Postby Lee » Thu Aug 17, 2006 4:31 pm
Hi, Welcome aboard, sorry for your diagnoses. I was diagnoses 2 yr ago for rectal cancer. It sounds like you are stage 2, because nothing was found in your lymph nodes. I was stage 3.
Because you are 3 week on and one week off, I believe you are on a different chemo than me. I was on Folfox, 1 week on, 1 week off.
Chemo treatments are accumulative, so they build up over time. You may not notice any problems with the 1 treatment, but be aware of how you body is reacting to the chemo. That way you get an idea what to expect with your next treatment.
Eat health as often as you can, if that's not possible, drink plenty of Ensure. I found eating several small meal (snacking) vs. 3 meals helped my stomach. With a steady supply of food, my tummy was happier. If over time you develope an aversion to some food, eat what sounds/feels good. Take the ensure to help with vit/mineral. Go back to eating health when you can,
A day or two before each treatment, drink LOTs and LOTS of fluilds/ water. Assume you will get diarea during your treatments. On another site I used to visit during chemo. Some people would write in about having problems, ending up in the ER, and being told there problems were due to dehydrations. As a result of me drinking LOTS of fluids, my blood work was always good. Towards the end of my chemo, I developed and aversion to water, thus I drank tons of grator aide, soda, and coffee.
Can someone help you with your mother in law at certain times. I would get my treatment Tues. thru Thru., by Friday, I was a zombie, and could do nothing more than sit on the sofa. By Monday, I would be back to my normal self. Again see how you react with you first treatment, and plan according.
Plan on taking it easy during Chemo, get frozen foods if you have to feed the family. Find a project you can do at home to keep you busy, yet you can do at our own pace to deal with nervous energy.
Be sure to tell you doctor all you symptoms/problems/concerns. Once I was getting a treatment at the doctor's office. Felt a bladder infection coming on while getting my treatmebt. Was going to make an appointment with my primary Dr. at home. Mentioned this to my chemo doctor, she looked at me and said, it's not a bladder infection, but rather a yeast infection (guess there common on chemo, I never had one before, but have had bladder infections), anyway, she wrote a script which I filled on the way home, problem was cleared up the next day.
You will get thru this, please check back often, you will find a wonderful support group here, more importantly, you will find other people going thru the same things you are. Many times you will get answers faster than if waiting for the doctor to return your call.
Good luck, if I can help more, let me know
Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!