1st Chem Treatment

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myturn
myturn Member Posts: 11
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hello, I am having my 1st chemo treament tomorrow. Could use any helpful tips and encourgement. Still having a hard time believing this happening. Is that noramal?
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  • tommaseena
    tommaseena Member Posts: 1,769
    #2
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    What type
    What type of chemo drugs are they having you on?

    Hugs,
    Margo
  • rac
    rac Member Posts: 2
    #3
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    first chemo
    it is pretty surreal isn't it? My second is tomorrow.......bring a book or mags or a friend or partner to pass the time. Everyone where you are going should be friendly and kind and understanding, it is normal, you have no idea what to expect......you won't feel all that different during the treatment, ask questions to the nurses or PA's or doctor about what to expect days later.....sometimes they will not suggest so find a nurse who likes to talk! i read up on everythingI'm taking but everyone experiences different side effects , more or less and hopefully, little to none. the drugs are tolerable today. I'm surviving it all but for me the booster shots were the worst and also loosing my taste and desire to eat.
  • Whoknowz
    Whoknowz Member Posts: 82
    #4
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    Was at that point Mon
    I just had my first chemo Mon. Luckily several others here were just starting late the week before and that helped. There are several different regimens tho -- the chemo drugs you get, how many times, etc -- so we can help more specifically if we know that.

    Like everything else attitude matters. I think we're all scared going in esp the first time because we don't know what to expect. Reactions and side effects are very individual. Lola or somebody here thought of the chemo as PacMan moving thru gobbling up the bad cells. I liked that and tried to shift my focus from "chemo" to medicine acting like PacMan or Sherlock Holmes wandering around with his magnifying glass. Not exactly correct but it helped me relax a little.

    The other thing I did was watch a couple of funny movies during chemo. Laughter is good for us, and with the headphones on I didn't hear most of the things going on in the room, some of which would probably frightened me. The downside to that was not getting to know many of the others there.

    Takr deep breaths, pray, meditate, whatever you do to calm yourself and keep doing it thruout the treatment. Then come back and tell us about it. This is a great group.

    Angela
  • Cat64
    Cat64 Member Posts: 1,192
    #5
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    MyTurn/Rac
    Good luck on your Chemo treatments tomorrow. Yes it is normal to be in disbelief. It's very hard to accept. When I started Chemo, I thought of it as finally taking the first step towards recovery. I was ready to get started.It will take a few hours so make sure you are prepared. Bring some water, snacks, something to do, and a positive attitude. Eat something before you go. And I agree-ask questions. Let us know how it goes.
    Hugz,
    Cathy
  • myturn
    myturn Member Posts: 11
    #6
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    tommaseena said:

    What type
    What type of chemo drugs are they having you on?

    Hugs,
    Margo

    Can't Remember
    I know the Dr. told me, but I had my mom there and she took everything down. She lives in WV and I'm in KS, she went back home last week. As soon as she gets back with me or tomorrow I will know what it is. All I remember is that it will be 4 treatments with 3 weeks in between each treatment. I feel really stupid, but that's why I had my mom with me. I wasn't planning on finding something like this discussion board, but I am glad that I did!
  • pitt
    pitt Member Posts: 387
    #7
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    First chemo
    Just try to remember that the first one takes the longest because they have to go extra slow to see how you are handling things. Try a lot of visual imagery...pac-man is a great one, I call it my cleaning, someone else mentioned little ninjas kicking cancer a^%! Whatever works for you.

    I take a chemo-bag with me:
    movies
    snacks
    WATER WATER WATER
    socks
    magazines and/or book
    headphones with favorite music

    Just try to stay positive and find the humor in the situation. None of us wants to be there, but since we are make the situation work for you.

    I'll be with you there today as well (just in a different state). Good luck and we can compare notes when you are up to it! Next time, jump in to the "Chemo Chicks" discussion group. I started one this morning. Our resident Queen is VickiSam. When you hear what she has been up to, you'll understand why the rest of us are "chicks" and she is the Queen!

    Best of luck!
    Pitt
  • myturn
    myturn Member Posts: 11
    #8
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    pitt said:

    First chemo
    Just try to remember that the first one takes the longest because they have to go extra slow to see how you are handling things. Try a lot of visual imagery...pac-man is a great one, I call it my cleaning, someone else mentioned little ninjas kicking cancer a^%! Whatever works for you.

    I take a chemo-bag with me:
    movies
    snacks
    WATER WATER WATER
    socks
    magazines and/or book
    headphones with favorite music

    Just try to stay positive and find the humor in the situation. None of us wants to be there, but since we are make the situation work for you.

    I'll be with you there today as well (just in a different state). Good luck and we can compare notes when you are up to it! Next time, jump in to the "Chemo Chicks" discussion group. I started one this morning. Our resident Queen is VickiSam. When you hear what she has been up to, you'll understand why the rest of us are "chicks" and she is the Queen!

    Best of luck!
    Pitt

    Thanks
    Thanks for the encourgement. All of the advice will come in handy.
    Paula
  • MyTurnNow
    MyTurnNow Member Posts: 2,686 Member
    #9
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    Welcome, myturn!!! We have
    Welcome, myturn!!! We have almost the same screen name. I have completed my chemo and it wasn't as bad as you think it will be, at least for me. I hope you have minimal side effects, too. Probably the most important bit of advice is to drink plenty of water to flush out your system. Drink it before, during and after. Best of luck to you and let us know how you're doing! Take care.
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #10
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    How did it go, Paula?
    The first one is the scariest b/c you have no idea what will happen and you can hardly believe it is you sitting in that chemo chair. But, believe me, it gets better and more manageable emotionally. Drink lots of water. I listened to a guided imagery CD; there are plenty available for chemo if you are into that sort of thing. About food: you might develop an aversion to food that you bring into the chemo room because of its association with the whole experience. There were certain foods I couldn't look at for a while after treatment ended. So you might want to avoid bringing your favorite foods in. Then again, that doesn't happen to everyone. Good luck. You'll do fine the first time. Let us know how it went.

    Mimi
  • myturn
    myturn Member Posts: 11
    #11
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    MyTurnNow said:

    Welcome, myturn!!! We have
    Welcome, myturn!!! We have almost the same screen name. I have completed my chemo and it wasn't as bad as you think it will be, at least for me. I hope you have minimal side effects, too. Probably the most important bit of advice is to drink plenty of water to flush out your system. Drink it before, during and after. Best of luck to you and let us know how you're doing! Take care.

    Support
    Thanks, I will be leaving in a few minutes from work. Will let you know how things go. I am sure it will be okay. Thanks for all the tips.
    Paula
  • laurissa
    laurissa Member Posts: 773
    #12
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    Hi
    Good luck with #1. It's not so bad during the treatment, just boring having to sit for so long. The side effects are different for everyone. Just expect about a week of blah. My #3 is Monday. You'll do fine.
  • elizarose
    elizarose Member Posts: 124
    #13
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    laurissa said:

    Hi
    Good luck with #1. It's not so bad during the treatment, just boring having to sit for so long. The side effects are different for everyone. Just expect about a week of blah. My #3 is Monday. You'll do fine.

    I was diagnosed Dec. 19,
    I was diagnosed Dec. 19, 2008 and I still can't believe this is happening...
  • brenda247
    brenda247 Member Posts: 124
    #14
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    been there..
    yes i know how you must be feeling.. we all have at some point.. like the others said take something to read listen to and snack on just the long wait can be so boring. It does effect each and everyone of us differently but with the meds they give you it makes it easier. So good luck to you and give yourself time to rest you will probally be tired a couple of days after well thats the way it was with me. so good luck to you and will be in my prayers!!
  • Kim59
    Kim59 Member Posts: 43
    #15
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    brenda247 said:

    been there..
    yes i know how you must be feeling.. we all have at some point.. like the others said take something to read listen to and snack on just the long wait can be so boring. It does effect each and everyone of us differently but with the meds they give you it makes it easier. So good luck to you and give yourself time to rest you will probally be tired a couple of days after well thats the way it was with me. so good luck to you and will be in my prayers!!

    chemo next month
    I saw the oncologist yesterday for the 1st time. I will be on Cytoxan and Taxotere. Anyone on these 2 drugs or have been on them.
  • MyTurnNow
    MyTurnNow Member Posts: 2,686 Member
    #16
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    Kim59 said:

    chemo next month
    I saw the oncologist yesterday for the 1st time. I will be on Cytoxan and Taxotere. Anyone on these 2 drugs or have been on them.

    Welcome, Kim59. There are
    Welcome, Kim59. There are several of us that are or have been on this cocktail. I have completed my chemo and this was my treatment 4 times every 3 weeks. As with any chemo, the most important thing is to drink plenty of water; before, during and after. I personally didn't have a lot of side effects from the chemo. They give several pre-meds nowadays so the side effects are minimal, or at least they were for me. Will you also get the Neulasta shot the next day? This is to help build the white blood cells. I did get some bone pain from this but it was tolerated and I used Tylenol to manage it. Good luck, you'll do fine and there are plenty of us here to help you along the way.
  • myturn
    myturn Member Posts: 11
    #17
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    mimivac said:

    How did it go, Paula?
    The first one is the scariest b/c you have no idea what will happen and you can hardly believe it is you sitting in that chemo chair. But, believe me, it gets better and more manageable emotionally. Drink lots of water. I listened to a guided imagery CD; there are plenty available for chemo if you are into that sort of thing. About food: you might develop an aversion to food that you bring into the chemo room because of its association with the whole experience. There were certain foods I couldn't look at for a while after treatment ended. So you might want to avoid bringing your favorite foods in. Then again, that doesn't happen to everyone. Good luck. You'll do fine the first time. Let us know how it went.

    Mimi

    Still Kicking
    Made it through the chemo. Haven't been to peppy this weekend. Slept alot. Hopefully this acheness will go away soon. Made it to work, not moving very fast, so wish me luck. Have to have this job.
    Paula
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #18
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    myturn said:

    Still Kicking
    Made it through the chemo. Haven't been to peppy this weekend. Slept alot. Hopefully this acheness will go away soon. Made it to work, not moving very fast, so wish me luck. Have to have this job.
    Paula

    Good to hear!
    Glad you made it through, Paula. I'm very impressed you're at work today. I took two days off and then worked at home for the remaining 3 everytime I had a treatment. No need to move fast. Just take it easy and slowly and eliminate anything non-essential. Your priority is you and your health. Good luck today.

    Mimi
  • blazytracy
    blazytracy Member Posts: 157
    #19
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    myturn said:

    Still Kicking
    Made it through the chemo. Haven't been to peppy this weekend. Slept alot. Hopefully this acheness will go away soon. Made it to work, not moving very fast, so wish me luck. Have to have this job.
    Paula

    I am glad to hear
    I am glad to hear you made it to work...that will be a strong priority with me also. I have my first chemo today at 3:00pm (a Tuesday!) Am scared that I won't be able to come back to work all week...?? I hope that I can. I see that it was a Fri, Sat, and Sun that you had to recover..hmmm...maybe I should set my chemo dates up for thursdays instead of tuesdays.?

    How are you feeling today? I hope that you are doing just fine.

    Good luck with future treatments, wishing you the best, hope to follow in your footsteps regarding the work thing.

    Tracy
  • S3
    S3 Member Posts: 28
    #20
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    I was so nervous about my
    I was so nervous about my first one I called my family doctor for an antiaxiety. My voice was shaking.It is perfectly normal to have a hard time believing that this is happenng to you. Take it one day at a time and call the doctor/Nurse with concerns or anything they may be able to help you with. Write down questions so you don't forget them. I just finished 5 of 6 and doing okay most days. There are a lot of nice medications on the market that help with the side affects. Make sure you know what to take for which one so you feel okay. Controling the side affects and eating healthy are keys to feeling as well as possible. I have only had to take off work 1-5 days per treatment. I felt like going to work, wasn't forcing it.
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #21
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    blazytracy said:

    I am glad to hear
    I am glad to hear you made it to work...that will be a strong priority with me also. I have my first chemo today at 3:00pm (a Tuesday!) Am scared that I won't be able to come back to work all week...?? I hope that I can. I see that it was a Fri, Sat, and Sun that you had to recover..hmmm...maybe I should set my chemo dates up for thursdays instead of tuesdays.?

    How are you feeling today? I hope that you are doing just fine.

    Good luck with future treatments, wishing you the best, hope to follow in your footsteps regarding the work thing.

    Tracy

    Timing your chemo
    Timing can be pretty important if you're working, Tracy. See how this one affects you and then you can adjust. For instace, if you get symptoms on day 3, you can schedule for Wednesdays and then have the weekend to recover. I always did mine on Fridays, but then spent the following week at home. That worked for me. Good luck. I hope you're feeling well.

    Mimi

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