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What to expect from cancer treatment?
Hi,
I was just wondering if anyone has any stories about chemo and cancer treatment really, because my mum, after having two opperations to try and get rid of the cancer, now has to have chemo and I don't really know what to expect..
I know that people usually get sick/lose their hair but I mean to what degree does this effect their every day lives? I'm supposed to be going to uni in Spetember and I don't think I want to go if she's going to need me around.
I'm just a bit confused, nobody's really spoken to me about what's going on here, everyone's being really vague about how long the treatment will last, how ill she's getting etc- I know, obviously, it is different in every case but any sort of general guidlines about what to expect from chemo might help? I've seen films and TV and stuff but I'm sort of hoping they just over dramatize things a bit..
Thanks XX
I was just wondering if anyone has any stories about chemo and cancer treatment really, because my mum, after having two opperations to try and get rid of the cancer, now has to have chemo and I don't really know what to expect..
I know that people usually get sick/lose their hair but I mean to what degree does this effect their every day lives? I'm supposed to be going to uni in Spetember and I don't think I want to go if she's going to need me around.
I'm just a bit confused, nobody's really spoken to me about what's going on here, everyone's being really vague about how long the treatment will last, how ill she's getting etc- I know, obviously, it is different in every case but any sort of general guidlines about what to expect from chemo might help? I've seen films and TV and stuff but I'm sort of hoping they just over dramatize things a bit..
Thanks XX
Ive just found these two websites. I can't offer you any advice myself but i hope these help you and i hope your mum is ok.
x
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=176
http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Home
x
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=176
http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Home
Generally it depends on the type of chemo she has. Drugs are much cleaner today that they have ever been, but of course they do have side effects... The ones that your mum might suffer will depend upon the drugs used, but most will cause nausea, fatigue, weight loss etc. Not all drugs cause sterility and not all will cause hairloss (although a lot do).
Thinking of you.
Hugs
Thinking of you.
Hugs
Thanks for the websites and reasurance guys! It's cleared things a little in my head now
Wez
I hope your mum gets better.
I don't think you can accurately predict what will happen unless you know the specifics of what your mum has and what will be done. Surely – if she’s agreed to have the treatment - she must know the probable effects? Can you ask her?
I don't think you can accurately predict what will happen unless you know the specifics of what your mum has and what will be done. Surely – if she’s agreed to have the treatment - she must know the probable effects? Can you ask her?
Hey thanks
,yeah that's the thing everyone's being really vague when I ask.
I know she's having radio therapy first, and then chemo, I asked her if she was going to get really ill and what was going to happen to her, she said she didn't know. I asked her if she wanted me to defer my uni entry to help her out and she said it was up to me.
To be honest everyone is being really evasive, I don't know if it's because they just don't know or if they're trying to sheild me from stuff- or if they think it's not up to me to know, I do feel a bit selfish asking her all these questions but oh I don't know, I wish someone could have just handed me a leaflet or something on it! That's why those websites etc were useful thanks
lol, just realised I uncovered myself
, oh well nothing to be ashamed of don't really know why I went anonymous in the first place!
, oh well nothing to be ashamed of don't really know why I went anonymous in the first place!When my mum was having chemo she was tired for a few days after she had it(she had it monthly),also her hair fell out a bit and she was sick etc.She was going to work inbetween sessions,taking a couple of days off each month to recover.
I hope your mum is OK.If you want to talk with me PM me because I'm in the same position as you-going off to uni in September,leaving my mum behind....
Your mum might be able to get some help with things like household jobs-we have a cleaner currently because my mum is too ill to clean,I'm always at work and my sister is at sixth form.
I hope your mum is OK.If you want to talk with me PM me because I'm in the same position as you-going off to uni in September,leaving my mum behind....
Your mum might be able to get some help with things like household jobs-we have a cleaner currently because my mum is too ill to clean,I'm always at work and my sister is at sixth form.
well it depends there's all different types, my dad has brain cancer and after his diagnosis last summer he had 2 lots of chemo then a few weeks later 6 weeks of radiotheraphy, he was quite ill during his chemo cos he couldnt eat or drink much but his hair didnt fall out till a few weeks into the radiotheraphy and it was just on one side that it fell out.. also he didnt have too much problem with walking till a few weeks after the radio therapy. He's now had more chemo but it didnt affect him as badly as it did last time..
It depends on the type of treatment and the strength of it because the first lot he had was stronger than the next lot.. and different people are going to react differently..
Maybe she doesnt wanna tell you too much not to worry you but you should tell her that you want to be a part of things and if you really want to stay at home and help then I think you should go for it, they'll understand
I know what a hard time it is so if you wanna talk about anything just pm me
It depends on the type of treatment and the strength of it because the first lot he had was stronger than the next lot.. and different people are going to react differently..
Maybe she doesnt wanna tell you too much not to worry you but you should tell her that you want to be a part of things and if you really want to stay at home and help then I think you should go for it, they'll understand
I know what a hard time it is so if you wanna talk about anything just pm me
cherrychocolate
When my mum was having chemo she was tired for a few days after she had it(she had it monthly),also her hair fell out a bit and she was sick etc.She was going to work inbetween sessions,taking a couple of days off each month to recover.
I hope your mum is OK.If you want to talk with me PM me because I'm in the same position as you-going off to uni in September,leaving my mum behind....
Your mum might be able to get some help with things like household jobs-we have a cleaner currently because my mum is too ill to clean,I'm always at work and my sister is at sixth form.
I hope your mum is OK.If you want to talk with me PM me because I'm in the same position as you-going off to uni in September,leaving my mum behind....
Your mum might be able to get some help with things like household jobs-we have a cleaner currently because my mum is too ill to clean,I'm always at work and my sister is at sixth form.
I've had a similar experience.
I think its different from person to person but my mum was pretty much in bed for a week each time she had chaemo. She didn't react well at all not eating or drinking much. It made her very sick and week. She hated it, but then I don't want to worry you, because thats just one experience and on the other hand some people are able to work whilst having the therapy (my mum has taken a year of work).
Radiotherapy was much better for my mum. The only side effects being that she felt a little tired each time, but nothing too bad (depending on your views on hair loss)
We got a cleaner in as well to help out with the housework.
Hope that helps. Feel free to ask anymore questions as my mum is about a year through therapy now so I know what you are going through.
Different people will have different side effects and it will also depend on the drugs used in the treatment.
My gran is currently undergoing chemo for cancer, and has been very tired as a result, although the side effects seem to have weakened with each dose (although whether that partly down to her perhaps getting used to it, I dunno).
From my experiences - my dad had both chemo and radiotherapy (though was about 15 years ago), and more recently a family friend had chemo - the main side effect is the tiredness. My dad could still work during it however - he'd have 2 weeks off work when he was in hospital having the treatment and then recovering at home, and then 2 weeks at work as normal, followed by another 2 weeks of treatment etc. Both my dad and friend lost their hair too, which can be a bit strange, but again this doesn't happen to everyone so might not happen with your mum .
.
I hope your mum gets better =)
I think it varies, my dad had I think it was two different courses of drugs that alternated either weekly or fortnightly, I can't remember it was 6/7 years ago, one made him be sick, and generally feel pretty unwell with the other he seemed to be ok. Just, like most other people have said, a bit tired and groggy. Try and be strong for her =)
I think it varies, my dad had I think it was two different courses of drugs that alternated either weekly or fortnightly, I can't remember it was 6/7 years ago, one made him be sick, and generally feel pretty unwell with the other he seemed to be ok. Just, like most other people have said, a bit tired and groggy. Try and be strong for her =)
Hey, I've had chemo myself, thankfully it finished about 3/4 weeks ago!! So what I tell you is totally first hand.
First thing I have to say is that there are lots of different drugs and lots of different combinations of drugs. Each person reacts differently to each drug, which makes it extremely difficult to give an overview of the side-effects. Any side-effects listed are possible ones which people before have experienced.
Secondly, each side-effect has varying degrees of effect. The main three side-effects I was told I was likely to experience were: tiredness, nausea and hair loss. I didn't experience ANY tiredness at all, I carried on going out for runs and walks as in my normal routine. However the day immediately after getting the drugs, I'd feel quite lazy. I didn't experience any nausea at all either until the last dose of treatment, and it was not very nice because I'd be up all night being sick. This only lasted for about 3 nights out of the whole treatment. The last side-effect was hair loss, and this I did experience. I lost every hair on my body except my eyebrows and eyelashes, which is awesome, although they too thinned out towards the end. But the good thing is I haven't touched a razor since February!! My legs, armpits etc are super smooth, it's great.
Some other little niggly side-effects that I had were fluid retention in my hands, sometimes a little tingly feeling in my finger tips, and sometimes I got tinitus (ringing in the ears).
Ok so on the whole my experience was that I generally did not feel ill at all. I was getting quite a vigorous regime aswell, which makes it surprising but my doctor puts it down to two things: everyone reacting totally differently and me being young. The worst bit was the initial hair-loss but I have a fantastic wig for going out to parties etc but usually I just wear a bandana because it's much more comfy and keeps my head warm .If it helps, the drugs I got were called bleomycin, cisplatin and etoposide. If any of these are the same ones your mum is getting then I can talk to you some more about how they are given and some more specific effects.
I was in hospital 3 days for the 1st week and they were given through a drip through my hand then I'd get a jag the 2nd and 3rd week. Then the whole cycle was repeated. So I missed quite a bit of school but some people can keep on going on with their normal work/school/uni lives.
The last thing I want to tell you about the chemo is that all treatments have a different purpose. Some are for slowing down the rate of growth of the cancer, some are for preventing it from coming back, some are for curing it. It makes me so happy to say that my chemo was a prevention which I got after an operation to remove the tumour, to prevent anything like that ever forming again. From the sounds of it, your mum's is also a prevention, and the success rate for these types is roughly 95% if I remember correctly. This means there is a 95% chance your mum will never have cancer again. However, I am only going by guesswork here, your mum's chemo might have a different purpose.
I really hope this helps. The reason I've given you so much detail is so you don't feel so evaded and you know more of the details of what to maybe expect.
If you'd like to know anything else, fire away!
I hope you come back and check this thread.
Muchos love,
Zain x
Ps: to answer your main question, chemo didn't affect my life very much. The main way it affected me was the time I had to take off school, otherwise most days I didn't even think about it.
Pps: and to answer your other main question: no one knows what to expect until the treatment starts. As you can see from my case, the doctor tells you the worst that you can expect, but you will NOT know until it actually happens. It's important to remember that.
First thing I have to say is that there are lots of different drugs and lots of different combinations of drugs. Each person reacts differently to each drug, which makes it extremely difficult to give an overview of the side-effects. Any side-effects listed are possible ones which people before have experienced.
Secondly, each side-effect has varying degrees of effect. The main three side-effects I was told I was likely to experience were: tiredness, nausea and hair loss. I didn't experience ANY tiredness at all, I carried on going out for runs and walks as in my normal routine. However the day immediately after getting the drugs, I'd feel quite lazy. I didn't experience any nausea at all either until the last dose of treatment, and it was not very nice because I'd be up all night being sick. This only lasted for about 3 nights out of the whole treatment. The last side-effect was hair loss, and this I did experience. I lost every hair on my body except my eyebrows and eyelashes, which is awesome, although they too thinned out towards the end. But the good thing is I haven't touched a razor since February!! My legs, armpits etc are super smooth, it's great.
Some other little niggly side-effects that I had were fluid retention in my hands, sometimes a little tingly feeling in my finger tips, and sometimes I got tinitus (ringing in the ears).
Ok so on the whole my experience was that I generally did not feel ill at all. I was getting quite a vigorous regime aswell, which makes it surprising but my doctor puts it down to two things: everyone reacting totally differently and me being young. The worst bit was the initial hair-loss but I have a fantastic wig for going out to parties etc but usually I just wear a bandana because it's much more comfy and keeps my head warm
.If it helps, the drugs I got were called bleomycin, cisplatin and etoposide. If any of these are the same ones your mum is getting then I can talk to you some more about how they are given and some more specific effects.I was in hospital 3 days for the 1st week and they were given through a drip through my hand then I'd get a jag the 2nd and 3rd week. Then the whole cycle was repeated. So I missed quite a bit of school but some people can keep on going on with their normal work/school/uni lives.
The last thing I want to tell you about the chemo is that all treatments have a different purpose. Some are for slowing down the rate of growth of the cancer, some are for preventing it from coming back, some are for curing it. It makes me so happy to say that my chemo was a prevention which I got after an operation to remove the tumour, to prevent anything like that ever forming again. From the sounds of it, your mum's is also a prevention, and the success rate for these types is roughly 95% if I remember correctly. This means there is a 95% chance your mum will never have cancer again. However, I am only going by guesswork here, your mum's chemo might have a different purpose.
I really hope this helps. The reason I've given you so much detail is so you don't feel so evaded and you know more of the details of what to maybe expect.
If you'd like to know anything else, fire away!
I hope you come back and check this thread.
Muchos love,
Zain x
Ps: to answer your main question, chemo didn't affect my life very much. The main way it affected me was the time I had to take off school, otherwise most days I didn't even think about it.
Pps: and to answer your other main question: no one knows what to expect until the treatment starts. As you can see from my case, the doctor tells you the worst that you can expect, but you will NOT know until it actually happens. It's important to remember that.
Thank you for all your posts guys, I feel much more informed knowing about all your first hand experiences, no amount of scientific facts could replace that!
Also, sounds silly I know but it feels much less lonely knowing that other people have gone through similar stuff and much worse, even though you’re nowhere near me and obviously I don’t really know you… but still. I hope everything works out the best it possibly can for everyone on here!
And Zain I find your positive attitude really inspirational by the way, the least I can do is offer this to my mum, I hope my positive energy will rub off on her.. And I’m so glad things are working out for you!
I’m going to wait to see how the treatment will affect my mum before I decide whether to defer or not. Some people have said that the treatment hardly affects lives and some say that the person really needs extra help etc so I guess I have no way of knowing until it actually happens. I’ve emailed my first choice uni and explained the situation and they said they have no trouble with me deferring, even making this decision after my results if I don’t know until then.
Thanks again! I feel more prepared for whatever will happen now
Also, sounds silly I know but it feels much less lonely knowing that other people have gone through similar stuff and much worse, even though you’re nowhere near me and obviously I don’t really know you… but still. I hope everything works out the best it possibly can for everyone on here!
And Zain I find your positive attitude really inspirational by the way, the least I can do is offer this to my mum, I hope my positive energy will rub off on her.. And I’m so glad things are working out for you!
I’m going to wait to see how the treatment will affect my mum before I decide whether to defer or not. Some people have said that the treatment hardly affects lives and some say that the person really needs extra help etc so I guess I have no way of knowing until it actually happens. I’ve emailed my first choice uni and explained the situation and they said they have no trouble with me deferring, even making this decision after my results if I don’t know until then.
Thanks again! I feel more prepared for whatever will happen now
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