Re: Oxaliplatin & 5FU - Len

[Guest guest]

Len:

Thank you for this information. This group has given me more help

than my oncologist. They just look at me and reduce my chemo

dosage. I know I haven't been drinking enough water while I am on

chemo because of its foul taste. But if that will help, I will do

so. I have chemo on Monday and I will try to follow your

suggestions. Thanks so much for your help.

in California

In colon_cancer_support , Len Henell

wrote:

> Pat,

>

> As I read these messages I worry most about you. I

> think you are suffering a lot more than you should

> with your chemo. I am no expert but my nurses have

> told me that the newer regimens do not cause the

> extent of nausea that the old ones did. I have had

> one instance of nausea that lasted three days and

> found out that I could have stopped it at any time

> just by drinking enough water. My temperature had

> dropped way down because the chemo had thickened the

> blood and it couldn't get to the places it needed to

> fast enough to keep them warm. My heart started

> pumping faster, also, to try to push this thick heavy

> blood around the body. Just by drinking more water we

> can avoid that. I know that drinking water is

> unpleasant but there are supposed to be ways to make

> that better too and we are working on some of them. I

> just started carrying a water bottle with luke warm

> water around and that is much better than trying to

> drink from a glass. I just take little sips at a time

> but do it every time I think about it.

>

> Is there an american cancer society office near you?

> Maybe they can supply a chemo coach that can monitor

> your activities and help you get along better. Don't

> let this get harder than it needs to be. It's tough

> enough as it is.

>

> Good luck,

>

> Len

>

> --- brencolinmom@a... wrote:

>

>

> ---------------------------------

>

> Thanks Ingrid and Deb for your input on this issue. I

> don't throw up but I

> am very nauseated and extremely fatigued for the

> entire week that I have

> chemo. I usually have an elevated heart rate (about

> 140 beats per minute

> resting) which may be from the steroids that they give

> me as part of my pre-chemo

> medication (so I can tolerate the Oxaliplatin). I

> can't eat although I feel

> hungry - nothing satisfies the sick feeling in my

> stomach. Water tastes like

> poison. I am just very weak and I look awful!

>

>

> Hi , when you say your sick from it do you

> mean vomitting /nausea

> sick , or just allllllllll over sick?

> When Joe had his treatment ( same as yours ) he got

> treatments Monday and

> was S.I.C.K. til Friday at least. This went on for 5

> months with them trying an

> assortment of anti nausea meds until FINALLY they

> gave him Emend, morning

> before treatment he would take a adavant, compazine

> and Emend , that was

> before he even left for the chemo place, there he got

> anti nausea meds / plus a

> booster shot of one , then his chemo , he was still

> sick til friday but minimum

> vomitting on that

>

> Deb

>

> brencolinmom@a... wrote:

> Ingrid:

>

> I was getting the 5FU bolus shot and then the 48 hour

> pump. However, they

> have reduced my chemo 2 times: first they reduced it

> by 20% after I was in

> the emergency room; then they took out the 5FU bolus

> shot because I was

> still

> too sick. That was done for the first time last

> week. I just finished

> chemo

> round 4 of 12 and I am so sick from it I can't get

> out of bed for at least

> 5

> days. Then I am still sick until around day 7 or 8.

> Is this unusual??

>

>

> Just a thought. But when I did chemo they usually

> gave a shot of 5-fu

> before they started the pump. Did you get the bolos

> shot before they

> forgot to start the pump? Ingrid

>

>

>

> > Hi everyone:

> >

> > Last week was chemo week for me. It is supposed

> to be a 5 hour

> > infusion at the oncologist's office beginning with

> pre-meds, then

> > Avastin, followed by Oxaliplatin/Leucovorin.

> After that, I am

> hooked

> > up to the 48 hour pump with 5FU which I wear at

> home for the next 2

> > days. Last Tuesday, they forgot to turn on my 48

> hour pump when I

> > left the office so I wore it thinking it was

> working for about 28

> > hours. At that time, I saw something flashing in

> the upper right

> > side of the pump and called the pump manufacturer

> only to find it

> had

> > not been turned on. I turned it on then and had

> to stay with the

> > pump until 6 p.m. on Friday night.

> >

> > My question is this: I understood that

> Oxaliplatin/Leucovorin

> needs

> > to work together with 5FU to fight this cancer.

> That is, if used

> > separately, Oxaliplatin doesn't work. If I went

> 28 hours between

> the

> > infusion of Oxaliplatin and the 5FU, what is the

> effect? Has this

> > happened to anyone? Has anyone done any research

> on this?

> >

> > Thanks as always for your help.

> >

> > in California

>

>

>

>

>