West Leigh

Remission

Colorectal (colon & rectum) · Stage III · Diagnosed 2014 · United States · 60s

My name is Liz and I’m happy to share some information about treatment that I wish I had known. These are few helpful tips once you’ve been diagnosed…. 1. Getting a port is a really good idea - I was so nervous about the port. It was my first procedure after I was diagnosed and it was hard to wrap my head around. Except for being a little sore at the incision sight, it was pretty painless. The upside is huge. It protects your veins, makes blood draws and chemo much simpler and quicker. 2. Eat what you can and try to drink and stay hydrated. I ate more cottage cheese and noodles during treatment than anything else. It went down easy and stayed down. A huge win when most foods were tough to eat. Find your cottage cheese and noodles. 3. When I hear the comment, “be kind to yourself”, I know that it’s very cliché. It’s also really true. I have never been able to nap. Even if I was exhausted and sick. During treatment, I napped all the time. My body was exhausted

SurgeryChemotherapyRadiation therapy

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Side effects & your body

Which side effects did you have?

FatigueNauseaHair lossNeuropathyTaste changesMouth soresSleep troubleBrain fogDiarrheaConstipationHot flashes

The thing about having cancer and so many side effects is, it’s hard to feel bad about just one issue. I was tired, nauseous, struggling with severe neuropathy, and lots of other symptoms. It made me thankful for small wins- a decent nap, discovering a comfort food Cottage cheese and noodles with salt and butter did it for me.Don’t knock it. When I was going through chemo, it was amazing. I’ll still eat it every once in awhile but, not like I did

Looking back

What small comfort would you pass on?

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Comfortable slippers are a must. I see that a few people wrote about having ginger chews to help stave off nausea. Just to add to that, Trader Joe’s ginger mints were so helpful. I still have boxes of them everywhere. In my car, house, coat pockets, etc. I struggle with ongoing nausea and find them to be the best

Reading these can be hard. If you are struggling, there are people you can talk to today.