Starting Chemo March 2016

Candy, you and I are pretty much on the same page.  My first chemo was Monday as well and last week pretty much kicked my butt. I didn't feel sick really but by Thursday was extremely exhausted, didn't feel like myself at all, had the weird headaches and really just felt like I was having an out of body experience. I was irritable and mad and so very tired.  Today it's like a did a 360, I feel so much better!  I haven't had the mouth sores or lip problems or the aches/pains that you have described, at least not yet! But I do have 3 stupid pimples, one on my nose and 2 on my neck.  Tomorrow I start back to work. Hopefully back to a bit of normalcy

coconut oil works on the lips too. And I got a spray Biotene and kept it in my purse, used the crap out of it.

Italychick what kind of coconut oil do you use? Is it refined or unrefined or does that even matter? I get my first infusion this Thursday and am trying to prepare myself.

For those planning to work during chemo...I also plan to work full time with only taking a few days off for infusions. I work as an office manager of a small brokerage. I will try to let ya all know how that works out. I also hope to attend my teenage son's high school rodeos this spring... they start April 23rd. This will involve traveling and camping. Thank God we have living quarters to sleep in. My Drs said it should be fine but to be sure I knew of the closest hospital in case I get a fever. They even gave examples of other patients who had done similar events as me andwas just fine. I pray that I can make it to most of his events.

Veterans - did any of you ever use the wig halos with hats. I have been considering them. Also, I want to stay hydrated during infusions, so am wondering how much ice water I should plan to take with me. I can't stand the taste of the city water.

ckfelix79, you can click "Add to My Favorite Topics" in threads you want to get back to easily.

Any coconut oil should help most things (including mouth sores, vaginal dryness, hemorrhoids...). I don't know if refined vs unrefined makes a difference, but I used unrefined, virgin coconut oil.

ckfelix,

My chemo nurse also told me that pregnancy symptoms might be a good indicator of chemo side effects. I had terrible heartburn and moderate nausea throughout pregnancy and so far has been about the same after my first chemo infusion on Friday. I have pretty much been taking ranitidine and maxeran on schedule to control these SEs and it hasn't been unbearable.

As for your son, would it help him if he assisted pick out hats or a wig with you? My daughter is only 2 and I thought she would be so traumatized by my new short hair cut but she didn't even care. Kids are so resilient and I'm sure your son will adjust quickly. Take care

I don't think it matters if the coconut oil is refined or unrefined. Try to get organic unrefined if you can, but I think it should work either way. In California, our Costco warehouse stores carry it in big tubs, but not sure if you have those there. If you can't find it locally, there is always Amazon.

Yes, coconut oil definitely helps with hemorrhoids. And be aware if you have hemorrhoids (as I do from childbirths), you may have some slight anal bleeding, so don't panic. I had some after a couple of chemo infusions, but it resolved. If you have chronic pain, do get it checked out as a few women on our March 2015 chemo forum developed anal fissures. Be gentle wiping down there, maybe get some wipes. Keeping your poop soft helps. I never took stool softener, but relied on magnesium to get the job done.

So far, I think I have recommended coconut oil, magnesium (for pooping and leg cramps, etc.) and watch your potassium levels. I think the MO routinely monitors the potassium level, but magnesium is more tricky to monitor. Try to keep an antibiotic (strong one) on hand for random things like bee stings, bug bites, etc.

Head sores (called folliculitis) can be dealt with by a topical antibiotic a doctor can prescribe, such as Clindamycin, but coconut oil helps with those too. Also use it on gums, just smear a tiny bit in your mouth.

I also figured out that some of my foot neuropathy was actually sensitivity to dryness and cold, and keeping shoes and socks on and lotioning up my feet and wearing socks helped.

For digestive issues, get Pepcid ac or something similar, it really helps.

For nausea, eat small bites of food randomly. I didn't have to take anti nausea medication other than what I was given on infusion days, and I think keeping something in the stomach helps a ton, like a few crackers, some chicken broth, yogurt, etc. the probiotics in yogurt or kefir help a ton.

Any exercise you can do, even gentle walking, really helps out a lot.

Sorry to be so wordy, and ignore my posts if they are annoying. I am crossing my fingers you all come through chemo in great shape

I'll add to Theresa's post that it's good to have all of this on hand, and you might not need it (so you could donate it afterward). I had no mouth sores, little gastric distress (and it was related to the port, not the chemo), no nausea, no diarrhea or constipation, no hemorrhoids, and only a little foot neuropathy.

NancyHB and all

I can't thank you all enough for the tips and I have made a list of supplies to add to shopping. I was told to use tea tree oil on nails daily but my onc nurse. I have never tried coconut oil but will get and use. I use hemorhoids cream already and will get wipes.

Nancy

I did not realize till going back through you had such a problem with port and I am so sorry to hear that. I hope you contacted doctor and that has resolved. That is certainly not normal. And I'm really sorry you have to be here again, but find your info valuable.

Thank you all for posting great tips to help us!! Some of these I did not think about or have on my list and I really appreciate the heads up going forward

Well, by posting here, you just joined. Welcome. If you use the link to Add to My Favorite Topics, it will place a marker for this thread so you can easily find it and will take you to your first unread post.

There are lots of good hints and tips for getting through chemo here, so I would suggest going to the beginning of the thread and read the past posts. That will really help you see what might be helpful for you. Also, once you know what actual chemo drugs you will be given, go ahead and post those, so everyone who is getting the same 'cocktail' can chime in with more specifics.

I saw this on Facebook and thought I'd post it here.

Well said Wanna Cruize!

I was diagnosed in February and will be starting chemo (TC) on Friday, 3/18. Soooo nervous. I am trying to go out an get the things/meds I may need during treatment. Any ideas are welcome

Was also wondering if anyone has tried Biotin to help with hair loss during chemo?? I know I will lose the hair on my head but was hoping to maybe keep eyelashes/brows, etc?? What brand/dosage is safe? Also wondering about tea tree oil for my nails? Does it work? Any good brands recommended? Any other suggestions? Thanks for the input!! Many hugs to all........

Italychick. Your posts are ever so helpful and never annoying. Love them. 

I'm checking in on day 4 of round one of AC. My day 3 has been the worse so far. Thank goodness it was a Sunday. I slept more than I was awake and still went to bed by 1030 last night and slept all night. I had a lot of pain and discomfort in my lower abdomen (gas maybe?) Think I will get some gas-x before round 2. I went to work today and the only issues I had were tiredness and shakiness. My boss let me go home and nap and then I finished my patient charting at home.

Hope everyone is doing well!

ckfelix79, the supplement issue is a tough one. I was paranoid about antioxidants so for about 3-4 days before an infusion and a week after, I cut out antioxidants. Other than that timeframe, I took D3, K2 (those supposedly help with bone pain and aid with breast health), coq10 to protect my heart, milk thistle and n-acetyl cysteine for my liver, Benfotiamine B1 for neuropathy, biotin, B-12 (chemo really depleted my B-12 level), fish oil for inflammation. Tons of magnesium all the time since it doesn't appear to have an antioxidant effect and helped with so much, pooping, leg pain, heart health, sleeping.

Other things to have on hand were Imodium, Pepcid ac or something similar for gastrointestinal issues, Advil, Aleve, Tylenol, Advil or Tylenol pm (worked great for anxious nights, knocked me right out, I learned 1 worked as well as 2) Benadryl, Biotene mouthwash and spray, Claritin for bone pain and allergic reactions. I also had Valium, oxycodone and a powerful antibiotic. And the magic coconut oil for everything. I did magnesium or Epsom salts bath soaks quite a bit. Don't know if they helped, but they were sure relaxing. I used tea tree oil soap and dove sensitive body wash. Clindamycin for folliculitis which I got, ugh. Eye drops everywhere, at home, by my bed, in my purse, at work. Zofran and compazine for nausea which I never had to use thank goodness.

Having said all of the above, a lot of the over the counter remedies and pain relievers didn't get used.

And I ate whatever was soothing and tasted the best, chemo is no time to be strict on food in my opinion. Although some people did do fasting concurrent with chemo, but I couldn't bring myself to fast.

One thing that also helped me was Vicks both nasally and rubbed on my feet. I think because it is Vaseline based it stayed on my feet well, but aquaphor may work just as well.

My motto was prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

10 months post chemo, it is all just a slightly unpleasant memory, thankfully it appears that humans have the capacity to forget how bad something really was.

And exercise, even light walking, really helps.

And report everything, no matter how small it might seem, to your chemo team, they have heard it all and can really help with side effects.

One more question. This is the first time I have heard about concurrent fasting. Any idea what the reasons are for that?

Well, tomorrow is #2 infusion. The first one wasn't so bad except for nausea the first 4 days and a little bit after. By day 7 I was normal again with a little fatigue. Took many naps throughout the day. Stopped using Biotin four days in because it caused my tongue to get sore with all that moisture. My mouth has not dried out so I stopped using it. The white blood count shots were scary at first but I got semi used to them. Had a few aches from it at night but nothing an Advil didn't fix. No other side effects to report. I hope the next infusion is the same as this one I don't want surprises. Hair is starting to fall out. Tied my hair in a ponytail and some hair came out. This past weekend got a sore throat and a fluctuating temp. Been monitoring the temp and let my MO know last night. Crossing fingers my white blood count is good and that this slight sickness doesn't hinder the infusion. Good luck to those getting #2 tomorrow and throughout the next few weeks. ))

Update: Just looked in the mirror and have small pimples everywhere! Where did they come from?!