The act of willingly letting your medical oncologist, oncology pharmacist, and oncology nurses fill your body with poison (chemotherapy/chemo) to rid you of cancer is not simply permission to get treated to get better. It is an act of physical, mental and emotional preparation and experience.

I will start my first chemo treatment on July 12. It is a three-week treatment cycle. I should feel reasonably well by the third week to celebrate the joy of our daughter’s wedding on August 1, concurrent with sharing in the happiness of our son and daughter in-law also taking possession of their first home on the same day.

Two or three days after the wedding weekend, I will undergo my second cycle of chemo treatment.

The sessions will continue for six cycles, ending just before Christmas. Then I will have a month off and will follow up with several weeks of radiation, likely starting sometime in January. Hormonal pill therapy for up to five years ends the treatment cycle.

Before one consents to undergoing chemotherapy, there is a litany of side effects that you’re warned about by your medical oncologist and oncology nurses. Some of the side effects in the chemo cocktail occur with all of the various drugs, while some have their own side effects independent of the other chemo drugs.

The side effects are the price you pay for getting better. You have to get really sick first with poison permeating all of your body. Then you can get better.

Without chemo, my risk of cancer recurrence is 50%. With chemo, it’s 10%. I’ll take the chemo and its risks to get better and live longer.

One can expect to suffer a combination of some chemo side effects such as: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, loss of appetite, weight loss, weight gain from steroids, dry mouth, harm to your teeth, dry skin, skin rashes, susceptibility to sunburn, nasal congestion, headaches, a lowered platelets count causing easier bruising and bleeding, taste of metal in your mouth, fatigue, anemia, allergic reactions, fluid retention, nail changes or loss, aching joints and muscles, numbness, tingling or burning in fingers and toes, a change in the way you walk, and a compromised immune system due to a lowered white blood cell count.

The medical oncologist predicts that I will get through chemo easier than many other patients due to the strength and good condition of my body. Overall, I am in excellent health. I have never been on any prescription drugs for other medical problems, am not overweight, and have never smoked. I have retained a several times weekly regime of physical activity for many years, primarily aerobic. Because I am gluten and lactose intolerant, a healthy and well-balanced diet of non-processed foods has been a lifestyle for several years.

For the first three cycles of treatment, my chemo consists of three drugs that form the FEC (Flurouracil, Epirubicin, and Cyclophosphamide) cocktail. I will get the chemo injection once every three weeks along with anti-nausea medication. For the following three cycles, the chemotherapy changes for more effective treatment. This second chemo drug, Taxotere, is given in the same treatment timing as its earlier counterpart.

Physical prep for chemo includes day surgery on July 2 to get a port inserted. A port is a central line into a vein through which chemo is administered and blood is drawn for monitoring tests. I will have this port for the duration of my treatment, which is inserted below the skin below my collarbone on the side opposite to where I had my mastectomy. A different surgeon than to the one who removed my cancer will perform the insertion in a different hospital.

I also have a pre-treatment muga (heart function) radioactive scan on June 28, and a radioactive bone scan on July 8. In between these scans are pre-surgery blood tests and other treatment visits with my care team. I am still waiting for a CT scan of my chest, stomach, and liver.

I’m briskly walking for 45 minutes daily to improve the strength of my cardiovascular system for the day surgery anaesthetic, and to improve the chemo circulation with a stronger cardiovascular function. On days when I’m feeling well with chemo, my hope is to continue to keep walking for a few minutes each day to stay strong and healthy.

I was advised by my oncology nurse to see my dentist prior to treatment for x-rays, cleaning and a check-up. Ideally, one wants healthy my teeth and gums prior to chemo and any cavities need to be filled as chemo can affect tooth enamel, can create a dry mouth, and can cause mouth sores. My dentist told me to buy artificial saliva spray to keep my mouth hydrated and to lower the risk of infection, to brush my teeth before and after each meal, to floss daily, and to gargle several times a day with alcohol-free mouthwash to reduce bacteria.

The oncology nurse told me to buy toothpaste without whiteners. She also recommended using products with natural ingredients in sunscreen lotions, bug sprays, shampoo, soap, skin lotion, and deodorant, as antiperspirant cannot be used with chemo. As well, I am to use olive oil or baby oil to hydrate my scalp. The goal with these products is to use as few chemicals as possible on the body while in chemo treatment.

She also told me to use plastic utensils for dining to prevent the increased taste of metal in my mouth. Other cancer care materials suggest that food may need to be cooked in non-metal vessels (glass) also due to metal sensitivities with chemo.

I am to be very careful when using knives, as cuts can create problems in infection and healing due to low white blood cell and platelet counts. I also have to try and prevent any bruising. My house is to be as clean as possible to reduce the risk of contaminants that can cause infection.

While in treatment, I am to limit coffee to one cup per day. It’s been recommended to consume yogurt 2-3 times per day to line the stomach to minimize digestive side effects, eat multiple small meals and snacks daily vs. three larger meals, and increase fluid consumption so that the body flushes the chemo more readily. Foods used should be high in anti-oxidants and nutritional value. Sugar should be used sparingly as it grows cancer.

While in treatment, one could say that I may be adopting a “Diva” look--particularly on our daughter’s wedding day. My oncology nurse has confirmed that wearing gloves is a good idea to reduce the risk of infection during a time of low immunity. The gloves will help to reduce the transfer of germs from others’ multiple handshakes in the wedding receiving line. The color of gloves I needed was not available locally, but with the help on on-line shopping I found opera gloves I need to wear with my evening gown.

Jennifer, my hairstylist, is helping to further the “Diva in the making” by assisting me in shopping for and buying a wig, as I will lose all of my hair within two weeks of the first treatment before the wedding. (Not all things will bring out the “Diva” in me; I won’t be singing any arias!)

The wig we chose is not at all like my own healthy crop of hair. Its not natural grey color, nor is it short and spiky. I won’t give away all the details…needless to say we had fun in selecting the wig along with some head coverings and natural hair eyebrows. I found natural hair eyelashes elsewhere. A make-up artist will add the finishing touches for the wedding to ensure that I don’t look sick in the wedding photos.

The next few weeks will be ones that will cover the full range of emotions in the ups and downs of living with cancer and in celebrating the gifts of others in my life. I look forward to the celebrations of life in a daughter’s and son-in law’s wedding and a son’s and daughter-in law’s first home. I enter into chemo treatments knowing that I have given love to others and receive it back as they help me in fighting cancer with Strength, Courage, and Determination.