KarenHS

I rang the bell today after my 16 weeks of chemo. Will get transfusion tomorrow due to low hemoglobin. There were days I felt unable to deal with the chemo symptoms, but like many others I learned there is an inner reserve in all of us, waiting to be tapped into. I am grateful for the support provided to me by husband and hospital nurses, Does anyone know of visual side effects of chemo? The last two infusions of navelbine, and neupogen shots after infusions, seem to have made me light sensitive and caused a number of weird symptoms in my eyes. Seeing eye doc this Friday.

Thank you Tom. I did just see my primary today and he has lowered one of my bp meds. It helps to have you validate my experience. I am just reading your reply today.

I am in my third cycle of cisplatin/navelbine chemo. After infusions I have to receive daily shots of Neupogen for 4-5 days depending on neutrophils number. I have been coping with this regimen since May with some time out for recuperation. At my appt for Neupogen shots I had this past week my blood pressure was low. 98/57 sitting and it rose to 116 systolic on standing. But this is very low for me as I have hypertension and take RXs to control it. This came as a surprise that chemo can lower bp. Of course now I am worried about it - don't want to bottom out. I will call my primary doc tomorrow to see if he reccos reduction in RX. Symptoms are like low blood sugar - lightheadedness and weakness. Has anyone experienced this side effect??? I have a bp cuff at home and I can see that it remains way below what it used to be.

Ray, I can understand your feelings of fear and the reasons for them. I had a mass, over 7cm, removed by VATS (video assisted thoracic surgery) and it proved to be adenocarcinoma. This was done this year in March. I was advised to enter chemo and I began that in May. I am still receiving chemo, and shots to alleviated the side effects of chemo...it seems to never end. But it will end, probably the end of Sept. For me, the acceptance of my cancer was important in fighting it. My husband has been a support, but he, like your wife, is very uneasy and on edge. He has retired from a medical career so his knowlege of all that can go wrong weighs heavily. Your doctor is doing the right thing by pushing for quick CT and PET scans, even though that raises your fear. Please keep us posted.

Thank you, Tom. I did not mean the content on lung cancer was too sophisticated, I meant navigating the forum as to where to post was confusing. It is encouraging that you are looking BACK on the surgeries and pain. Your description of joint pain rings a bell and I also have nasty osteoarthritis - everywhere. After chemo, and the addition of neupogen, I am truly ill.. I had my port study today and relieved that it looks okay, no leaking. I will check out Lung Cancer 101 on the website. You are spot on in that it is important to realize that new problems will come up as you go through treatment. Initially I was given a time frame of 4 cycles of 4 weeks each. I know now that was a rough estimate and did not take into account the holdups caused by neutropenia, and also the body's exhaustion. I think if you can expect and accept that these problems are inevitable, you are better off. Frankly, my doctor did not relay this to me ahead of time. And of course, there is no point in a doc relaying a worst case scenario. Onward, through it, and upward. Thanks.

Well it is great to get your response. I am a bit wonky about how to post - this seems to be a very sophisticated forum. Is there a tutorial anywhere that I can access. I feel like a kindergartener in college. And I am pretty savvy about computers, but, this is somewhat tricky.

Thank you for your reply Bridget. It is encouraging to know all has resolved favorably and that you are living in happiness and health. I have been strong and optimistic through most of my treatment, be it surgery or chemo. But I think I just have reached the tipping point as I went yesterday for chemo, after being on neupogen (daily shots) for 4 days, and even though my neutrophil level was 3.1, which is fine, the doctor said she was giving me a week off without chemo. She did not elaborate why, just that she felt I needed it...then I looked at my bloodwork and see some lab notes re "polychromasia present" and "atypical Lymphocytes" which my doc did not mention... I have to go for a port study tomorrow as the general area has felt different. You are fortunate not to have had neulasta side effects! Forcing the bone marrow to produce wbcs has proven to be as bad as chemo side effects for me.

Beginning to lose heart as it seems if it can go wrong, it will. I had an excellent surgeon for tumor removal. He got clean margins, but it was a large tumor, over 7.5 cm. I was referred to oncologist and had a port installed for chemo. It was installed wrong, catheter put in artery, not vein as it should have been. this was discovered first day of chemo. Rushed into emergency surgery for removal, then had to go for another surgery to have port installed on other side of chest on 5/31. Started chemo (cysplatin and navelbine) for 4 cycles on 6/5. Developed neutropenia quickly.Respite from chemo did allow wbc neutrophil count to rise, but then it became apparent I had to have neupogen shots. Horrible stuff. I keep telling myself it is a means to an end, but I am exhausted from all the side effects.