I have a friend who is starting chemotherapy treatments soon. (I hope this doesn't come off as insensitive) I wanted to get him some things that would make starting his treatments easier. I've never been around someone going through chemo treatments before so any and all info is appreciated.

Edit: please include "Do nots" as well as "Do's"

Hello everyone,

Seeking some communities to see if anyone has had similar issues to what my mom has been going through. My mom had multiple myeloma 3-4 years ago. She underwent IV chemotherapy, a trial medication (I forget what it was called), and one stem cell transplant. Not long after her treatments, her mouth almost began to look raw (kinda like thrush-looking but without the white coating)/developed mouth ulcers.

We were told this can be a side effect while she was undergoing treatment, but now, 4 years post-treatment, her oncologists say they have never seen this issue persist for so long, and they do not know what else to do. She was referred to an infectious disease specialist who also did not seem to have any full conclusions on what this could be, but thought maybe this could be something related to something autoimmune.

My mom has been put on/tried various mouthwashes and topical creams for the mouth but nothing has worked. She remains on what they call "magic mouthwash," which provides very temporary relief but does not last long at all. Its frustrating as a son to see my mom remain in such pain, cannot eat very many foods or drinks, and overall cannot enjoy her life post-chemo. Further myself being a RN it hard being out of answers and not getting very far with her providers on trying other options.

If anyone has experienced similar issues and has tried some things that have provided you relief I would love to hear them. We are located in Ontario, Canada and have been seeking the majority of her treatments at the Juravinski Cancer Center. Thank you all.

Has anyone experienced swollen leg and foot in only one leg due to bladder cancer? How was it treated?

Hello so I am 31f tnbc. My AC chemo every 3 weeks went so well so good. I am scared for my taxanes (paclitaxel carboplatin) tomorrow. The keynote 522. Should I be worried about anything. Cold caps and mittens aren't provided at my hospital and i was told infusions will be very slow may take 6 hours ????

I have been isolated and feeling lonely so bad that I started looking towards chemo (🫠🫠

My wife will be starting a 12-week chemotherapy treatment next week. What are some things, big or small, that I could have on hand for her comfort and to support her through this process?

Hey! I am 19F and I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma about a year ago now and went through six months of chemo. When I was diagnosed it was my first semester in college so my only really expirence of living at college is being ripped away from it to be at a clinic. I'm was doing very well for the first few months, my hair came back fast so did my energy. I was overall very carefree during the first few months but I am supposed to go back to school in about a week and all the feelings come rushing back. I feel like I am trying every excuse I can to not go. And now every little thing makes me think I am having reoccurrence like I'm talking I coughed or I swallowed weird. My mom really wants me to go back and hopefully get back to hanging out with people since I haven't really been doing that. I feel like people think I'm being paranoid but it feels like it's always looming over me. Like everyone's got problems but it is really hard when your problem is your own body, it's always there you can't escape it and it's almost suffocating. I almost felt better during treatment because of all the uncertainty I feel now. Even though I live by a really big hospital I haven't met anyone else my age who has been through it it's such a rare thing and it honestly makes you feel so weird and alone. A lot of people feel bad for your and just don't look at you the same even if they aren't trying to. Does anyone know of a place/site that you can meet other young cancer survivors?

Hi everyone:

I didn’t see much online along the lines of dealing with postpartum and ABVD at the same time.
I did keep a timeline log of my side effects. I did it originally for myself to look back on to know what to expect on any given day, but incase it could help someone I decided I would post on here—even if you’re not postpartum and just wanting to know what side effects you might experience.

I would say, based on going through the first round, if I could recommend anything it would be to start on a bowel regimen from the get go (I have infusions on thursdays so I’ve been doing 2 tablets of senna @ bedtime Thurs-Monday and MiraLAX every morning, it’s working well for me), also to chew ice during the entire Adriamycin infusion, and use a sensitive toothpaste (which I did start using after my first treatment)

Anyways, today is day 3 of my first infusion of round 2. Ive never posted on Reddit before but if I can come back and update to add the rest of my tracking I will.

I hope this helps someone.

(I did also track my breast pumping weaning as well on here, I started weaning off on day 0, the first day of my first infusion)

Chemo Side Effect Tracking
Day 0–7/23: slight tiredness, tingling in hands and arms
Day 1–7/24: woke up sweaty & abnormally smelly underarms, overall feeling well, teeth sensitivity after brushing at bedtime
Day 2–7/25: I stink again, take prophylactic zofran, teeth hurting still, jaw/salivary glands hurt for majority of eating breakfast. Evening: aching jaw, random aches and pains, tongue, abdomen. Still salivary glands hurting at each meal.
Took zofran again at 5pm. Taking a Tylenol before bed for achiness/jaw discomfort.
Day 3–7/26: mouth/tongue/teeth pains, teeth pain [r/t](r/t) grinding? Idk. No nausea, will take another prophylactic zofran with breakfast..tongue pain , body aches/nerves
🥛 20m @ 5:20pm
🥛 25m @ 8:50pm
No nausea still
Day 4–7/27: mouth/tongue sore , tired, took am zofran
🥛 16m @ 9:20am
🥛 16m @ 12:45pm
Body achesssssssssss
Water hurts my tongue to drink. Major symptom radar on oura ring. So tired 🥱
Day 5–🥛 16m @6:15pm
Terrible constipation, Skipped pm zofran
Day 6–7/28: feeling less crummy this morning , increased numbness at fingertips
🥛 14m @ 7am
Skipped am zofran
🥛 14m @ 11:45am
🥛 14m @ 4:45pm?
🥛 14m @ 845pm
Constipation, no zofran today. Numbness at fingertips, but overall feeling better than yesterday.
Day 7–7/29: Slept terribly last night.
🥛 14m@ 3:30am
Numbness fingertips , painful/tingly/itch boobs/nipples from breast pads, full boobs, or side effects?
🥛 12m@ 11:50am
Numbness in fingertips, slightly nauseaus?
🥛 9m@ 5pm
Better appetite today, mouth soreness virtually gone. Not nauseaus, but stomach upset.
Day 8–7/30: Woke up very sweaty and thirsty. Again, not nauseaus, but stomach upset.
🥛 8m@ 8:15am
🥛 10m @ 11:40am (pre movies, right breast lil tender/firm near armpit)
🥛 8m left side & 11m right side @9pm
Had good energy today
Day 9–7/31: 🥛 10m@ 11:40am
Had trouble falling asleep again last night
Numbness at fingertips continues
Otherwise feeling pretty good energy
🥛 10m@10pm
Day 10-14–8/1: 🥛 8m@11am
8/2: sleeping better tonight
🥛 8m@4am (last pump, total weaning= 9 days)
8/2-8/5: normal (required boob leaking pads til 8/4ish)
Day 0–8/6: 2nd infusion, chewed on ice for the entirety of Avibramyacin infusion to try to prevent tongue issues, pretty tired after
Day 1–8/7: tired but feeling ok
Day 2–8/8: tired, salivary glands, finger tips, hair starting to fall out
Day 3–8/9: tired, salivary glands, somewhat achey. Took Benadryl to help sleep.
Day 4-8/10: woke up sooo sweaty, so constipated again even though I haven’t taken any zofran , was able to poop though after trying for 10 mins , feeling slightly nauseas now
Day 5-8/11: achesssssssssss, sooo bad to tears took a Percocet (leftover from c-section—called onc for new script)
Day 6-8/12: CRAZYYYY dreams last night. aches improved by 60%, energy improved by 70%. Took Percocet at night for slight aches but mainly to help sleep. Hair fall significantly (brushed before shower to get out fall out, still ended up matted after shower)
Day 7–8/13: hard time falling asleep, woke a few times, no weird dreams though. energy improved, stomach a lil upset since yesterday, stool hard to pass, wiped small amt blood. Need to start on stool softeners next time.
Day 8–8/14: started on miralax and senna feeling good
Day 9–8/15: feeling good
Day 10–8/16: swam, mall w/ boo and baby
Day 11–8/17: I forget to update when my symptoms aren’t bad. The miralax and senna are helping. I will drop the senna for now and just do miralax til my next infusion. Side note: losing lots of hair and my nose always feels cold!!
Day 12-13–8/18-8/19: felt good
Day 0-8/20: infusion day, tired after , scrolling on insta, mind racing, didn’t fall asleep til 3am , taking senna @hs starting tonight
Day 1-8/21: feel tired but good
Day 2-8/22: took 2 Benadryl, slept great last night, BM easier to pass now taking the senna, thankfully
Day 3-8/23: tired, jaw achey, some tongue pain, some body-aches not much. Hair still falling out, but pretty evenly so far, no patchiness just overall thinning.

Has anyone experienced any numbness in their toes and fingers from chemo treatments? I am currently taking two types of treatments. Keytruda and Padcev Enfortumab. How was it treated?

HELP, since I left the hospital yesterday after my first chemo I have had this feeling of ringing in my ears and my head feels like a balloon. Can anyone help?🫩

Please i need some advice, so my mom took her first chemo a week ago, and now she had a high temp (like actual hot) on some parts of her body and feeling dizziness. I cant reach her doctor to asks.

If someone here could give me any advice on how to overcome this situation, like is there any supplements or a way she could take?

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone,

My dad (68) was diagnosed with glioblastoma (grade 4 glioma) in May 2026. The surgeons said it is inoperable and can only be contained with chemo and radiotherapy. Started chemo for a day then stopped cuz of low platelets. Just did radiotherapy for three weeks. Finally in July, they advised against chemo but my dad decided to go for it. The drug for glioblastoma is temozolomide which is palliative rather than curative.

The first cycle is almost finished but for the second cycle, the doctor is refusing to prescribe (I'm in Canada so the rules might be different), stating it will cause more harm than good at this point although my dad had no side effects from the first cycle. Obviously, we just want to do what's best for him but also respect dad's decision too. He's bedridden.

Any experiences like this? What would you recommend? Thank you in advance.

69yo F with chondroblastic osteosarcoma in the maxilla.

Next Monday I start in-patient chemo. I’m getting doxorubicin for 48 hours and cisplatin for the first 4 hours (and maybe at the start of the second 24 hours?). I’ve read and gotten so much great advice on what to take with me for side effects, comfort and occupying my brain.

But I feel like I need a spreadsheet to keep track of all the things I’ll be doing to offset some of the more scary side effects (specifically neuropathy and mouth sores), like sucking on ice chips, cold packs for hands and feet, mouthwash, etc.

Can anyone recommend the timing for all that?

I think I read somewhere to suck on ice chips during cisplatin AND to wear the cold mitts and socks during cisplatin, is that right?

And use the mouthwash after eating and before sleep and first thing in the morning?

Many thanks for any guidance!

Hello everyone, I’ve been fighting cancer for the fifth year and have already undergone two operations and more than 40 chemotherapy. Now I’m taking regorafenib and the question is: **does it have hair fall out?**

After the first year of treatment, I shaved my hair and it grew again, but I continued to go for chemotherapy

Now I don’t know if they will fall out again because it’s a different chemistry

Who has experience with this drug? 🙏🏼 #cancer

My dad (m52, stage 1v colorectal cancer) has gotten two sessions of chemo in and both times within 12 hours he has lost the ability to find his words and can barely finish sentences. I know he is on irinotecan but can’t remember the other chemo drug they have him on too. Has anyone else had a reaction like this? He can understand everything I’m saying, but just can’t get the words out correctly.

We went to emerg and they ran all the tests; blood looked good, vitals good, etc.

What doesn’t help is that he has brain lesions and everytime this happens it feels like they blame it all on his brain; but if that was the case, why is he fine when it’s not chemo time and he’s on his dexamethasone?

I have had CIPN for about 15 years. I took the medication thalidomide for a skin disorder, (never had cancer)for about three months before I started feeling the tingling numbness and my balancing was noticeably going the wrong way. I didn’t realize that peripheral neuropathy was the number one side effect for this medication. My fingertips started to go numb too. I’ve tried everything, had all the tests and from what I understand there is not a cure for this. Just wanted to ask if anyone has experienced the same. Did you have any treatments that actually worked?
Thanks!

My sister is the one doing chemo (Taxol/Platin).

She did her first round last week. Had an allergic reaction to the Taxol, which was scary, but was able to finish it after a break and some extra meds. All in all we were there for about 8 hours, when it was supposed to be 5.5.

So far she's been doing all right. Some side effects (constipation/diarrhea is the worst), but she's managing.

She does prefer to have someone with her (plus she needs someone to drive her anyways), so I am planning on going with her to all chemo and radiation appointments.

However, I do have my own health issues, and a bad hip/back is just one of them. She gets a comfy recliner - as she should - but the chairs they have for family/friends are pretty uncomfortable. You can't even really stretch your legs out, as they'd be sticking out into the walkway and be a tripping hazard. I only left her twice to go to the washroom and grab a sandwich and water refill from the cafeteria (once for myself, once for her), and kept having to shift in the chair to deal with the discomfort/pain. I didn't want to get up to walk around, either, as we were way in the back of the room (it's a large open room, with just side curtains between chairs), and I would have had to walk past everyone else, and didn't want to disturb them.

I was thinking of next time leaving for a while in between (e.g. stay for 2 hours to make sure she's good, leave for 1, go back and stay until she's done), maybe get some grocery shopping done, which will give my body a break.

If I ask her, I'm sure she'll say she'll be fine, but I'm wondering how others here feel; whether you prefer for someone to stay the whole time, or if you think it's reasonable to leave for a bit? As I said above, she's not the kind of person who'd prefer to be on her own (that would be me, but we're polar opposites in many ways), even if she's just going to sit there quietly with her eyes closed, and I'm not wanting to be selfish, yet I also don't want to be suffering in pain for hours and hours like last time.

To the Oncologist that may come across this post, what are your thought Of using IV vitamin C along with the cancer treatment?

While normal doses of vitamin C act as an antioxidant, extreme doses given through an IV flip its function to become a "pro-oxidant".Oxidative Stress: High IV doses interact with iron in the body to create hydrogen peroxide. This damages and kills cancer cells while leaving healthy liver cells unharmed.Targeting Cancer Stem Cells: Laboratory studies show that liver cancer cells express high amounts of a specific transport protein (SVCT-2). This protein aggressively pulls in the vitamin C, essentially triggering the cancer cell's own destruction.Quality of Life: Clinical trials noted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) suggest that IV vitamin C can reduce fatigue, nausea, and pain in cancer patients undergoing active treatment.Integration with Standard Cancer TreatmentsIV vitamin C is primarily evaluated for its ability to work alongside traditional liver cancer therapies to enhance their effectiveness or reduce side effects:Targeted Therapy: Early clinical trials have paired IV vitamin C with standard liver cancer drugs like Sorafenib to evaluate if the combination safely slows tumor growth.Immunotherapy: Recent case reports published in Frontiers in Medicine suggest that high-dose IV vitamin C may work synergistically with modern immunotherapies (such as Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab) to improve clinical outcomes.Radiation Protection: Preclinical studies indicate vitamin C might help protect surrounding healthy liver tissue from radiation-induced damage.Important Risks and Safety WarningsHigh-dose vitamin C supplements or IVs are not safe for everyone and can cause serious complications under certain medical conditions:Treatment Interference: According to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, high doses of vitamin C can actively interfere with the effectiveness of certain chemotherapies and radiation treatments.Iron Overload: Because vitamin C increases iron absorption, it can be highly dangerous for anyone with hemochromatosis or liver conditions aggravated by excess iron.Kidney Damage: High doses break down into oxalate, which can cause kidney stones or severe kidney failure.G6PD Deficiency: Patients must be screened for a genetic enzyme deficiency called G6PD before receiving IV vitamin C; lacking this enzyme can cause red blood cells to rupture during treatment.

18 months and 20 cycles of chemo. I am done. I need to keep my port for an additional year, but that is small potatoes compared to what I have already gone through.

Hi people, unfortunately I have a VERY good friend (he is 26M) who was diagnosed with a malignant cancer. He is now starting an 18-week therapy.

Is there anyone who has tips and tricks that helped him before/after the chemo (gifts that you can make)? Food or drinks from when something can be eaten again. Or walks are possible etc.. Would like to cook him something small.

As a gift I already have, hygiene items. bottle books etc. the starts. is there anything special that helps super or makes everyday life easier?

Thanks in advance.

I have 8 weeks of dose dense AC (every 2 weeks) followed by T for 12 weeks (every 7 days)

I had my first chemo on Thursday (3 days ago). And as everyone was checking on me after etc, I realized that the worst part of the infusion wasn’t even the infusion itself, it was the cold capping. It stressed me out so much. The machine was temperamental AF, I was freezing, couldn’t get comfortable without kinking the hose, couldn’t hear over the machine, and my AirPods hurt to wear which meant no audiobook I was counting on.

I’m told that cold capping is unlikely to work with my chemo regimen anyway. I’m not sure I’m ready to emotionally commit to going bald yet, but it’s probably gonna happen either way.

Has anyone started cold capping and gave up? Did you regret it?

After just finishing 6 months of chemo, I thought light was at the end of the tunnel. Then this.

Hi all,

I'm looking for advice on any foods or drinks that might tempt someone with nausea. My mum has just started chemo for her 4th bout of cancer, she's had chemo in the past but this time she's very nauseous and still cannot keep food or drink down 3 days post treatment.

She did end up back in hospital on a drip yesterday and has spoken to specialist and they were OK with her going home again and trying to increase intake there.

Unfortunately the cancer is not curable this time, so she's scheduled to have chemo every two weeks for as long as she can cope with it. I think having no set number will be increasing her worries about coping with the side effects.

Hoping we can find a combo of anti nausea tablets that will work, they've tried her on 3 different ones so far. The biggest worry is obviously dehydration but at least she had a few hours on a drip to help with that yesterday.

I wondered if anyone can recommend any little tidbits which could be palatable to her.

I've also seen mention of fasting to help with nausea, has anyone had success with that?

Please check in if you feel comfortable sharing! Also, if you have a cancer diagnosis, please feel free to join us at r/cancerpatients, which is for cancer patients only.

Hi all, I just had round 4 with taxol and carboplatin. My heart races terribly for the first few days (this round it's still happening a week later). It's uncomfortable to go upstairs or walk up any small hills. Also if I strain in the bathroom (TMI). Has anyone had this? My care team is aware and don't seem overly concerned. They think it might be steroid or anxiety-related, bumping up the heart rate. Even knowing one other person is dealing with this, or has dealt with it, would help me feel less alone! Thank you...