugs xx

Thanks loads but if you and waffles had chemi years ago what are you both having as treatment? Xx

Hiya debs
I take hormonal pill letrozole , denosumab injection for bones and Adcal calcium.
As long as hormonal works …chemo is not on cards again. Im nearly 64 and to b honest don’t think I could cope with some of the strong iv stuff … but I’m a wimp not like the other ladies here.
Hugs xxx

Now I am wondering why I wasn’t put on hormone treatment first instead of chemo?? I’m episode and her pod??

Hi Deb,
I was diagnosed with secondaries in bone a year ago and then in liver in December. I was on letrazole at time of secondary diagnosis having previously been tamoxifen before that… Was switched to aromasin (and zometa) another hormonal treatment but it became obvious in December it had failed totally when liver mets found. Switched to Capecitabine an oral chemo and also denosomab for my bones in December which seem to be holding everything at bay. Also on long acting morphine and gabapentin for pain and adcal as calcium supplement.
Best wishes xxx

Hi Debs,

i had pre op chemo in 2001, plus post op chemo that year by choice as most of my L/N were affected.
my cancer is strongly oestrogen positive. And so after that I was put on letrozole, but at that time, I didnt have Liver mets.

 

after quite a few years on letrozole, my cons told me that I could stop as it was a new drug and they had no way of knowing what long term effects on the brain would be. So I stopped and the cancer came back…into my Liver and spine.

 

Now looking at yourself…from what you have shared, you have liver mets. My guess is that you are starting chemo because ‘they’ are keen to halt the bu**er in its tracks before it spreads further.
like these ladies, I went onto chemo after it went to my liver…

 

after the capecitabine failed, i asked to try Letrozole again- they let me, but it didnt work. i went onto Vinoralbine and that didnt work either.

 

chemo is stronger and hopefully this will stop further spread for you and reduce any current lesions.

I was 52 when diagnosed and am now 67… And am just about to start my second cycle of Eribulin (chemo) because they say that is the next drug I am currently eligible for.

 

We are all different and the best thing you can do is to write all your questions down( I just hand over my ipad!) and ask them to elaborate/explain…if that is what you want to do. lots of ladies dont want to know, but you sound as if you do.

 

i am having to re-explore my tips for myself. I can list some things here for you, but depending on the chemo, you may not need them all.

 

I used to take a flask of chopped fruit to work ( when I was working through my first chemo’s) so I could nibble when hungry. Eat small frequent meals.

i carry anti sickness and anti diarhoea tabs, paracetamol, and canesten cream, .e45, femfresh wipes and spare knickers arounvd with me if im out /away from home for any length of time and im not sure yet about how I will be feeling on this chemo, so I got a friend to drive me last time to/from the hospital.

I still have my old wigs, but am seeing the appliances lady to get a new one, asap.

 

 I have bad veins so drink 1.5 litres prior to blood tests and Treatment.( I only have one avail arm as have lymphoedema) the other ladies may be able to point you towards a thread where a lovely chemo shopping list is helpfully set out…I just looked for it for you but cant find it…I noted down a few things from it tho;

like finding small handy packets of tasty foods, such as cottage cheese, dry Crackers, boiled sweets( I found some sugar free in Tesco, sweetened with Steviol) eg not large quantites as they fould get wasted.

 

also, for cracked red fingers, I dicovered ‘Udderley Smooth’ cream, very good but expensive and hard to source. I carry plasters around too. My nails have split and are a source of infection, so im trying to keep them short as poss.

 

i hope things go well for you, do keep us posted. I, like Carolyn said, feel I dont want to go through it again and im pretty scared as im now older…but I also feel priviledged as I am( currently) still here and some others arent…so  I  feel I owe it to them to make the best of what I have…

 

we are living in an interesting time period, hopefully al, will be revealed soon as they are making inroads into cancer.

 

love and hugs, Moijan

Hiya ladies
I think we are all different and have to rely on our oncologist to prescribe the best treatment for our own situation.
I have bone Mets to spine hips pelvis and my mobility is poor …I use a stick and can’t do more than a few aisles of Sainsburys . Some ladies here …are swimming and walking dogs etc with the same dx.
I don’t really take any pain relief ( apart from a hot water bottle !!) Some ladies take a lot so we are all different.
Chemo is the same …had mine in 2004 age 52 and sailed through it …although the hair loss was the worst bit …some ladies have a lot more niggles .
But …these threads will always be a good source of kindness and support through the dark times.
Hugs xxx

Hello Caroline was yours secondary in 2004?

Do any ladies live in Leicester ?x

Hiya debs
No my primary was 2004 and I had 11 clear healthy years …I was devasted 2015 to get secondaries after so long …I had forgotten all about bc by then and was looking forward to retirement and travelling …not to be.
Sorry I live in Devon …
Hugs xxx

Hi Deb

 

i am due to start on Docetaxel a week on Monday.  I say “due to” because it has been postponed once already because Christies phoned me about a trial.  For a few reasons the trial thing didn’t work out so back at Plan A.

 

anyhoooo, when I had my last primary in 2014 I was on FEC.  

 

I know Docetaxel has some different side effects but a lot are similar,   FEC completely floored me for a week after, every time, but the chemo  nurse I saw for my pre-chemo assessment this time said it should not have been that bad and it could have been the dose was too strong for me (fat lot of good that did!) I was in Belgium when I had the treatment so maybe the language barrier meant I couldn’t articulate exactly how it was affecting me, and to be honest I just assumed it was normal.  

 

So, a few of my tips … Don’t overdo it, even if you feel fine a few days after.  Try and eat.  I ate very little in "chemo week " which I don’t think helped.   Be careful what you eat,  as you might go off it forever!   the first chemo I had, they gave me pasta in a tomato sauce and after that it took me about 2 years before I could even look at pasta again - just the association I suppose!  I was wondering if I could do it with chocolate this time round, see if it makes me cut down on the chocolate habit ;-) 

 

I went off tea almost immediately, fruit teas were okay for a while until I went off them too.  I’ve bought some PLJ (the lemon stuff) to see if that helps, to out in water - as water started to taste disgusting too.   

 

Hair and eyebrows - I didn’t care about my hair, I just wore hats and lovely scarfs tied around them at the side to give them a bit of body,  it was nice not having to blow dry my hair every day ;-).

 

My eyebrows mostly disappeared which was the thing I really didn’t like.  I thought I had drawn them in well but looking back at photos, I now think it didn’t do them dark enough,  this time I am taking a “before” photo of my eyebrows so I have a guide for how they should look :-) 

 

xxx

 

Hi Deb, I had my chemo in early 2015, it was for primary (not having it for secondary as they only found one bone met and took it out).

You’ve got some good advise already, I’d particularly remember the drinking water, especially after as it gets rid of it quicker. And ginger! my taste buds gave up and the only thing I could taste was ginger (ginger dark chocolate. Yum)!

My silver lining was not having to shave my legs or underarms for ages ! I have a nice collection of hats which I used and hair started coming back after 2nd treatment, I know it varies but mines now back to normal!

It’s not fun but you’ll be amazed how quickly it goes by

Let’s us know how it goes

A X

Hi, I finally feel like things are moving along now. I met my oncologist on Tuesday, what a lovely man who made me feel positive, I’m going for pre chemo chat today, then hopefully will get date to start chemo. It’s funny, I’ve been wanting to just get started but now the time is nearly here,  it’s scary. I’m going to have picc line, wondering will I feel it there all the time? Been reading all your tips and trying to take it all in this morning (stayed away from forum this past week). Hope your first treatment went OK DebHummingbird. Hugs everyone xxx :smiley:

Hiya Jules
Once you get the first chemo under your belt you will feel better and be able to work a timetable with good and bad days.
The picc line will b a godsend to avoid hint the vein …I had mine in 2004 but I think they position them better now so you don’t feel them so much …they have to b flushed regularly .I had mine in for six months.
Hope this helps

Jules …
You are not a wimp ! Some of the things we face would put the fear up the doctors / nurses if they had to go through it.
My nurse that does my blood monthly …has to be sedated before she can face it herself!
It will b fine especially with good support You have around you

Stay with us …we are always here.
Xxx

How are you doing? I’m sitting in chemo x

Hello debs
Just think of that toxic stuff being shot through the veins as a loaded gun shooting the little uggers that have squatted in your body without permission.
Hugs xx​:heart::heart::heart: