what to expect during 25 chemo treatments

J1mme

Starting series of 25 radation tx to pelvis on monday.  This is My 1st reoccurence after dx one year ago.  Will i be a le to drive myself 30 minutes to facility and have tx the drive myself home every day for the next five weeks?  What can i expect to feel as time goes on?  Will this be it or can i get this Again?  Should i try to get Someone to go with me?  Already feeling alone and scared.  Any experience welcome.

 

BarbaraDe

I am a little confused

I am a little confused because in your headline you said you will be getting chemo but in your message, you said you would be getting radiation.  I had five weeks of external radiation, daily, about 18 months ago. I was able to drive myself to and from with no problem.  I never had any negative effects...well, towards the end of treatment, I did have some diarrhea.  I also had three weeks of internal radiation - once a week.  Again, I was able to drive myself to and from.  Some of the other ladies who were there when I was, though, were not as lucky.  Most were getting treated for breast cancer, one for throat cancer.  Many of them had very bad burns to their skin, but, like I said, I never had any of that.  I feel very luck.  Now, not so lucky, though.  My uterine cancer has metastasized to my lungs...16 bilateral nodules!  I just had my biopsy last week and meet with the surgeon this Friday to determine a course of treatment.  Don't feel alone...reach out to family and friends!  They will be an invaluable source of strength and support!!

Barbara

J1mme

BarbaraDe said:

I am a little confused

I am a little confused because in your headline you said you will be getting chemo but in your message, you said you would be getting radiation.  I had five weeks of external radiation, daily, about 18 months ago. I was able to drive myself to and from with no problem.  I never had any negative effects...well, towards the end of treatment, I did have some diarrhea.  I also had three weeks of internal radiation - once a week.  Again, I was able to drive myself to and from.  Some of the other ladies who were there when I was, though, were not as lucky.  Most were getting treated for breast cancer, one for throat cancer.  Many of them had very bad burns to their skin, but, like I said, I never had any of that.  I feel very luck.  Now, not so lucky, though.  My uterine cancer has metastasized to my lungs...16 bilateral nodules!  I just had my biopsy last week and meet with the surgeon this Friday to determine a course of treatment.  Don't feel alone...reach out to family and friends!  They will be an invaluable source of strength and support!!

Barbara

confused

I am having 25 radiation tx....no chemo. Just. HRT.  I am sorry for the recurrence in Lungs.  CTCA 

 Does bot nave food rep in this area bit se have Mayo.  I am less gran Satisfied there.  Magbe just

 

  The beast.  U Will remain in my tboughts

 

 

 

 

survivingsu

J1mme said:

confused

I am having 25 radiation tx....no chemo. Just. HRT.  I am sorry for the recurrence in Lungs.  CTCA 

 Does bot nave food rep in this area bit se have Mayo.  I am less gran Satisfied there.  Magbe just

 

  The beast.  U Will remain in my tboughts

 

 

 

 

Hi J1mme

You ask a good question, and I do not know if my experience is helpful to you.  I had chemo and radiation treatments at the same time, so I do not know which causes which symptoms.  My doctor told me they had to give me a very agressive treatment due to my particular cancer (undifferentiated small cell carcinoma).  One thing I know for me, I had to have rides.  I was very weak - it may have been due to the cancer, the radiation, the chemo, or all three.  My blood counts were knocked out so I had to have periodic transfusions.  That was four years ago.  I feel great now.  Just wanted you to know that chemo, external and internal radiation is all do-able, but you might need rides.  Then again, with just radiation, maybe not.  I recommend asking your doctors, the nursing staff and radiation technologsts what they think.

I wish you the very best, and please let us know how you are doing,

Susan

NoTimeForCancer

BarbaraDe said:

I am a little confused

I am a little confused because in your headline you said you will be getting chemo but in your message, you said you would be getting radiation.  I had five weeks of external radiation, daily, about 18 months ago. I was able to drive myself to and from with no problem.  I never had any negative effects...well, towards the end of treatment, I did have some diarrhea.  I also had three weeks of internal radiation - once a week.  Again, I was able to drive myself to and from.  Some of the other ladies who were there when I was, though, were not as lucky.  Most were getting treated for breast cancer, one for throat cancer.  Many of them had very bad burns to their skin, but, like I said, I never had any of that.  I feel very luck.  Now, not so lucky, though.  My uterine cancer has metastasized to my lungs...16 bilateral nodules!  I just had my biopsy last week and meet with the surgeon this Friday to determine a course of treatment.  Don't feel alone...reach out to family and friends!  They will be an invaluable source of strength and support!!

Barbara

Tired

I agree with Barbara who was able to drive herself to radiation daily.  Because the external radiation was IMRT (I think that is what it is called) where it wasn't a "point and shoot" it was planned to be stronger and weaker at different points and I had no radiation burns.  I was surprised, because I was not told in advance, that I had to put a vaginal marker in everytime, which I started to save because a friend joked he would put Christmas lights in them and hang them like icicles!! 

Again, since it was such an advanced type of radiation, diarrhea was very slight, not the scary stuff the dietician told me! 

I think the biggest side effect was the fatigue.  Holy crap!  The radiation to your pelvic bones, a large collection of bone marrow, it will effect your blood formation, so it is just exhausting.  Rest, rest, rest, and sleep. 

Radiation continues to "work" for up to six weeks after it ends, so the fatigue won't just leave right away. 

Barbara, keep fighting warrior!  You are in my thoughts and prayers.

tattooedtxgirl

Hugs

Keeping you in my thoughts! Good luck with the radiation.

I start chemo and radiation at the end of the month.

I got online and did some research and of course..the ladies here are amaing.

Hugs,

Crystal