Post 3: Before CHEMO...
TIP 1 - CHEMIO (part 1/2):
Hello ,
As I explained to you in my last post HERE : I therefore had 36 chemo sessions, so plenty of time to tame the beast!
This post will be divided into 2 parts (easier to read & “digest”, way of speaking):
1/CHEMO WATCH
2/DAY CHEMIO + NEXT DAY & FOLLOWING DAYS CHEMIO
First of all, to enlighten the uninitiated, chemo (finally the one I had the pleasure of experiencing..),
What is this ?
- already contrary to popular belief (Thank you Dr House :)), I was neither in a box // nor a weird tube! (this, a priori, is reserved for imaging: SCAN / PET / MRI & co...)
- it's more like an infusion, you are injected with shock cocktails which will travel through your blood first, then reach the cells concerned (and sometimes a little more - hence the risk of hair loss & co ). While you are comfortably seated in an armchair, we pass you the products; for me, it lasted between 1h30 and 2h45 depending on the week. Plenty of time to chat with A. and my other friends / P., Mom who was kind and patient enough to accompany me each time, but also time to be frozen because Mister Freeze (the frozen helmet ) never left me!
How it works ?
You are connected to an “infusion”, connected to a pack/catheter (which you have previously installed under the skin – me, like others: between the shoulder and the top of the breast on the right)
Why via a pack/catheter?
To avoid altering your veins, when you are planning a long chemo treatment it is HIGHLY recommended, and in any case we don't really give you a choice!
Installation of the pack:
It's not very pleasant, in this case it was put on the same day as my first chemo on April 26, 2013 , this day was not what we call a real laugh, and for the record I 'have always... (at my age I think that for security reasons they prefer to leave it to you, just in case , for a while after having decreed you RELEASE, personally, I think above all that they are afraid that I will have a hard time living there separation ;) ). But once it is installed we no longer feel it, we adopt it (like the rest), it is very small, it measures around 2cm.
In short, it is a sterile box under the skin, through which all the Cocktails will pass!
My cocktails (for the K of the ovaries) were:
CARBOPLATIN / TAXOL / AVASTIN
I will develop my cocktails during the post: HAPPY HOUR “CARBO / TAXOL / AVASTIN” to read here , where I give you the tips corresponding to each product.
In reality I had “only” 24 chemos, or 6 cures, (I remind you that one cure = 3 sessions). From May 2014 , I had “only” Avastin alone, which is not considered to be chemo, but we will still be infused every 3 weeks for 20 minutes ;)!
This is where the famous TRICKS begin!!! FINALLY !
ORGA CHEMO WATCH:
1) have fun! a great dinner / an outing / anything that takes your mind off things so you're ready for the next day THE day
2) do not hesitate to take sleeping pills (ask your oncologist for a prescription, if the nights are difficult, especially the day before chemo)
3) if possible see an Auriculotherapist , to have ear plugs placed in your ears, to limit the side effects the next day, in particular nausea (I will develop the “treatments” next in another post – I have tested almost everything! !! )
4) ask for a prescription for Emla patch: it is an anesthetic patch to put on the pack 1 hour before chemo , so you don't feel when the needle is placed on you
5) HAIR:
IF YOU ARE STARTING YOUR 1st CHEMIOLOGY / OR YOU STILL HAVE YOUR HAIR:
wash your hair the day before each chemo in "glagla" cold water, with 1 very mild shampoo (with eggs if you can find it or just very mild, to buy in a pharmacy, it's better) - do just one only shampoo. Do not dry it (during the entire treatment), do not pull it too hard with the brush (I washed my hair every 4/5 days, you should not wash it too much, touch it as little as possible throughout the duration treatment to take care of them) – the hair theme is a long story in my K a post is dedicated to it here ... And I kept them*!
* I have to admit that I had luck with my hair (well, I had less luck with lots of other things, that makes up for it haha). I am well aware that very few women keep them... Once again, all cancers are unique, different and we all experience it in our own way... My tips are those from my story, we must do its shopping in my advice, and finding what might suit you, these are not miraculous techniques, it's just little tips from a young woman who has lived the fight for a very long time ;)
6) FEET / HANDS:
Every day you have to smear your nails with the wonderful Evonail treatment from Laboratoire Evaux (to order) and in addition always have very dark varnish underneath (the whole Silicon range from La Roche Posay is fantastic, especially the CHOCOLATE color) on the hands & feet (never remove it - except in the evening when it is dark to redo a manicure / pedicure) chemo (TAXOL for my K) + UV rays do not mix well, they damage the nails and can cause them to fall off (Mom's did not hold up on her feet, because she stopped the varnish too early) - when the treatments are finished: wait 2 months after the last chemo to remove the varnish (all the essentials are to be find it in our “Fighting Kit” Feet & Hands, on sale here ;) )
7) RACES:
In anticipation of a tomorrow that doesn't really look good on D+1 after chemo, you need to fill your fridge with products that you tolerate well. My basket was: very cold Coke, iced water, apples/pears, tomatoes and sorbets of all kinds!
PURCHASES RECAP CHEMO MONITORING:
Groceries (grocery store / supermarket):
- COCA
- APPLE PEAR
- TOMATOES
- SORBETS
For your information, some of my tips will often be repeated throughout the posts, and sometimes in more detail.
I'm waiting for you tomorrow for the rest of this post: ORGA CHEMIO: THE CHEMIO DAY to read here!
Thank you for taking the time to read me.
See you soon
Charlotte
<:en>1st TIPS- CHEMO (part 1/2):
Hello ,
As I was saying in my last post: MY STORY : I had 36 chemo sessions, so quite a lot of time to tame the beast.This post will be divided in two parts (easier to “digest”, if you know what I mean):
1/CHEMO’S EVE
2/ Chemo's day + the day after and the following days
Firstly, to enlighten the uninitiated, a chemo (at least the one I had…), What is it?- At the opposite of what we could think (thanks Dr. House ☺), I wasn't in a box/ weird tube (this kind of machines are used for: TAC/ SCAN / PET / MRI & co )
- It is rather as an infusion or a cocktail injection, while you are comfortably seated in an armchair. In my specific case, it lasted between 1:30 - 2:45 hours, according to the different weeks. Enough time to chat with A. and my other friends, who have had the kindness and patience to stay with me every time.How it works?
They connect you with an "infusion" linked to a pack/catheter (which was placed under my skin, usually between the shoulders or above on the right side of the breast). Why in this particular manner? To do not alter your veins, actually when you anticipate a long chemo treatment it is highly recommended and in the end you're almost obliged to. Installation pack: It isn't really pleasant, mine was placed the same day as my first chemo, 26 th of April 2013. That day wasn't really a happy-day and, as a matter of fact, I still have it (probably because of my age, they prefer to leave it just in case. Personally I think they were worried to separate us ;)) At the end of the day, when the pack is placed under your skin, you don't even feel it anymore. You get used to it, as almost all the rest…It is very small, maybe 2 cm and it's from there that all the infusions will go through. My "cocktails" for the ovarian K were: CARBOPLATIN / TAXOL / AVASTIN I will speak deeper about these cocktails later, in the HAPPY HOUR “CARBO / TAXOL / AVASTIN post , where I'll give you all my tips for that. In reality I had “only”24 chemos, which means 6 cures (one cure = 3 sessions). From May 2014, I had "just" one of Avastin, which is not considered to be a chemo, but you still have to do the infusions every 3 weeks for 20 min, that's why I say 36 "chemos";)! This is where the famous TIPS begin!!! Finally! ORGA EVE CHEMO: 1) have fun! a great dinner / hanging out / anything that changes your mind to be on track for the next day, the D-day 2) do not hesitate to take sleeping pills (for the prescription ask your oncologist if the nights are difficult, especially the ones before the chemo) 3) if possible see an auriculotherapist , to put you lead in the ears, to limit the bad side effects of the next day, including nausea (I will develop the "care" in another post –I tried almost everything!!!) 4) order an Emla's patch: it is an anesthetic patch to put on the pack 1 hour before the chemo, to do not feel the needle 5) HAIR: IF YOU START YOUR FIRST CHEMO / OR YOU STILL HAVE YOUR HAIR:
Wash your hair the day before each chemo glaze in cold water with a very mild shampoo (egg or just very soft one, preferably bought in pharmacies). Do not dry (during the treatment), do not pull too hard on the brush (I was washing my hair every 4/5 days, so do not over wash them. Touch them as little as possible throughout the treatment) - hair theme is a long story in my K, I will write a dedicated post to it ☺
6) FEET / HANDS:
Always keep a very dark nail polish ( the color chocolate from La Roche Posay is perfect ) on the hands & feet (do not remove it - except at night when it's dark, to redo the manicure/pedicure, or during the treatments if you have no choice but put some new when you're back home). Chemo (TAXOL for my K) + UV don't match very well together, they can affect the nails and make them fall (for instance, those of Mom did not stand on the feet, as she stopped the nail polish too soon) – when the treatments are completed: wait 2 months after the last chemo to remove it.
7) RACES:
It is essential having food that you support well in your fridge. For example, in mine I always have: a super fresh Coca-Cola, as well as water, apples or pears, tomatoes and sorbets of all kinds.
Index of the things to buy before your chemo:
Pharmacy:
- The base (nail polish) Vitry in silicon from La Roche Posay
- La Roche Posay's nail polish in silicon, (chocolate colors)*
- a very mild shampoo (with egg if possible)
- a very soft hairbrush (wild boar hairs)
* Be careful in one side silicon's nail polish are very good for nails, but they dry very, very (too) quickly, I had to buy them back so often! Don't keep them in a too warm room, the fridge is the best place ;)
Food (supermarket): - COCA-COLA - APPLE/PEAR - TOMATOES - SORBETS FYI, some of my tips will BE mentioned often again all over the posts, and sometimes I will give you even more details. Read the next post of tomorrow: ORGA THE CHEMO CHEMO DAY Thank you for taking your time to read me. See you soon Charlotte<:>
