Im New here (Natalie)

braelee2

CherylHutch said:

Hey Natalie!
Sorry.. in the other post of yours asking about hair, I called you Braelee and now see your name is actually Natalie

Girl, you have come to the right place! You are really scared, the fear of losing your hair, although may sound like vanity speaking is actually a very real and normal fear. Every time you think about "I have cancer! I have to go on chemo! I am going to be sick and weak!", is it any wonder you break down and cry every time??

The good news is, you are here on a support board where we all have been through the exact same fears and have been terrified. Until most of us found this board and found there are a LOT of people who were going through the same thing we were and came out just fine, there was nothing to ease those fears. Family and friends are great... but they don't really know what we are feeling and there's nothing they can say or do to ease those fears so we feel isolated. But you have made the first step to getting rid of those fears... and that is finding this board.

So, first things first... breathe. Big deep breaths. Allow yourself to admit that you have cancer... but cancer is no longer the end of the world. If you were diagnosed with Diabetes in August, would you be terrified that you were going to die? No. Because you know diabetes can be treated and monitored so there's not need to be scared, you just have to buckle down and do what needs to be done to get the diabetes under control... and yes, you will have to live with it for the rest of your life but you will be living WITH diabetes not dying from it.

That is how you have to look at your cancer. You are young. You have a long road of work as a mother ahead of you, so you have to buckle down and either get rid of your cancer (depending what stage it is) and if it is Stage IV, then fine... you have to just learn to roll with the punches and make sure you are getting the treatments you need to keep this monster under wraps and in control Diabetes is a monster, so is cancer... both have to be tamed and kept under control at any given time

So, in the other post you mentioned you will be getting a port put in and then chemo starting in October. Here's a few pointers to ponder:

1) The insertion of the port is a "day surgery"... you go in, they give you the sleepy meds where you wake up not realizing you've had the procedure done. Some people go right to sleep and don't remember the procedure at all. If you are like me, I was wide awake for the whole procedure despite the meds... but they freeze the area so well, there was no pain involved until later when the freezing came out. Then, it wasn't so much "pain" as an "ache" that lasted a couple of days. I couldn't lift my arm without causing the ache... but like I say... that only lasted a couple of days. After that, you will be SOOOOO GLAD your oncologist ordered the port to be put in. When you are getting hooked up to the chemo, there were others in the chemo unit who didn't have the port and were getting their chemo via intravenous in their hand or arm... and they looked SOOOO uncomfortable. You will be thankful for your friend, the port

2) The chemo unit. This is where you go for a couple of hours every two weeks to get intravenous chemo before they hook you up to a little portable pump that looks like a baby bottle that you get to wear for 48 hours. The chemo unit staff (chemo nurses/technicians) are absolutely fantastic!! Seriously, they are the most caring, wonderful people who know their business and know what to look for. If you have ANY questions, no matter how small or insignificant... do not be afraid to ask them.. they are a wealth of information. When you finish chemo, it never fails... you are going to miss the staff and the chemo unit like you wouldn't believe. You won't miss the chemo... but you'll miss the caring and wonderful attention of these guys and gals.

3) The chemo pump. Hate it... it's a pain! Nothing wrong with it, it doesn't hurt, nothing like that... it's just a total pain and inconvenient. You are hooked up to it for 48 hours every two weeks so that you can go home. Oh sure, you can walk around with it, leave the house, drive, whatever... just get yourself a fanny pack so you can carry it around in a fanny pack. Or, one of those water bottle holders that you can attach to a belt and the pump goes in, just like a water bottle. But it's the little things that are annoying... trying to shower with it and not get it wet. Sleeping with it (whoever thought sleeping with a baby bottle was so annoying??) But, knowing that the meds in this bottle are killing off cancer cells... you just put up with the inconveniences of the bottle.

4) Chemo reactions. Everyone is different. Some are really affected by it and others are not. I fell in the middle. It didn't stop me from doing anything I wanted to do. There were a couple of days each cycle that I was more tired than usual, so I'd make sure I allowed myself to take naps as needed. Nausea was not a big deal for me... it never really got bad but then at the sign of nausea I would take meds so that it wouldn't develop into anything. I had no hair "loss" per se... just thinning that I noticed, but no one else did. I did get neuropathy in my feet which is a numbing/tingling feeling... that did get worse over time. The Oxypilatin is the nasty one... it can give you a real sensitivity to cold while you are on it... but as soon as you are on a break after the 48 hours, that sensitivity goes away. So you really are only putting up with it for 2 days or so.

Ok... that's the basics. As you think of it, you are going to have lots of questions... so feel free to ask them here. ALSO... BIG TIP... when you go to your various doctors' appts (of which there will be many), take a notepad, and better yet, take someone with you. It will be amazing how much you DON'T hear, yet a second set of ears will pick up on and remind you what the doctor said or didn't say. As you come up with questions, write them down... trust me, you won't remember them when you go to see your doctors, so take your notepad with them to the appts.

Welcome aboard... although I really wish you didn't have to join us!

Cheryl

WoW
Thank you so much u are a god sent. You answered so many questions and thoughts I had.
I am so thankful I found this board and so greatful for all the people that are helping me through this.

braelee2

CherylHutch said:

Hey Natalie!
Sorry.. in the other post of yours asking about hair, I called you Braelee and now see your name is actually Natalie

Girl, you have come to the right place! You are really scared, the fear of losing your hair, although may sound like vanity speaking is actually a very real and normal fear. Every time you think about "I have cancer! I have to go on chemo! I am going to be sick and weak!", is it any wonder you break down and cry every time??

The good news is, you are here on a support board where we all have been through the exact same fears and have been terrified. Until most of us found this board and found there are a LOT of people who were going through the same thing we were and came out just fine, there was nothing to ease those fears. Family and friends are great... but they don't really know what we are feeling and there's nothing they can say or do to ease those fears so we feel isolated. But you have made the first step to getting rid of those fears... and that is finding this board.

So, first things first... breathe. Big deep breaths. Allow yourself to admit that you have cancer... but cancer is no longer the end of the world. If you were diagnosed with Diabetes in August, would you be terrified that you were going to die? No. Because you know diabetes can be treated and monitored so there's not need to be scared, you just have to buckle down and do what needs to be done to get the diabetes under control... and yes, you will have to live with it for the rest of your life but you will be living WITH diabetes not dying from it.

That is how you have to look at your cancer. You are young. You have a long road of work as a mother ahead of you, so you have to buckle down and either get rid of your cancer (depending what stage it is) and if it is Stage IV, then fine... you have to just learn to roll with the punches and make sure you are getting the treatments you need to keep this monster under wraps and in control Diabetes is a monster, so is cancer... both have to be tamed and kept under control at any given time

So, in the other post you mentioned you will be getting a port put in and then chemo starting in October. Here's a few pointers to ponder:

1) The insertion of the port is a "day surgery"... you go in, they give you the sleepy meds where you wake up not realizing you've had the procedure done. Some people go right to sleep and don't remember the procedure at all. If you are like me, I was wide awake for the whole procedure despite the meds... but they freeze the area so well, there was no pain involved until later when the freezing came out. Then, it wasn't so much "pain" as an "ache" that lasted a couple of days. I couldn't lift my arm without causing the ache... but like I say... that only lasted a couple of days. After that, you will be SOOOOO GLAD your oncologist ordered the port to be put in. When you are getting hooked up to the chemo, there were others in the chemo unit who didn't have the port and were getting their chemo via intravenous in their hand or arm... and they looked SOOOO uncomfortable. You will be thankful for your friend, the port

2) The chemo unit. This is where you go for a couple of hours every two weeks to get intravenous chemo before they hook you up to a little portable pump that looks like a baby bottle that you get to wear for 48 hours. The chemo unit staff (chemo nurses/technicians) are absolutely fantastic!! Seriously, they are the most caring, wonderful people who know their business and know what to look for. If you have ANY questions, no matter how small or insignificant... do not be afraid to ask them.. they are a wealth of information. When you finish chemo, it never fails... you are going to miss the staff and the chemo unit like you wouldn't believe. You won't miss the chemo... but you'll miss the caring and wonderful attention of these guys and gals.

3) The chemo pump. Hate it... it's a pain! Nothing wrong with it, it doesn't hurt, nothing like that... it's just a total pain and inconvenient. You are hooked up to it for 48 hours every two weeks so that you can go home. Oh sure, you can walk around with it, leave the house, drive, whatever... just get yourself a fanny pack so you can carry it around in a fanny pack. Or, one of those water bottle holders that you can attach to a belt and the pump goes in, just like a water bottle. But it's the little things that are annoying... trying to shower with it and not get it wet. Sleeping with it (whoever thought sleeping with a baby bottle was so annoying??) But, knowing that the meds in this bottle are killing off cancer cells... you just put up with the inconveniences of the bottle.

4) Chemo reactions. Everyone is different. Some are really affected by it and others are not. I fell in the middle. It didn't stop me from doing anything I wanted to do. There were a couple of days each cycle that I was more tired than usual, so I'd make sure I allowed myself to take naps as needed. Nausea was not a big deal for me... it never really got bad but then at the sign of nausea I would take meds so that it wouldn't develop into anything. I had no hair "loss" per se... just thinning that I noticed, but no one else did. I did get neuropathy in my feet which is a numbing/tingling feeling... that did get worse over time. The Oxypilatin is the nasty one... it can give you a real sensitivity to cold while you are on it... but as soon as you are on a break after the 48 hours, that sensitivity goes away. So you really are only putting up with it for 2 days or so.

Ok... that's the basics. As you think of it, you are going to have lots of questions... so feel free to ask them here. ALSO... BIG TIP... when you go to your various doctors' appts (of which there will be many), take a notepad, and better yet, take someone with you. It will be amazing how much you DON'T hear, yet a second set of ears will pick up on and remind you what the doctor said or didn't say. As you come up with questions, write them down... trust me, you won't remember them when you go to see your doctors, so take your notepad with them to the appts.

Welcome aboard... although I really wish you didn't have to join us!

Cheryl

WoW
Thank you so much u are a god sent. You answered so many questions and thoughts I had.
I am so thankful I found this board and so greatful for all the people that are helping me through this.

Nana b

CherylHutch said:

Hey Natalie!
Sorry.. in the other post of yours asking about hair, I called you Braelee and now see your name is actually Natalie

Girl, you have come to the right place! You are really scared, the fear of losing your hair, although may sound like vanity speaking is actually a very real and normal fear. Every time you think about "I have cancer! I have to go on chemo! I am going to be sick and weak!", is it any wonder you break down and cry every time??

The good news is, you are here on a support board where we all have been through the exact same fears and have been terrified. Until most of us found this board and found there are a LOT of people who were going through the same thing we were and came out just fine, there was nothing to ease those fears. Family and friends are great... but they don't really know what we are feeling and there's nothing they can say or do to ease those fears so we feel isolated. But you have made the first step to getting rid of those fears... and that is finding this board.

So, first things first... breathe. Big deep breaths. Allow yourself to admit that you have cancer... but cancer is no longer the end of the world. If you were diagnosed with Diabetes in August, would you be terrified that you were going to die? No. Because you know diabetes can be treated and monitored so there's not need to be scared, you just have to buckle down and do what needs to be done to get the diabetes under control... and yes, you will have to live with it for the rest of your life but you will be living WITH diabetes not dying from it.

That is how you have to look at your cancer. You are young. You have a long road of work as a mother ahead of you, so you have to buckle down and either get rid of your cancer (depending what stage it is) and if it is Stage IV, then fine... you have to just learn to roll with the punches and make sure you are getting the treatments you need to keep this monster under wraps and in control Diabetes is a monster, so is cancer... both have to be tamed and kept under control at any given time

So, in the other post you mentioned you will be getting a port put in and then chemo starting in October. Here's a few pointers to ponder:

1) The insertion of the port is a "day surgery"... you go in, they give you the sleepy meds where you wake up not realizing you've had the procedure done. Some people go right to sleep and don't remember the procedure at all. If you are like me, I was wide awake for the whole procedure despite the meds... but they freeze the area so well, there was no pain involved until later when the freezing came out. Then, it wasn't so much "pain" as an "ache" that lasted a couple of days. I couldn't lift my arm without causing the ache... but like I say... that only lasted a couple of days. After that, you will be SOOOOO GLAD your oncologist ordered the port to be put in. When you are getting hooked up to the chemo, there were others in the chemo unit who didn't have the port and were getting their chemo via intravenous in their hand or arm... and they looked SOOOO uncomfortable. You will be thankful for your friend, the port

2) The chemo unit. This is where you go for a couple of hours every two weeks to get intravenous chemo before they hook you up to a little portable pump that looks like a baby bottle that you get to wear for 48 hours. The chemo unit staff (chemo nurses/technicians) are absolutely fantastic!! Seriously, they are the most caring, wonderful people who know their business and know what to look for. If you have ANY questions, no matter how small or insignificant... do not be afraid to ask them.. they are a wealth of information. When you finish chemo, it never fails... you are going to miss the staff and the chemo unit like you wouldn't believe. You won't miss the chemo... but you'll miss the caring and wonderful attention of these guys and gals.

3) The chemo pump. Hate it... it's a pain! Nothing wrong with it, it doesn't hurt, nothing like that... it's just a total pain and inconvenient. You are hooked up to it for 48 hours every two weeks so that you can go home. Oh sure, you can walk around with it, leave the house, drive, whatever... just get yourself a fanny pack so you can carry it around in a fanny pack. Or, one of those water bottle holders that you can attach to a belt and the pump goes in, just like a water bottle. But it's the little things that are annoying... trying to shower with it and not get it wet. Sleeping with it (whoever thought sleeping with a baby bottle was so annoying??) But, knowing that the meds in this bottle are killing off cancer cells... you just put up with the inconveniences of the bottle.

4) Chemo reactions. Everyone is different. Some are really affected by it and others are not. I fell in the middle. It didn't stop me from doing anything I wanted to do. There were a couple of days each cycle that I was more tired than usual, so I'd make sure I allowed myself to take naps as needed. Nausea was not a big deal for me... it never really got bad but then at the sign of nausea I would take meds so that it wouldn't develop into anything. I had no hair "loss" per se... just thinning that I noticed, but no one else did. I did get neuropathy in my feet which is a numbing/tingling feeling... that did get worse over time. The Oxypilatin is the nasty one... it can give you a real sensitivity to cold while you are on it... but as soon as you are on a break after the 48 hours, that sensitivity goes away. So you really are only putting up with it for 2 days or so.

Ok... that's the basics. As you think of it, you are going to have lots of questions... so feel free to ask them here. ALSO... BIG TIP... when you go to your various doctors' appts (of which there will be many), take a notepad, and better yet, take someone with you. It will be amazing how much you DON'T hear, yet a second set of ears will pick up on and remind you what the doctor said or didn't say. As you come up with questions, write them down... trust me, you won't remember them when you go to see your doctors, so take your notepad with them to the appts.

Welcome aboard... although I really wish you didn't have to join us!

Cheryl

Hello again - Nice post Cheryl
Think about what side you want your port on, you will have a little bump under the skin and when hooked up you will have a tube coming from it. I wanted it as low as I could get it, and on the right side because of the seat belt. I also heard that you can now get it under the arm. I think I would have gone for that option, because there is a scar where on my chest, not big but still noticeable. I know all about vanity, my hair starting to fall out on the 6 treatment, and just when I went to buy a wig, it stopped. I teased it to cover some thin spots. I also cut it short so that the growth would catch up quick. I didn't like the fanny pack they gave me so I went to Target and bought on of my own.

Please feel free to instant message anyone that you would like to, the inbox is on the home page, you will just need their log in id, which is under their picture.

It will be okay. You are at the beginning of your fight and attitude is everything!!

462lt

Nana b said:

Hello again - Nice post Cheryl
Think about what side you want your port on, you will have a little bump under the skin and when hooked up you will have a tube coming from it. I wanted it as low as I could get it, and on the right side because of the seat belt. I also heard that you can now get it under the arm. I think I would have gone for that option, because there is a scar where on my chest, not big but still noticeable. I know all about vanity, my hair starting to fall out on the 6 treatment, and just when I went to buy a wig, it stopped. I teased it to cover some thin spots. I also cut it short so that the growth would catch up quick. I didn't like the fanny pack they gave me so I went to Target and bought on of my own.

Please feel free to instant message anyone that you would like to, the inbox is on the home page, you will just need their log in id, which is under their picture.

It will be okay. You are at the beginning of your fight and attitude is everything!!

Welcome
There is so much great info here and great people. I check everyday and have learned so much. I hope all goes well for you.Laura

okthen

462lt said:

Welcome
There is so much great info here and great people. I check everyday and have learned so much. I hope all goes well for you.Laura

Hi Natalie
Just wanted you to know that this board has been a lifesaver for me also. Click on what you want to read and save the rest for later when you've had a chance to catch your breath.
My husbands surgery was last week and the people on this board really helped me with all their support, prayers and well wishes.
You can ask anything, and there is always love and compassion behind the answers.
You are in my prayers!
Chriss

okthen

462lt said:

Welcome
There is so much great info here and great people. I check everyday and have learned so much. I hope all goes well for you.Laura

Hi Natalie
Just wanted you to know that this board has been a lifesaver for me also. Click on what you want to read and save the rest for later when you've had a chance to catch your breath.
My husbands surgery was last week and the people on this board really helped me with all their support, prayers and well wishes.
You can ask anything, and there is always love and compassion behind the answers.
You are in my prayers!
Chriss

okthen

462lt said:

Welcome
There is so much great info here and great people. I check everyday and have learned so much. I hope all goes well for you.Laura

Hi Natalie
Just wanted you to know that this board has been a lifesaver for me also. Click on what you want to read and save the rest for later when you've had a chance to catch your breath.
My husbands surgery was last week and the people on this board really helped me with all their support, prayers and well wishes.
You can ask anything, and there is always love and compassion behind the answers.
You are in my prayers!
Chriss

okthen

462lt said:

Welcome
There is so much great info here and great people. I check everyday and have learned so much. I hope all goes well for you.Laura

Hi Natalie
Just wanted you to know that this board has been a lifesaver for me also. Click on what you want to read and save the rest for later when you've had a chance to catch your breath.
My husbands surgery was last week and the people on this board really helped me with all their support, prayers and well wishes.
You can ask anything, and there is always love and compassion behind the answers.
You are in my prayers!
Chriss

Nana b

okthen said:

Hi Natalie
Just wanted you to know that this board has been a lifesaver for me also. Click on what you want to read and save the rest for later when you've had a chance to catch your breath.
My husbands surgery was last week and the people on this board really helped me with all their support, prayers and well wishes.
You can ask anything, and there is always love and compassion behind the answers.
You are in my prayers!
Chriss

FYI
This site is pretty slow to post. If you see that it waiting, bottom left then you have to wait for a response or your post will post for every click that you did in between.

idlehunters

Nana b said:

FYI
This site is pretty slow to post. If you see that it waiting, bottom left then you have to wait for a response or your post will post for every click that you did in between.

Hey Natalie!!
Well.... I am just gonna say it....When I was first DX and came to this board... i WAS the biggest scardy cat on the board....such a whiner...scared to death of everything...scared I was dying..and soon! I am stage IV... have grown kids...hubby..pets...ya..the whole nine yards. Your post reminds me of me. Well, these WONDERFUL people on this board..my NOW family...turned my whole way of thinking around..... took many of my fears away...made me the fighter I am today...the fighter you HAVE to be to stay on top of everything. You have already got such great advice...and from many of the same who first got to me over a year ago.... suck it all in....and BREATHE...... you take care!

Jennie

Erinb

idlehunters said:

Hey Natalie!!
Well.... I am just gonna say it....When I was first DX and came to this board... i WAS the biggest scardy cat on the board....such a whiner...scared to death of everything...scared I was dying..and soon! I am stage IV... have grown kids...hubby..pets...ya..the whole nine yards. Your post reminds me of me. Well, these WONDERFUL people on this board..my NOW family...turned my whole way of thinking around..... took many of my fears away...made me the fighter I am today...the fighter you HAVE to be to stay on top of everything. You have already got such great advice...and from many of the same who first got to me over a year ago.... suck it all in....and BREATHE...... you take care!

Jennie

Hi Natalie,
You have found a
Hi Natalie,
You have found a great group of people to share your feelings, fears, hopes and questions with. I don't post often, but I can relate to everyone here. It is a good place to be.
Erin

tootsie1

Nice to meet you
Hi!

I'm glad you found this board. When you're first diagnosed, the comfort found here is SO good to have. Matter of fact, the comfort can be great during any part of the journey.

You're very young, and you have a young family, so I know it's a big worry to you. I'll be praying that things go very well for you, dear.

*hugs*
Gail

chicoturner

Hi Natalie, sorry to have
Hi Natalie, sorry to have the need to welcomed here, but so happy you found us. You don't sound anything but brave to me! Everyone here knows just how you feel, scared, but you will surprise yourself at what you can deal with! Love those kids everyday and enjoy all the little stuff. It seems that it now has so much more meaning! You can beat this crappy cancer, but you will never loose the memories of your kids that you make now. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Jean

Lilmiss82

tootsie1 said:

Nice to meet you
Hi!

I'm glad you found this board. When you're first diagnosed, the comfort found here is SO good to have. Matter of fact, the comfort can be great during any part of the journey.

You're very young, and you have a young family, so I know it's a big worry to you. I'll be praying that things go very well for you, dear.

*hugs*
Gail

Hi Natalie,
Welcome to the club! Sorry for you to have joined but with us you're in good hands. I know that when I first joined all the support and advice here helped so much and continues to do so today. I know your head is spinning and a million thoughts are probably running through your head, but it's going to be ok. I promise. It can be very overwhelming at times but we will be here to help you along. No question is off limits, nor goes unanswered. Times of doubt, fustration, or helplessness are always washed away with stories of courage and strength. I'm always here if you need anything -Melissa

okthen

chicoturner said:

Hi Natalie, sorry to have
Hi Natalie, sorry to have the need to welcomed here, but so happy you found us. You don't sound anything but brave to me! Everyone here knows just how you feel, scared, but you will surprise yourself at what you can deal with! Love those kids everyday and enjoy all the little stuff. It seems that it now has so much more meaning! You can beat this crappy cancer, but you will never loose the memories of your kids that you make now. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Jean

Well shoot!
I just wanted to make sure you knew I was thinkin about ya! (0:
My laptop hung up and I shut it and left...came back to see all my posts. (blush)
You are in my thoughts though..and my husbands who knows just how you feel and sends his prayers also!
Hugs,
Chriss

msccolon

welcome
It looks like everyone has done a really good job of welcoming you and passing on some information that should help relieve some of the fear of this battle. We have all been there, done that, got the t-shirt but wished it didn't fit. You are so young, and that can be to your advantage; your body is still strong and should serve you well in the days and weeks and months ahead. You are starting out in a great spot, gathering info that will help you in this journey. Please come back often to ask whatever you like, somebody will post. It's a pretty good bet that if you are experiencing something, so has somebody else. We look forward to hearing more from you as you move ahead. Stay strong.
mary

pluckey

CherylHutch said:

Hey Natalie!
Sorry.. in the other post of yours asking about hair, I called you Braelee and now see your name is actually Natalie

Girl, you have come to the right place! You are really scared, the fear of losing your hair, although may sound like vanity speaking is actually a very real and normal fear. Every time you think about "I have cancer! I have to go on chemo! I am going to be sick and weak!", is it any wonder you break down and cry every time??

The good news is, you are here on a support board where we all have been through the exact same fears and have been terrified. Until most of us found this board and found there are a LOT of people who were going through the same thing we were and came out just fine, there was nothing to ease those fears. Family and friends are great... but they don't really know what we are feeling and there's nothing they can say or do to ease those fears so we feel isolated. But you have made the first step to getting rid of those fears... and that is finding this board.

So, first things first... breathe. Big deep breaths. Allow yourself to admit that you have cancer... but cancer is no longer the end of the world. If you were diagnosed with Diabetes in August, would you be terrified that you were going to die? No. Because you know diabetes can be treated and monitored so there's not need to be scared, you just have to buckle down and do what needs to be done to get the diabetes under control... and yes, you will have to live with it for the rest of your life but you will be living WITH diabetes not dying from it.

That is how you have to look at your cancer. You are young. You have a long road of work as a mother ahead of you, so you have to buckle down and either get rid of your cancer (depending what stage it is) and if it is Stage IV, then fine... you have to just learn to roll with the punches and make sure you are getting the treatments you need to keep this monster under wraps and in control Diabetes is a monster, so is cancer... both have to be tamed and kept under control at any given time

So, in the other post you mentioned you will be getting a port put in and then chemo starting in October. Here's a few pointers to ponder:

1) The insertion of the port is a "day surgery"... you go in, they give you the sleepy meds where you wake up not realizing you've had the procedure done. Some people go right to sleep and don't remember the procedure at all. If you are like me, I was wide awake for the whole procedure despite the meds... but they freeze the area so well, there was no pain involved until later when the freezing came out. Then, it wasn't so much "pain" as an "ache" that lasted a couple of days. I couldn't lift my arm without causing the ache... but like I say... that only lasted a couple of days. After that, you will be SOOOOO GLAD your oncologist ordered the port to be put in. When you are getting hooked up to the chemo, there were others in the chemo unit who didn't have the port and were getting their chemo via intravenous in their hand or arm... and they looked SOOOO uncomfortable. You will be thankful for your friend, the port

2) The chemo unit. This is where you go for a couple of hours every two weeks to get intravenous chemo before they hook you up to a little portable pump that looks like a baby bottle that you get to wear for 48 hours. The chemo unit staff (chemo nurses/technicians) are absolutely fantastic!! Seriously, they are the most caring, wonderful people who know their business and know what to look for. If you have ANY questions, no matter how small or insignificant... do not be afraid to ask them.. they are a wealth of information. When you finish chemo, it never fails... you are going to miss the staff and the chemo unit like you wouldn't believe. You won't miss the chemo... but you'll miss the caring and wonderful attention of these guys and gals.

3) The chemo pump. Hate it... it's a pain! Nothing wrong with it, it doesn't hurt, nothing like that... it's just a total pain and inconvenient. You are hooked up to it for 48 hours every two weeks so that you can go home. Oh sure, you can walk around with it, leave the house, drive, whatever... just get yourself a fanny pack so you can carry it around in a fanny pack. Or, one of those water bottle holders that you can attach to a belt and the pump goes in, just like a water bottle. But it's the little things that are annoying... trying to shower with it and not get it wet. Sleeping with it (whoever thought sleeping with a baby bottle was so annoying??) But, knowing that the meds in this bottle are killing off cancer cells... you just put up with the inconveniences of the bottle.

4) Chemo reactions. Everyone is different. Some are really affected by it and others are not. I fell in the middle. It didn't stop me from doing anything I wanted to do. There were a couple of days each cycle that I was more tired than usual, so I'd make sure I allowed myself to take naps as needed. Nausea was not a big deal for me... it never really got bad but then at the sign of nausea I would take meds so that it wouldn't develop into anything. I had no hair "loss" per se... just thinning that I noticed, but no one else did. I did get neuropathy in my feet which is a numbing/tingling feeling... that did get worse over time. The Oxypilatin is the nasty one... it can give you a real sensitivity to cold while you are on it... but as soon as you are on a break after the 48 hours, that sensitivity goes away. So you really are only putting up with it for 2 days or so.

Ok... that's the basics. As you think of it, you are going to have lots of questions... so feel free to ask them here. ALSO... BIG TIP... when you go to your various doctors' appts (of which there will be many), take a notepad, and better yet, take someone with you. It will be amazing how much you DON'T hear, yet a second set of ears will pick up on and remind you what the doctor said or didn't say. As you come up with questions, write them down... trust me, you won't remember them when you go to see your doctors, so take your notepad with them to the appts.

Welcome aboard... although I really wish you didn't have to join us!

Cheryl

Cheryl- what a generous
Cheryl- what a generous offering of information and tips!

You won't find a better support group anywhere. We are here to serve you and help you through this straight from the battle lines.

((Hugs))

Peggy

claud1951

Natalie,Welcome to the
Natalie,
Welcome to the board. You are now a "Semi-Colon"! All these fine folks have already told you what to expect so I can't add anything to that other than the unknown is always scary.

Just wanted to say, I was Stage 3, also, and 3 years later, I am dancing with NED!! (No Evidence of Disease)

Once you get past all the tests and your first chemo (because they are all unknowns to you) hopefully you'll be rid of being so scared. We are all different in how we react to the chemo. That, only time will tell but everyone on the board is willing to listen and help in anyway they/I can.


"Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its trouble, it empties today of its strength"

So for now....Just keep moving forward!

Claudia

coolvdub

claud1951 said:

Natalie,Welcome to the
Natalie,
Welcome to the board. You are now a "Semi-Colon"! All these fine folks have already told you what to expect so I can't add anything to that other than the unknown is always scary.

Just wanted to say, I was Stage 3, also, and 3 years later, I am dancing with NED!! (No Evidence of Disease)

Once you get past all the tests and your first chemo (because they are all unknowns to you) hopefully you'll be rid of being so scared. We are all different in how we react to the chemo. That, only time will tell but everyone on the board is willing to listen and help in anyway they/I can.


"Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its trouble, it empties today of its strength"

So for now....Just keep moving forward!

Claudia

Welcome
Hi Natalie,

Welcome to the family. I'm sorry we had to meet this way, but you are amongst the best friends and family there is. I remember being very afraid of the unknown when I first came here. Now a year plus later, I'm not so scared. You will read many stories of courage and compassion here. The knowledge shared by others such as Cheryl is spot on. If on Folfox like your expression page indicates, you may get thinning hair, but you won't lose it. While in the Chemo room most of the women who lost their hair were breast cancer survivors, guess what, some of the most beuatiful women I ever had the priviledge to meet, hair or no hair.

You will be on an emotional rollercoaster during this journey, it's okay. I as a man have had periods where I just start crying, just certain thoughts and stories trigger it. Don't worry this is normal. Just remember to BREATHE and regroup. Try and stay positive, I truly believe in the power of positive thinking and it has helped me through this. Just remember cancer is beatable and is not who you are but what you have. We are hear for you and when this stupid cancer makes you angry, come here and vent, that's what is so great, all of us get it!


Don