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My dad started Chemo last week. Up until three days ago he as doing great and now he is so tired that he can barely keep his eyes open. He is pretty much in a constant state inbetween being awake and being asleep. Is this normal? The good news is that his pain has drastically reduced. Again, I am not sure if that is normal either.
Yes - this is normal - most times chemo is administered with a combination of a steroid and ativan (anti anxiety) - this will make the first 3 days "bareable" - the first day no side effects at all - in fact - I used to feel GREAT the day of the chemo. The bad news is that on the 3rd day (give or take) the WALL hits and you feel the "effects" of the actual chemo taking hold. The good news is that it will ast 2 or maybe 3 days then he will be feeling better again. The things about chemo is that is it cummulative - so each treatment will build up in his system and get more toxic as he progresses thru threatment. That is why it is SO important to call your Oncologist if anything happens that does not seem "usual" - since you don't know what to expect I would suggest either listing the chemo on this post site so those that have taken it can give you some information - or look it up on line. Most chemo therapy's cause dehydration and constipation - so it is very important that dad drink alot of fluids - take a stool-softener (co-lace) and a mild natural laxitive - senocott worked for me. He will not be hungry but try to get some good food into him - fish and chicken - some white or brown rice - jello, pudding and ice cream is good too, Try the caloric drinks like Ensure (there are several to choose from). Chemo stinks - be strong!
karen
I can only echo what peys said. I too feel fine for the first few days, but about day three the side effects start. It has been said the three biggest side effects of chemo are fatigue, fatigue and fatigue. It should improve in a few days, everyone is different.
hope this helps
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