Help with Chemo

smkmrn

Hi everyone,

My mom has just started chemotherapy. She had her 1st session 2 days ago. So far, the only symptoms have been nausea, loss of appetite and constipation. According to the doctor and nurses, the main symptoms will start tomorrow. I know the type and severity of symptoms are different in each person and depend on the drugs, but do you have any general tips for me to help my mom? She is not exactly the most optimistic person in the world and this cancer and now chemo side effects are really getting to her. I know it's going to get worse from now on, at least for a while. What can I do to make it a little better?

Thank you in advance

Holeinone

hello, smrkn,

My suggestion would be, take a 1/2 dose of a laxative daily. Have a fresh bottle of water by the bed, always. I needed a mouth freshener, from dry mouth desperately. Biotene has great products.

Chemo is not easy, discuss the reality that it will be 6 months, ( at minimum) before you feel at all normal. Different chemos, different reactions. I had A/C, aka the "red devil". Lots of the ladies here breeze through it. Not me, I thought it was legal torture. Taxol was much easier, for me.

Chemo is acummaltive, the end is much more difficult than the beginning. I had 8 infusions, 7 Nuelasta shots. After chemo was completed, my energy was gone. BUT many ladies on this website, worked all through chemo & radiation. They took care of there families. We all have different experiences, and emotionally it's a roller coaster.

I tried my hardest to be "up & optimistic" because my 2 adult kiddos were shell shocked, especially my son. Another aspect of going through treatment that is unexpected. One day at a time.

ElaineTherese

Is your Mom retired? If so, she can just focus on resting and recovering before the next chemo blast. In the meantime, if she can count on you (and others) to help with the day-to-day stress of living (dishes, cleaning the house, raking the leaves, etc.), she can just focus on recovery. I was lucky and had a good support system; it made focusing on chemo recovery much easier.