This is my first blog on this site. I was diagnosed with colon cancer last year in November. Since then I have had my operation to remove the tumour and am currently undergoing the Folfox 6 chemotherapy regime. I have just finished # 9 and have 3 left to go. I am so looking forward to completing chemo # 12. I must say for me, chemo is hard but manageable. My side effects differ from cycle to cycle. Sometimes I am very nauseous, sometimes only mildly. Some cycles my face is covered in a bright red rash, other cycles not. Sometimes I am so sensitive to cold, sometimes not. The only thing that is constant is the "chemo tiredness" that hits me hard on Days 4 & 5 of each cycle. I try to sleep through these 2 days as much as possible. By Day 7, I feel like myself again but am always a little bit tired. Chemo is now routine in my house. I try to do everything on my non chemo week and I rest all chemo week. I have 2 primary school aged children and my sister-in-law helps me out by taking them to school and picking them up on my "sleepy days" as the kids call them. My children have adapted to the situation amazingly. They take things as they come. With only 3 treatments to go, I can see the end in sight now. For anyone else in the same situation, keep strong and positive. You can get through this.
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dunedigger
Contributor
Having had 12 rounds, I (We) remember well the count down to 12 and by the time I got to 12 I had enough. The good news, the chemo completely killed the cancer in my bowel. I tired to compare chemo to something other people could understand, I likened it to a heavy cold or mild flu symptoms. It's not something you look forward to. I was never able to sleep during the day and the first night, I could not sleep due to the dexamethosone. Keep up the strength and have confidence you are going to beat it as much as possible. However it is not possible to be positive all the time. Remember chemo has come a long way in the last 10 years and survival rates have skyrocketed ! Keep us informed Dunedigger
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