1st chemo day
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My early experience with steroids was that they wired me. Frequently I was up all night, only geting to sleep after 7:00 am.
Duke
Thanks for that Katrina. I know that this will be of help to many people. How are you feeling now?
Thanks again.
Gavin
My experience with Gem/Cis was that my premeds with some kind of steroid gave me energy that day. I’d plan shopping or fun those days. Then the next 2 days might be low energy and fatigue days. I slept whenever I wanted to (preferably in the media room on the recliner).
As treatment went on for months, I’d be energetic for a bit, but I couldn’t go over 40 minutes of activity without resting. At the end, I found myself drifting off during my favorite television shows. Big deal for me was my doc watching over my blood tests each week, eating foods that were good for me, not getting around foods that made me nautious (garlic roasted chicken, things with tomato sauce, spicy stuff). Always drank a bit of Sprite before dinner. Hope this helps some.
DixieVicki,
I second the warm/flat ginger ale.
As to the pounding and pressure off and on in your throat and chest area…..this ISN’T in your head. I experienced it from the first chemo also and didn’t need to exert myself all that much, especially in the later rounds of Gem/Cis.
Stop and take a rest more often as you’re doing things….just STOP! I also found that breathing exercises helped some to get rid of the feeling…breathing in very slowly through your nose and exhaling through your mouth (think very slowly trying to blow out a candle…not all at once).
At first, I was told it was probably “anxiety”, but I didn’t buy that. In later rounds of the chemo, it would happen more often with less activity. I found that it was related to my hemoglobin dropping…and dropping further and further below normal. Your body needs red blood cells to carry the oxygen to your tissues, including your heart and lungs….and when your hemoglobin goes down, there are less red blood cells to carry oxygen. When the hemoglobin gets too low, it can be a stress on your heart. You shouldn’t be anywhere near that point with just one treatment. Just be kind to yourself….continue to try to do the stuff you used to do, but rest more often. Your body is telling you something….and it’s not all in your head.
Now that my chemo is over….6 weeks now almost….that feeling of pressure you described is gone. It’s actually been gone for a while. My hemoglobin isn’t probably even to the bottom end of normal yet…..but it had come up some. I have tests again tomorrow, so will see what kind of improvement there’s been. I think hemoglobin usually is slower to improve.
Julie T.
Hi Duke! Ooh yes, I DID run into problems with my local ONC here in Boca Raton. He said that Dr. Javle’s script was not the normal protocol, blah, blah, blah. I then emailed Dr. Javle’s nurse asking for a recommendation of someone in the south Florida area that would work with MD Anderson. They told me one of his colleagues had worked with Dr. Patterson and he was very open to going along with Dr. Javle so I switched doctors. It was a mad rush at the last minute to get in with him before my trip, but I made it happen. Now that I’m on my vacation, I kind of wish that I would have held off on my first chemo treatment till after the trip. We hiked up steep hills today to see waterfalls and usually that would have been a snap, but I found my heart pounding and like this pressure on and off in my chest and throat area. I don’t know what that is all about, but if I would have realized how much of a toll chemo takes on the body, I would have waited. I imagine a lot of these things I feel are in my head.
I tried the flat ginger ale last time, but this time I’ll try it warm like you suggested. Thx
G’night!
VickiHope you are not traveling through O’Hare on the way home. Major issues resulting in flight delays and cancellations.
If you can’t keep down chicken soup, warm, flat ginger ale is the next best thing.
So, you had no trouble with your local clinic/hospital administering the treatment plan developed by Dr. Javle? I am running into a little unhappiness here simply because I was going to see Dr. Alberts at the Mayo Clinic for a second opinion. Fortunately, his opinion matches (for now) what my onc is planning (after some pushback from me on her first plan).
Duke
Great news, Vicki. We would never call you a slug……and get away with it! lol Glad you are having such a great time with the family and don’t worry about the chemo causing havoc when it may not even happen! Enjoy the rest of your visit and safe travel home.
Hi again! My trip is going just great! No one is sick now, including me. I feel so much better now. It’s too bad that since I feel so good, I have to have another chemo treatment on Thursday and mess up all this energy again. But maybe this treatment won’t produce the same sick feelings as last time. I can really see where walking and maybe doing a few weights could keep me strong in between treatments. It’s so easy to just get lazy and turn into a slug. Can’t have that happen! Lol
Ha, Vicki, Cancer is a lot of trouble not for the weak, just the strong. I would def stay away from the cougher and get a pack of the paper masks as your system will be vulnerable now. BTW take the mask off for the family photos!!! Enjoy your family visit!
Hi from Portland, Oregon, where I am enjoying a wonderful time with my family. Everyone is here and doing fine but my daughter arrived at 1 am…..COUGHING! All of the girls and I are sharing a room and now I am really worried. My chemo was Sept 24th and I think I read that my vulnerability is between the 7th and 10th day. Dang it! If I count Sept 24th as the first day, this would make today my 9th day. She probably caught something on the plane. Anyway, do you think if we just try to not sit next to each other and spray with Lysol , it will be ok? I’m not hugging anyone. Tomorrow is our family photo shoot and the beginning of what is supposed to be an action packed weekend. What are the odds of this happening? Lol. I wore a mask on the plane that I hated cause I couldn’t really breathe. Having cancer is just too much trouble!
Vicky….Based on the experience with my husband you should be over the worst and in the post-chemo recovery stage. I made sure to have my husband eat as much as he wanted and then enticed him with a few things he had not thought of. Have fun on your trip and make sure to have copy of some of your medical records and physician’s phone number on hand.
Hugs,
MarionHi Vicki,
Reminding your onc that you are away to travel wouldn’t be a bad thing to do IMO. As for the anti nausea, there are a ton of meds out there that can help. My dad had real issues with this and some meds worked better than others for him. Here is a link that will be of use to you.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/coping-with-cancer/coping-physically/sickness/
Hopefully you wont be sick on the next chemo, my fingers are crossed for that! Enjoy your travels too!
My best to you,
Gavin
Thx for advice. My ONC knows I’m traveling, but maybe I should call to remind him and ask for another form of anti nausea medication just in case this starts up again though I would imagine I’m good to go till the next chemo. Maybe next chemo I won’t be sick at all !
Hi Vicki,
Glad to hear that today is a better day than the previous few and quite a few people seem to go through that as well with chemo. Can’t share any personal experiences with chemo as my dad never had it but I know that others will share with you here. Hoping that you dfo get that big surge of energy so that you can get out and enjoy that week of fun you have planned!
My best to you and enjoy your week!
Gavin
Dear Vicki, sometimes I think those bad chemo starts are some kind of initiation in to a club no one wants to join! I hope you feel better for your trip. I would also give the ONC a call and let him know you are traveling and is there anything he could recommend for you. I commend your wonderful spirit. As for the hair loss I think anything can cause that like even an imbalance in your system. My body does the opposite on everything. I am on Remicade infusions for Colitis and it is supposed to cause hair thinning and my hair needs to be trimmed once a week! Have a wonderful reunion but please take it easy.
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