During the actual chemo

Public Archive
1

Another thread for me…don’t know where I would have been without this website.

My Mum has her first chemo session tomorrow. I’m in that phase on the unknown again. I’ve read up on all the side effects that she could experience and am off today to get ginger snaps and travel bands!! I have also just reminded her to drink lots of water today in preparation!

But I’m going with her for the chemo and lets just say I’m not the best person when people are ill, let alone when it’s my Mum. She has always been so well so I’ve never seen her in hospital. I was just wondering if you could tell me what to expect during it, do you feel anything? When do you start to feel any of the side effects? I guess this would be a good time for me to get over my phobia of sickness!!

Really appreciate any advice you could give. Thanks.

2

Mmmm…lets see…when I go for my chemo sessions I take a video with me to watch… it takes two hours and I have LOADS of videos I can see… I sit there…get injected and then they take the needle out… I have a little weep because I always do, just the thought of all those drugs inside me sends me around the bend. Then I get collected by my hubby and about half an hour after treatment I feel a bit fuzzy in my head… don’t feel really icky until an hour later…but then everyone is different. I come home…munch on a water biscuit or three, drink some gingerale and go and have a rest. My red bucket stands at the side of my bed just in case and then my little ones load the bed with their soft toys…

Does that help?

3

Hi Michelle,

If your mum is on FEC there are very little sensations during the process. The Red one makes your wee red for a few days - hence drink loads of water!
The one makes your nose tingle and sometimes the one makes you feel a little light headed - but this does not last for long… But you must remeber that everyone is different!

I did not get and side effects until the evening which was just generally tiredness. I think this was due to the build up of actual event! Next day same tired and a dry mouth which chilled pineapple is good for that or cold grapes… make sure you take prescribed drugs - steriods, anti sickness even if your mum is not feeling sick these are a precaution!

As for you Michelle you sound strong! Your mum will just need you to reassure her… the chemo nurses are well experienced and are used to questions being asked so ask as many as you need - it does help…

I am not sure as every hospital is different bt at Stafford I did have along wait - so take some reading material etc…

I hope all goes well and it is a lot to take in. Send all my best wishes to your mum & a big hug for you…

Let us know how you get on

Take care both of you

Mel
xx

4

Hi Michelle

I have had 2 FEC chemos so far. My OH comes with me, and basically I sit in an armchair, feet reclined, take an anti sick tablet with water, then have needle put in (first time last week), and then they start with the intravenous anti sick tabs. My OH has to disappear when putting the needle in, as he is not good with anything gory, hospitals, blood, needles, everything really. Then we sit together chatting, or earwigging on other conversations, they change the intravenous bags every so often, with saline after anti sick to flush through, then start chemo stuff. We have something to eat and drink while there (well OH doesn’t get offered lunch), and it is all so very easy actually. There is no pain when the chemo is going through, and I don’t get any side effects (touch wood) so far in my treatment, apart from the hair loss. I do have brekkie in the morning and drink water during the journey there. But nothing special to be honest.

Your mum should be fine, and should not feel ill during the treatment and if she does, then you must tell a nurse immediately, although they will continually check with you.

Good luck and try not to worry too much. Hopefully your mum will not get side effects, but write down if she does for the next session as they can change anti sick tablets to try others, and if constipated will give you stuff. Any symptoms they can help you with.

Take care
Love
Dawn
x

5

Hi Michelle

Firstly, how lovely of you to be going with your Mum!

As far as I’m aware, everyone’s first chemo takes place in a side room of the clinic (at least mine did) so you have more privacy. I had my husband and two nurses with me, and before they did anything, they told me exactly what they were doing and why. Your Mum will be given anti-sickness tablets (or intravenously) prior to the chemo, along with steroids. Once the canular is in her hand, saline starts going through (this is to keep the veins open apparently), then the nurse started on the chemo. I had EC which I think a lot of us on here have had (turns your wee red!). The EC was in what I can only describe as a couple of large syringes, which she attached to the canula and slowly pushed it in. All the time she was doing this, she was telling me of all the possible side effects I might get, what foods to avoid, what to do and what not to do whilst on chemo - my mind was boggling by the time she’d finished! You leave the hospital with a variety of different drugs to take to alleviate the sickness which may or may not happen.

I had my chemo in the mornings and didn’t feel the affects until about 7pm - just sheer tiredness, and as if I was coming down with flu. Unfortunately I was sick on EC but once we found some tablets that worked for me, I managed to control it. In my case, I would say the effects lasted nearly a week - the tiredness was probably the worst. Being someone who runs around like a blue ar*ed fly most of the time, I found this very hard to come to terms with, but you just have to give into it, and go to bed !
My last four chemo’s were a different drug (taxol and gem), and I didnt start feeling the effects until two days later (which was good because it didnt spoil my weekends), but then I suffered with awful aching legs and pins and needles in my fingers and toes), along with the tiredness !

Your Mum should be fine while she’s having the chemo so don’t worry. It doesnt hurt, but her arm may go cold when the chemo goes in - they do give you a warm pad to put on it though.

Overall Michelle, everyone reacts differently to chemo. Although EC made me sick, my friend had hardly any effects. I think tiredness is the main issue, but the other ‘minor’ side effects were constipation, dry mouth and ulcers on my tongue. The hospital are brilliant though, they tell you not to suffer in silence, and any side effects you do have, they give you something for it.

Good luck for tomorrow - please let us know how it went. I’m sure your Mum will be fine.

Lots of love

Julie xx

6

Hi Michelle,

I started chemo in May and am on one called E-CMF. My first 4 sessions were ‘Epi’ only and I have since switched to the ‘CMF’ part. Do you know what chemo your mum will be having? I guess it’ll prob be E-CMF or FEC.

Anyway, the first session was fairly lengthy but I was still in and out in under 2 hours. Mind you I didn’t do the cold cap. There’s reams of paperwork to go through and they will prob talk through all the poss side effects. Please don’t let these freak you out too much! Your mum will have a cannula put in, and if she is having Epi or FEC this will have to go into her hand. The nurse will then connect her to a saline drip and will prob pop in some anti-sickness IV med at this time. I started with Epi, this is red and comes in 2 large syringes. It was administered via the syringe into my cannula very very slowly. The nurse was talking to me and reassurring me the whole time. My boyfriend was also with me, holding my hand throughout. He comes to every session with me, I couldn’t do it without him! I felt no ill effects at all when the chemo was being administered. When finished another anti-sickness med was given and the remaining saline drip was then run through. It is important that they do allow the drip to run through as Epi can be VERY harsh on the veins!!!

After all that, which really took no time at all, my cannula was removed and I was free to leave. Your mum will prob be given all manner of meds to take away with her, all of these will of course be explained fully by the nurses. I am always given a blood form too, ready for my next pre-chemo bloods. TOP-TIP - if your mum is having FEC or CMF then its a good idea to suck or eat something while this is being administered. I know it sounds mad but I suck on a mini-calipo. This is because one of the drugs can cause mouth ulcers whilst another can give you a weird ‘just jumped into a swimming pool’ feeling up your nose. The ice lolly stops any horrid feelings, tastes and sensations!!

I’m not sure what time your mum is going tomorrow but it is essential that she have either a light brekkie or lunch before she goes. Also, the more fluids your mum can stomach before and after the better really.

Take care and please let us know how you both get on,

Kelly
-x-

7

Hi Michelle

Seems different hospitals vary routine.

I had 8 FEC

Hubby came with me. He took a book. Wait in waiting room seems longest as my hospital always seemed to run late. I ended up in tears because of wait sometimes - take tissues with you.

My chemo was always in a side room and nurse put cannula in ( eventually - bad veins ). You’ll learn about these as your mum’s treatment progresses. The nurses hitched me up to a saline drip and they have these big 8inch long fat injection like looking things which they sat and injected into the line. Anti sickness, steroids and actual chemos, depending on variety.

One makes it feel like you’re sitting on a hedghog, one makes your arm feel very cold - like a piece of meat out of the fridge, and another makes your nose tingle. It took about 3/4 hour to have them all put through. One nurse was quicker and it felt worse so if that happens tell your Mum to ask them to slow down. They can also give you heat packs which make your arm feel more comfortable.

My appointments were always in the afternoon afternoon and it always seemed to be nearer 5 when we got out. I was never as ill as some of the others who post here so we trotted off to the supermarket and did our weekly shop and had tea out before the sickness set in. I worked on the princple that if I was going to throw up I might as well have had something I enjoyed first. We did this for the first 5 and then we just did our shopping as the yukky feeling seemed to come on earlier.

I took a sleeping pill for the first couple of nights after chemo as I felt more nauseous when I lay down.

You’ll meet the same people a lot of the time and it seems daft but there are light-hearted moments. You tend to compare notes with fellow patients.

Tell you Mum good luck and I hope she doesn’t have too bad a time

Marilyn x