Hi Bianca,   I know you’ve already had some great replies to your post but thought I would say hi as well. I’m Ben, 30 years old and live in Melbourne and was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer (spread to liver) in late May.  I feel the same way about Chemo. It is genuinely the scariest thing I have ever done. I was so nervous before my first treatment I was throwing up. I have recently finished round 4 of chemo and like you the side effects aren’t as bad as I imagined. The main side effects I’ve had are fatigue and nausea/vomiting. They have gotten a little worse for me each time. but not drastically and it’s not unmanageable. Then again some others like mouth ulcers and taste changes seem to be getting better the longer into treatment I get. I’ve just been trying to take each day as it comes and not look too far ahead as I find it a bit overwhelming thinking about all the treatment still to come. I’m also getting pretty nervous for my next PET scan the week after next to find out exactly what is happening with the tumours. Fingers crossed it’s good news!  If you are still looking for support my partner called the Cancer Council and they were able to refer them to their in house counselling service as well as have a really good chat on that day that seemed to help a lot.    All the best to you and everyone on here with your treatment and always happy to chat! 😊 ... View more

Hi Kay,   Welcome! I’m Ben, 30 years old and live in Melbourne. It’s my first post too. I’ve been lurking around for a few weeks so hello everyone too! I saw no one had replied to your post yet. I was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer at the end of May, which has spread to my liver and I have just had round 4 of chemo. I hear you about the side effects! This has been the worst round for me so far too - have been nauseated and vomited quite a number of times and feeling pretty flat too. I’ve had all these side effects previously but not quite this bad. I’m hoping it largely clears up in a few days like has happened previously and I feel ok for the second week before round 5.  Good on you for staying positive - I really think it makes a difference. I had a pretty grim prognosis initially (still not fantastic) although I think I’m very lucky to be here right now. I really did try and stay upbeat and hopeful in those early stages and I think it definitely helped. Even now I’m trying to celebrate the small wins and make the best of when I am feeling ok to spend time with loved ones and still have some laughs and fun.  Wishing you and everyone else on here all the best for the journeys you’re on and always happy to chat 🙂    Cheers! Ben ... View more