Hi friends,

I made it! 6 rounds of TCHP chemotherapy. It was not easy, but I muddled through.

Round 6 was similar to the last few rounds. I had a few really bad days, and then started to feel better in terms of energy and emotions, but had diarrhea for 3 full weeks.

It was hard this time around because I was so impatient to feel better. Being "done" with chemo but not done with the effects of it was really hard mentally. I also had some looming deadlines with a family trip 4 weeks after my treatment, and surgery 6 weeks after.

I wanted to share some of the things I learned during chemo in case anyone else is going through it, or knows someone who is.

1. You learn the most from other patients. Most of what is in this list came from me searching reddit threads and community forums. I'm not sure why my oncologist didn't volunteer this stuff but I definitely found the most valuable information from other patients.
2. Fasting is powerful. I never really had any nausea or loss of appetite. Many of my other side effects were tolerable as well. Other than the bowel issues (which were caused more by the immunotherapy) I did pretty well and I attribute a lot of that to fasting.
3. Cold capping works! As I shared in my earlier email, I kept enough of my hair to limp by and hopefully it will result in thicker hair once it all grows back.
4. Everyone is different. It takes some experimentation to figure out what works for you because everyone reacts differently to chemo and different things help.
5. Each round will be somewhat different. Firstly, you learn how to manage your symptoms better and what to expect, but then there is also a cumulative effect of the drugs to contend with. So each one is different, and it's good to be flexible in your thinking as you approach them.
6. Exercise is super helpful. It can be really hard to even get out of bed during chemo, but movement of any kind is super helpful, both physically and mentally. I started with 10 minute walks after each meal, and built up to longer walks and Barre workouts when my energy came back.
7. Adjust your expectations. You will not be your normal self during this process, and it can be really frustrating if you are trying to do your normal stuff and failing. I tried to set my (and my family's) expectations really low and then be pleasantly surprised if I was able to do more.
8. Do everything you can to help yourself. There is so much you can do to help prevent the other effects of chemo. From mouth rinses to fasting, exercise, healthy diet, resting/sleeping, detox support, supplements, and more. Try all the things and see what works for your body. I don't understand why you wouldn't try to make this easier on yourself if you could!
9. Chemo dosing, schedule, and drugs can be adjusted. If you are reacting really poorly you can push your doctor to offer you other options.
10. Finally, you are in charge. This is so important to know! You are not in prison, you don't have to do what your doctor suggests. You can listen to your body, do your own research, and retain your autonomy. Find your trusted team of providers to be your experts, do your own research for your unique situation, and make the decisions that feel right to you.

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Choices I made and things I learned at this stage

1) My chemo journey was definitely my own. I changed my schedule, dosing, and cocktail to work for my unique body. 2) I did so many adjunctive things to help myself. Fasting, natural infusions, exercise, mouth rinses, icing, supplements, and so much more. All of those were either my own finding from research or my integrative doctors idea.

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With love and gratitude,

Elizabeth