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?

Hello! I am Donna and I am a 38 year old primary school teacher from England. I am a wife and a mother to 3 boys (aged 13,10 and 2). I have a fun and hectic life but love every moment!

Bring us along your journey – when were you diagnosed with cancer? What was your initial reaction?

In August 2020 I was diagnosed with Stage 2B Cervical Cancer. 

I had started having some irregular bleeding and discharge around the end of May (2020). I thought it was an infection so was given anti-biotics. They seemed to work- however I started having big blood clots when I went to the toilet. I ended up going to the doctors where they gave me a swab (came back clear) as well as an internal and external Ultra sound- which both also came back clear. It was noted that my smears (which I had never missed) have always been clear with no signs of HPV so I wasn’t really concerned at this point it was anything serious as I thought it would have been picked up with the scans.

About 2 weeks later I bled quite heavily during sex twice. My doctor decided to transfer me to the hospital to have a colposcopy. This would look in more detail at my cervix. During this procedure was when they could see the cancerous cells. At this appointment, on my own due to COVID, I was told I had Cervical Cancer. I was devastated and in shock. I had to walk the mile home preparing to tell my husband.

 What was your first chemotherapy treatment like? What treatment/treatments did you or are currently undergoing?

I had 5 x chemotherapy,  25 x radiotherapy and 3 x brachytherapy sessions.

The first chemotherapy day I was really nervous- to be honest I didn’t even know what chemotherapy was! I had to go alone due to COVID. I am so scared of needles so I had had a PICC line placed in the week before and that made me feel a lot better during the whole process!

I was lucky as I knew 2 of the pharmacists ( I had taught their daughters) so it was nice having a friendly face!

When the ‘Chemo’ was wheeled up to me I started to cry. I was someone who never even had paracetamols (I just think if I feel poorly it will feel better soon hehe) so having chemo pumped into me was very scary!

When I was hooked up I started to relax. I was worried how ill it would make me and I remember all the tablets I had to have that day just to hopefully make the process run smoother!

Who did you turn to as your support system?

My immediate family were my main support system! Because of COVID my family who live an hour away couldn’t come and see me- so that was really hard. I had so many gifts and messages throughout though which really kept my mental health positive.

I also started my blog on Instagram (@my_cervical_cancer_journey) and that also gave me a huge support system- meeting other cervical cancer patients as well as other cancer blogs.

What is something you wished you knew before starting your chemo treatment?

Take the anti-sickness tablets!!! I thought I would be OK and so didn’t take some of the tablets- well I regretted that as I was extremely ill the next day! So every week after I took all the tablets I needed.

It sounds silly- but I wish I had taken headphones the first session- hospitals can be noisy places, and I think at one point I had sensory overload with all the noises and couldn’t zone out.

Have there been certain side effects that have been worse than others?

To be fair- chemotherapy was kind to me, I did have sickness the first week and the fatigue was something else- but the whole process wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be. Again, I was a bit naïve knowing about what chemotherapy was so I think that helped!

I had radiation cystitis from the radiotherapy which was the worse – I had never felt pain like it before!

What are tips/tricks you have learned along the way to help with chemo side effects?

I think listen to your body, when you need to rest- REST! It is so easy to feel like you can do things but then they can totally wipe you out! I took thinks a bit too much and I ended up crashing and having to have a blood transfusion the second week.

Also always talk to the doctors/ nurses if you have any questions! I asked a lot of questions about the process, for my knowledge and also so I knew what was happening.

Do you recommend any chemo friendly products?

Lip balm, moisturizer and to be honest- treats!!! I always had some sweets on my chemo day as a treat as I was trying to be healthy throughout treatment, but Mondays I just had some little extra things to help me through!

Any advice for other chemo patients?

Don’t be scared! If you are afraid of needles (like myself) I highly recommend asking about a PICC line as that eased all of my anxiety!

Take some music, a book or a quiz book to help pass the time – and remember headphones!

Drink lots of water!

Also reach out to others if you have any questions! I know my inbox is always open and if I can help others through my experience then I know that it was worth it!