As I
mentioned in the previous blog post, Craig and I were to attend the Chemo education
the day before my treatment was due to start.
The education
session was taken by a lovely nurse who was very tolerant of our rather
inappropriate statements and sense of humour, and she gladly joined in, to be honest it made the process easier for us to handle, its a coping mechanism and it's us.
She
explained the Chemotherapy drug regime; for me it is to be 3 sessions of a drug
combination and then a further 3 sessions with an additional drug introduced.
Each chemo session is to happen every three weeks.
Most of the
potential side effects were highlighted; nausea, fatigue, temperature spikes,
bruising, diarrhoea, constipation, tiredness, fuzzy memory, infection risk and
hair loss…here’s hoping I don’t get them all…Lol!!
It was a
very interactive experience. She welcomed our questions and queries and
answered them all. It never felt as though we were being rushed or under any
time constraints. Which is so important in this situation, as we had so many
things we wanted to clarify and confirm.
She
discussed the process of the Chemotherapy session. I will be seated in a
special dentist’s style chair whilst the treatment occurs. We were warned about
the number and size of syringes which will arrive in a tray from Pharmacy. It
was highlighted as people have been overwhelmed by this in the past. Each
syringe is delivered slowly through a cannula, to ensure no damage to the vein.
It was
reassuring to know and understand more about the sequence and routine of Chemo.
I think a lot of the anxiety and nerves I have been experiencing have been due
to the unknown. All the advice was supported with handouts, leaflets and links
for websites we could look up for further information at home. It was made very
clear that they are there to support us and to call if we had any questions.
I obviously can’t
name the nurse who led our Chemo education session, but I can’t praise her
highly enough. We both left feeling more reassured and relaxed about what was
to follow….
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