Chemo and How I Managed

There are many options for treating lung cancer today and that is because of research, advocacy, and spreading the word that all you need is lungs. When I was diagnosed in 2014, I knew very little about the disease or even cancer in general. I learned that if you had a mutation that you could take a pill. I felt very lucky to be diagnosed with EGFR mutated lung cancer. This, however, did not last as long as I had hoped, and I was faced with taking chemotherapy. My first infusion was while I was an inpatient at the hospital but after that, I would prepare for my infusions and I will talk about that here.

Deciding on treatments

Due to the emergent nature of me getting chemotherapy, I did not have much say in what drug I would be taking. I started on cisplatin and Alimta. I remember my sister talking to my oncologist and going back and forth about possibly taking carboplatin. It was decided that I would be on cisplatin to make sure that I was getting everything I needed to shrink the tumor that was growing. I would then get an infusion of both drugs for 4 cycles, 1 infusion every 3 weeks (21 days). After that time frame It was then decided that I would do a maintenance infusion of just Alimta. For me, this lasted for the 4 cycles and about 3 of only Alimta.

Chemo infusions

Something that you never think about until you are in this position is how you will get to your infusions. The hospital that I was getting the infusion at was a 1-hour drive so we coordinated with family members to make sure that I always had a ride. I would suggest not taking public transportation, if avoidable, due to the side effects that you may encounter. I didn’t start getting nauseous until the 3rd or 4th round but it seemed to be worse in the car.

Chemo infusions can be quick or last for many hours. I was lucky to be doing this pre-pandemic so I always had someone with me. We would play games or talk. I also found it helpful to sleep if I was tired or to immerse myself in playing games on my phone. Listening to music or watching youtube videos is also a great way to pass the time.

I found that the infusion nurses were some of the kindest most helpful of all the nurses. While taking chemotherapy it seemed that I always had the same nurse which was helpful to get to know her and it made me comfortable to ask questions and bring up concerns as needed.

Managing those side effects

I finished chemotherapy because the CT scan show the lung cancer had spread further and that a new biopsy was needed. I did get to experience being stable for a short period of time before this. After another bronchoscopy, it was determined that the best course of action for me was to have the tumor sent out for a further panel of mutations testing.

Many people fear chemo because of the side effects but I found that my experience with chemo was not too bad. I did have some side effects but it held cancer off until I was able to begin the first of two clinical trials that I would experience.

Let me know in the comments if you have had chemo and how you managed.