Chemo questions

Seebha

Hi ladies ,



I'm 36 and going to start chemo in a few days. I have lots of questions in my head. Would really appreciate if somebody could answer.



1. Do I have to stay inside during chemo. I'm getting paranoid of infection.



2. Can I go to work?



3. Can I do cooking, cleaning, and other similar things?



4. Can I go to drop off my kids to school?



5. Can I go for shopping and grocery?



6. Is there any other thing which I should do or avoid during chemo?



7. Can I attend my yoga classes?

indenial

1. Do I have to stay inside during chemo. I'm getting paranoid of infection. No, you can go out & about as much as you want. You may want to avoid particularly germy places like daycare centers or the movie theater during the week or two that your counts are at their lowest. And definitely avoid sick people. I did all normal activities, including taking my son to places like the children's museum, although he & I always used hand sanitizer between every exhibit. I didn't get Neulasta and still managed to get through without any infections or anything. I think as a young mom my immune system was already pretty strong!

2. Can I go to work? Yes, though some find they want/need a bit of time off during the first week or so post infusion.

3. Can I do cooking, cleaning, and other similar things? Yes, but you may not always feel up to it. Ask people to cook meals for you and/or stock up on frozen dinners. Sign up for cleaningforareason.org or ask friends to help with cleaning. 

4. Can I go to drop off my kids to school? Yes.

5. Can I go for shopping and grocery? Yes.

6. Is there any other thing which I should do or avoid during chemo? Don't eat sushi or raw meat -- make sure your food is cooked thoroughly, and wash fruits & veggies well. Keep hand sanitizer in your purse. Buy a few new toothbrushes or sanitize yours regularly. Use only electric razors, or at least brand-new disposable ones. I think that's about all I did to prevent infections. If you don't live close to a pharmacy, stock up on meds for various side effects (constipation/diarreah, sore throat, heartburn, etc.)  If hair loss is a side effect of your chemo regime, have a plan for that (head coverings/wigs/hats/scarves if desired). If you have young kids, get some videos/books/toys/crafts to keep them busy when you're not feeling well. ASK FOR HELP whenever you need it.

7. Can I attend my yoga classes? Yes. It's good to stay moving as much as you can -- I took walks almost every day. Yoga will help! 

camillegal

Seebha I think denial pretty much covered everything for u. Just adding I did work for the first 4 months--missing some days and I worked at a job that had crowds of people and it was fine. I would also get extra lotion for u'r skin, most skin gets very dry and if u'r Dr. says u hair will fallout as soon as it starts get it cut really short, my Dgtr. shaved my head so that my hair wasn't all over the place and like denia said I was all set up with scarrves, wig, and hats cuz I was working too.If u can't do yoga try just walking, drink loads of water and u can drink vitamin water if u don't like reg. water--I still drink Propel all the time--Have gingerle in the house made with real ginger and ask for help when u need it--rest when u can and need to that's why u might need help. Good Luck Oh when u do go it's just a long day not a painful or uneasy day it's pretty simple.

Hortense

Seeba - I went through Taxotere/Cytoxan chemotherapy last year at this time. I'll answer what I can.

1. Do I have to stay inside during chemo. I'm getting paranoid of infection.  You can definitely go outside when you feel like it. Fresh air and sunshine are good for you. Your immune system will be compromised and there may be days when you are feeling poorly, but using common sense, you can live fairly normally. Stay away from sick people - and little kids if you can, and wash your hands a lot. I carried Purel with me and used antiseptic wipes on shopping cart handles. This is not the time to volunteer at school or church where there are lots of people in close proximity.

2.  Can I go to work? 

Some women do go to work, but I couldn't have as chemo and its side effects made me feel very tired and generally crappy the first week after having it. If you can, take the time off. If you must work, try to take off the week of each infusion - have them on Monday and go back to work the next Monday, or at least take off a few days after you have each infusion and time your infusions so that you also have a weekend before having to go to work. 

3.  Can I do cooking, cleaning, and other similar things? 

You should get a lot of rest as your body will be under a lot of stress. This is not the time to worry about dust bunnies, laundry or making complete meals for your family. If someone else can cook or do laundry, let them.

Accept all the help you are offered. If someone asks what they can do, don't be polite and say "nothing". Be specific and give them something to do that will truly help you, ie: pick up dry cleaning, take pet to vet, take kids to soccer practice, grocery shop, etc.  

4.  Can I go to drop off my kids to school? There may be days that you might not feel up to taking you kids to school, or even getting out of bed for that matter. If they cannot take the bus, try to have  a friend or family member take them and pick them up.  

Listen to your body and take care of it. Rest when you need it. The good part is that there will be days that you will feel quite fine. The pattern usually is the first week after each chemo session is the hardest. It's when you are most tired, most likely to have side effects and need the most rest. The second week gets better, especially if you exercise lightly, believe it or not. And, you may have to push yourself to do so, but getting moving really will help you feel better. The third week you probably will feel pretty good. I drove long distances, put together dining chairs I bought at Ikea, gardened, etc.

5. Can I go for shopping and grocery? During the second and third weeks you probably can go grocery shopping. You may be too tired and awful feeling during your first week after each session to want to go and it might be a tremendous effort for you when you ought to be resting.

6. Is there any other thing which I should do or avoid during chemo? 

* Stock up on regularly used items ahead of time so that you won't run out of them. That way you will only need things like fresh foods which are quick to pick up, or someone can get for you. I brought in a huge supply of paper goods, cleaning supplies, pet foods, soups, canned foods and frozen foods before starting chemo. It made life much easier.

With kids to feed, paper plates might be a good idea to cut down on clean up time and effort. Think about using short cuts and simple foods. Cut yourself lots of slack. You are not being a bad mother if you do not serve made from scratch meals three times a day. This is time to think about taking care of yourself so that you will be here to take care of everybody else later.

* Be sure to take good quality Pro-biotics tablets daily so that you do not get raging yeast infections. My OBGYN told me about that afterwards:(

* Keep a sports bottle of water (it has a pop up top) by your toilet to use to squirt and rinse yourself after every pee so that the chemo in your urine will not burn you.

* Constipation can be a big problem, keep drinking lots of fluids even if they taste foul. Also take Dulcolax stool softener the day before, day of and for a few days after each chemo session. 

* I found that eating very watery fruit like watermelon and strawberries helped keep me hydrated.

* Ask for all the help you can get.

* Get your teeth cleaned beforehand so that there is nothing lurking that might cause an infection. My dentist took me immediately when he heard I was about to have chemo.

7. Can I attend my yoga classes?

Yes to your yoga classes when you are feeling up to them, but don't strain yourself. Take it easier than you normally would so that you do not get run down and end up really sick in an ER.

Good luck! Think positively and you will be fine. (((Hugs)))

rdhdchick

Thought I'd add my two cents. First of all, my best to you and your family, it will not be easy, but you can do this!

1. Do I have to stay inside during chemo. I'm getting paranoid of infection. 

I've worked through my first two treatments, although I've taken one or two days off. I even flew (for business) during the second week of my first round. Common sense will dictate what you can do, and talk to your nurses and Onc.

2. Can I go to work? As Above.

3. Can I do cooking, cleaning, and other similar things?

I was able to keep up with my home, with the help of my teenage children. Make sure you get help with these things, you should not be trying to keep house when you are fatigued or dealing with your side effects.

4. Can I go to drop off my kids to school? As above.

5. Can I go for shopping and grocery? As above.

6. Is there any other thing which I should do or avoid during chemo?

Move. Drink lots of water, if you can. Eat healthy. Let others help you. Don't overdo it. If you have troublesome side effects (muscle pain, mouth sores, etc) talk to your nurses and onc about what they can to to help. Use these boards to ask questions, you are not alone. 

7. Can I attend my yoga classes?

YES, however, depending on your chemo, you may experience muscle/joint/bone aches, so some positions are not recommended (downward dog is one). Talk to your yoga instructor about other positions you can use, and make sure to tell your nurses and onc what you are doing.

ruthbru

1. Do I have to stay inside during chemo. I'm getting paranoid of infection. No, you do not have to stay inside at all, in fact the more 'normal' things you can do the better. Are you going to get Neulasta shots? If you are, then you really don't have to worry that much about infections as the shots kick your white blood cells into production.

2. Can I go to work? Most likely, yes. Everyone reacts differently, of course, so you will have to see how it goes and adjust accordingly. I teach, and only missed infusion days (Fridays). Also went to a 500 mile away family weekend for a graduatuion between my 3rd & 4th round.

3. Can I do cooking, cleaning, and other similar things? Yes, but here is where I'd ask for help. My co-workers organized a calendar & brought us meals a couple days a week...which was wonderful as things smelled & tasted icky to me, so cooking would have been hard. Also hire a cleaning lady, or enlist friends/family to help out....and relax your standards. This is one time fast foo, paper plates and a little dust are all OK.

4. Can I go to drop off my kids to school? Yes...but again, if that makes you tired, ask for volunteers to help you out.

5. Can I go for shopping and grocery? Yes....again, if that makes you tired, get someone else to do it. Save your energy for the important things (like doing things with your kids).

6. Is there any other thing which I should do or avoid during chemo? If you haven't already done so, go to a 'Look Good, Feel Better' class (sponsered by the American Cancer Society). Gives you great tips on make up, wigs, head coverings etc. and samples of great makeup, all for free. If you are thinking of a wig, get that ordered ahead of time.

7. Can I attend my yoga classes? You should do whatever exercise you feel up to during chemo. It will help you get through it better & bounce back quicker once you are done. If you like yoga, keep going to yoga. If you find that isn't working for you, walking is great, and there are many exercise DVDs you can do at home (and kind of fake your way through if you feel crummy & don't want to go out).

I felt like I had a mild case of the flu the whole time....didn't feel good, but was able to maintain a pretty regular schedule.....which was good for me mentally, anyway.

Best of luck!