Gemzar/Carboplatin

[hollyanne]

Hard to believe I have a full-time job... another question from me!

Can you please let me know your expereinec with the Genzar/carbo combination (side effects, quality of every day during treatment, etc.) My mom is doing a Mon/Mon/off/Mon/Mon/off/Mon/Mon/off treatment starting after radiation.

Thanks again,

Holly

[Don Wood]

Lucie had carboplatin with taxotere, so it would be hard to compare. She is now on Gemzar/Navelbine, and since she had Navelbine alone before, I could probably comment on the addition of Gemzar for her.

As with most chemos, she gets nauseous rather easily. She takes Reglan for the nausea when she needs it, but the main aid is to have snacks every 2-3 hours, instead of the three big meals. When the stomach has contents, it seems to cause less nausea than when empty -- just like with seasickness.

The Gemzar also attacked the lining in her mouth and throat because they contain fast growing cells. She got a magic mouth wash perscription fron the onc, containing three ingredients, and that has helped a lot.

Those are the two major things we have noticed this time around. Don

[sharyn]

Daddy had this combination with good success and no side effects except hair thinning, not even complete loss... Hope your Mom does as well Holly.

[Andrea]

My mom had that exact combo and exact schedule. She tolerated it much better than she expected to. Her hair thinned, only lost 50%. She got the typical fatigue and nausea, but there are great meds out there to help with those effects. Fatigue was the biggest complaint.

She always says her best advice is to stay hydrated even if you dont want to

[CharlieD]

Holly,

I did the Gemzar/Carbo thing, same schedule. The side effects weren't too bad. Constant fatigue and some nausea but the medication did a good job of controlling it. Lost some hair but that was not a big loss since I didn't have much to begin with. Looking back, it was a piece of cake compared to Alimta and it was my first exposure to Chemo. It appears that the more Chemo you get, the worse the side effects. Good luck to your Mom.

CharlieD

[Shar]

I had Gemzar/Carboplatin on the same schedule and it was not too bad at all. I only experienced thinning of my hair, which was hardly noticable and a tiny bit of nausea. I was expecting a whole lot worse than that. I did put on a lot of weight though, much worse to handle than anything else I thought at the time, lol!

Best of luck!

[Don M]

I had 4 rounds of gemzar/carboplatin. I would have both drugs on a Tuesday, the following Tuesday just the gemzar, wait 2 weeks and start the cycle again.

I used a mouthwash I got from my dentist to prevent gumsores. I never got any except for a short lived mild one at the end of the treatment. My hair thinned a bit, but not until 2 or 3 weeks after the treatment. Also, my hair turned rapidly grey within a 3 week period after treatment. I had a little bit of nausea, but not much. I had fatigue and slept a lot until a week or so after infusion. All in all, I tolerated it fairly well. I missed about 3-4 days of work in each cycle. I could have toughed it out and worked more, but chose not to.

Don M

[Ann]

No experience with those drugs, Holly, but I did want to jump in and say that I am thinking of you and hoping your mom does well!

[hollyanne]

Thank you so much for all your responses... knowledge certainly makes me feel more in control of something I feel is spinning out of control. I am sure you all can relate. Thanks again.

[kamataca]

Good question!

My mom has been offered the same round of treatments, and so far I've heard very positive things from the people who have responded. I hope your mom does as well as the others have!

Kelly

[marym]

Hi Holly,

I'm on the same 3 weeks schedule but both drugs day 1, only gemzar day 8 and off day 15. I have had little difficulty with side effects, but have had low white count that postponed treatment and low platelets that postponed treatment. I had a little nausea - easily controlled with a pill. Hair intact. I have had some fatigue - but since I work at home, I'm able to take a nap if needed.

I hope your mother does well - let us know.

Maureen

[hopeandstrength]

Hi Holly,

I just wanted to say hello and wish you and your family all the best. My dad was diagnosed in May and this group has really helped me a lot. My dad is doing really well and has his 6th round of chemo tomorrow. They are going for 8 rounds since he has had such good results. He is doing the Carboplatin and Taxol and the side effects pretty much kick his butt the first 6 days, (mostly fatigue and stomach problems), but other than that he is doing well.

Congratulations on your little one! I'm an L&D nurse, so I love hearing about babies! I'm also a Northern Ca girl, so we have something in common!

Take care,

Cathy

[shineladysue]

Hi Holly,

Be sure to read under testtime/resulttime about MalouDP's husband's results from carboplatin/Gemzar. It sounds promising. My best to you.

Sue

[midge]

Holly,

I was on the regimen your Mom will be on and did very well. Had zero side effects until the end of the fourth round. Had what is called "radiation recall", which is where the lung that was radiated gets very inflamed (Gemzar causes it) and you get a "pneumonitis". My blood work took a dive and I was in the hospital five days, transfused, ran a 105 temp.. was on steroids a month...felt crappy..but it worked very well and did what it was suppose to (shrunk the tumor down).I would really not have any reservations about it...my onc said "if you can pull through the pneumonitis it actually burns the tumor up good".

Anything that works is just fine with me!