Just had the appointment with the radiation oncologist and his team today and have the start date now for chemo/radiation - Tuesday 9th July.

Day 1 will be combined chemo, followed by radiation treatment but one thing we forgot to ask is whether I'll need anyone with me at home on day 2 onwards...

We've been told the week following chemo is the hardest (chemo-wise) but would I be OK by myself or would it be best to have someone with me? I'm unsure how "unwell" I'll feel being that it's only the beginning.

Thanks for your advice.

Everyone is different. I am new here but I have still yet to talk to someone whose treatment plan matched mine exactly.

I never went to chemo alone. In hindsight, I could have done the first two (out of 3) alone. I stopped by the office for radiation on the way home from work for the first 2/3 of treatment. The final 1/3 I was on pain meds that would have made driving dangerous.

That said, I would encourage you to allow people to help you. It took me a while to do that because it wasn't my nature but everyone who went with me for chemo and rads were so moved by the people they met.

Meli,

If there is help, take it. A caregiver can help manage your intake of hydration and nutrition as well as help you keep on top of your meds. Like ChrisN said, driving can be dangerous. Wishing you smooth sailing.

What type of chemo and how often are they planning?

It would be nice to have someone with you. I don't know what chemo, but most weaken you, some cause neuropathy, anemia, and side effects can occur from day one. From mid treatment last bout, I had to use a walker, and buy a shower seat when I I stayed at hope lodge. There 95% or more had a caretaker with them, some even had friends or family switch out every week, and they were there for months. I always went alone to every treatment, Dr visit, test. It's not easy, and even lost my wallet once, stuck with no money, all my documents inside, SS, medicare card, drivers license, and a kind nurse lent me $20, then had to go to the bank. I'll never forget that day.

Good luck.

There may be an organization like American Cancer Society, that may have volunteer drivers to take to treatmnts. but don't know if they stay with you?

Here in the US the volunteer drivers for the American Cancer Society will stay with the patient in the waiting room if the patient wants them to. Does NZ have a similar program?

I do volunteer driving to help fellow cancer patients get to their appointments. If the patient is going for a long appointment I will usually just drop them off. It depends if I have other errands. If the patient is frail and needs assistance then I always stay with them as far as the waiting room.

Now is the time to line people up for help. Anyone who offers to help write down their name and number. Tell them when the time comes you will call on them. Seek out anyone and everyone you can. It might not be a big deal to have someone sit with you all day just waiting for the side effects to kick in. Some chemos will take a week before they hit you while others will cause issues right away and then there are some that you wont notice anything different. You may not need someone full time to sit there but it might be a good idea to plan on having a couple 'visitors' stop by just in case you need a hand. As your treatments progress it will get harder and you will become sicker and need more help.

But then again.... everybody's different. Think positive, you might be one of the few who sail right thru this without hardly any side effects.

Meli,
I would try to line up a bit of help for the chemo weeks. If you have friends that can work remotely, they could just hang out with you. I sat with my husband on the first 2 and last 2 chemo days, and with the wifi connection got a lot of work done. You can check if your hospital is connected.

One of our friends (from the States) was in a terrible car accident in NZ - they were treated very well indeed by your medical system, including visiting volunteers. My guess is that the hospital or some organization would be able to help if you can't line up a driver for a particular chemo day/week.

You may well sail through the whole treatment, but a having a little insurance in the way of helpers is not a bad thing.

Maria

Hi there... Whether you need help depends really on they type of person you are.

Some people drive themselves to treatment from beginning to end, force themselves to eat, and do what they can on their own to stave off any fall-out from treatment.

Some people need someone to coax them when things get hard, and help them prepare food etc, Some people don't like to be alone.

It also depends on how severely you are affected by treatment. If you have someone who can help you they great... line them up. It does help.

Personally I don't like to be bothered when I feel crappy, and I am VERY independent, so all I asked was that my family take care of themselves while I was in treatment. (my kids are all adults)

Other than that I was good on my own. ;o) hugs.

Thanks guys & gals... very helpful as always.