My wife's first chemo treatment is tommorrow...what should I expect the firs!
Question: My wife's first chemo treatment is tommorrow!.!.!.what should I expect the first few hours!?
She will get the treatment in the Oncologists office, what will happen the first hour!? And after that for 24 hours!?
Not sure what kind she will get but it is for Breast Cancer treatment!.
Thanks!.!.!.
Pretty scared, but happy that the chemo will kill the cancer cells!. Please help with advice!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Not sure what kind she will get but it is for Breast Cancer treatment!.
Thanks!.!.!.
Pretty scared, but happy that the chemo will kill the cancer cells!. Please help with advice!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
Neulasta shots really depend on the person's reaction to chemo and are not always given!. I have never recieved one, despite my WBC being low this last time!. Luckily my ANC was high and only had to wait a week for treatment!. Usually if your WBC is above 1!.0, it's safe to recieve chemo!. The reason Nuelasta sucks so much is because it causes some pretty severe bone pain!. It stimulates bone marrow and produces white blood cells!.
But back on topic!.!.!.
It really depends on what chemo drugs she's getting!. The first hour or so, she will get some anti-emetics to help with nausea (I get Zofran) and (possibly) steriods to help with inflammation!.
After chemo, she'll probably be pretty drained!. She'll probably want to just sleep it off, which is the best thing to do!. The "heavy" feeling can last anywhere from 12 hours to a day or so!. I get my treatments on Thursdays as well and I'm usually back to myself Friday morning!. I usually have slight nausea until Friday afternoon!.
As for being at the treatment itself!. I usually take an ativan and a phenergrin so I just sleep through the chemo!. I also bring Jolly Ranchers to keep from tasting the drugs and saline and I bring my PSP to keep me entertained!. If I do decide to stay up!.
I know it's scary, I've been there!. I wish you guys the best of luck!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
But back on topic!.!.!.
It really depends on what chemo drugs she's getting!. The first hour or so, she will get some anti-emetics to help with nausea (I get Zofran) and (possibly) steriods to help with inflammation!.
After chemo, she'll probably be pretty drained!. She'll probably want to just sleep it off, which is the best thing to do!. The "heavy" feeling can last anywhere from 12 hours to a day or so!. I get my treatments on Thursdays as well and I'm usually back to myself Friday morning!. I usually have slight nausea until Friday afternoon!.
As for being at the treatment itself!. I usually take an ativan and a phenergrin so I just sleep through the chemo!. I also bring Jolly Ranchers to keep from tasting the drugs and saline and I bring my PSP to keep me entertained!. If I do decide to stay up!.
I know it's scary, I've been there!. I wish you guys the best of luck!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
www!.breastcancer!.org is a good site with a lot of information and discussion forums with a lot of very knowledgeable people!. The best info on the net, in my opinion!.
It matters what kind of chemo she gets and there are a number of different types so no one can really answer your question very accurately!. She should have gotten some literature from her oncologist that explained the likely side effects!.
Some types of chemo take hours to infuse, others only 30 minutes or so!. She will be closely monitored for the first while to watch for allergic reactions!. She may be prescribed medications for nausea!. It is important that these be taken as prescribed, even if she isn't feeling nauseated!. This is something that you want to keep ahead of!. Likely she will be told to drink lots of fluids to flush the chemo through her kidneys and bladder!. Have an assortment of flavoured waters and other liquids on hand for every treatment!.
Good luckWww@Answer-Health@Com
It matters what kind of chemo she gets and there are a number of different types so no one can really answer your question very accurately!. She should have gotten some literature from her oncologist that explained the likely side effects!.
Some types of chemo take hours to infuse, others only 30 minutes or so!. She will be closely monitored for the first while to watch for allergic reactions!. She may be prescribed medications for nausea!. It is important that these be taken as prescribed, even if she isn't feeling nauseated!. This is something that you want to keep ahead of!. Likely she will be told to drink lots of fluids to flush the chemo through her kidneys and bladder!. Have an assortment of flavoured waters and other liquids on hand for every treatment!.
Good luckWww@Answer-Health@Com
I'm not sure if it's different, but I had my chemotherapy in a hospital!. I had chemo last summer for breast cancer!. I can tell you what my experience was!. They hooked me up to monitors the first time in case I had any reactions!. They drew blood!. As long as everything came back fine from the lab, they ordered my chemo drugs from the pharmacy!. I was usually there for 6 hours from start to finish!. I was tired afterwards!. And the next day I didn't feel too bad yet!. I'm anemic, so I always had to go back the next day for the Neulesta shot!. By the evening of that second day I started not feeling well, naseaus!. I also got bone pain from the nuelesta shot so I took pain medication for that!.
I know it's a scary time!.!.!.just take it one treatment at a time!.
My best to you and your wife!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
I know it's a scary time!.!.!.just take it one treatment at a time!.
My best to you and your wife!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Alot of times, the patient is fatigued and pretty nauseated!. It depends on exactly what type of treatment is being used, but expect her to feel pretty queasy!. If she's able to be at home or go home right after, try to keep her room dark and quiet, and just be near her in case she needs anything!. Cool rags to the forehead, and whatever, if anything, she feels like she can stomach!.!.!.Good luck!. I hope everything works out for you both!Www@Answer-Health@Com
About 3 days after chemo, you get flu-like symptoms!. Fever shouldn't occur, if it does then she should go to E!.R!. immediately!. She will have bone aching, this is due to the bone marrow starting to rebuild (the good cells coming back and reproducing due to loss from chemo) normally these pains begin in the largest bones first, ie:thighs, upper arms!. Short frequent warm baths with epsom salts help ease the pain!. Tylenal also helps, with her oncologist's permission!. She should have anti nausea drugs to help in that area and steroids to increase appetite!. About 10 days after the chemo, her immune system will virtually be nil!.!. this is the time she needs to stay away from malls and crowds of people!. Use anti bacterial hand soap to wipe cart handles and door knobs when out somewhere!.
If food tastes bad to her, she should make smoothies with fruit and isolated whey protein powder!. Drink lots of water to flush the chemo thru the kidneys!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
If food tastes bad to her, she should make smoothies with fruit and isolated whey protein powder!. Drink lots of water to flush the chemo thru the kidneys!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Imagine what it would feel like to have a really bad case of the flu!. Exhaustion and nausea are the biggies after the first treatment!.
She will also more than likely be given a Neulasta shot to help her blood count possibly the day after her first treatment!. I have heard that these make you feel bad as well but they actually made me feel better!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
She will also more than likely be given a Neulasta shot to help her blood count possibly the day after her first treatment!. I have heard that these make you feel bad as well but they actually made me feel better!.Www@Answer-Health@Com