Hi,
I’m due to start my first chemotherapy on Monday 6th January, but I’m full of cold! Will they go a head with treatment?
Many Thanks
Baggy73, please let your team know you have a cold, they will assess you prior to chemo, even if you are feeling better, you need to let them know you’ve had a cold, still have a cold. Jump onto the January 2020 chemo thread and you can ?with others starting their chemo journey. Also there is the ask the nurse facility on here that will always be able to advise you. ??
shi xx
Hi Baggy
I thought they’d let me off a session when I had a cold but they just checked my temperature and forged ahead. The only risk is if you have a temperature. I guess they know when you’ve stopped being an infection risk, even if you still feel vile. Also (depending on which treatment you’re having), many chemo treatments include several days of protection with steroids so that takes you past the time when infection might be a risk to you. I did ask to go into a side room when I had a cough and was worried about infecting others. They arranged it but they weren’t concerned about my cough/others at all.
If it’s worse on Monday, ring the oncology unit first thing but they are almost certain to say go in. At least you will already have protection from the cold if anyone else in your household gets it.
Please make sure you have an accurate thermometer right from the start. My newly purchased one was faulty and I ended up with 4 days in hospital with neutropoenic sepsis!
I hope it all goes well for you. The treatment sounds scary but in fact it’s pretty uneventful on the day, everyone chatting, reading, sleeping, drinking cuppas. It’s hard to believe why we’re all there! Hope the cold eases for you. Jan x