HSmomNY Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I am starting Chemo for colon cancer on monday. I am looking for advise/suport/ ideas on how to homeschool while going thru chemo. I have two 15 year-olds and a 19month old to care for. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma2boys Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Although I do not have any advise on handling homeschooling while receiving chemo, I offer my prayers for you and your family! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakereese Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 :grouphug: No advice from me either, only :grouphug::grouphug:. Stay strong mama, we're all thinking of you. :):grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 (edited) :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Edited November 10, 2021 by prairiewindmomma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lollie010 Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Although I do not have any advise on handling homeschooling while receiving chemo, I offer my prayers for you and your family! :grouphug: Me, too.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newlifemom Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Bumping this up in the hopes that some of our moms here who have and are currently going through chemo will chime in for some advice. :grouphug: to you and your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmkzbcb Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 <<<many hugs to you and yours>>> My mom lived with us while going through chemo. She was stage 4B and I was pregnant, so everything was pretty stressful. I only used curriculum that the kids could do on their own, I put my youngest in school, and we hired a housekeeper to come in 1x a week. Do whatever you need to do to keep your stress down and use your energy to get well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 My mom has had chemo for a few months, and only 1x felt really sick... She took Reglan I would suggest NOT taking it... ever... without really looking into it. She's been throwing up and cramping for 3 days. She only had minor issues, and mentioned them to the DR and he suggested that. (not a good idea) I have NO idea why... The place has been wonderful minus this mishap/suggestion. My mom is using Cancer Treatment Center of America which I can't say enough good things about. The prescription for chemo is one time each week, and she has felt really pretty good the whole time. I don't know if you already had the port in, but her's is in her arm. There is a lady there, who the last DR she had... gave up on her.... She is doing well and had stage 4 colon cancer. If you're interested in alternative to go with Western meds, let me know and I'll pm you with info. My mom is doing no sugar, except for on chemo day. (helps the cancer cells be active to eat sugar) Even then she's eating whole wheat flour treats with sugar.... There are a slew of books to help eat well for life.. and to help with cancer... She's been eating all organic... and not some foods... etc.... (Don't know if you're interested in stuff like this...) When you have room... green smoothies... (Kale etc... ) is good. I'd suggest doing independent work for the olders... and having them help with your little... Perhaps even morning daycare or something if you can swing it... Take care of yourself...first!!!! Hugs!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isabella Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I can't help you re. homeschooling through chemo, but I'm just finishing up (next week- Yay!) 6 months of fortnightly chemo treatments. I finished homeschooling last year, and then this came along! The whole chemo experience has been much, much easier than I thought it would be. Life hasn't really changed too much, except for the 3 days each fortnight that I don't feel great. My energy levels have decreased over the six months, but not so much that I can't do most things that I always did - even if I'm slower at it. I would advise you not to change what is working fine - if your 15yo's are kind of independent, don't try to make them more so. If you do have really yucky days - drop anything that they can't do independently on those days. Don't drop activities that get your teens out of the house, even if you have to ask someone to drop them off there. It's great if things can be as normal as possible for them. Expect the teenagers to be their normals selves - whiny at times, resistant to helping, etc, etc - it means they are coping well! Expect the teenagers to cope less well as time goes on (in my exp. anyway). Get any help that they need early. All mine have benefited from seeing psychologists for help with coping. If you don't already, begin a daily quiet time for your youngest. If he/she naps, great, if not, give him books, quiet toys, soft music, audio stories, dvd's anything that will keep him in one place for an hour or two in the afternoon. Or you lay down with him & don't feel guilty about leaving other things. Please do accept any offers of help, even if you *can* do it yourself! Don't be afraid to be specific when someone asks how they can help. They would be thrilled if you said ' I'm coping fine with most things, but if you felt like it, I would really, really appreciate a meal for my yucky day next week!' Or...if you could look after my youngest for the day', or 'if you could come over & help me clean for a hour or two.' They will be only too glad that they can do something they *know* you need! Don't try to be too strong for your family - it's good for them to see you upset/sick/tired etc. Give yourself permission to be all these things, and to leave the things you can't do. Try to get out & get some fresh air every day. This has been the thing that has been a lifesaver on my yucky days. A gentle walk, a car ride with the window down, even sit out on the porch in the evening taking deep breaths of fresh air. Above all, focus on yourself - you need to. Don't feel guilty about ANYTHING! I mean this! Drop anything that is too much on your yucky days - it's not going to kill anyone to miss a little more school than they usually do. Not sure if I've been much help - my brain is a bit scattered today, so there may be more that I can suggest, but do feel free to PM me if you think I may be able to help with any more info. Hugs :grouphug: :grouphug:and best wishes for your journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomNY Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 My 15 year-old boy is very independant and ahead in most of his work so I am not too worried about him. BUT my 15 year-old girl is far less independant and behind in her work, she also seem much more upset about me being sick. The 19 month old is upset and confused because mom can't pick him up and has all these new boo-boos. I can't explain this all to such a young child. I am getting 6 months of treatment ( FOLFOX) , 3 days every 2 week for stage 3 colon cancer. I am 4 weeks out from surgery for colon resection and got my infusion port put in thursday. ( it did not go well- I feel like someone druged me and beet me up :001_huh:) Thank you for the support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I'm pretty sure I pm'md you... So... just letting you know :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 (edited) -- Edited November 10, 2021 by prairiewindmomma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 . . . ended up having their parents move in with them for the most challenging times. Our church family brought meals, did laundry, babysat, drove Mom to treatments, and other errands. The oldest daughter (13yo at the time?) did some homeschooling on her own, but it had to take a backseat to other needs. If you have a bit of time now, it would help to train your two 15yo kids (and hubby!) to do meals, laundry and cleaning. Just keeping the house running will be a challenge while you're recovering. But try to ask for help from friends, or come up with what you are comfortable with having others do for you. If you set up a CarePage account to update folks on your status, you could post general requests/needs and those who are able to help can do so. http://www.carepages.com/ Best wishes as you begin your treatments!:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I don't have any advice, just :grouphug:. My best friend is a public school teacher and had chemo for breast cancer. She took about 3 days off after each treatment, but kept on working the whole time. She was very tired, but able to manage. Hopefully your experience will be similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in SEVA Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Homeschooling through chemo was challenging but not impossible. I went through chemotherapy for breast cancer (6 rounds, each round was 2 days every 3 weeks) from August to December. I will say there was only one point that got horrible, and it turned out to be bad reactions from the drugs they had given me to counteract the side effects of the chemo. With the next round of chemo I did not take any of those, and I was able to handle the side effects from the actual chemo much better. The biggest challenge for me was the brain fog. I don't really know how to describe it, I just felt spacey and forgetful. And TIRED... always tired. None of my boys were old enough to take on much of the running of the house, so we hired a helper to come in while my DH was at work. I would recommend having your 15 yo kids take on as much as possible around the house so that you can save your energy for being together. I read this book to all of my kids, even my toddler. I know he didn't understand most of it, but it at least put the words into his head before he heard us talking about it, or before things started changing. I like this book in particular because it focuses on how the boy's life is different for a little while (mom loses hair, too tired to come to soccer games, other people in the house to help take care of him), but by the end of the book things are returning to normal. http://www.amazon.com/Cancer-Lets-Talk-about-Barron/dp/0764140744/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307541356&sr=8-1 I won't sugar coat it -- chemo really stinks. But life DOES go on, and you will be amazed at how quickly it seems to fly by. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Please feel free to PM me if you ever want to talk privately. There is another mom on the boards who went through a similar situation as I did 5 years ago, and hearing her story really helped me *KNOW* that I could do it (I had my doubts). PS - Do you have a Kindle? I spent A LOT of time in bed over those months, and I wish I had had my Kindle then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 :grouphug::grouphug: Many hugs to you. I'm an oncology nurse so I know some of what you're going through, but have never gone through it myself. I would recommend getting/taking as much help as you can. If you can afford a housekeeper every wk, get it. Accept help from friends, church and family as long as it's not too invasive. Let the 15yo's cook for you. Most of all enjoy each other's company. Let peace and comfort be your family goal each day with a little learning thrown in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomNY Posted June 10, 2011 Author Share Posted June 10, 2011 Chemo is NOT fun. I am 2 treatments down and 10 to go. I now understand why people stop treatment. The older kids are doing fine, but I worry about the baby.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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