Tips for Surviving Chemo

I received some great advice from a friend who had gone through chemo two years ago and my nurses at my infusions. I also found some good tips online. Mostly, I learned through trial and error.  Here’s a list for you of my top ten most helpful, practical tips for getting through chemo with less discomfort.

Hand sanitizer is your friend—This may go without saying, but either we were lucky or this really helped us ward off the germs. We had a big bottle of sanitizer by our front door.  We sanitized our son when he left school and karate. I sanitized my hands a million times when out in public.

Stay ahead of the poo—Constipation is a problem when it comes to chemo.  Big time.  For me, AC was especially tough.  My most uncomfortable night during all of chemo was from constipation. I was backed up and I ate a big dinner. A recipe for disaster.  In an emergency, I drank Milk of Magnesia and that usually undid the damage.  I learned to preempt the inevitable by drinking a smoothie with psyllium fiber, fruit, and lemon (I can’t stand drinking it plain) on the morning of an infusion.  Then, I took Senokot for a couple nights after the infusion.

Mouth rinses—A good preventative measure for mouth sores is to brush your teeth after each meal and swish with a mouthwash called Biotene.  If my mouth started to feel sensitive and raw or I started to feel a mouth sore coming on, I swished with a solution of 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 8 ounces of water.

Lotion—My skin became really dry and flakey, especially during Taxol.  I treated myself to a nice lotion, Alba Very Emollient, and it was worth every penny.

Smart Water—I read that Smart Water can help to replace electrolytes during chemo and it certainly helped me.  I started having headaches after my first AC infusion and then I remembered to try Smart Water.  I drank one or two big bottles a day and the headaches did not return.  Some days, I drank one Smart Water and the rest filtered tap water to save money and because I felt badly about all those plastic bottles.

Small meals and carbs—During AC, I learned that I needed to have food in my tummy at all times in order to avoid feeling especially nauseated.   The first thing I did when I woke up in the morning was to have a healthy-ish waffle, toast, or cereal.  When I felt off, carbs were the only thing that sounded good.  I went with it and it worked for me.

Sleep—To counteract the steroid prescribed during some chemo days, I found it a necessity to have a sleep aid.  I never thought I would have recourse to Colorado’s medical cannabis laws, but I am grateful to live in a state where this is an option. I found an edible with 5g of THC in it to be all I needed to get to sleep, but it would wear off after four hours.  I also tried taking one Benadryl before bed and that worked the best for me because it lasted all night long.  Talk to your doctor and experiment to figure out what works best for you.

Protein powder and supplements—I drink a smoothie with protein powder with greens, almond milk, and frozen berries almost every day.  I attribute my ability to bounce back after infusions, the health of my nails, and my hair growing back during Taxol to this powder.  I like Garden of Life with greens.  I really like the addition of the greens since fresh greens were off the table for a while due to my immunocompromised state. I also received permission from my oncologist to take B6, B12, and CBD oil to try to avoid neuropathy.