Pyro wrote:I’m not going to sugar coat it, it’s terrible, probably the worst I’ve done. Eat when you can, sleep as much as possible, keep warm water on hand. The Oxi works very well but there is a price to pay for it, and remember the side effects are also cumulative, it just gets worse. You can do it, just tell yourself there’s only a few infusions left.
I didn't have quite as much trouble with it, and actually found that my cycles 6-13 were easier than cycles 1-5. (In between those, I had a chemo break due to an infection, and it may have been that I was just stronger after that than I was when I started treatment.)
The Oxi in particular I found to be cumulative. But I got laser treatments at my acupuncture sessions, and that seemed to help somewhat, I don't think the Oxi hit me as hard as it has some people. My last 5 cycles have been without Oxi - and I haven't missed it!
One thing that helped tremendously was getting fluids to stay hydrated. Northwestern allowed me to work with a home nurse to handle those so I didn't have to come in for them, and she taught us how to do it ourselves. I do a bag or two of fluids after I disconnect (like one bag Wed right after disconnect and one Thurs or Fri); and then if I am not feeling great I go back to Northwestern the following week and have them access me for a few more. This is particularly helpful if I have to fly for any reason. If your center will allow you to manage your own disconnect, doing fluids is not that much harder!