Hi everyone, With my chemo now underway properly and some of the side effects starting to show, I was wondering if people could give me a little bit of advice. So far my side effects include hair loss, change of appetite and fatigue. The hair loss I can cope with. The change in appetite is something that I can work around so that I still eat properly. The fatigue is the one that I hope someone can give some advice about. With the fatigue, I know that part of it is to do with not having had a proper sleep routine for almost a fortnight. However, I am quite sure that there is some caused as a result of the chemo. Any advice greatly appreciated. Take care, Tim ... View more

2nd dose of chemo today and have to admit I was a little worried after what happened last time (Even though things weren't weren't related to the chemo and were existing underlying problems). A few hiccups during the day (the IV line blocked with the dose still in it and needed replacing, and my oncologist wanted a blood test but hadn't seemed to have told anyone - and this was after having blood done yesterday and being told by the head of the research team that everything was good to go - go figure). End result was that things took about an hour longer than they should have. Tonight has been pretty good. My temp went up to 37.7 but has now dropped to 37.4 (so, touch wood, it is returning to something that is near to normal) and I haven't been as tired as last time. Have still been a little sleepy, but that could be as a result of not getting much last night. According to the schedule of treatment, next week is a week off. Doesn't mean I get the time to myself though. Have blood test booked for Thursday and an oncologist visit on Tuesday. Am hoping that after that myself and my wife might be able to disappear for a couple of days (we had been planning a camping trip prior to being told that I have cancer - we are still hoping to have one, even if it is much shorter that originally planned) Hair started falling out yesterday. Have to admit the prospect of losing it doesn't worry my that much (I have a few silly things planned to cover my bald head such as brightly colored wigs). Mostly I am getting annoyed about the time it is taking. But if the chemo is working and is giving me more time, I figure that I can cope with this little annoyance. take care all Tim ... View more

Well it has certainly been an eventful 10 days since my first chemo. It all started with a fever on Thursday night (the chemo day) which turned out to be something that was as a result of the chemo. Friday was fine, temp normal and energy returning during the day. Saturday morning at 5am everything changed. When I had gone to bed on Friday night my temp was normal, when I woke it was 38.9. So it was time to wake up my wife and go off to Frankston emergency. This time they put me straight through instead of leaving me in the waiting area with people vomiting and coughing all around me. I spent 9 hours at Frankston getting pumped full of saline and an assortment of antibiotics. The temp eventually dropped back down to 37.2 and they gave me the choice of going home or getting transferred to Peninsula Private Hospital. Only one option really, last thing I wanted to do was end up back in Frankston Emergency if my temperature spiked again. So I transferred and this was when the fun started. Thankfully Pen Priv has an oncology ward. By Monday my left leg had swollen up and it turned out to be a blood clot behind the knee. My temp went up on Tuesday so they put me on a second lot of IV antibiotics. My oncologist saw me on Tuesday and booked me in for an ultrasound of the bile duct (I had started to turn yellow). Wednesday morning I had a stent put in the central bile duct and things started to settle down. These were the good things. The bad things included: - getting plugged into the IV for upto 4 or 5 hours at a time. This happened every 12 hours, in between I was hooked up to it for an hour or so. -getting woken up every 2 hours to get my temp taken. this went on for three nights -sleeping on a very uncomfortable bed and being forced to lie on my back while the IV was connected. This ended up giving me back problems with the muscles down my right side cramping up - Tuesday night letting the nurse know that my back was sore and asking for a heat pack - Wednesday afternoon getting told that because I had a sore back I had been booked in for a bone density scan on Thursday. This really confused me. I have a history of minor back issues (and had chiro for almost 20 years). Nobody had bothered to ask me about what the problem was (it was muscular) and they just assumed that this was something that was brand new and had only just happened. My wife managed to get them to hold the scan until I had spoken with the doctor. After I had, he cancelled the scan completely. -Thursday evening I was told by two of the nurses that I would not be out by Christmas and that I should expect to be in hospital for weeks. After all, it was in my best interest to be kept in a 4x4 room on an uncomfortable bed and have my life completely taken away from me. I spoke with doctor on Friday (and my wife spoke with the head nurse) - between us we found out that there was never any intention for me to be in on Sunday. My temp was mostly normal (the daily spike to 37.6 and then quickly returning to normal-according to my oncologist, this was insignificant) My energy was returning as was my appetite. My blood markers were returning to normal very, very quickly. Basically, the stent was working and doing everything that I should. It was a very frustrating week, but also one that had to happen and I was glad that it happened while I was hospital. The best part about it all is that I am home for Christmas and can spend it with family and friends. I am up and about, active, eating to much and am now ready to start the next part of the journey. Not sure where it will take me, but I look forward to finding out. Back to the chemo program on Thursday. Merry Christmas all. Take care and remember that life is what you make it. Tim ... View more