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A New Plan


spicysashimi

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I guess this is Plan C. Plan B would have been Avastin/Tarceva, but in the words of my doctor "they failed at keeping the cancer at bay." I've been on tarceva since the end of jan. I asked him if it just needed more time to show effect and he was definitive that it would have shown by now. I guess I just have to get over my hopes of a prolonged response on a targeted therapy.

Doc seemed to suggest that there were no new spots, only old ones that have come back.

He said he couldn't find a trial testing a drug that looked promising. So, we're going back to my friend, everybody's friend, that good 'ole standby: chemotherapy. YUCK. But this time, instead of Cisplatin/Docetaxel I'll be getting Alimta/Gemcitabine, which, according to all the professionals will be much lass toxic than the "doce-cis". That's good news. But is it as effective? I hope so. This is actually part of a clinical trial (testing the combo), but there's no placebo involved. That means I have a new nurse (I liked my old one), and I have to do really silly stuff, like sign a calendar attesting to taking Folic Acid everyday.

They also put me on a fentanyl patch, which, according to them is better than taking oral pain meds intermittently. I hope it doesn't fall off.

Anyone taken these two chemo drugs together or individually? If so, how was it? Nausea? Fatigue? Hair loss? (mine is just now coming back!)

aaron

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My father had Gemzar. First with cisplatin then alone (plus Avastin). He felt slight nausea for few days and was a bit tired but generally it was so so much easier than Cisplatin.

We were able to go every day for few hour long walks along Baltic beaches with no problem.

Good luck. I hope this combo will work for you !!!

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As for being on plan C, don't think that you won't be able to find a plan that WILL get and keep things under control. I can think of several members here who got to third or fourth lines of treatment before they found 'the thing' and then they were going strong. Hopefully Alimta/Gemzar is it for you.

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Hey Spicey-

John had both of these drugs but not together. They both were great at shrinking the cancer. Alimta was fine at first but as it went on the fatigue got bad. He finally had to ask for a break to recoup before he could finish the Alimta. He did not lose his hair. Make sure you keep on the vitamin schedule- it will help. I hope this combo is successful--good luck.

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Aaron,

Glad to hear they have a new combo ready to go. Tony was on 12 cycles of Gemzar/Taxotere that really cleaned up all the tumors (except for Mr. Primary) that were left after he had to switch to 2nd line. The only thing we saw from Gemzar was high night fevers for a few days each cycle. Tony doesn't get the typical side effects (no nausea, neuropathy, etc.) He always has to be the problem child. :? Fatigue was also a problem, but that could be attributed to the Taxotere.

I dearly hope this combo will chase away the cancer. It is all about keeping it at bay. And yes, it is a bummer that some folks don't get the "Tarceva miracle", but there are always more lines out there. You can even go back to earlier treatment later on. The longer you guys keep cranking, the more new therapies will come out to keep chasing it back.

High hopes for complete banishment from the Spicysashimi kingdom!

Welthy

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Aaron,

There is still hope, believe me. My husband responded to his 1st, 5th, and 8th line treatments. His 8th line treatment kept the cancer at bay the longest. His experience with Alimta was fatigue and with Gemzar was some high fevers right after receiving it. He kept a lot of his hair while getting these drugs.

Praying for great results.

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Aaron,

I am currently in a trial with Alimta and Cetuximab. I get Cetuximab every week and Alimta every 3 weeks. I also must take Folic Acid and B12 shots along with Decadron for 3 days when I get the Alimta. The major side effect I have noticed from the Alimta is fatigue. I have not lost any hair with this combo. The Cetuximab causes a rash similar to Tarceva. Overall, this combo has not been too bad for me. I don't have any experience with Gemcitabine though, so I can't help you there. Best of luck to you with this doublet, I hope you see some good results! I'll be praying for you!

God Bless,

Sharon

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I am so thrilled to hear of plan "C". I can't tell you anything about them, but I can offer you this. That pain patch made me vomit. Constantly. For weeks. When they put me up to 75MG, it got really bad. Nobody knew why. Day 1 was the worst, day 3 I would be much better, switched patches and start vomiting again. So if you do get sick, look there first. Still praying hard for you Aaron. Hugs, Liz

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Aaron,

I don't have any experience with Alimta but I went through several cycles of Gemcitabine and cisplatin combination. My hair that had begun to return stopped growing but did not fall out. Main side effect of Gemcitibine for me was drop in white and red blood cell counts.

I'm praying that your new plan works wonders for you.

Lilly

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Aaron,

My dad has been on the Alimta since January and seems to be doing well. He does get major fatigue about 3-4 days in and it last about 4 days. Of course, over time the fatigue is a little worse but he has not lost hair. And, yes, he had to have the B12 shots and had to take the folic acid. The amount of folic acid in a multi-vitamin was not enough they made him take a supplement. If after his May scans, the cancer is no longer stable they are moving to the Gemzar I believe on its own. Hang in there, and if anyone asks why you are taking Folic Acid.......you can always tell them you're pregnant :wink:

Tammy

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Hey Aaron...

Many prayers that plan C is the one that does the trick for you.

I do have to agree with Liz about the patch, though. Mom had a very similar experience with it and it took a while for her to figure out that it was the patch making her so sick. They switched her to the "suckers" and it took care of it, though...so keep that in mind.

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