I was diagnosed with Cancer in March and although we knew it was Cancer its still a shock to be told it. I have had 2 chemo cycles now and have my 3rd at the end of the month. I would love to chat about the chemo side affects to anyone..
Mary had Carbo/Taxol first time around and responded very well to it - only issue was the Taxol left her with a lot of neuropathy in her toes, so she couldn't have it this time. Instead she had Gem/Carbo, but again she has responded well with very little side effects, she seems to be surprisingly tolerant of chemo fortunately.
Re Travel Insurance, yes it can be very expensive, we were quoted a minimum of £1000 and most companies wouldn't insure at all. Mary's consultant advised her to stop her treatment 3 weeks before travelling and to take out a policy excluding pre-existing conditions. The thing is, it's the chemo rather than the cancer that can make you suddenly acutely ill, so you have to do your own risk analysis. We cannot afford to keep paying thousands of pounds in travel insurance, so we have to make an assessment that she feels well enough to travel. Fortunately, she is feeling very well right now so we feel the risk is very small.
Her consultant also advised her to have her treatment around her life, not her life around her treatment, and he is very flexible with this. So do look forward to your holidays, they are very good for you.
I agree about travel insurance and have decided to take the risk -my consultant has only recently agreed to me booking a holiday and I feel so much happier having something to look forward to-I am someone who always liked holidays and travel a lot before I was ill.
Spent this morning with urology consultant regarding small kidney tumour-have been very stressed about it but fortunately it just needs to be monitored every six months at the moment which is such a relief as I don't think I could take any more bad news at the moment.
Mary's consultant sounds really nice-I have had to point out to mine that my emotional needs were not being considered.Like Mary seems to I try to continue to see friends go out for lunch,shopping etc but am being a bit more cautious at the minute as only one more chemo to go and I do not want to get an infection!I just wish I could sleep more.
Yes, Mary's consultant is very good, he is the top man at her hospital so she is very fortunate to be under his care. It sounds like Mary has a similar problem as yourself, she also has a small tumour on the kidney which they were trying to shrink with chemo - the CT scan in July will obviously show if there has been any progress.
When we booked this holiday, we thought that Mary was cured. Then she came down with a serious kidney infection at the start of this year and found out later that this was caused by the tumour. I thought we may have to cancel the holiday, but she has made good progress so keeping everything crossed that she'll be fine while we're away. We have lots of attractions booked (including swimming with dolphins!), I just have to make sure she doesn't over do it. Don't get me wrong, I do worry about Mary but she is determined to do the things she really wants to do - the term "life is too short" feels so true for us now.
I do hope you manage to get some sleep, Mary found that taking steroids too late in the day would keep her awake but that was only on chemo days. Perhaps a hot milky drink may help.
Another sleepless night!Like yourselves my husband and I are trying to make the best of things and enjoy the present.This should become easier I hope when chemotherapy ends.I find living with uncertainty very difficult.
My renal tumour is apparently a separate cancer not related to the ovarian cancer.It is within the kidney and shouldn't spread outside the kidney-hence the monitoring at present as it is slow growing-unfortunately cannot be treated by chemotherapy so I may have to look at other options in the future.I am trying to put it out of my mind and focus on the ovarian cancer.The urology consultant was fantastic-very understanding and reassuring.
Hope Mary continues to stay well-it sounds like she will and you both need and deserve what sounds like a fantastic holiday -I do envy you swimming with dolphins!
Did Mary put any weight on during chemotherapy?I am finding that despite the awful nausea my appetite has increased and I do have to be very careful not to go too wild-I normally eat a fairly healthy diet.Is Mary going to swim wearing a wig-I hope you don't think that is a stupid question or that I a m being too personal-it's just that I want to look normal on my holiday and have two identical wigs and was going to keep one on when swimming and wondered what other people did.I wear a wig at all times and a hat in bed !!!
Thank you for listening to my nocturnal ramblings,I am going to have another attempt at sleeping.
I hope you managed to get some sleep in the end. Please ask anything you like, that's why we're all here I think - to share information and experiences and hopefully help each other along the way.
Mary did not lose her hair this time, it's the Taxol that does that, Gemcitabine is not as aggresive but the consultant said it was too risky to give her any more Taxol because of her neuropathy. However, last year we went to Turkey for a week post-chemo and she had bought online a selection of bandanas to wear.
She does have a wig which she wore a lot at first, but eventually only wore if we were out socialising. Generally she would wear a hat or a bandana when we were out, at home and in the garden she didn't bother covering her head at all in the end. She felt that she was covering up to make others feel more comfortable rather than thinking about her own comfort. It's a big thing psychologically for a woman to get over though and everyone does what feels right for themselves.
Mary did not have any issues with weight gain, her appetite was up and down really. She was very tired last night, we were entertaining over the weekend - friends over till late on Friday then Father's day bbq on Sunday, now I'm worrying that she has overdone it. I probably drive her mad keep asking if she's ok.
I hope your treatment and progress goes well for you.
I got some sleep but not enough so am going to have a very restful day today.I always have more difficulty sleeping for the first week after chemotherapy .
Mary's attitude to hair loss is very admirable and I totally agree with what she says but although I consider myself a strong person and have coped with all this as well as anyone could I am very self conscious about having no hair and think I always will be.Also I like to look as well as I can for my 13 year old daughter.
Even though I get tired I still want to be as active as possible and Mary sounds like she has similar views-like you my husband sometimes says I should rest more but he knows what I am like and recognises my need to carry on as normal -I have become more accepting of my limitations and usually know when to stop.I worry about him getting tired as he has a fairly stressful job and looks after me without ever complaining and all the stress and the effect my illness has on the children certainly has taken its toll.
Anyway I am going to get up now and read and catnap on the sofa-I will also do some pleasant things like sorting out airport transfers etc.Tomorrow I should be feeling a lot better and am going out for lunch with a friend-I seem to have turned into a lady who lunches!
I am counting the days until this chemotherapy ends-I appreciate that some people have a much worse time than me but I find it far from pleasant!
I hope Mary continues to feel well and rests a bit so that she has got enough energy to enjoy her holiday to the full-I have no doubt that she will be very well looked after as ever!
It's worrying that there has been no activity on this thread for quite some time, I do hope everyone is ok.
Just checking in to let you know that we had a fabulous holiday in Florida, Mary was absolutely fine and really enjoyed herself. You honestly wouldn't believe there was anything wrong with her at the moment.
She went for a blood test on Monday and will have a CT scan and clinic on Thursday, so we will get an update. I'm sure she will need more treatment, just a matter of what and when.
It is quite worrying that no one else is using this thread at present-I hope people are ok.
I had my last chemo a week ago -am ok but a bit concerned about infection as I noticed my neutrophils were only 1.2 before I had this last dose and I am going to my son's graduation tomorrow which means a big crowd at a bad time-but I wouldn't miss it for anything!
Does anyone know about when I can start eating seafood,soft cheese ,steak that is pinkish etc again?I am going on holidays in 5 weeks(6 weeks from end of treatment)and don't want to be worrying about what I eat all the time but do love shellfish and seafood!!
I am looking forward to a break from chemotherapy and hospitals but am still feeling very up and down in mood and got very depressed recently over hair loss-eyebrows and eyelashes were the last straw!By the way I am not someone who is normally obsessed with appearance.
I will have my fingers crossed for Mary next week.
I think being aware of any symptoms and acting quickly is key. When Mary became neutrophenic last year she went downhill very quickly, so first sign of any symptoms (especially rigors - shivering) you should get straight to A&E. Did your hospital give you a chemo patient card to carry? If so, make sure you have this with you so that the hospital know straight away how to treat you, but hopefully you'll be fine.
You should easily be ok for your hoiliday 6 weeks after your last treatment - Mary's consultant recommended stopping her's 3 weeks before we went, but of course this may vary from person to person. She was eating prawns, medium rare steak, cheese etc and had no problems at all.
Sorry to hear that the hair loss is getting you down, it takes time to come to terms with but please don't let it spoil your holiday - you are so looking forward to the break.
