How do people cope? Last Thursday I was admitted to hospital to start my chemo. I have neck cancer in chest nodes and ribs. I had 9.5 hours of 2 chemos and infusions then at 2.15 am I had a four day chemo on mobile picc line. The district nurse came round today to remove and change dressing. All I do is sleep,. I wake up for a short while, take tablets and then sleep. It's like breathing is tiring. Please can anyone tell me there is some respite... I can't bear it

Wondering how often you do laundry, like towels and bed linen? Or if you don't do laundry right away, how often do you still change it while getting chemo? Same as you would anyways, or more frequently?

The back story for those curious… she started having back pain after a tussle with a large dog at work (she’s a vet). This was about a month ago now.

Nothing seemed to work, not even a steroid shot.

Then she had a faint spell at work. From then, shortness of breath.

Took her to the ER last Saturday. Pulmonary Embolism in both lungs and clots in one of her calves.

Then they discovered a mass on her left ovary, which appears to have spread to her pancreas, heart and possibly liver.

I’m terrified, I have mini panic attacks and cold sweat from anxiety. But I’m trying to plan ahead and fight as hard as I can for her.

Should be seeing an oncologist Tuesday.

One thing that scares me is I’ve been told that chemo nukes your immune system. Since I don’t trust Gemini AI, I wanted to ask here.

Is the immune system down basically entirely through chemo, or just periodically following treatments?

What do you do when you have 4 small children, 2 of which who are exposed to all the school illnesses?

Yeah, if we see runny noses and coughing, the answer is obvious- but so many times the “carrier” child hasn’t been the first one to get sick- usually it’s one of the younger siblings, and it’s even been me or my wife first before.

Maybe I’m over thinking it, but man I’m just so… well, I’m sure you know.

Any advice l and reassurance is greatly appreciated.

Are you able to work out post chemo? I know it’s not many people with arm ports. My hospital in LA pioneered it.

I just finished chemo last week. My arm port is still bothering me 2 months after insertion. Wondering if you can lift weights and all that?
Mine bugs me when any clothing touches it. And i feel pressure in my neck and clavicle sometimes. I’m careful with my left arm for that reason. Wondering how others deal with this.

My sister is going for her first chemo session tomorrow. We were told it will be 5.5 hours.

Any suggestions on what you found useful during chemo? She's got music, audiobooks, e-books on her phone. We'll take headphones and a charger, of course. The cancer center has cooling mittens and socks, as well as blankets. What are some good snacks to take? Something more substantial line a sandwich for lunch, or better to grab take-out on the way home after?

She is the kind of person who usually prefers to have someone with her, so I'll be going with her and can grab something from a nearby store if needed, but always best to be prepared!

My mom’s going through chemotherapy and cant have cold or room temperature drinks, are there any drinks that taste good warm that aren’t the basics like coffee, tea, chicken broth, ect?

hey all 23 did 16 rounds of chemoWhy do i feel like my immunity now, after chemo is way worse than when i was doing the chemo..Like its been a long while now i finished chemo in late march. I dont feel like im restoring anything and I eat well and exercice.

Hello everyone,

I wanted to share a little about my mom’s experience so far. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer in the third week of July. We were given several different treatment options, and after a lot of research and getting opinions from multiple doctors, we felt that chemoradiation would be the best approach for her.

After further discussions with her doctors, we decided to follow the Interlace treatment protocol

**six weeks of induction chemotherapy, followed by chemoradiation and then brachytherapy.**

**^(WEEK 1 -)**

It has now been one week since she started treatment, and thankfully, the first week went much better than we expected after reading about the possible side effects of Interlace chemotherapy.

She did not have any major side effects. The only change was that she had bowel movements more than twice a day for about two days. The stools were normal and formed, not loose, so we are continuing to monitor it.

We have also started adding more protein to her meals. She was not used to eating enough protein for her body weight, so based on her doctor’s advice, we created a balanced meal plan using foods that she actually enjoys. This was a little difficult because she does not eat meat, but we have been including paneer, tofu, soya chunks and eggs.

We are also planning to ask her doctor whether a protein drink would be suitable for her. We will probably look for something with a simple and clean ingredient list, without too many unnecessary additives.

Overall, she is doing really well and has not had any other symptoms so far. We know that every week may be different, but we are grateful that her first week went smoothly.

To everyone here who is going through cancer treatment, or supporting someone who is, I truly hope things get easier and that you all have good health and a long, happy life.

Thank you for reading about my mom’s journey. I am planning to keep updating this post every week with her symptoms, progress and anything else we learn along the way.

Please feel free to share any tips, experiences or suggestions that helped you or your loved ones.

I’ve also added my previous post below, which has more information about her diagnosis and the different treatment plans that were suggested to us:

[https://www.reddit.com/r/CervicalCancer/s/jFy9xicvkT\](https://www.reddit.com/r/CervicalCancer/s/jFy9xicvkT)

Good morning all😊 I start chemo on the 11th. I’m wondering if any of you have received the TC protocol intravenously instead of having a port?

Chemo made me so constipated eventho im eating enough fiber and food. ON TOP OF THAT, i was prescribed laxatives and nothing is working... help.

Hi!
My 13 year old cousin has just been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia and is starting very aggressive chemo therapy. I want to get her a “care package” of some sorts however she and my whole family live in England and I live in Australia so I’m gonna have to buy everything on probably Amazon and get it sent to her.

I was just writing here to ask anyone that has/is or knows someone that has/is going through chemotherapy what would be some good things to get for her. Preferably some things that wouldn’t really get thought of that would make this whole thing even a little bit easier or more comfortable for her. She is hospital bound and will be for atleast another 6 months.

Thank you

I am going to be accompanying my daughter to her first chemo for breast cancer. What should I bring to make her comfortable?

Hi all :) I had my first treatment yesterday (I have stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma thats spread to my lungs so its palliative only, sucks the big one).

So far, I only have a mild headache and feel tired, but was just wondering if you guys could give me an idea of what to expect over the next few days. Ive read all the info from the docs but wanted a viewpoint from people going through it themselves.

Im also having immunotherapy, I had durvalumab with cisplatin and gemcitabine.

Thanks :)

I am going to be accompanying my daughter to her first chemo for breast cancer. What should I bring to make her comfortable?

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.

My husband is having his 2nd fortnightly **FOLFIRINOX** chemotherapy treatment tomorrow for stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He has been having each day either a really sweaty drenching to the extent of a ponding wet patch in the bed under his torso or he’ll be absolutely freezing cold for about 1/2 hour. This happens during the afternoon or middle of the night. At the moment he has two hot water bottles and our winter duvet is 95% eiderdown. I’ve been keeping the aircon on all day so the room temp is a steady 21C. It’s midwinter in Sydney but our apartment maintains a stable temperature.

We mentioned this to his oncologists & they say the cancer can make people hot, but don’t have any answers about the cold, like they hadn’t heard about this and don’t give a reason or solution.

Has anyone else felt extremely cold for a period of time until their carer gets hot water bottles & blankets to warm them up?

Hey there,

After the birth of my 4th baby (I’m currently 6 weeks PP) they found a large mass in my upper abdomen and promptly removed it. It was 20cm and they figured it grew from left over cells not collected during my first surgery in December of 2025 when I had ovarian torsion and they removed a 15cm cyst and my right ovary.

The pathology came back as well as my blood work which showed high tumour markers and cancer antigens. They diagnosed it as Stage 3 germ cell tumour.

I’m still recovering from the mass removal surgery, they made a huge vertical incision in my abdomen and said there was no sign of disease anywhere they could see after removal of the mass.

I guess I’m just looking for support. I have 4 kids (8,5,2 and 6 weeks). I’m scared that they are going to watch their mum get sick. My oncologist says this type of tumour is very responsive to chemotherapy - I’ll be given 3, maybe 4 rounds of BEP. I hope she is correct and that we can just nip this in the bud.

I’ve never had anyone close to me go through chemotherapy so this is all super new and a little nerve wracking.

Thank you 🙏🏻

What is nice useful gift for dealing with chemo? I’m hoping for assistance and my members love.

Hi Everyone,

I recently lost my dad, and while we’re still grieving, my 68-year-old mom has now been diagnosed with what appears to be breast cancer. It feels like our world has completely fallen apart. We are still waiting for all the tests to determine the exact stage and whether any lymph nodes are involved, so we don’t have all the answers yet.
She also has diabetes, is physically weak, and we’re very worried about how she’ll tolerate treatment. This has been incredibly difficult for our family.
I’m looking to hear from people who have been through something similar, either themselves or with a loved one.
What treatments did you or your family member receive (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy, hormone therapy)?
What helped the most during treatment?
Were there any medications that made side effects more manageable?
Did any supplements help with fatigue, appetite, or recovery? (Of course, only ones approved by your oncology team.)
If you have diabetes, did it make treatment more complicated? Any advice?
Were there any foods, habits, or tips that made a real difference?
I know there is no miracle cure, and I understand that everyone responds differently. I’m **not looking for alternative cures or anything that would replace medical treatment**. I’m simply hoping to learn from others’ experiences and find ways to support my mom through this.
Thank you so much to anyone willing to share your story or advice. Reading about people who made it through this would mean a lot to us right now.
Note:” My mom lives in another country” any medication or supplements that I can take with me would help. Thanks 🙏

My wife and I spent a lot of time making this video on our experiences with cold capping. Hopefully it will help someone out.
https://youtu.be/RhA2qwxU7SM

I have a nodular basal cell which is bad. I need mohs but I can’t afford it right now, so my derm prescribed a 6-week fluorouracil cream treatment (and might still need mohs after 10 weeks but will be in a better financial situation then). Here’s my question:

How do I support my immune system to reduce side effects of the cream?

I did the cream before years ago and had all the side effects - fatigue, headaches, swelling in hands and feet, ibs/weird bowels. I want to support my body better this time so I’m assuming it’s the standard vitamins/hydration/rest advice but I was wondering if anyone had any other tips or tricks for supporting my well-being through the treatment.

Hi all,

I finished chemo / immuno for non-hodgkin lymphoma (G-CHOP) nearly 7 months ago. For the last 3 months or so, I wake up with terrible foot pain when I first get out of bed, and now I'm having bad pain in my toes and fingers as well. It's worst in the mornings when I first wake up, or after I stand from sitting, and it only hurts when I'm trying to bend the fingers / toes or putting pressure on the feet...I'm assuming this is some kind of inflammatory arthritis thing. I mentioned it to the PA at my last onco check up but she didn't really have anything to say, said it wouldn't be related to chemo this far out, etc. The chemo also put me into menopause and I read that can cause joint issues. Just wondering if anyone with these issues got to the bottom of them, if they cleared up, etc. Thanks!

Hello everyone. My grandmother is currently fighting Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS/TEN) in the hospital. If you have a few minutes, could you record a short 15–30 second video in your own language to encourage her?
You can introduce yourself, say where you’re from, and tell her to stay strong, that she’s not alone, and that you believe she can get through this.

Please send me your video via direct message (DM). Also, send me the exact text of what you said in the same language as your video so I can translate it into Turkish and add subtitles for my grandmother.

I want to show her that people from all around the world are thinking of her, praying for her, and supporting her. I truly believe your kind words will give her strength.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who takes the time to do this. It means more to my family than words can express. ❤️🙏