Hi Amy,
My profile will give you the info re my situation.
You asked about the chemotherapy unknown being worrying. Below I have posted info from my own experience. This is Copied & Pasted from a message I set to someone else so when you see references to “your dad” don’t get confused as I’m referring to someone else’s dad.
As you already know infection can be an issue so any increase in temperature or feeling unwell should not be ignored. Your dad said you have bought him a thermometer - a great ideal!
My two sons and daughter made up their own chemotherapy survivors kit for me. Not sure I can remember everything that was in it but I’ll try:
Anti-bacterial hand gel, I used that regularly and always carried a bottle with me when out and about. Tended to not go very far at the low white blood cell points though; Queasy Pops - they actually helped with the metallic bitter taste which is very common. I froze fresh pineapple pulp for that as well; Hand and foot moisturiser as skin is prone to drying out. I used the hand cream throughout the day and the foot cream every night. I don’t know if it helped but I certainly never experienced any skin issues. There was also a very thick book “Extreme Fishing” to take to chemotherapy sessions. Cuticle drops for my nails. I had bother with them - all my nails lifted but didn’t detach. Some did get infected though and required an antibiotic. And lastly in the kit was a VR headset because they thought I was going to have to spend a lot of time in bed. I didn’t but the headset was/is a lot of fun.
Going back to the risk of infection - Chris, my wife, and I used to take turns wiping over surfaces, knobs, handles, sinks etc with anti-bacterial wipes once a week or so. Chopping boards and kitchen surfaces were done every time they were used. We used a lot of those and baby wipes 😀
Hair on my head and beard fell out but only thinned and went pure white. I didn’t go bald and according to my nurses nor do most men. There isn’t a lot you can do about that anyway and it grows back afterwards.
Your dad will be given antI-sickness pills throughout treatment. I would suggest he takes them for the first three days or so of each cycle even if he doesn’t feel sick. I was never actually sick but had regular bouts of retching.
Tiredness will almost certainly be an issue for dad at some point with extreme fatigue maybe showing up. With tiredness it’s a good idea to try and remain active to some extent and with the fatigue...he’ll know when he has that. I had a couple of bouts of it and it’s really a case of waiting for it to pass.
Your dad asked me if his life would change due to his treatment. Obviously I can’t know how he will react but even with the things I have told you about I pretty much sailed through it. Life does change during the four months of chemotherapy but my life has got back to normal. And despite the fact that I have cancer is always on my mind life is pretty much perfect. This is mostly due to the love and support of my wife and realising how much I mean to my sons and daughter. I always thought of myself as dad, who would help out whenever I could and drive them nuts with “dad jokes” It’s actually humbling to realise I’m more than that. I’m sure your dad feels the same way with the support you are giving him.
I hope this helps.
Dave
Edited by member 13 Jan 2019 at 10:31
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