Going in and getting chemo isn't bad. Take cookies or a snack and water with, music or a book to read. I take my kindle and listen to music and read. Time goes fast. It's the next day that things start to taste bad. Lemon candy or sorbet are the best. I can really only eat mashed potatoes with cheese for a few days. And I get very tired for a few days.
Prayers are with you, I will be thinking of you Thursday.

Chemo itself was not bad, however the experience was unforgettable. A lot of just hanging out while the mess dripped in. While I was there I felt the most "normal" from when the whole ca thing started- everyone there was experiencing the same awful stuff. Most had on wigs or scarfs etc so I felt "normal". Everyone was kind and willing to share their feelings and journey. I even made a very dear friend that to this day we still get together and talk and laugh. Honestly chemo days were kind of refreshing- I know that sounds odd but met many awesome people that helped me gain perspective on life. Wish you the best.

Its all about attitude. Go in with a good one and you'll be fine. I was terrified for my first one and felt like crap afterwards. I had a friend tell me it's all in my head (she is a stage 4 survivor), so the next time I had my ipad blaring some dance music and I'd taken some funny movies to watch, its been good since. I've only had 6 treatments so far and all besides the first one have been good. Good luck on your journey and GOD bless you. p.s. enjoy the benadryl (that's my favorite part of chemo) ;)

I'm not sure there's a one size fits all answer for this question because cancer centers and the drugs used and the way a person reacts to it varies so much but my 1st treatment wasn't bad. I was in an individual room not in a big circle like some centers do. My husband was with me and there was a tv in the room so I watched HGTV the whole time which made time fly by. My nurse was great. She kept checking on me and explained everything really well. She brought me ginger ale and ice chips and snacks thru out the treatment. The next day I got that Neulasta shot and for 24 hours after that I had a boost of energy and felt great but the 2nd day after the shot I crashed. Even taking anti nausea meds I felt sick. My doctor had said to call him if that happened so he prescribed a different kind. The new drug worked better but it made me so sleepy that I basically slept thru getting over the chemo. I started to feel better the week before my 2nd treatment. I knew this was likely to happen but exactly 2 weeks after my 1st chemo my hair started to fall out so my husband buzzed me and then I started using all the cute hats I had been collecting. I had a very strong support system with my family and friends. They were awesome thru this whole thing. I referred to them as my tribe. I hope you have a good tribe to help you thru this time too. And I hope your doctors and nurses are as great as mine were. They were very compassionate and understanding and took great care of me.

I didn't mind chemo days except for the massive amounts of benedryl that made me feel 'drunk'. I felt fine and sometimes ran errands after 7 hours of treatment. I could never read because of the drunk feeling, but I like music and slept quite a bit. I always felt great the next day until that evening and then it hit. The following (day 3) I was very sick and as I progressed in my treatment day 4 got worse to but then the sickness would ease and I would start feeling better. I thought I had prepared myself for chemo, but I don't think that is really possible for the first time. They said I would get sicker as my treatment went on, so I guess in my mind I wouldn't be very sick the first round. When I got sick that first round was, for me, when it really hit that it was for real. The surgery didn't bother me, but when I started chemo it was like a ton of bricks unloaded mentally and I really had to face the reality. I don't think that is avoidable with a first round, but know it does get mentally easier. Pay attention to your chemo cycle (how you feel each day, when you feel better, etc) because that stays virtually the same throughout the course. Allow yourself to fall apart, melt-down, bawl your eyes out, or whatever you need to do- IT IS OK! Once you get through the first round and kind of know what to expect it gets mentally easier. Tell your chemo nurses exactly how you are felling so they can adjust things if need be. I had tons of sores in my mouth the first round and they lowered the dose a touch and they weren't so bad. Tell them if your eyes water, not good. Ask them what other patients do for nausea, and other frustrations. I know this is long, but I wish I had heard this all before I started. Good Luck and stay strong!!