my mum had cancer

[samalexholly]

Just recently mum was diagnosed with breast cancer, she has had an operation and it was successful, however she was told that even though she got the all clear she still had to have chemo to make sure it dont come back.
She has to have 6 rounds of chemo and she is recovering from her second at the moment.
Trouble is that even though she managed to avoid the sickness on the second session (unlike the first), she has ended up in hospital with a low blood count and a chest infection.
My mum and i are so close we are like best mates and im worrying myself silly everytime something happens. Is it normal to have more problems than just the sickness? is there a chance this sort of thing will happen alot while she is having chemo?
I have never known anyone close to me to have had cancer b4 so i dont know whats normal and whats not.

Dont really know how to answer you .....i know chemo does make you v sick .....but wish your mum a speedy recovery x

It is absolutely normal to be sick with chemo and to be susceptible to infections. It can take about a year to get through the worst but hang in there, while they are still treating there's every likelihood she's heading in the right direction :)

It must be worrying for you both. Good info on here and they have a helpline too

hello samalexholly - the low blood count thing is quite common I think during chemo - please take a look at the tamoxifen thread as most of the ladies on there have been through chemo and would be very happy to advise
here

My mum has just finished treatment for breast cancer. She too had to have 6 rounds of Chemo, followed by 3 weeks of Radiotherapy. While she was having chemo doctors "jiggled" her medications each time to help keep sickness at bay. Day 10 after the chemo is when the immune system is at it's lowest and she would therefore be more prone to catching any bugs/infections going round.
She had to have a blood test before each chemo session to make sure her count was ok.
It did take her a bit longer each time to recover from the chemo, so be prepared for that.
MacMillan have a good website with lots of info on what to expect.
Hope your mum makes a full & speedy recovery.

It is common to have sickness and be vulnerable to infections samalexholly, as sockmonkey says round about ten days is the point where blood count is lowest.

The important thing is if she has any kind of raised temperature to ring her chemo unit/cancer ward so that if she has an infection they can get her in and on intravenous ab's as soon as possible. Don't put of phoning until the next morning or anything like that, just do it straight away.

In my case when my count was really low, they delayed my chemo cycle for a week to give me time to build up a bit more. They do keep a close eye on you, so try not to worry too much And as MAS says you'd be very welcome on the tamoxifen thread - we've all had BC and various treatments so may well be able to help with info about various side effects

Good news that they think they've got it all.
My Mum also had breast cancer several years ago - she is still alive and well and has had no recurrence of the cancer.
Chemo is nasty stuff and my Mum felt pretty ghastly during her treatment, your natural immunity is very poor, Mum was off work and advised to try and minimise contact with people as she was so susceptible to picking up bugs. She needed a blood transfusion at one point as her blood counts were so poor.
Its probably great for your Mum to have your support.

Thanks everyone :) xx

Samalexholly - the chemo is tough and gets worse each time as its accumulative in effect - BUT its very likely indeed that only a few weeks after her final dose she will seem to be her old self again and bouncing back. My mum had it (a few times over several years) and chemo was the worst thing to witness and not feel able to make her feel better, but she got through it. Look after yourself too - I know how draining it can be.

Not sure if this helps or not, but maybe try and think of it as a good thing, as the fact she's so low shows the chemo's doing what it needs to do. The whole point of chemotherapy is to kill any remaining cancer cells, but the downside is that it makes your mother vulnerable while she's having it. Kurri's right - best thing is to be totally onto any signs of illness. My Oncologist told me there is no such thing as being hypochondriac on chemo - any sign of illness, raised temperature or just feeling odd you/ she should call the hotline and get it checked. Sooner you get something checked, the less chance of her ending up in hospital or with delayed treatment. She's doing well if she's done two already - lots of women find the second or third rounds the hardest, as there seems such a way to go. If you've got any questions, come over to the Tamoxifen thread. We've all been through it on there, so can probably help if you want us to.