“What I wish I knew before my first chemotherapy appointment”

Before you start chemotherapy, it’s a big world of unknowns. While Future Dreams provides a number of support groups and services to help you pre, during and after chemotherapy, we also have a brilliant community of people online who are either going through chemotherapy now, or who have been there before and have now finished their chemotherapy treatment.

Many of those people have been kind enough to share their chemotherapy advice, and what they know now that they wish they knew before their first appointment.

What the Future Dreams community say they wish they’d known before starting chemotherapy

• “Take the anti-sickness tablets before you feel sick. Drink lots of water, get outside, and learn your up and down days, and plan around it. Start a hobby while you’re in the chair.”
  
  
• “My advice would be that recovery is not linear. Three steps back, two steps forward was not uncommon for me. Keep the faith. I’m 7 years cancer-free. All the very best to you.”
  
  
• “Drink loads of water to flush out the toxins. I drank at least 3 litres a day, it really helps. Take anti-sickness tablets as prescribed and try to get out for a walk every day, no matter how little. They say to sleep after, but with the steroids in me, I never managed to sleep much. I did lay in bed from early evening and watched TV, so at least my body was resting. If you’re using a cold cap, you’ll start with lots of layers, hot drinks, and a hot water bottle. But by the end (I had 16 cycles), I was in a t-shirt and drinking cold drinks—you get used to it! Even after the first time using it, you get used to it after 15-20 minutes. Treatment will go much faster than you realise.”
  
  
• “Don’t be a hero. Never suffer. No question is too silly. It will be okay.”
  
  
• “I was meditating at the beginning of each chemo infusion, with the intention to communicate with my body. I told all my healthy cells about the drug we were receiving, explaining that it was to help us, not harm us. I thanked all my healthy cells for being strong and asked them to be resistant to the drug. It really helped me to stay grounded and feel that my body was working with me. I had almost no side effects from chemotherapy, apart from being more tired than usual. There were many things that helped me (like anti-sickness drugs), but I believe meditating was one of them.”
  
  
• “I invited friends on ‘chemo-dates.’ I used infusions as an opportunity to catch up with people who care about me, and to spend quality time together.”
  

Q&A from Paxman: Scalp cooling – everything you need to know

Scalp cooling technology (or ‘cold capping’) can help chemotherapy patients to minimise or prevent hair loss. In this article, Claire Paxman of Paxman Scalp Cooling has answered the frequently asked questions that people have about using a scalp cooling system during their treatment.

• “I shaved my head before chemo to have a feeling of control and choice. It felt really empowering, and I recommend it. It gives a sense of freedom. I used cold cap anyway to protect the hair roots. It wasn’t pleasant, but I meditated after they switched it on, and after about 10 minutes, I forgot I had it. I kept drinking hot drinks and had two hot water bottles on me, so I didn’t feel very cold. I also created a ‘Chemo Challenge.’ It was a calendar where I ticked off each day of treatment, but the idea was not to count down to the end, but to take each day as a challenge to live in the present moment. That mindset really helped me.”
  
  
• “Remember, everyone is different. We all tolerate chemotherapy differently. Don’t compare your cancer or treatment to anyone else’s. Focus on your body and pursue what makes you feel better. It’s temporary, and the time will come and go. I had 68 chemotherapies over 2 years, and I learned to listen to my own needs, not what happened to others. Best wishes to all starting chemo.”
  
  
• “Eat small and bland meals afterward until you know how your sickness levels are. I naively thought I felt fine and went to get a sandwich afterward. Later that night, the nausea hit, and now I can’t even stand the smell of those sandwiches.”
  
  
• “Trust the process, it’s not as bad as we think. Take your anti-sickness meds, maintain a routine and activity level, and stay hydrated.”
  
  
• “Take a blanket and headphones.”
  
  
• “Try to get out and walk, preferably in nature. Getting my body moving, even when it was hard, definitely helped. But no pressure.”
  
  
• “Hydration is important, even before you start chemo.”
  
  
• “Always remember, chemo is our weapon, not our enemy.”
  
  
• “Find your breasties—they’re a wonderful bunch. Drink lots of water, rest when needed, and try to get out for walks when you can. Don’t listen to any scare stories; everyone’s journey is different.”
  
  
• “My advice: don’t get stressed about others’ advice! You’ll find YOUR way—but take headphones.”
  
  
• “Keep a symptoms diary, as you may not remember your first days by the end of the cycle. I used mine to write daily gratitudes as well. Let your team know any symptoms—they will usually have a solution. Drink lots of water, suck on a boiled sweet when they flush your line, and eat small meals on the day. Take one day at a time—it will be okay.”
  

To connect with others and find your people, you’re always welcome at Future Dreams House in London, or at any of our support groups, classes, workshops and therapies that are held online and in-person. Click here to have a look at our schedule.

Breast cancer support: book classes, therapies and workshops

In-person or online, wherever you are in the UK. Future Dreams offers a wide variety of group and individual support for women at any stage of a breast cancer journey.

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Unless otherwise specified, the information and content provided on this page has been written from a patient’s perspective then reviewed by a breast care nurse and it is intended for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact your medical team for advice on anything covered in this article and/or in relation to your personal situation. The links and/or recommendations in this article to third-party resources are for your information and we take no responsibility for the content contained in those third-party resources.

Reviewed October 2024