Happy Cancerversary to me...

So...yeah. Three years now. Time for my annual repost of some of my blogs. This one was written in May of 2008 and focuses on chemo tips. I've written similar ones on coping with mastectomies and surviving radiation. I suppose I should write something on H1N1, also. I probably will...eventually. LOL

Cancer Treatment Tips: Chemo

As I mark my one year anniversary of the beginning of chemo, I thought I’d post some cancer treatment tips. I’ve gone through just about every category of cancer treatment out there: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, biological therapy, more surgery…LOL. Today we’ll focus on chemo.

So you’ve been diagnosed with cancer. Yes, it sucks sewage, but it’s not the end of the world. And now you have to start chemo, which also sucks sewage, but again it’s not the end of the world. You can do this.

First, know that you need to reevaluate your definition of “normal.” Let’s face it – chemo is poison. It’s designed to kill all rapidly growing cells in your body (hence the hair, skin, mouth, and digestive side effects). Your body is going to be under attack for the next few months. You will be tired, and you most likely won’t be able to do everything that you’ve been doing before cancer. You may or may not be able to keep working (I did), but it’s a relatively temporary situation, and attitude can make a big difference. Just make sure you listen to your body and you’ll be fine.

One of the first things you should do when you’re getting ready to start chemo is tell your doctor/nurses if you are prone to nausea. If you had nausea with your pregnancies, or get motion sick easily, tell them before you start treatment. Sometimes your doctor will wait to see how your body reacts to the chemo drugs before prescribing anti-nausea medication. If you’re slightly more at risk for nausea, you can probably start with the medication for your first treatment and not have to go through the “wait and see” period. This is what I did, and I really didn’t have too many problems with nausea throughout my treatment. I had three different anti-nausea drugs, one (Emend- ridiculously expensive at $100/pill, but it works great) I took before getting chemo and continued for two days, one I started right after chemo and continued for two days, and one that I took as soon as I started feeling queasy (which only happened a few times).

Also, if you can get a port, do it. I have a PASV subclavical port on my left side. It was installed (LOL that makes it sound like some sort of computer hardware or car part) when I had my mastectomy. It ties directly into my superior vena cava, and means that I’m spared getting stuck in my arm for just about everything. This was (and still is) really nice. Chemo infusions can take anywhere from two to four hours or more, and it’s nice to not have to worry about moving your arms around while you sit there. Also, since I’m at risk for developing lymphedema on my right side, that arm is off limits for things like blood pressure, shots, and blood draws. Being down to just one arm available for blood draws already, it’s better to avoid possible damage to the veins in my arms from chemo.

You may need to reassess your sleeping arrangements. For the first 48 hours or so after chemo you are toxic to those around you. That means no sharing food or drinks (and wash the dishes really well), flush the toilet twice after using it, and if you have night sweats, you probably want to sleep alone (to avoid having your partner sleep in contaminated bedding). And even if you don’t have night sweats, you might want to sleep alone. You’ll most likely be up during the night, and it might be less disruptive if you’re alone. Oh, and of course, no sex (although you probably won’t be feeling up to it immediately following chemo anyway).

Expect to be tired. Chemo can be unbelievably exhausting, depending on what drugs you’re on. My first two drugs were the heavy hitters in the chemo world – Adriamycin (aka “red devil”), and Cytoxan. They really knocked me on my butt for about a week in the beginning, and closer to a week and a half towards the end of my treatment. But I got mine every three weeks, which meant I was almost back to my new “normal” before I got my next treatment. My second two drugs (Taxol and Herceptin) I received weekly, but they only knocked me on my butt for a couple days.

As you get further along in your treatment, you may have additional side effects show up. My extra side effect was mouth sores. They didn’t show up until I was closer to the end of my first three months of chemo, but man when they did they were a huge pain in the…well, mouth. It hurt to talk, it hurt to eat, and it was immensely annoying. The minute mouth sores start showing up, talk to your doctor about “magic mouth wash.” (Yes, that’s really what they call it.) It has to be specially mixed up by the pharmacist, but it’s such a relief. It’ll numb your entire mouth long enough for you to be able to get some food down.

When the nurses say your hair will be gone in three weeks, they’re probably right. They know what they’re talking about. My hair started coming out about two weeks after my first treatment, and by the third week, I couldn’t move or brush against anything without leaving pieces of hair. It was very messy (and annoying for anyone who walked behind me and got showered with hair), so I shaved my head before my second treatment. This is one of those places where you can really have fun with your cancer treatment. I chose to go bald most of the time. Sure, shopping for wigs was fun, and I have great insurance that paid for two wigs, but I never felt like me when I had them on. Plus it was summer when I was going through chemo. It was so nice to drive around with the windows down and feel the wind on my scalp. Have your kids decorate your head, get some temporary tattoos, or have a henna design put on your head. Have fun with scarves or hats, and if you get wigs, get a couple fun wigs too. I thoroughly enjoyed being bald and had as much fun with my cancer as possible.

And that’s really the key. Have fun. Cancer sucks, but it sucks a lot less when you can laugh at yourself, and find little things to enjoy. Own your cancer, don’t let it control you, and just live your life. Enjoy the here and now, relax, and go with the flow…laugh as often as possible and the time will just fly by. Before you know it, you’ll be celebrating your one year anniversary and wondering what to do with your new hair (which, if you’re like me, will be curly and uncooperative). :0)