Anyone have carbo/gemzar for adjuvant chemo?

[hope4life]

My mom is getting ready for chemo (5 weeks post lobectomy now, stage IIB adenocarcinoma). Wondering if there is anyone out there who has gone through carboplatin/gemzar chemo combo. If so, how did you feel during the treatment and what side effects did you have? Please be honest as possible...I want to be ready.

[mary colleen]

My husband also had stage 2B, though it was squamous cell rather than adenocarcinoma; treatments are essentially the same. My husband had Cisplatin and Gemzar, a very similar regimen. The side effects were pretty mild for the first 2 or so cycles, and became significantly more pronounced in the last couple of cycles. That pattern seems to be pretty typical, since the drugs do accumulate, and thus pack more punch, as time goes on. The first couple of cycles were like having a mild flu bug about 3-4 days after each infusion. In the final cycles we began to see problems with blood counts, platelets, etc., and he had general body pain, weakness, etc. No major nausea. We stayed ahead of some symptoms by taking the nausea and pain meds ahead of time. The hospital will do blood work with each treatment, and will watch counts carefully. If those counts are outside of certain parameters, you may have a treatment delay while those counts are corrected with things like Neupogen or Neulasta shots. Those shots cause side effects of their own, and kind of add to the whole syndrome.

If I had it to do over again, I would simply be ready with all prescriptions, ensure all the quiet rest that your Mom may need, and have some nutritious foods on hand that are easy to tolerate. We used lots of Ensure, cottage cheese, ice cream, etc.

Hope it all goes well - keep us posted, and ask any questions on the board that may occur to you. Someone will always help!

MC

[dadstimeon]

I had Carboplatin/Gemzar combo was my first line of treatment. I had no problems other then needed a platelet transfusion. I have ITP so that most likely contributed to it. They lowered the dosage and that was that. My cycle was day 1 Carboplatin/Gemzar, day 7 was either Carboplatin or Gemzar I can't remember which one it was then day 21 Carboplatin/Gemzar-- had 6 treatments all together. Hope this helps. Prayers for the best.

Rich

[Dollfinn]

MC~ pretty much wrapped up my experience to the tee. Fatigue is the one thing I would add, I'd be fine, wake from a nap, someone would say , Oh , so and so is here , your awake......and i would freak out. Turns out, that is fatigue and it is real, and it does go away. Keep us posted. Mary

[beatlemike]

Hi Hope and welcome.Your Moms treatment sounds alot like mine.I didnt have to much trouble with the chemo. I did have loss of appetite and was tired alot but I think alot of that was from the pain meds from surgery.Im glad your Mom was able to have the surgery.My hair did thin out a little but not to much.I pray all goes well for you and your mom.

[Shelley (MLC)]

Hi, my mom did very well with the 6 cycles of carbo gemzar she received. The only real side effects she experienced were occassional low blood counts. They gave her arenesp and neulasta for this. She was actually able to do much more activity wise once she started treatment vs what she was able to do before treatment started. Good luck! Shelley

[Don M]

I had 4 rounds of carbobplatin/gemzar in the adjuvant setting in 2005. I tolerated it just fine and my numbers were always good. I took compazine and dexadron to offset the nausea and I had fatigue that I managed ok. I was working then, and took sick leave for a few days during each cycle.

Don m

[hope4life]

So mom has started first dose of carbo/gemzar yesterday. She has actually been restaged to IIIA. So far she has no side effects or illness at all. She is anticipating that maybe the side effects will come in the next few days? Is this typical? Do most people get side effects early in the first day or so, or is there a few days delay?

Thanks in advance!