Chemotherapy

Please honest tips and stories , Chemotherapy and Alcohol/ smoking

I did 8 rounds of Chemo back in 2003.  4 different drugs:  Carboplatin, Taxol, Taxoltere, and Doxorubicin for stage 4 Thyroid cancer.  Hair fell out, was very sick... but made it to work everyday.  Final week I contracted neutropenic fever.  Spent 5 days in hospital isolation.  Since my cancer was slow growing, chemo didn't do a thing.  Also had 2 whole body radioactive iodine treatments.  Took a licking.. Still ticking.

Met some very nice folks in the infusion center.  Took their wigs off and we had heartfelt conversations.  I went to the cancer center/hospital everyday for a year.  For shots, tests, imaging, and consultation.  Crazy time.

I'm going through 4 months of chemo now. Biggest issue for me is hand foot syndrome from the toxic drug leaching into the tissues of my hands and feet from the capillaries. Feels like a bad sunburn from the inside out and it's painful to walk any distance and for handling things with my hands. Light switches on lamps are awful... I am a performing guitarist and I can't really play now. But this is temporary and these symptoms will go away after a month following the end of my chemo at the end of October. Different drugs have different side effects, so your experience may be very different. Saw the doctor today and they are going to cut the dosage by 25% to ease things up a bit. I wanted to make sure that this wouldn't compromise the treatment, but she assured me that having gone this far at a maximum dose, it would be better to have better quality of life for the next couple of months. 

I had a WOC nurse who had a good metaphor for why chemo is a good idea. I had done chemo-radiation earlier in the year and then had LAR surgery to remove most of my rectum and sigmoid colon. Chemo is the last step before a possible reversal. She said that when you make cookies, no matter how well you scraped the dough from the bowl, you still wash the bowl. Though my tumor and surrounding tissue were removed, the possibility of microscopic cancer still being present in my body makes this step of "washing the bowl" much better than having a reoccurance a couple of years from now. That helps me embrace this part of the treatment despite the fatigue, digestive upset and the stinging in my hands, feet and mouth. This will end and it's all for a good purpose.

Just can't wait to get back to long walks in the woods with my dog and playing guitar, the great loves of my life beyond family...

If you're asking about alcohol and smoking while on chemo, then sorry for missing the point! This may be a good opportunity to consider breaking the cord with smoking. I quit a long time ago and it took many attempts to finally do so. The thing that finally did it was a mantra of telling my self that I am now a non-smoker, that I used to smoke and now I don't anymore. That statement of fundamental identity was surprisingly powerful. Remember how whole and complete you were as a child before you ever smoked. And remember that cravings, no matter how strong, do pass pretty quickly if you can wait them out. They come and go... (Sorry if you already know this or have no desire to quit...). As for alcohol, I find it's ok to drink a little while on chemo, and a little is all it takes compared to my previous habits. If I listen to my body and brain when I drink on chemo, I find that one drink is really all I want and only every now and then. If you can, listen to your body and follow that rather than simply the habits that may have previously shaped your behavior. 

Didn't mean to share so much. Take what's helpful, if any is, and forget the rest. 😊

Thank you, so much/waiting for first side effects  I've  got 3 months in 3 week cycles at the moment  can't go near my fridge, can't  eat or drink anything  cold for three days, I'm  on my own no family so it will be hard.

That scourge can be beaten. As to smoking and drinking, Juul helped me with the former, I read that vaping is better than smoking, but the results are inconclusive at present. One drink sent me flying (Scotch), extreme moderation is the order of the day, and one doesn't feel like drinking anyway. All the best wishes. Hit that beast for a six.

I hope yours goes away once you finish, it’s not a for sure thing. I’m over 2 years after chemotherapy and my feet still feel like they’re asleep, no issues with my hands. I could post pictures of what that stuff did to my feet and I had the walking issue for 2-3 weeks during my infusions but then it got much better. 

I drank hot water or hot chocolate for about 4 months cause of that cold sensation. It was so nice to be able to go back to cold drinks and foods like ice cream.  For your question about smoking and alcohol…..the smoking is probably about the worst thing you could do in the first place but everyone knows that. I’d think it’s probably not good for you even more so with your body being beat up with the chemotherapy. I’d think the alcohol is ok in moderation.