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Stopped adj. chemo...


richinsdakota

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Dang! I had bad reaction to taxotere, so going to stop chemo. (Doc says it s not worth it, small chance it will help much, and cant risk getting that close to danger again.) Caused a pneumonia-like infection in my remaining lung, ended up in emergency room gulping oxygen one nite. After a week of Intra-veinous antibios and steroids, Im finally getting my wind back, but was a bit panicky there...

Be careful and watch for these kinda reactions...it came on slowly, kept expecting to improve, but suddely realized I couldnt walk in from th e car without a 5 min. rest to puff my wind back...sheesh...

So, looks like Ill drop chemo...just be on a screening schedule to watch for any new demons. Meantime, pursuing the most effective pain management we can figure out for the back and joint pain , and lingering surgery pain. Currently on Oxycontin, but cant take it forever, dunno whats next.

Anyway, hoping noone else has this experience , and chemo works out better for yall. Just keep a close eye out for symptoms that become more than just nausea, fatigue...K...take care all ...Rich B.

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Hi Rich: I never had adjuvant chemo. So far, I don’t regret it. I would never discourage anyone to try it. I have had 3 checkups so far, and all is ok. I have been taking supplements in lieu of chemo. They are selenium, vitamin E, vitamin C, green leaf tea and CQ-10. I don’t know if they actually do any good, but I take them anyway and believe that they do. There are several ongoing studies of selenium use for follow up treatment of early stage lung cancer. When I saw my oncologist for the first time, I told him I was leaning towards not doing chemo because the benefits would be marginal and there was a risk in using the chemo. My oncologist agreed that using supplements in my situation instead of chemo was a prudent and reasonable course to follow, so I am doing it.

You might talk to your oncologist about supplements. I hope you get the back and joint pain managed effectively. Can you walk a lot? I think what helped me the most was walking. Good luck Rich.

Don M

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I did the chemo, but ever since I completed chemo I'm doing supplements. Don, I take what you take, but in addition I take a multivitamin, a supplement made of mushrooms, a supplement called "Green Earth Foods", calcium, and a baby aspirin. I was taking vioxx as a cox 2 inhibitor, but had to stop when it went off the market. I see my onc tomorrow and I will ask about celebrex. I had an allergic reaction to sulfa once a long time ago, so I don't know if she will ok it or not, but I hope she says ok.

I don't really know if these supps do us any good, but I figure I don't spend nearly as much money on them as I did on the smokes, so if they help, great, if I think they help, they help. And, if they don't, that's ok too as long as they don't hurt me.

I'd love to hear what oncodoc thinks about supplements though?????? Dr. Joe, how bout your thoughts on this????

Cindy

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Thanx for your kind thoughts and replies....Interesting thought about supplements, etc....I m afraid Im getting lazy, not researching possible treatments enuff lately. Gotta get on the stick again! hehe...

Hope Dr. Joe can weigh in on this too....Ill ask my onc. too...try to update this soon. I currently take a little Celebrex, (200mg/every other day), and hope it helps fight cancer, cause it sure dont do nothin for the arthritic joints, that I can tell...just wear and tear on the stomach, which necessitates Nexium accompany it. I dont even get any pain relief from Celeb....very expensive placebo if it dont fight somethin..heh.

Good news is: The antibios/steroids put the kabosh on the pnuemonic infection, and Im back out walking my moderate excercises already...with air to spare...hehe. See onc. tomorrow....cya soon. Rich B.

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Hi Rich,

whew! glad you bounced back from that one...it sounded very scary.

I go to a hot water pool for therapy for my RA...it is 92*. I can get my exercise there and the bouancy helps to take the strain off my joints. Maybe there is something like that where you live. This is in a hospital rehab pool where I go. There are several pools as such around town. I just hate that you have to live with so much pain.

Best of luck at your onco tomorrow.

Cindi o'h

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Sheesh, you had one heck of an unexpected reaction to chemo, that must have really been scary. Sorry you had to go through that, like Joe said, you did get in one round. That's better than none and now if you add those supplements, you'll be on your way.

Thinking positive thoughts for you.

Kathy

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