Starting Chemo in 2 weeks

meghedge01
meghedge01 Member Posts: 4
edited March 2014 in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1
I had my port put in about a week ago. Its still sore and throbs at times. Because of sleeping funny my neck and shoulders have been killing me for a few days now.

I have my first chemo treatment on July 1. I'm a little nervous now that I actually have a date set. I will be getting 4 cycles of ABVD (8 treatments). Then I will also have to do radiation.

Any advice for the first treatment?

Comments

  • dixiegirl
    dixiegirl Member Posts: 1,043 Member
    #2
    Good Luck
    I know you're scared, nervous and frustrated with your port. I did not have the same type of treatments, but just wanted to say you'll be fine. I hope you'll be getting rest soon.

    Take care, get as much rest as you can.

    Beth
  • vinny59
    vinny59 Member Posts: 1,036 Member
    #3
    first chemo
    it's easier said then done, but just relax, bring music, or a good book.... good luck
  • Susy28
    Susy28 Member Posts: 18
    #4
    I had 8 cycles of ABVD but
    I had 8 cycles of ABVD but no radiation. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My advice is to drink lots of water. Drinking water got a little hard after a few months so I switched it up all the time with cranberry juice, lemonade, poweraide etc. You want to drink as much fluids so that the chemo starts coming out of your body faster and the side effects are a lot less when you do this. I suggest taking some snacks because you will be there for a while on your first treatment. They just want to make sure you don't have a reaction to the chemo. My nurse said it was very rare for patients to have reactions with this type of chemo but they have to monitor you regardless. Take some magazines, books, games, movies etc to keep your mind off of what’s going into your body. On the first treatment you probably won’t have time to do anything because the nurses usually explain the treatment and they give you a bunch of stuff to read. But after your first treatment, take anything to keep your mind busy. I always walked in with a bag full of stuff to do and an extra bag with drinks and snacks. Stay positive and don't let cancer or the treatments get the best of you.

    God bless you and best wishes!

    Susy
  • dixiegirl
    dixiegirl Member Posts: 1,043 Member
    #5
    Susy28 said:

    I had 8 cycles of ABVD but
    I had 8 cycles of ABVD but no radiation. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My advice is to drink lots of water. Drinking water got a little hard after a few months so I switched it up all the time with cranberry juice, lemonade, poweraide etc. You want to drink as much fluids so that the chemo starts coming out of your body faster and the side effects are a lot less when you do this. I suggest taking some snacks because you will be there for a while on your first treatment. They just want to make sure you don't have a reaction to the chemo. My nurse said it was very rare for patients to have reactions with this type of chemo but they have to monitor you regardless. Take some magazines, books, games, movies etc to keep your mind off of what’s going into your body. On the first treatment you probably won’t have time to do anything because the nurses usually explain the treatment and they give you a bunch of stuff to read. But after your first treatment, take anything to keep your mind busy. I always walked in with a bag full of stuff to do and an extra bag with drinks and snacks. Stay positive and don't let cancer or the treatments get the best of you.

    God bless you and best wishes!

    Susy

    Bag lady
    I did too! I had my purse, bag of books, movies, food and a pillow. It took me forever to gather all my goodies.

    LOL
  • crhall000
    crhall000 Member Posts: 11
    #6
    my advice
    If you work out keep doing it on your good days, and relax (guilt free)on your bad days. If you don't work out, I suggest that you do something to keep your body and mind in motion. My Dr. says that they don't know why, but exercise during chemo reduces the side effects, and helps to fight the Cancer. I can vouch for that. I have started to routinely walk my dogs for 45 minutes a day, as well as take up bicycling and have only gotten sick twice. When i say sick I mean exhausted to the point of sleeping for two days strait.

    The way you perceive this disease will also affect the outcome, if you get sad then your body will respond negatively. In stead of asking ourselves "why me"? we should say "why not me"? There are children that have Cancer that will never go on a date, have a first kiss, drive a car, or go to the prom. To me we have it lucky, we have done a lot of things with our lives, and with GODS mercy, and our positive thinking, we will have plenty more. Good luck, and I agree with drinking a lot of water.
  • dixiegirl
    dixiegirl Member Posts: 1,043 Member
    #7
    crhall000 said:

    my advice
    If you work out keep doing it on your good days, and relax (guilt free)on your bad days. If you don't work out, I suggest that you do something to keep your body and mind in motion. My Dr. says that they don't know why, but exercise during chemo reduces the side effects, and helps to fight the Cancer. I can vouch for that. I have started to routinely walk my dogs for 45 minutes a day, as well as take up bicycling and have only gotten sick twice. When i say sick I mean exhausted to the point of sleeping for two days strait.

    The way you perceive this disease will also affect the outcome, if you get sad then your body will respond negatively. In stead of asking ourselves "why me"? we should say "why not me"? There are children that have Cancer that will never go on a date, have a first kiss, drive a car, or go to the prom. To me we have it lucky, we have done a lot of things with our lives, and with GODS mercy, and our positive thinking, we will have plenty more. Good luck, and I agree with drinking a lot of water.

    Great Advise
    You are absolutely right! Positivity feeds positive outcomes!

    Hope your treatments are going well for you. Take care, and don't get too far down since it's so hard to bounce back.

    Good luck,

    Beth

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