Key Points:
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- Round 1 of my chemo program turned out a thousand percent better than I was expecting. Seems I have been very lucky.
- I had a bunch of minor (and some very whacky) side effects, but none of the major problems that are common with chemo.
- Essentially back to feeling 100% after day seven of the cycle, and back to normal day-to-day activities.
- The only big changes have been with my dramatic weight changes.
- It’s early days yet of course, but so far so good!
- Round 2 starts in a couple of days (11 March) so wish me luck!
This is a quick progress report on my cancer journey.
Recapping the story so far
In early December 2025 I received a positive bowel cancer screen out of the blue (ie no symptoms or any other indications); spent the rest of December doing tests, scans, colonoscopy, etc; had surgery in early January to remove left side of large intestine, plus appendix, lymph nodes, and surrounding tissues; then chemo starting late February.
Post-op biopsies and tests confirmed ‘stage 3’ cancer, meaning it is at ‘advanced’ stage but ‘localised’. There is a good chance the surgeon got all the cancer out in surgery, but still a chance of more cancer in there somewhere. Hence the chemo.
Chemo plan
Fortnightly chemo cycle involves three days of chemo then recovery:
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- Day 1: four hours in hospital for initial chemo, steroids & meds,
- Day 1-3: 46 hours of slow drip chemo at home from a bottle/pump I carry around in a bumbag, plugged into a catheter port implant via jugular vein and into heart,
- Day 3: in hospital to remove drip, flush, patch up.
- Then recovery for 11 days,
- Repeat each fortnight for up to 12 fortnights.
This first round of chemo had an additional complication – the catheter port insertion surgery was the day before chemo started, so that involved a little pain and awkwardness. More nuisance than problem.
Side effects
For the chemo itself, I think of side effects in three categories:
- Overall mental – from about half an hour into the initial day 1 big dose of chemo, I sensed a general dizziness and light headedness. I put it at 5% at the time. This remained fairly constant from day 1 (Wednesday) until finally gone by days 6-7 (Monday-Tuesday). Not a major problem or hindrance.
- Overall physical – also from late on day 1 (Wednesday), felt a little fatigue. Not major, but just had to take rests every now and then. This also lasted until days 6-7 (Monday-Tuesday).
- Specific side effects – I had a handful of very minor side effects but nothing major (eg no nausea/vomiting, not hair loss, or loss of appetite, etc). The whole thing was certainly a lot better than I had expected, after having read all of the material on possible/common side effects.
Some of the minor side effects in my case included:
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- Occasional constipation (but not persistent), occasional diarrhea (not persistent).
- Some peripheral neuropathy (sensitivity to cold in fingers, tongue), strange but that’s all.
- I avoided cold food/drinks for a week - basically nothing from the fridge or freezer. And could not have any of the wonderful home-made sorbets and ice creams from the machine my wife gave me for Xmas!
- Short sharp pain in jaw when eating/drinking (but only for a few seconds). Weird.
- Some mouth dryness, but nothing major and no mouth ulcers or other mouth problems that are common with chemo (xerostomia).
- There was some residual discomfort (not really pain) in digestive system, but that was probably just the final stages of recovery from the initial surgery in January.
Impacts / changes
Activity – I could not do much exercise apart from walking, until day 6 or 7 because of the catheter port insertion surgery. But from day 7 (Tuesday) onward, I was back to exercising, sprints, weights, etc – as per my usual daily routine. Lots of walking, which I do anyway.
Nutrition – no big changes to what/when I ate, except meals were smaller and more frequent (and nothing from fridge or freezer in first week). We have always cooked meals every day from fresh ingredients (no takeaways or processed foods, etc), so not much change there.
Cut out processed meats and reduced red meat. Cut out raw (eg sashimi), or pre-cooked (eg smoked salmon, sliced meats, BBQ chicken), soft cheeses. Cut out alcohol (a big no-no for chemo).
As the side effects from chemo have been very minor, the main awkwardness initially was around doing things with the newly implanted catheter port – eg showering, sleeping – not tangling the tube or accidentally pulling it out.
Overall, from day 7 (Tuesday), I have been feeling literally 100%, completely back to normal, with no sign of any side effects at all. Normal day-to-day activities.
Weight
The only big difference has been in my weight. For the past 40 years since my 20s I have consistently been 82kg +/- 2kg, and I was 80kg during December and early January pre-surgery.
The surgeon said that the surgery to remove one third of my lower intestine (plus the other bits) would cause my body to shut down the digestive system and have to learn how to work again (which it did during the weeks after surgery). He also said that the body would liquidate around 4 or 5kg of muscle mass in order to build up energy stores in case it would not be getting any food intake for a while. This also happened.
I went into hospital for the surgery at 80kg. Left hospital after surgery at 82kg (the surgery removed about 1kg of organs/tissue, so the net gain of 2kg was mainly swelling from the surgery). Then in the first week out of hospital I dropped 6kg down to 76kg. I was eating less than usual, but also not exercising at all, so the weight loss was probably a combination of swelling reduction and muscle liquidation.
Since the first post-op week when I lost the 6kg, my weight has hovered around the 77kg mark.
One of the common side effects of chemo is loss of appetite, but fortunately that has not been the case for me. I am eating about the same as pre-surgery, and exercising to rebuild the muscle mass – mainly to build up strength for the next round of chemo.
Un-explained weight loss during chemo is a possible indicator of aggressive cancer still in the body, so this is something I am watching very closely!
(I was/am not looking to lose weight, but if readers do want to lose weight, I don’t recommend cancer & chemo!)
Chemo is cumulative
This is just Round 1 of chemo. From everything I have read and been advised, the body does not ‘get used’ to chemo, so it does not ‘get better’ each time. It seems chemo is cumulative – it builds up in the body, and side effects can often get worse over time. Hence the importance of rebuilding strength after each Round.
Awareness
One subtle but important change I have noticed since the surgery and chemo is that I am now much more aware of what is going on in my body. It’s not like I can actually ‘feel’ each organ because most of the internal organs have no nerve endings. But I certainly have a much better sense of changes – physical and mental.
Overall
It’s a whole new experience for me, so I went into chemo prepared for the worst but hoping for the best. The whole chemo experience has certainly been a lot better than I had been expecting. Maybe I have been lucky. Who knows?
This is just Round 1, so it’s only early days yet of course, but so far so good!
Round 2 starts in a couple of days (11 March). I reckon I’m ready for it - so wish me luck!
Please note that these are just my personal observations and experiences from a sample of one. Every patient is different, every cancer is different, and every chemo program is different. I have talked to several friends and relatives who have gone through their own cancer journeys and their ranges of experiences and side effects have been many and varied.
Finally - a huge thank you for all the kind words of support and encouragement I have received from near and far. Very much appreciated!
‘Till next time – safe investing and stay healthy!!
See also:
- My Life in Weeks: 83% done, but there’s a nasty new twist this year. “Life’s like a box of chocolates. . .” (4-Jan-2026)