Hi Julie 286 and everyone on the June 2015 thread I thought your post was really informative, Julie 286. I'm doing chemo at the moment - started in May- and I definitely agree that drinking lots of water is the answer. I'm not saying that you have to drink Lake Victoria but start drinking the moment you have had the chemo and carry on doing so. It's probably also a good idea to make sure your are hydrated before they give you the drugs although the drug is diluted by the saline drip, or at least I think that's the purpose of the saline drip. I'd also say: 1. Make sure you G.P. knows when you are going to start chemo so you then only have to give your name to the receptionist if you want to see the doctor that day. This avoids having to tell the receptionist your business. I've written about that somewhere. 2. I take ice lollies with me. One of the FEC drugs is the one that gives you the metallic taste in your mouth. When I'm about to have that one, I take a lolly from my cool bag and suck it. I haven't ended up with any metallic taste in my mouth. 3. I gargle with salted water about 5 times a day. So far this has worked and my mouth and throat is fine. I understand that manuka honey is very good for sore mouths. The cheapest place, by far, to buy manuka honey is Aldi. 4. Make sure you get a prescription before hand for senna pods and laxido. No point in hanging around on that one! 5. I pre-cook all meals for post chemo days and put them in the freezer because I know I won't feel like doing any cooking. 6. Definitely agree about taking any help that's offered. I made a list of things which would be of help and then friends/relatives took their pick from the list. 7. Try to maintain a sense of humour, although I know that's easier said that done. 8. Read Dr Peter Harvey's article - After The Treatment what happens next?" Aimed at people post treatment it is defintely worth reading now. There is also another article by Dr Peter Harvey called The Pitfalls of Positive Thinking, which is well worth reading. Both articles helped me. Once you get to the chemo ward it isn't anywhere near as scary as you think it's going to be. The place is orderly and everyone is just getting on with it. I have to admit that the first time I walked into the place I did feel like turning around and walking out but my friend, who went with me, told me that the sooner I sat down and got on with it, the sooner I would be out of there. I obeyed, just like a well-behaved child, and I was out of there within 90 minutes.
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