conley

Good Morning! It is a sunny day here in upstate New York, in more ways than one. My husband had his CT scan consultation after completeion of his Chemo/Radiation. His onc said there is significant shrinkage in his tumor and he is "going for a cure". He his recommending three rounds of chemo/Cisplatin/V16...three weeks off and another three rounds of the same drug, to pick up any cells that might have mutated during his first line therapy of Carboplatin/Taxol. After his last chemo/radiation his white cell was extremely low he developed pneumonia and anemia at the same time. He spent four days in the hospital over Easter and also received two units of blood. He has improved and feeling much better. This week he starts the second chemo and I am a little anxious that he will continue to feel well. Has anyone on this list ever had the three day chemo in a row? If so, what should we expect as far as complications or discomforts? Judy

Good evening....I need some information from this forum. My husband has Adneocarcinoma, IIIB, unresectable, recurrent laryngeal nerve involment. Diagnosed Jan. 2004. Before Chemo/Radiation started my husband was quite ill, cough, shortness of breath, very sore throat, fatigued, fever, swelling in ankles and knees, lost weight. His original white cell count was very, very, high. I believe they mentioned 22,000 ???. He has just completed 7 rounds of carboplatin/taxol and 7 weeks of radiation. Just before his last radiation treatment on Monday April 5th after blood work he was told his white cell count was very low 1.4. Up until this week he was feeling quite well, gained all his weight back, energy returned etc. Now, the fever is back, he is very fatigued, no appetite, almost where he started out. Is this a normal response after so many treatments? His neutrophils are OK, but it seems like it was very sudden. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Prayers for all. Judy

My husband has had a severe sore throat before diagnosis and after diagnosis. He says it feels like strep. We have asked all his Dr.'s and no one seems to have a clue. They took cultures and scoped..nothing. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Judy

My husband had a cough. Chemo/radiation helped within two weeks. You are right. it takes lots of energy to cough. She needs her strength to help her heal. Is your Mom's cough productive? Our prayers are with you. Judy

I know there is a drug called Zofran, that is given to chemo patients and it works extremely well for nausea. Another drug called Kytril works on the same premise as Zofran. Medicare will cover x number of pills. Good Luck! Judy

There is a company called Cell Genesys, Inc. that a friend of mine went to after she was given three months to live. She had the vaccine, which is made from a piece of her tumor to boost the immune system. By the way, she lived for three more years, only to succumb to complications from a broken leg. Hope this adds more light on the subject. Judy

I forgot to mention, his onc. thinks it causes more harm than good. Judy

What a beautiful day here in the northeast. Very cold and below zero numbers are expected tonight. Brrrrr! Can't wait until spring. My husband starts radiation tomorrow. I had previously asked his primary oncologist about amifostine (ethyol), which is a cytoprotective agent used to protect toxicities from the effects of radiation and chemo. I am looking for some positive and/or negative results that people on this list might have experienced. Thanks. Judy

Norme....So, sad to hear about your loss. Keep visiting this sight, so we know you are O.K. Judy

Just returned from taking my husband to Roswell Cancer Center 2/11/04 for a second opinion. Our main objective was to try "Chemosensitivity Testing" through a company called Onotech in Ca., but the Dr. at Roswell said that the location of my husbands tumor would prevent getting a good sample (2 gr). It could be done with surgery, but after having a triple bypass in June of 03, could cause complications + would delay treatments. So, here we are back to square one, except for the fact that he recommended Carbo + Taxol, given only once a week with radiation for 7 weeks. Apparently, it is the Chemo that allows the Radiation to do its job. Our original Oncologist suggested Cisplatin + Etoposide given 3 cycles twice with radiation. I would appreciate any information on the side effects of both treatments. They gave my husband the standard 15% survial rate up to two years. I hope he can go through the treatments, as he has been suffering with a misdiagnosed tumor for seven months. Thanks to everyone on this list. Judy

John I called Oncotech.... they need a fresh sample of tissue or pleural cells. Results available in seven days. It just makes sense to find out what your tumor is sensitive to. I would hate for my husband to just receive what I call "protocol" treatment for six months, only to find out that it did not work. And then, we have to look for a secondary line of treatment. Any thoughts on this, John? Medicare will pay for this test. Judy

Does anyone know of any Hospitals offering Chemosensitivity Tests? Thanks Judy Live in Rochester NY

Good Morning... Does anyone know of any hospitals offering Chemosensitivity Testing? Thank you. Judy

Wishing everyone a beautiful day..."hope springs eternal". A little tidbit my Mom always says. Mom is still going at 92... Need advice from those who have been through it. What should I have at home in preparation after Dave's first Chemo & Radiation treatment (2/4/04) (Cisplatin/Etoposide). I know everyone is different, but I want to be well prepared with food, medicine, skin creams etc. It would be most helpful. Thanks Judy

Does anyone have experience or knowledge of this particular Medical Center? Southwestern Regional Medical Center in Tulsa Ok. Judy

Such support from everyone...I am blown away. Thank you, thank you. Love and light, Judy PS: I will be investigating every new piece of advice.

My husband was diagnosed with Adneocarcinoma, Stage IIIA, 5 cm tumor, outside left lung pressing on the recurrent laryngeal nerve and aorta, lymph involvement, unresectable. CT guided needle biopsy CT scan CT follow up: Scan Abdomen and Pelvic. No mets. No other diagnostics performed. Starts Chemo & Radiation 2/4/04 Cisplatin/Etoposide + Radiation for 7 weeks. Followed by Chemo for an addition two months. Questions for the group: New clinical trials Celebrex + Radiation. Any information on this trial? Should my husband have a PET scan to rule out mets. It seems that the CT scans do not always find all the hot spots. Should we ask for a referral to Sloan-Kettering or Roswell in Buffalo NY for a second opinion? Also, I recently read new advances in cancer treatments in the WSJ for the year 2004. One of which was most interesting....Molecular Imaging....will allow doctors to find out far sooner whether a particular cancer treatment is working. Instead of the patient having to endure weeks of Chemo or other drugs before they and their doctors could find out whether a given treatment was actually shrinking a tumor long before it would start to change in size. The breakthrough means patients won't have to undergo weeks of toxic treatments, only to learn the therapy was a waste of precious time. University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston is conducting this breakthrough. Sorry, for such a long post. Judy