Chemotherapy Experiences

Yes, everyone I've spoken with has a similar experience with chemo. I found that I could not concentrate and therefore reading was useless. Too bad, I love to read and learn - its exciting to learn by reading. Eating was not so hot either, my tasting ability was gone along with my appetite. So I ended up watching the clock tick, went for long slow walks. I improved physically as my body acclimated to the chemo. Then, I became much more active - reading, watching tv, walking, talking on the phone, checking out the internet, writing letters, and more.

Both oral and IV chemotherapy can be highly effective strategies for the treatment of breast cancer and which drug your doctor recommends may be related to the timing of treatment, what prior treatment you may have had, what type of breast cancer you have and patient preference. For metastatic breast cancer, one widely used drug is oral capecitabine (Xeloda). Another oral drug we use frequently for metastatic HER2+ tumors is a drug called lapatinib (Tycerb). The vast majority of the drugs we use are IV and many of them have been used for years; others are newer IV drugs (eribulin, ixabepilone, for example) and all have proven effectiveness. Sometimes, practical reasons may dictate whether oral or IV medications are used. If someone has a problem swallowing or taking pills then we use IV drugs and if someone has a preference for taking pills for convenience then we certainly take that into consideration.

I agree with afreshchapter, magazines and movies are a good way to pass the time. For me reading wasn'T a problem and I chose to read novels that were as far remote from my life as possible (Paranormal romance was my reading of choice, but I also read science fiction like Stephen King). Music for me helped when I was tired and needed to retire in my own buble and maybe rest at the same time I received the chemo. That was what I did for the longer chemo when I was there for more than 4-5 hours at a time, with the nurses putting bag after bag of meds into me.

But what serve as the best distraction was to have a friend come with me. Throughout the ordeal, I had 5 of those special person relay themselves and come to chemo with me. They took leave of absence, sometimes use sick days or whatever possibility their employer offered to take time off, and came sit with me. They held my hand and talked about anything and everything possible: gossip, family, work, funny stuff, news, etc. The time went by so fast when I had them there and it eased a lot of the anguish, stress and uncertainty of the treatment.

The breast cancer foundation affiliated with the hospital where I had treatment gave new patients a number of helpful pamphlets about nutrition for chemotherapy. As someone who enjoys alcoholic drinks, I realized the need to stop drinking throughout chemo, and did so. I added more fruits and vegetables to my diet, and considered long term changes to eating patterns. While weight gain was suggested as a possiblity during chemotherapy, by cutting back or avoiding foods that normally produce weight gain resulted in very minor and temporary weight gain.

The first month of interferon chemotherapy, for me was the most challenging. I was facing personal business problems that needed constant attention (I owned rentals and was attempting to develope a tract of land.) The chemo made me extremely fatigued. My attention span was so short I could hardly watch TV and a book or newspaper was out of the question. I faced depression. I was referred to a psychologist who prescribed an anti-depressive. It helped a great deal. Physically I felt ok. Part of the depression and anxiety was caused by the uncertainty of the situation. I determined to make myself face up to my responsibilities, and actually, that helped me recover perhaps more than anything else. Every responsibility faced quickly rebuilt my confidence and restored my confidence. In retrospect, I would say that each patient holds the key to his own well-being. However, I do not wish to disregard the invaluable support, advice and medicine from the physicians, friends and family.