Hello Burdyblue.........regarding the start of your chemotherapy journey.....it is definitely not for the faint of heart. My lung cancer condition was very similar to yours....stage 2A with a lower right lobe lobectomy 2 years ago. I then underwent 3 rounds of the same cisplatin/permextred chemotherapy over the course of about 3 months. The support and pretreatment education provided by Mayo Clinic Arizona was very good. My oncologist and team provided me with preliminary information and a packet prior to the virtual education seminar by the oncology PA. If you did not receive written information and a means to record your medications and symptoms prior to starting treatment then you should bring that to the attention to your provider so that they can correct that for future patients.
In regards to managing the symptoms related to the chemotherapy everyone is different but in general for those of us who have taken the cisplatin/permextred route you learn to expect the downturn at about 4-6 days post each treatment. Your prescribed emetics should help you get through that period but each person needs to "listen" to their body accordingly. It is extremely important that you keep as hydrated as possible while going through chemotherapy (water, sport drinks, fruit juices, ect.).......your tastes will probably change as you are going through your treatments so be open to trying different things.....just stay hydrated to help avoid kidney toxicity issues. The same goes for food intake.......try to eat as healthy as you can but don't be surprised if your interest in certain foods just disappears. During those "down" periods try to eat smaller portions and perhaps revert back to those comfort foods that you enjoyed growing up (I resurrected a number of old recipes that I had from childhood). And rest when your body tells you to rest..........its no shame in taking a day to just sit in a comfy chair and sleep if you feel like it.

As your chemo treatments continue keep a close eye on your symptoms and also your blood test results. Cisplatin is known to cause irreversible kidney damage and also hearing loss (among other side effects). Work with your oncologist to keep them up to date and informed so that quick decisions regarding future chemo treatments can be made.

As noted earlier......chemotherapy is not easy but I do believe it provides an important treatment option in the cancer battle. Good luck on your continued journey.........You can do this!!

Hi @burdyblue, There are many ways to navigate Mayo Connect. Sometimes more options can be good but can also lead to more confusion. Feel free to ask for help anytime. 🙂
There's nothing wrong with posting to an older discussion. When you do that, members will see your post as an addition to the original discussion.
You can also start a new discussion. There are a couple of ways to do that:
- Begin at your Home page. In the middle of the page, there is an option for 'Start a Discussion'. Clicking that will require you to select the Lung Cancer group.
- OR, if you are already on the Lung Cancer group page, you'll see a link to 'Start a New Discussion'.

Thanks for adding your own tips above. I would mention what you've come up at your appointment with the NP this week. Sharing what's helped you may prompt the NP to offer something similar to patients that are just starting.
Hugs to you, this is not an easy thing for anyone to go through. Being exhausted and not feeling well brings out the emotions in all of us. Those emotions are all valid. There is a lot of hope in today's treatments for lung cancer. More than any other time.