Hi and sorry for this long post but not sure if this helps but I can offer the following as I am pretty much caring for my Mum going through chemo at the moment…
Towards the tail-end of lock-down she ended up at the doctors and long story short it ended up colon cancer plus after a somewhat never ending set of 'oscopy's from both directions, MRI’s and various types of CAT scans it spread to 2 tumours on the liver also. Finally confirmed stage 4, but believe so far there is a curative path. We were told to expect chemo (3months, bi-monthly) then another CAT scan before decision on (likely) another 3 months chemo, then probably radiotherapy and pretty much for sure colon surgery with a hysterectomy at same time, then now 50/50 possibly also a second set of surgeries to remove as much of the liver as needed.
She is on 3 IV treatments through a PIC line, plus a there is a 4
th chemical thrown in for good measure (I don't have my notes handy for the chemicls). She is also on a course of steroids and as much anti-sickness pills as need (might be some other tablets, can’t remember). She has nurses round every Thursdays to service the PICC line, take blood every second week just before chemo every second Friday, she spends most of the day on pumps in the hospital then comes home with a little bladder of the final chemical in a bum bag which is disconnected at home by the nurse on the Sunday.
Some good news so far though after 2 treatments and 3
rd one next week) which I’d say is hope for anyone going through this:
- After 3-4 months going round in circles of tests and chacks, our local hospital in Larbert have been really good. There is a Macmillan nurse she’s talked with which has helped allot and she’s been there at consultations also. I personally am NOT happy anywhere near a doctor (nevermind a dentist!) but going in and out with her I am quite surprised how comforting everyone has been
- We were told that my Mum’s constant desperate trips to the toilet would NOT END with the chemo -it’s not there to sort that. This has NOT been the case so far, and rather than sprinting every 15mins 24/7 before an accident, she’s now going to the loo more normally a few times a day, and the bleeding stopped also. This we were told wouldn't happen until much, much later in the process
- I didn’t realise she was in quite so much pain the past few months but she is stubborn and hid it through lock-down! We were told the pain would NOT SUBSIDE with the chemo -again, it's not the course of treatment to stop it. This has NOT been the case and she says she’s not sitting on the red hot poker anymore! The hospital have no answer for this, same with the problems going to the loo
- Hair loss: Our treatment doesn't "shed" hair but we were told to expect "thinning". Im helping her bathe and I had to confirm to her after first treatment was instant shedding in the bath -lots of hair gone but not in patches, just thinning
- Food / diet: I was quite surprised the consultants told us nothing specific helps with things. NO vitamins to bulk up on. However, we have family friends who have all been through this (allsorts of Cancer) and everyone is coming round with fresh GINGER based biscuits and cakes -anything with GINGER really!
As for side effects we googled everything and looked at McMillan like the hospital said to do. Sounded
terrible and to be prepped for the worst. Actually, she has coped very well so far which has surprised the hospital. She has had: quite bad gas, sensitivity in fingertips -particularly tingling anything cold, sometimes for a day or so she doesn’t have enough feeling to “use" the fingers for doing normal things with hands (we were
explicitly told to expect this). She has been VERY TIRED and sitting last time outside the ward in the corridor while she was inside waiting for an appointment (I can only wait outside), I heard another patient speaking to her and said "don’t fight the fatigue, go to bed for a snooze -whatever". She has some dry skin, minor sore lips (all expected). Only one day of proper nausea so far. I am pumping fruit and veg into her in my cooking, she has to keep eating ALL the time (little and often) -snacks, sweets, drinks, anything desirable and her taste and sense of smell have changed so I'll get her whatever she feels like.
…so I think it’s all different for different people and everyone is on different cocktails of drugs and treatments and whilst my Mum is not quite as wide as she is tall at 4’8” she’s had such good diet and healthy living (forever) it’s all good for her and they say her bulk actually will help. I thik It’s not been traumatic so far so something positive as we were expecting an AWFUL lot worse going in to it!
My father died in 2013 at 69 from "secondary prostatic cancer, pulmonary fibrosis and pneumonia". At 55 he had a 5x (yes a record 5x, none of your double or triple) heart bypass before the prostate cancer and the second time the cancer came back he was on a palliative cocktail of drugs rather than curative -he lasted much much more years on this, not months!!!! So don’t give up just yet!!!!!
I'm not sure if this helps but we always find people are all out there going through or helping with similar things. I realise this was a bit of an essay but it helps me to talk about it also.
My Mum lives in Falkirk, half way between Glasgow and Edinburgh. I live in Inverness 4h drive away but I actually work near Versailles 20k south of Paris and have an aprartment there I can't get back to at the moment. So I'm stuck in the UK last 8 months due to co-vid and driving up and down the A9 every week to Mums -it's honestly a privelege to help my Mum out these days though and you will find family and friends rally round you when you need it.Hope this might help,
Richard