The Chemo Club is so excited to get to know you!!! Please introduce yourself (Name, where you’re from) - What was your life like before undergoing chemotherapy?
HEY! My name is Paige and I’m from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Life before my diagnosis was normal. I was a healthy, active high school student who danced after school every night.
Bring us along your journey – when were you diagnosed with cancer? What was your initial reaction?
I was diagnosed with B Cell Lymphoma (Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma) around April of 2021. My mom noticed a large mass in my neck (2 IN - yikes) and we made an appointment with my ENT. I got a PET scan and my doctor revealed that it was a tumor. We weren’t sure if it was cancerous yet so I held onto the hope of the tumor being benign. The next week I had surgery to remove my tumor when it was confirmed to be cancer. I’m fairly good at holding my emotions in so I had to stay strong for my family.
What was your first chemotherapy treatment like? What treatment/treatments did you or are currently undergoing?
My first chemo treatment wasn’t the easiest but wasn’t the worst. Instead of just going into the cancer center once a week to get treatment, I stayed in the hospital for a week at a time, getting chemo every day. The days dragged on for sure. Since I had treatment during covid, I could barely leave the oncology floor. Masks had to be worn everywhere and around every doctor, all the Penguins, Pirates, and Steeler players were not permitted to visit, and movie nights in the atrium were not held. I felt like I was robbed of my experience to make the most of my time there. I had a lot of nausea during my first treatment and acne all over my body. The worst, of course, was my hair falling out. Slowly but surely more and more hair fell as I brushed it.
Who did you turn to as your support system?
My biggest support system was my grandma, who I call Buddy. She beat Breast Cancer over 12 years ago. She held my hand throughout my entire treatment and never let go. I was very close to her already but this strengthened our bond. She would come over everyday to give me advice, tell stories, and sit for hours. She is the one I can lean on the most.
What is something you wished you knew before starting your chemo treatment?
I wish I knew the mental toll this would take on me. I felt as though I could be strong for my family and friends, but the weight of that was overbearing. It’s okay to tell someone you’re not having a good day. You can’t smile every day when you’re getting pumped with toxic chemicals that not many around you can understand what it is doing to your body.
Have there been certain side effects that have been worse than others?
The worst side effect I had was a spinal headache. In my treatment regimen, I had to get lumbar punctures on the first and last day. After too many blind attempts, scar tissue built up and they needed to use imaging from then on. This made spinal fluid leak and brought the worst headache of my entire life. I couldn’t get off the couch for over a week. It felt like someone was taking a hammer to my eyes and skull. The nausea spells didn’t stop the whole week. Thankfully after lots of caffeine and rest, it slowly went away after a week or two.
What are tips/tricks you have learned along the way to help with chemo side effects?
The best tricks I have are to just rest and allow your body to heal itself after treatment. I tried to do too much after some treatments and it wrecked my body and immune system. It’s always nice to go out and feel “normal” but rest is way more important.
Do you recommend any chemo-friendly products?
Ginger really helped soothe my stomach during nausea spells. I absolutely LOVED wearing headwraps during my bald days. The best ones I found were from https://thewrap.life/collections/head-wraps
Any advice for other chemo patients?
Rest and take it easy when you can. Stay hydrated with lots of water. Everyone has a different journey. You’ll find out who your true friends are. You can truly accomplish anything you put your mind to.
