Re: [c_p]Lyrica and weight gain-

[Guest guest]

,

Are you almost done with Chemo? I hope so hun, you have been through the ringer!

After Chemo are they going to go back in and see if the tumor has shrunk?

I heard it goes either way, you either gain a bunch of weight on Chemo or you

loose a bunch. I guess it depends on your metabolism and what kind of chemo you

are getting. A friend of mine just had breast cancer and gained over 40 lbs.

150 mg is not that much, but I gained 10 lbs in two weeks on Lyrica on 75 mg..

Not fun. I'm glad its not affecting you in that way and helps you sleep.

Take care,

Caitlin

Moderator

MGranadaHome wrote: Wow, must be that the chemo

I am taking eats all the fat that I had.

I am now down to 145 and can't fit into any of my clothes.

So makes me wonder when I would gain weight being on Lyrica. I am only on 150mg

a day

[Guest guest]

As of this week, I was told I am done with chemo, even though by my

calculations I would have one more 6 week period but who am I to argue about

getting another 3 rounds of the stuff, ugh.

So today the nurse/assistant told me that I would be in the " Watch and wait

period " so I don't know when I will see the doctor again, I think in 2

months.

The radiation I went thru was horrid due to I felt it caused neuro leg pain.

He only put me on the lyrica for headaches and here I thought I was taking

it for the leg pain. I still get pressure headaches if I am not on it, not

sure why.

The tumor (medullaoblastoma, ok it might be spelled wrong but it normally is

a 10 year old childs tumor, had to laugh and tell my husband, see I am a 10

year old in a 40 year olds body, LOL. He is always telling me to grow up)

didn't even show up on the Aug 07's MRI (we did that one at 3 months of

treatment I had so it had disappeared by then and this last one about 12

weeks ago didn't show anything either so that is good news.

(The tumor never grew fast on me. I would have symptoms of can't walk

straight and one other one that now I can't remember but it is the not being

able to walk without tipping over that made them look for something. So I

went from Sept 06 to Jan with some symptoms and then Jan had an MRI to see

the brain tumor and then they did another one in 6 weeks to see if it would

grow fast or slow.)

Now it is just check ups and praying my hair comes back. I have baby hair

that is like only 2 inches long and if I don't wash it every other day, I

end up with it all sticking up. LOL End up feeling like I have a whole head

of a mo hawk then.

I did gain weight in the beginning due to they gave me some type of

prednisone (a cortisteroid) for I don't know how many months that I was on

radiation (and would give me the prednisone type stuff every time I got

chemo, so that was once every 6 weeks). I got up to I think 225 lbs, and so

that means once I was Only doing chemo I started losing, I think mostly

cause it made me sick and I would be nauseous and didn't want to eat

anything. Carnation instant breakfast and me are friends. I even got sick on

Ensure. And I drink LOTS of water, seems like I can't get enough of that.

(and not sure but feel like the chemo eats fat or something because now I

have no shape to me, to strange)

They put me on

cisplatin, which causes major constipation, if you don't watch it, end up

having cement in

your intestines

vinchristine, all i had was leg and feet pain

and

lomustin, pills, only got to take it a few times because the pharmacy takes

forever to get it

and doesn't have it in stock so I think I only took it like 2 times

maybe but I think all it did was lower my blood counts.

I think I have been lucky so far and my positive attitude helps tons. It

must be doing something because even my doctor thought that I wasn't being

serious enough for him one day and chewed me out. I must have been smiling

when he told me " Get serious here, I am trying to prolong your life. " I have

never even thought about what I am going thru as it being helpful to keeping

me going. My kids do that. I have enough bouts of depression and pain that I

have seen what happens when I am not in the picture at our house. The bills

don't get paid, the groceries don't get bought, etc. (scary thought but also

made my husband realize what I all do, may not seem like much but when that

person isn't around a few days you end up finding out the hard way)

Right now my sleeping habits are totally off.

I am up at night and sleep during the day, though I get up with the kids at

6 a m for school and they like to be night owls too but they can't after the

weekend.

Oh, to be able to burn the candle at both ends again.

I think I lost my metabolism somewhere and am still trying to find it. I am

still always tired.

I went on a dog walk (we each have a dog to walk or it ends up being the

dogs walk/run us) once with my husband so far and working on doing that

more. Just darn allergies are not helping this year already.

I think the only thing keeping me from depression when I was younger was the

fact that I didn't want to go home (to two parents, Dad and stepma drinking

every night) and I played volleyball, was in wrestling cheerleading and was

in softball one year that I have a picture in the trophy case at the school

the kids are going to. Being active helped, hard to get back to, though

always dreamed of being a fitness trainer or something.

Seems like I have been in counseling since I was 19 and makes me wonder if

they helped me see my life in a different way that wasn't exactly positive

(kind of like you get a diagnosis of depression and take it to heart, and

change somewhat because of it. I hope that makes sense.) but thankfully I

had already knew sort of what I shouldn't be going thru living with my

parents and after listening to others stories of their lives, mine didn't

seem quite so bad.

Ok, sorry for the ramble.

My neuro-oncology appointment is 3 p m cst on Wed, then I will write again

about what he said, etc.

HUGS

G/WI

[Guest guest]

> The tumor (medullaoblastoma, ok it might be spelled wrong but it

> normally is

> a 10 year old childs tumor, had to laugh and tell my husband, see I am

> a 10

> year old in a 40 year olds body, LOL. ,

,

When I was a radiation therapist, all the kids used to lose their hair

that had this brain tumor and we would give them a lolli pop so they

could look like Kojak-that shows how old I am.

That type of brain tumor responds well to chemo and radiation and has a good

remission rate. Read any books by Bernie Segal you can get your hands on. He

is a survivor and pioneer of positive imaging.

Also the cancer society has a magazine they publish,Survivor, and I think one

that is named Cured. You will probably see them posted in the waiting rooms.

They are so uplifting.

Every hospital has a medical library and usually a cancer information center. I

do not know where you live, but please take advanges of the services.

Each Hospice (you do NOT have to be dying to contact them) and Cancer Society

chapter has local volunteers that have people that are in, or have been in, your

situation willing to buddy with you.

I did my Thesis on Hospice in 1980 and was so glad when America

incorporated the concept that was started in Europe. Of course it has been

commercialized but the support is still there.

We are here for you, also. I also found a website, Brain-Talk which has an

excellent chat room that I go to when I want to find out more about my husband's

brain cyst. They are so kind and helpful.

Well, wanted to add I am thinking of you and know you look sexy, skinny and your

hair will probably come out curly so you will save on perms!

Good look and keep in touch, Bennie.

[Guest guest]

>

> Good morning Bennie,

> Is walking daily out of the question? I do a walking meditation

> that can last an hour or so. In that time, I can walk two miles,

,

I just rose out of the bed from being in the bed since Dec when my

" specialist " dropped my dose of thyroid and it cause a really bad

reaction of going really low!

I have just two weeks ago got it adjusted where it is at least

one-third of what it is supposed to be and I do have a little energy to

at least get up for four hours a day. I had to go to the ER this

weekend because of some profuse sweating when I exerted myself and had

tightness in my chest that did not go away.

They did heart testing and I am OK, my thyroid level is so low that my

blood pressure was dropping down to very low levels when it had been

high levels before.

So, I am back on track trying to take my thyroid, keep my pain down, go

to physical therapy, do some exercise, and I will get there .

I will keep on keeping on. Bennie