Starting my treatments tomorrow morning

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pjm929
pjm929 Member Posts: 26
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Start treatments tomorrow morning, radiation and chemo. what should i expect from 1st chemo treatment.

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  • blackswampboy
    blackswampboy Member Posts: 341
    #2
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    never had much trouble with chemo
    but I have a port. sit back with a blanket, read, and eat crushed ice.
    worst problem I had was the accompanying benedryl, which they gave to guard against possible allergic reaction. must've been enough benedryl for a horse--I just wanted to sleep, but was kept awake by mad leg twitching.
    second time, got them to cut the benedryl in half. the rest of the way was easy.
  • pjm929
    pjm929 Member Posts: 26
    #3
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    blackswampboy said:

    never had much trouble with chemo
    but I have a port. sit back with a blanket, read, and eat crushed ice.
    worst problem I had was the accompanying benedryl, which they gave to guard against possible allergic reaction. must've been enough benedryl for a horse--I just wanted to sleep, but was kept awake by mad leg twitching.
    second time, got them to cut the benedryl in half. the rest of the way was easy.

    no nausea?
    One thing I really hate is being sick to my stomach! And, I agree on benadryl, makes me very sleepy.
  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member
    #4
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    pjm929 said:

    no nausea?
    One thing I really hate is being sick to my stomach! And, I agree on benadryl, makes me very sleepy.

    never had nausea
    They have come a long way with meds to prevent nausea. Don't wait til you need them to take them. I had company with me on my 1st treatment but later decided I'd rather just get under the heated blanket and sleep during treatments. I was dehydrated after the 1st Tx and had to go daily for fluids but then doc cut dose in half with more frequent treatments and that worked for me. Good luck!
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #5
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    A Few Ideas....
    EMEND is the biggy for anti-nausea, but more than likely they would have already prescribed it..usually given for multiple cocktails of chemos. I was given it for the first three days of big rounds of chemo (cisplatin, taxotere and 5FU). But only Zofran or Phenigren for the single doses of carboplatin.

    I also was never sick through the sixteen weeks of four types of chemo..modern meds are awesome.

    Sit close to the restrooms...they usually give you lasix or similar to flush the chemo out... It's like drinking a few beers without going to pee. But the first time you go, you gotta do it every 10 - 15 minutes.

    Bring yourself a lunch or something to eat... Most of the old timers will crack out theirs, and you'll be starving.

    Bring someone with you, it helps pass time, even though most chemo centers have recliners and individual personal TV's.

    Dress compfortably...wear a button shirt. It's easier to access your port (if you have one), and to get the drugs, etc...hooking you up. Plus dressing casual, shorts etc...makes the radiation a little more pleasant.

    For the radiaiton, bring a CD you like...it relaxes you, but most important for me...It gave me a point of reference for time...3 - 4 songs and rads were done.

    Stay positive...you are in the absolute best place you can be.

    Best,
    John
  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #6
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    John gave you a lot of ideas.....
    We don't have TV's where I go, so I take my laptop. Tho once the benedryl is served up it's nighty night for me.

    The only trouble I had with nausea was if I quit taking the anti-nausea meds too early after chemo...I take Emend the first two days, plus Zophran, Antivan, and Compazine....but I have to continue the Zophran, Ativan, and Compazine for 5 days to escape all barfing.

    It's a long day no matter how you slice it....I usually go at 8:30, and don't get out till around 4:00.

    p
  • boardwalkgirl
    boardwalkgirl Member Posts: 269
    #7
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    I agree with the others,
    I agree with the others, stay on top of your nausea meds. Easier to prevent it than try to get it under control. I had a lot of nausea with my second round and they started me on BDR suppositories which helped a lot!! I just started them this time from day one and it has made a world of difference. If you are nauseated afterwards, get IV fluids, they make you feel so much better.
  • Kent Cass
    Kent Cass Member Posts: 1,898 Member
    #8
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    boardwalkgirl said:

    I agree with the others,
    I agree with the others, stay on top of your nausea meds. Easier to prevent it than try to get it under control. I had a lot of nausea with my second round and they started me on BDR suppositories which helped a lot!! I just started them this time from day one and it has made a world of difference. If you are nauseated afterwards, get IV fluids, they make you feel so much better.

    Nausea
    The Emend is a real help, though it do be expensive. I was one of those who never really had much of a problem with the vomits, and when I did I put the blame on nighttime mucous buildup, and being horizontal for too long. Vomits only ever hit me when I would first wake in bed.

    One thing to consider: Nutrition is a critical matter, most would agree, but what value is the food intake if the body rejects it with the vomits? A samller man, there were days during treatment when it was a struggle to take-in two cans of 1.5 Jevity- just did not feel like taking it in. But what I did ingest thru my PEG- did not vomit it out. I found an ingestion-friendly way to get thru it, and perhaps adjustments would help many who have the nausea probem? Putting this out there for comment...

    kcass
  • Pam M
    Pam M Member Posts: 2,196
    #9
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    First Day at School for the New Kid
    Hope it goes smoothly for you. Depending on your drugs and prep, the day may be a long one. On my heavy chemo days, I was at the center all day; on light chemo days, it was a couple of hours. Also, the chemo will be faster with a port than PICC line. I was lucky - my first day, a couple already there saw I was new, and kindly invited me to "join" them. Turns out, the wife was a throat cancer patient - I learned a lot about what she was experiencing.

    The benedryl was a whammy for me, too. I told my family "all that poison pumping into me, and it's the benedryl that immediately affects me". I also had the magic Emend; not once did I have chemo-induced vomiting. It was nowhere near as bad as I'd imagined it would be. Do well.
  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    #10
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    sleep tight, good luck tomorrow
    Hi pjm929,

    Since it is late, I will agree with everyone on this bus. My first chemo and all that followed were relatively uneventful, sleepy and very mildly nauseating. There was a TV to watch, the nurse brought me a sandwich and chocolate milk, I had to pee and did so toteing the IV with me, my wife watched TV with me and all following chemos were similar EXCEPT the sandwich was soon replaced with Boost or Ensure. Radiation was a different story.

    A friendly piece of advice, between now and three weeks from now, every time you get hungry eat some thing good and make it count.

    Best,

    Matt

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