Planning scans/waiting to start treatment

Hiya everyone

i had my planning scans yesterday and given my appointments and not due to start treatment for 2 weeks.

feeling really anxious and scared and want to get started feels like the wait is forever and scared of any changes that might happen during this time, the radiographer tried to reassure me and the planning of this treatment is a bit time consuming. Im having 5 weeks of radiotherapy everyday and chemo once a week then brachytherapy at the end of treatment. Anxiety is through the roof from the waiting and scared. :( xx

Hi. I think we all remember that anxious temail between diagnosis and starting treatment. Nothing bad is happening between now and your treatment starting.  Think I had a 5 weeks wait  treatment is easier than you think it's going to be and usually has a great outcome  x what I did I'm the pre treatment time was to try to boost my immune system with lots of good food, fresh air and exercise xkeep us posted of how you are getting on x 

I finished my treatment for stage 4 a in February 2016 and  currently sat in a pool in Spain having a lovely holiday. Life does return to normal x x 

Hi Francesca 

take this time to get some things prepared so when you feel crappy you don't have to worry about it. I prepared meals and did some cleaning to keep myself from going completely crazy. I do know exactly how you are feeling and I did visit my GP and got some pills to help me cope with my anxiety and be able to sleep.

I also planned a few meals out with friends and enjoyed some great food as I knew I would not be able to when I was going through treatment. If you are going to be using complimentary treatment such as massage therapy now is the time to find one. Make list of things and go shopping. You will need a few things. 

here are somethings that I used during treatment

flushable wipes,Imodium,peri bottle,baking soda,aquifor cream,coconut oil, packages of chicken soup, comfy pull up pants, slip on shoes, books for chemo or adult colouring book, extra long charging cord for my cell phone on chemo days,ear phones, snacks for long days(chemo), a shall or wrap around poncho as the chemo ward is quite chilly, cozy socks, note pad to keep in my purse for questions or journal entries, a map of close bathrooms on my route to clinic, oil change on car so you don't have to later

there are many things that helped me through the anxiety that I still use today. I tried mindfulness and listen to reiki music. I have also started to listen to frequency therapy before sleep

try to remember you are not alone in this. It will be ok! 

It does go by faster then you think. This is just the beginning of learning how to cope while having to wait. It's best to learn what works for you. When treatment is done you have these horrible waiting cycles every three months between follow up appointments. I am the first to admit how impatient I once was but this journey has taught me to just breath and take each day as it comes.

let is know how you get on!

Hey Phileppa,

thank you i will try and prepare as much as i can now and try to get myself ready for treatment. Its so nice to hear aswell that treatment isnt as bad as you think its going to be. Makes me feel better to know after this treatment its a usually good outcome and successful and has a high cure rate i just have to keep reminding myself of it. So happy for you that you are all ok now and enjoying your holidays i cant wait to do that too once its all sorted.

thanks so much for you message.xx

Thank you so much for your message makes me feel better now i have found this forum to express my concerns. And its great to hear the great news and theres a light at the end of the tunnel, once this is done. thank you for the brilliant advise and things i should have and get prepared for treatment Have found it really helpful. The anxiety is really awful and i couldnt eat properly felt like a lump was in my throat all the time and couldnt swallow. But i have my appetite back now and trying to eat as healthy and much as i can to prepare my body for the treatment. Did you find the massage therapy helped loads alongside treatment?

xx 

Hi

the message therapy really really helped me, not only to relieve stress but I looked for a therapist who was trained in the vodder technique that moves lymph fluid around which prevented any swelling for me. get someone who specializes in cancer patients as they know when the massage will be most benificial and safe during the cycle of chemo. They will also know the importance of using natural oils and and not having smelly purfumes.  

Treatment was not bad for me. The worst was the diarrhea that kicked in at the end of the second week. It will just take some trial and error to find what works for you. I did get a burn right at the end but again it wasn't too bad. 

i cannot emphasize enough that any issues you have, even small ones make sure you mention to your team. Do not feel you have to be uncomfortable at all. Don't be embarrassed to talk to your nurse or dr about anything. It is also important to focus on your mental state as well as physical state. 

You can do this!!! Any problems or concerns,questions or just rants make sure you post. We all are here for you. 

Thank you so much for the advise, ive booked in a session of reflexology while going through treatment. I start next thursday really anxious of how im gonna feel and the treatment. Hoping its not as bad as i think it will be. What did you use the peri bottle for, baking soda and the cream ive never heard of them before and writing my shopping list ill need for the treatment ive added on the bits you recomended xxx

Hi

i used the peri bottle for 2 things 1. After the diarrhea kicks in it will eventually start to hurt the more you wipe so a fresh squeeze of warm water will be soothing on your bum and second when it starts to burn while going pee then use the bottle to spray at same time as you are going so you will not feel the stinging sensation  

2. The baking soda to add to a silts bath or the peri bottle to help sooth the area and you might also find that tooth paste becomes to harsh on your mouth and you might have a lot of peeling of the lining on the inside of your cheeks. It doesn't hurt but I found tooth paste to harsh and started to use the baking soda mixed with water into a paste

3. Cream (aquafir) to apply after your treatment of radio everyday (NOT BEFORE) to help the skin stay hydrated and moist. You will find that the radio dries it out. I also lost all hair down there(didn't actually mind this) and the cream will help sooth the sensitive skin

again everyone is different. You might not experience the same effects as I did but better to be prepared and these items are not budget breaking so to have them on hand before symptom appear is very useful especially if you are to exhausted to go out or you can't cause you are stuck in the loo. 

I know this all sounds so horrible but honestly it's not that bad. Just think of it like this. After the first 2 weeks (which will most likely go fine with no issues at all ) then you have three weeks left. Those three weeks will feel like you have a bad bug. Tired, bowel issues etc. It's not worse then that unless you run into low blood counts or the nausea meds don't work. I'm sure you will come out the other side thinking aaahhh that wasn't so bad. However, the more tips or tricks to help you face this the bettter. 

Good luck. I'm cheering for you all the way!!!!

Thank you so much this has been really helpful and helping me to be more prepared with these tips, i start treatment on thursday and feeling so anxious and scared of what symptoms im going to have and how im going to feel  Eeekk!! You have made me feel a bit better in sense of it wasnt as bad as you think and its only the main last 3 weeks that are crap but just gotta stay focused on that end goal, thank you for cheering me ill keep you updated xxx