Dear Friend

I recently learned that a friend of a friend was diagnosed with breast cancer at 37 years old. She and I have been texting back and forth for weeks now & she has her first round of chemo on Tuesday. Below is the email I sent to her, to prepare her for craziness that is chemo. It seems like ages ago that I was in the thick of all my treatments. As I sat and wrote this email I had to dig deep to remember what it was all like. I re-read some of my blog posts and would think, "OH YEAH! I forgot about that!" Don't get me wrong, some of it I remember like it was yesterday. But when I read about how utterly horrible I felt some days, I can't quite wrap my head around that anymore. Your brain has a way of helping you forget the really bad stuff. Anywho, here's what I wrote. I hope you're not grossed out by poop talk. If you are, don't say I didn't warn you. :) 

Hey Friend,

I'll try to keep this as concise as possible but I talk a lot, so this email will probably get long. Sorry in advance :) 

Here's a list of things that I think would be great to have on hand as you go through chemo. You may never need to use some of them, but it's better to have them, just in case. Everyone's body reacts differently to chemo, so it's hard to say what side effects will be the worst for you. My friend had a really sensitive stomach so she needed the anti diarrhea meds on hand at all times. One thing you'll learn really quickly is that all modesty goes out the door. Get ready to talk to your doctor about EVERYTHING that's going on with your body. You will experience some bizarre shit but keep reminding yourself that it's all temporary and, at the end of this, you'll be cancer free! Also, there are meds to help with every side effect! You shouldn't have to feel miserable all the time ... embrace the meds and take the when you need them. Ok, here we go:

1. My mouth and inside of my nose got really sore after my first couple rounds. I didn't have any actual sores in my mouth but it just hurt. I had to be really gentle when I brushed my teeth and I also got cracks in the corners of my mouth. Biotene helps a ton with the sore mouth! Use it often! Also, get some medicated lip balm to use in case your lips get sore like mine did. I slathered that stuff on every night before bed and it really helped a lot. For my nose, I used a saline spray and it did help a bit. I only got the sore mouth after my first two rounds and the sore nose was probably 3 or 4 rounds. 

2. Anti diarrhea pills and also something to help you poop if you get constipated. Chemo is a bitch on your digestion & you will likely experience both of these problems at some point. This is also something that your acupuncturist can work on! There were days when I couldn't get to the toilet fast enough (sorry if that's TMI) and then there were times when I wouldn't poop for 3 days. Smooth move tea really helps when you're constipated. Just make sure you're near a toilet 4-8 hours later because you're going to need it :) When I would drink it, it would take about 5 hours to kick in. It works well and I didn't really get any cramping with it. You'll notice that certain types of food will not sit well so just be mindful of eating anything too heavy. This was such a problem with me because I never lost my appetite the entire time I went through chemo. If anything, I was hungrier than normal! I wanted to eat everything and then I'd pay for it 30 minutes later when I was stuck on the toilet. Again, sorry for the TMI. Taking a good quality probiotic will help this, as well!

3. Ginger everything! There's a recipe for a great ginger syrup in The Cancer Fighting Kitchen cookbook that you got. Make that and mix it with sparkling water to bring with you to chemo. A friend of mine also bought me some ginger hard candies to suck on & those were awesome. I was lucky and didn't get any nausea (you'll get plenty of anti nausea meds to take & some via IV the day of your treatment) but the ginger was still just really soothing to me. When I had the sore mouth, it was a little too spicy & the sparkling water didn't really agree with me either, so just see how you feel. 

4. Something for heartburn. For about 7-10 days after a round of chemo, I would feel on the verge of getting heartburn when I would eat certain things. It never got really bad but just have something on hand, just in case. 

5. The biggest and most annoying side effect for me was a rash I would get on my face and hands about 7-10 days after each round of chemo. It would just suddenly appear and would last about 4 days. Get some good, thick hand cream to use. It won't make the rash go away, but it will help relieve some of the soreness. I tried a few different facial products to help with the rash on my face. It looks like horrible acne but it's not, and you shouldn't use acne products on it. This face serum is amazing! It's so soft and feels great on your skin. I also loved this cleanser. It's really gentle and natural. You might not get the rash, so wait it out and see how your skin reacts. Some people don't get it at all! 

You'll get fatigued as your treatments compound but try to stay as active as possible! Other things may creep up as you go through your treatments but no use talking about EVERYTHING right now. Keep in mind that this is temporary & you will get through this. I know it's hard to imagine being on the other side right now, but you'll get there sooner than you think. 

You got this, girl!

xo,

Ali