I'm sorry to hear that your sister is having a difficult time with the chemo. I am a 1 year pancan survior as of Oct. 25. When my oncologist told me this I first of all was, this isn't something to celebrate, but the more I thought about it it IS something to celebrate because I'm still alive, feeling okay & still fighting. I remember before I had my first chemo, I was overwhelmed with all the medical jargon and tests that were happening so fast. If your sister is anything like me, she is probably still trying to process being given a cancer diagnois. I was so anxious about the possible side effects etc. fortunately I haven't had too many bad side effects. I agree, she needs to let her doctor know what side effects she is having, the amount of chemo can be adjusted as well as other things. My first round of chemo, the major side effect was sensitivity to cold on my hands,mouth & throat. I learned to wear oven mitts or gloves taking things out of the fridge or freezer, even wearing gloves in grocery store. I also had numbness in the hands & feet. I'm on my 3rd type of chemo, no sensitivity to cold, but still have numbness in hands & feet. I also feel very tired most days the first week of chemo, be sure to rest when your body tells you. I feel fortunate that I haven't had many bouts of nausea or diarrhea, although it has come close. Your sister may also experience "chemo brain", like brain fog, can't remember things. Some days are better than others.
My mucinous pancreatic cancer doesn't have a cure but hopefully can be managed. So I suppose I will be getting some form of chemo for the rest of my life, unless by some miracle they find a cure. The thought of this doesn't excite me at all, but my husband, children & the rest of my family want me to stay alive. I figure I can live my life and do the things I want when I'm feeling good and there are good days!
Some previous pancan patients had commented they had looked into pallative care & even hospice but that was usually when they had exhausted all types of treatments. Please don't give up, maybe you don't have the right chemo or it needs to be tweaked. My doctor told me the first chemo I was on was really hard on the bone marrow & it took a while for my body to recoup. It will be difficult for your sister because alot of the chemos affect every part of the body. I found out if I remembered to keep drinking, it helped flush out the chemo faster. At least that's what I thought. Tell your sister to hang in there. I hope she has at least a week to recoup before her next chemo. It helps having family or friends as a support system too. I was given a nurse navigator the first visit to my oncologist. The nurse navigator is there to call if you are having difficulties or need someone to talk to, maybe your sister has a nurse navigator too. Please take care of yourself as well as your sister. This is a new experience for your sister & you, as with any new experience it takes time.