Preparing for Chemotherapy
Can you really prepare for chemotherapy? After spending a couple of weeks reading up on the experiences of other women doing chemo (especially those who are taking the same drugs that I am) I honestly don't know. People respond so individually.
However, I've been making mental notes of things to do in an attempt to ward off some potential problems or get a handle on things sooner. It's a really strange list, full of personal hygiene items, which makes it perfect to share with people I don't know! (Ha!) After all, I'm talking to all of you about my breasts lately, who cares about weird personal care lists?
Anywhere, here are some of my intended guidelines to follow during chemo:
- Take my temperature each morning and write it down. Otherwise, I'll forget to keep track of it.
- Avoid elaborate or new foods. I don't think this is the time to get fancy with cuisine. I'd rather not develop an unintentional aversion to a new food that I'd otherwise like.
- Brush my teeth three to four times a day and stay religious about flossing. I don't want to encourage any oral infections.
- Scrub my feet every day. Okay, maybe you already do that. But, I'll be honest; my feet don't get so dirty that I attack them with a washcloth daily. SHOCKING! I promise to become a new woman during chemo.
- Apply tea tree oil to my finger and toenails after each shower, to prevent infection.
- Wear medical gloves when I clean the litter box each day.
You can see that a lot of these are about avoiding infection. That's just something I don't want to have to deal with.
On the encouraging side, I met someone online who not only is going to the same cancer center as I, but who has the same oncologist, as well. She started chemo before I did and the good news is that she has no side effects so far.
Maybe this will be better than I thought!
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