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Treatment plan/brain MRI results


Mendy

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After much discussion and meetings with the radiation oncologist and oncologist we finally have a treatment plan in place. My dh's brain MRI was negative (confirmed member of the empty head club :D ). So, since the cancer has been removed and we are now going after potential microscopic amounts of cancer and he is young and in good health he will be receiving a strong course of carbo/taxol every 3 weeks for 4 rounds. That will be followed by a min. of 33 radiation treatments.

My husband is scared of the side effects of chemo and has been fairly depressed lately from being s.o.b. and pain in his chest from coughing a lot this past week. I was so relieved that he asked his dr. for a happy pill and got a prescription yesterday. Things are looking better at this point and hopefully his coughing will go away and the side effects will be minimal (he has many prescriptions to help with the side effects).

I will let you all know how it goes. Thanks for your support during this scary time.

Mendy

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Hi Mendy,

Good news about your husband's MRI! Now the real work begins. I also started treatment with taxol/carbo combo and it got rid of my coughing and chest pain almost immediately. Chemo itself was no picnic, but the alternative was unacceptable. I finished radiation treatment 8 months ago and chemo 6 months ago and I'm now taking Tarceva once a day. With each day that passes I just feel better and better. Good luck to your husband --I hope he enjoys the same results. I'll be praying for him.

Trish

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Mendy,

First of all, congrats on the empty head report! :lol: That is terrific news!

I did 6 rounds of Carbo/Taxol with very mild side effects which I attribute to IV vitamin C that I was also getting. I was unable to get the vitamin C along with my last round of chemo because the infusion nurse was on vacation, and the side effects were much more severe. Even so, they were not unbearable.

I did not get nauseous. I made sure to take my anti-nausea medicine early (before any symptoms appeared). I just felt like I had a bad case of the flu. I wanted to stay in bed all day and night. This lasted about a week, and gradually I felt better. I did get some leg pain that was managed with Percocet (this pain did go away after a few days but returned with each round of chemo). I also got and still have some neuropathy in my fingers and feet, and I did lose all my hair. I had my last round of chemo the end of May and my hair is coming back in nicely, it's about 1/2 inch long already!

I hope this info is helpful to you. Tell your hubby to hang in there and he should get through this without too much diffuculty. I beleive that keeping a positive attitude makes a major difference. I will keep you both in my prayers.

God Bless,

Sharon

p.s. The effects of chemo are cumulative, so the first couple rounds are pretty easy, it's the later ones that will cause more side effects.

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I had that chemo regimen post surgery for two sessions. I found it more helpful to start taking Aleve the pain medication right away before the pain starts which is around the third day after infusion. Keep a water bottle with you and drink lots of water. Hope this helps.

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