1st experience with Chemo

Hi Jean, Sally has given you
Hi Jean, Sally has given you some great information and asks some great questions about your treatment plan. I ordered CDs to listen to which are made specifically for people undergoing chemo therapy. I ordered them from the intranet. I will look and see where I got them from. I had my hysterectomy June 11th (open procedure-not laproscopic). On July 10th I had a port (vascular access device which the chemo goes through instead of through a vein in you hand or arm.) placed in the morning in outpatient surgery and by 11am I was receiving my first chemo treatment through my newly implanted port. I totally understand your anxiousness about chemo. It is normal and you are not alone. Bring a bag with you including things to do while you get your chemo as depending on your drugs you will likely be there for 4-6 hours.
You will probably sit in a recliner chair which will be seperated by a curtain from other recliners. There will be a small TV which you can position to watch if you choose. You will have your blood drawn for labs to ensure that your red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, magnesium, and potassium levels are high enough for you to get chemo. A specially trained oncology chemo nurse will be assigned to you and will be monitoring you closely for side effects from the chemo. The nurse will tell you the signs and symptoms of side effects. You will have a nurses call button attached to your chair so you can call the nurse anytime. Actually there are so many nurses that walk by your chair that you will feel well cared for. Bring someone with you for support during the chemo...someone can spend an hour or two and then someone else could maybe come to help break up the time for you. You will have a couple IV infusion pumps which will click away as they infuse the chemo drugs-one drug is given at a time. Before the chemo is started the nurse will give you "pre-meds" which could include Decadron (a steroid) and Benadryl to help prevent side effects. The Bendadryl IV will likely give you a feeling of being a little buzzed or maybe sleepy for about an hour...actually a nice relaxing feeling...but it wears off. You will also likely be give another intravenous medication called Aloxi which is a miracle drug in my opinion, as it is an anti-nausea drug ( anti-emetic) and it lasts in your body about 3 to 5 days! I haven't vomited once during or after chemo. On day three post chemo at home I start taking Companzine every 6 hours for about a day and then I am good...no nausea or vomiting. Remember that if you are taking Paxel and Carboplaten can be constipating. I increased my stool softner from 1 to 2 tabs the day before I start my chemo. (This is prior to my having had radiation. Post radation I don't take any stool softeners as the opposite happens to your bowels with radiation (diarrhea). Depending on how much you have recovered from surgery your body will handle your first chemo differently than say your 4th chemo. I had chemo every 3 weeks for 3 times then had my 25 external radiation treatments and 3 internal brachytherapy radiation, then waited 3 weeks and started my 4th chemo and will have my 5th chemo Dec. 11th and the last one Dec. 30th. For me my first chemo was the toughest because I had my surgery just 4 weeks before and also had surgery for my port (vascular access device) placed the morning of my first chemo. Things to bring with you might include: Ipod, Portable CD player, Cross word puzzle, knitting, book to read, paperwork to look through, deck of cards. The infusion center will have beverages and snacks for you and your family or friend who may accompany you. They can sit right next to you the whole time. Wear comforable clothes like warm-up pants and a top where they can either access your port easily or access your arms for IV. There are bathrooms easily accessible for you with your IV pumps. The IV pumps just unplug from the outlet in the wall and you are ready to roll. After my chemo I went home and felt a little tired. On day two I felt OK I think from the Decadron which gave me energy. On day three I spent in bed but everyone is different. Basically within about 4 or 5 days I was feeling pretty good but fatigued. I don't think anyone can really understand what all this chemo and radiation feels like unless they have traveled the journey. Sending positive thoughts to you!

deanna14 said:

Normal
You are entirely normal to feel scared even though you have done everything you can to prepare yourself. This journey is very scary... I think you will soon find out that chemo will probably not be as bad as you might anticipate. Don't get me wrong, it is certainly not fun or a walk in the park, but if you are like me, it wasn't as bad as a made it out to be in my mind. It is very "doable." If I might offer a bit of advice... don't try to be a hero and "tough out" the side effects. Let your doctor know what troubles you. There are meds and measures to help you through chemo. Perhaps the best advice I might offer is take measures to decrease constipation. Lots of fluids, I used colace which is over the counter and Miralax was my best friend.
Good luck.

Can't Add Much
The Benadryl they gave me prior to the chemo made me sleepy and I slept through much of the procedure. The room was pretty cool - I had MRSA - and was isolated so I brought a blanket and just snuggled in. I too experienced the third day miseries and the constipation. Glad they came up with Miralax. I lost my hair two weeks to the day of my first treatment. That was in July and it is just beginning to come back very slowly.