Please can you give me some tips on having chemo?

[EachandEveryone]

It will be in two weeks time. Platinum chemo for ssc p16 possibly hpv althpugh the primary is unknown which terrifies me. They said it will be on day 1 and day 8 for three months.

can I get public transport there and back or should I get a taxi? How long does it last? Do you take food with you? Do I need to get someone in to deep clean? Can I keep my cats? Any advice would be appreciated.

thank you.

My dad has just started chemo for SSC, primary in the nasopharynx, spread to lymph, spine and hip mets, he is having cisplatin & gemcitabine 1st week, carboplatin 2nd week, then 1 week break, for 6 rounds. He completed his 1st round just before Christmas.

My dad wasn't able to go alone, he cannot drive at the moment, but that's due to his cancer being very symptomatic, if you are well in yourself I can't see why you couldn't go by taxi but would advise against the bus, you'll likely be quite tired after treatment.

He took a packed lunch on the first day, but they came round with lunch options for everyone so he didn't need it, I recommend taking boiled sweets as apparently you can get a nasty taste in your mouth.

Each bag took 2.5 hours, so week 1 he was there for 7 hours, 2nd week less than 3 hours.

My dad has a cat, no one mentioned pets to him. The nurses on my dads chemo ward are really lovely, as I'm sure yours will be and they'll be happy to answer any questions you have.

I wish you all the very best with your treatment.

You can get public transport there, you might want to give yourself the option of a taxi back but depends on the journey. My neighbour who had the same chemo regime for laryngeal cancer was happy to drive himself to and from hospital each time.
You can keep your cats and don't need a deep clean.
There is a lot of hanging around and waiting, so headphones, phone, kindle, water bottle, snacks to pass the time (some people like tangy sweets but you'll find what works for you).

Good luck!

Hiya I finished 12 weekly chemo session mid December. I don't drive so my mum drive me there then picked me up again, even if I did drive I don't think I'd have been able to, particularly after the third session.
Not sure about cats as I don't have any, and if you can afford it, get a cleaner, my husband and two older kids did ours.
Definitely take lunch and or snacks depending on the time of your appointment, and some drink you can get a bit thirsty and it helps flush it through, I also took a blanket as would get cold sat there, book/ magazine or mainly I'd listen to podcasts or music, though quite often we'd sit there chatting to each other.
I don't know what it's like where you'd be going, but at the day unit I went to, we have to wait anything from 15-60 mins for the chemo to come up from the pharmacy then theyd come to you and hook you up ( as I use to say) I had a picc line and had carbo every three weeks and pixlataxle every week( so a double dose every three weeks) on the double dose it'd take 1.5 hours and the single 30 mins but, there's the pre med, and flushes in between and after, obviously waiting for the nurses to have time to get to you, they were amazing the nurses where I was. So use to be there anything from. 2.5 - 4.5 hours.
Sorry for the waffle, hope it helps a little

Can you call macmillan or similar? I'm sure a lovely nurse would talk you through it.

Yes I can I suppose. I’m still abit shy to reach out. I thought some real life tips would be good. Such as what’s the best anti nausea treatment I remember the one the hospital gives isn’t as good as the one you can get from your gp

Ondansetron is the better one. They’ll more than likely send you home with Domperidone and Dexamethasone but it may be worth asking your GP for Ondansetron. It’s the only one that works for my Dad.

Bring a fleece blanket with you. They roll up small. You may be given antihistamines that will make you sleepy and its nice to have even a thin blanket to throw over the top if you. I always brought a scarf to roll up and use as a pillow.

Also a bottle of water and some boiled sweets.

No personal experience but I have cared for patients having chemo and had family members that have had it. Some patients find lip balm and hand cream helps as chemo can cause dry mouth and chapped lips and flaky nails. You can keep your cats but if you have to deal with litter trays, wearing rubber gloves is a good idea as cat poo can contain toxoplasmosis and you may be immunocompromised during your treatment. Ice chips or high water content ice lollies can help if you develop a sore mouth and will help you stay hydrated if you have nausea or vomiting. Best of luck with your treatment @EachandEveryone, hope the side effects are minimal for you

The place where you are having chemo should be able to answer your questions.I had various types of chemo for breast cancer. For nearly all, I was able to drive myself there and back. I used to get a lift for the first one of each type just in case there was a reaction.
They often offer you food, but I took a few snacks. Keeping hydrated helps with the chemo effects so I took water with me.
I really enjoyed chatting with the nurses and playing on my iPad. It’s fairly relaxing once you’re hooked up.
Hygiene is important but you don’t need to go over board. It’s best not to handle animal waste. That said, no one in my house ended up cleaning the cat litter or me so I continued with it and just made sure to wash my hands very thoroughly after.

I found the steroids after made ma starving. One giant fish supper later I wasn’t happy! Go easy if you feel starving after!
get a heated blanket, you will feel the cold I think xxxx

Did the steroids keep you up all night?

Steroids didn’t have much of a negative effect. You’re not on them long enough. My face just looked a bit red and my heart rate sometimes felt a bit fast.

I had a low dose of steroids Monday - Thursdays, Wednesday and Thursday nights I use to be awake alot, then catch up Friday, Saturday and Sunday night