Can't seem to calm down after chemo teaching today

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  • RoseC
    RoseC Member Posts: 559
    #22
    Chris Ptown said:

    RoseC
    thank you so much! i think today when the chemo lady was talking to me and my sister and she talked about the purple chemo that is given on the first day and the first day of the last week it just made me really nervous...when she went through side effects she went through rare ones like heart attack and causing other cancer and it just scared me so much...my PET scan showed i have borderline enlarged heart so today was very scary for me...i just want the chemo to work right I guess is what i am saying

    thanks again Rose

    hugs

    Mitomycin C
    Yeah, the purple stuff - Mitomycin C - actually the color is really pretty. But you're right to have concerns about chemo no matter how pretty the color (haha) - it's powerful stuff.

    I was afraid of the chemo too, much more than I was of the radiation. It's such toxic stuff. But I made it through - not without difficulties, but I made it through. You will too.

    Make sure you report any side effects to your doctors. They'll monitor your blood counts (which will go in the dumper, but that's expected). Watch for unusual swelling, specially in your ankles. Some swelling can be normal, but report it anyway and keep on them about it. If you see brown colored urine, report it right away to the doctor (real brown, not dark yellow).

    Try to keep your sister informed about any unusual things you see or feel. She can talk to the doctors and help keep on them, as you might be feeling kinda weary for a while.

    And the secondary cancer thing - it's a possibility but certainly not a given and you really have no choice but to fight today's battle today - getting rid of the cancer. Try to let tomorrow worry about itself.

    You'll get through this Chris. You HAVE to - we need you!

    Big hugs to you too Chris - we're so glad to meet you!
  • Ann_i_
    Ann_i_ Member Posts: 47
    #23
    Chris Ptown said:

    Port Question Mary
    Mary so the chemo doesn't go to your heart but it goes everywhere else? I should have asked more questions today but I didn't. My sister wrote so much down as usual. I am so lucky to have her. The chemo teacher/doctor wrote a prescription for Avitan (think how it is spelled) and my sister thinks i should go to the drugstore with her and get it so it might help my anxiety. Not sure if it will. Reading yours and everyone else's post is certainly comforting to me. Can't thank you and everybody else enough.

    I looked up your question about ports
    I did a search (online) for information: The below sounds 'about right' though I can't say it is accurate, but it sounds good.(?)

    Quoted(copy and pasted from online source)

    They are used for a number of reasons. Primarily, a lot of the meds (chemo but also a lot of the other iv meds that she wil get) can damage the veins. The catheter protects the veins. The med will enter the catheter, the catherer threads through the vein and ends at the tip of the heart where the iv meds are immediatly mixed with the huge amount of blood at the heart, and no longer at such a concentration that would damage the veins as bad.

    -------------
    Don't stress over being scared, just one day at a time. (Everything is scary when you are on the side of 'haven't been there yet' and not so scary when you get to the 'been there and done that' side.)

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