A really useful suggestion that one of my friends who'd been through breast cancer recommended was to keep a diary. I actually kept two! One is really functional (and super useful) - it was just a summary of my side effects and how I was feeling each day. The other was more of a narrative of the experience with photos. The side effect diary is a really helpful tool. You often find that the side effects follow the same pattern each time, so if you're feeling terrible on day three, you can look in your diary and see that by day five you'll feel a lot better and by day ten you'll feel great! You may, like me, find that time stands still when you're going through chemo, but it really helps to know that you will feel better in a few days. As a rule of thumb, the first week after chemo is pretty rotten, the second is OK and you tend to feel loads better in week three. Then you start everything again!
The other diary charts my journey, and even now, when I read it, I can barely remember some of the last few months. I look at it with awe that I've actually got through it all, and also hope that it might help other people that have to experience the same challenges. Getting through cancer is a major achievement (although the treatment is far worse than the cancer itself!) and it's good to remember what you've experienced.
Amanda
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