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..
Thanks for your input re meds, like you say it's trial and error, maybe nothing will work and it just has to take it's course. You're right about the day out leaving her washed out. Mary felt nauseous all night and was completely exhausted today and ate nothing. She has her week off chemo next week so hopefully she'll have another run of feeling good before cycle 3 starts. She never felt this bad last time around with Carbo/Taxol so maybe it's the Gem that's dragging her down.
I was hoping to get her out to the Algarve for 2 or 3 nights mid April, but I think I will have to book flights the day before so we'll know if she feels well enough. Our planned family trip to Orlando in June is not looking good if she has to go the full 6 cycles of chemo, as you say the accumalative effect. I have found a company who will insure her provided she stops her treatment 2 weeks before we go, and they have a full medical questionaire completed by her onc, they have told me that the minimum premium would be £1000! So a lot to consider there. Mary developed neutropenic sepsis towards the end of her last chemo and I thought it was going to kill her, so there's no way I would take her to the USA without medical cover. The family have said they would not go unless we went too, because that was the whole point of the holiday - we all thought she was cured when we booked the flights!
Maybe tomorrow will be better, I hope everyone else is coping ok.
Best wishes,
John
x
edit: - PS, I meant to ask, has anyone tried self-acupressure for nausea? I was reading up about it this morning and it looks very interesting. If you Google "acupressure nausea" the most common pressure point seems to be on the back of the wrist. You can even buy travel sickness wristbands that work by pressing this pressure point (p6). Look at the reviews on amazon.
Sorry to say the domperidone trick didn't work - I have been really bad since Sat morning, feeling and being sick, loads of bile. Can't eat and more importantly, can't drink. Am thinking of phoning chemo unit this morn to see if they think I should have IV fluids. What do you reckon?
I am so sorry to hear about your sister. My thoughts are with you and your family.
As John and Jackie have said, protocol will differ if you are in US, so I would advise that as well as letting us know how you get on you also try to find a similar chat site in the US where the info will be more suitable for you. I'm pretty sure there will be some, I stumbled across one myself a few weeks ago.
Sorry to hear about your results and the awful, wasted day. Please do as Jackie says and get in touch with PALS, this is not good enough. I just wish some of these people would have the humanity to put themselves in their patient's position!
beginning to look like I'm just lucky with the nausea and vomiting, which is a good job because i hate feeling sick, to the point I have avoided alcohol since being sick at the age of 17!!! John, get the bracelet, my view is its non invasive than therefore can do no harm and if it works great.
Haze do phone the team, you need to drink and they may be able to control it by different meds like they've tried with Mary.
John, the insurance, my god they do take us for a ride don't they! I find one of the main problems with this cancer thing is not being able to plan ahead. I think its something we are all really used to doing and it all adds to the uncertainty when we can't. Gem will certainly cause different effects to the carbo/tax, but I suspect that Mary still has this on board (its not that long she she had the carbo/tax is it?) so the gem is hitting her already battered system. I had my second lot of chemo 8 months after the first and found it far harder going than the first or so far the 3rd.
I was suprised when after 1 dose of carbo/dox my platelets fell, I had been chemo free for 18 months so didn't understand why they had dropped as previously it had only happened the once and not to the point where chemo was delayed. The onc said that chemo was accumulative and length of time between treatments made no difference
John have you looked at getting Mary on any of the trials? you have never mentioned any previous medical history so if the cancer is her 'only' disease process she may be suitable, my blood clots and location exclude me! not a lot of trial activity in the backwaters of Norfolk! if you think it might be suitable there are links on this site which tell you the trials available and what they are looking at.
Ginger is also supposed to be good for nausea, but Haze and Mary you both NEED to drink or you will feel even worse.
Stomach feels better today (still don't feel quite right but mild pain not severe) though I have to confess I'm reluctant to move around much in case it comes back! that's bad as I'm not normally a physiological type person but its so crippling when I get it I just can't help worrying it will come back.
Thanks, Jackie, you are so helpful! I have forced myself to get up today and had a slice of dry toast and cup of tea - drunk VERY slowly. So far it has stayed down, but still don't feel quite out of the woods yet!
May try John's travel sickness bands when I can get out again.
I did see your suggestion and had a look, and as I said to Jackie I will get the wrist bands when I get going again, and try them next time. Haven't tried it with finger pressure yet, with my luck I'd probably press the wrong place and make something else go wrong!
So sorry missed your chemo on 20/03, hope you weren't too bad afterwards? Your next will be on 10/04, is that right, then only one more after that? So, nearly finished! I have a long, long way to go yet, and can't say I'm looking forward to any of it, but needs must, I guess.
