Tips When You Are Receiving Chemotherapy

In my last post I wrote about what I wish I knew before I started chemo. Well once the nervousness of getting through my first chemo treatment disappeared then I started to wonder what will happen next. Here are some things that I learned along the way.

It is all about the Hair!

I knew I would loose my hair. I was told my hair would start to fall out on day 14 after my carboplatin/taxol treatment. Before having chemo both times, I had my hair cut very short. I highly recommend cutting your hair very short or shaving your head. It is hard to see long hairs on your pillow when you wake up in the morning. So I knew my hair would fall out but no one told me that my scalp would hurt when the hair fell out. My scalp felt like it did in high school when I took out the elastic band that held my long hair in a ponytail. My scalp would ache.

Oh that Upset Stomach

The one thing I told my doctor was that I never wanted to be nauseous or vomit. There are many different drugs to combat the nauseousness you might feel. If one doesn't work tell your doctor. There will be another one to try. Be sure to take the drugs on schedule. If you are to take them every two hours - do it.

Mangia!

My Aunt used to tell me that I had to eat to stay strong and fight the cancer. She was right. It really helps to have small frequent meals. I did try to do that but the chemo I took affected my taste buds. Everything tasted the same. Exactly like cardboard with absolutely no flavor. Some people say everything has a metal taste to it . If that is the case with you , try to use plastic spoons and forks. Less metal in your mouth might make the food flavors come through. Personally the one thing that I could taste the flavor of was chocolate malteds. One snowy winter day as I sat in the recliner having my infusion I had a craving for a chocolate malted. Off Nick went to Thomas' Sweet Shop and brought me back one. Delicious!

Why all those Blood Tests?

Many chemotherapy drugs cause your hemoglobin ( helps carry oxygen in the blood) and white blood ( helps fight infection) and platelets( help clot your blood) counts to drop below normal.

So if your hemoglobin is low eat foods high in iron. Low white blood counts be sure to wash your hands, avoid people who have colds/flu symptoms and get the rest you need. So as not to delay your treatments your doctor might prescribe a drug like Neulasta which will prompt your bone marrow to produce more white blood cells.

If your platelets are low be careful to not cut yourself and don't floss your teeth.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz

I knew that I might feel tired after chemotherapy. Not one person told me I would be so fatigued that I could not lift my arms to hold a book, stand up long enough to take a shower or that I would literally spend 48 hours in bed. Once I knew that is what would happen it became easier to accept the fact that I couldn't do anything on days 3 and 4 after chemo.

When I recurred and started chemo again knowing these what might happen really helped me stay calm.

Dee

Every Day is a Blessing