AndyT Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 Pops had his 10th and final WBR treatment this morning!! He has come through it pretty darn good in my opinion. The only physical side effects have been fatigue, pressure feeling in head, 2-3 lbs weight loss and minor thinning of his hair. You have to look closely to notice the hair. Mentally he has struggled a bit with, in his words, "being lazy and helpless". But he gets through those times, just tough as he was always able to take care of everything by himself. Decadron side-effects: Night sweats, increased appetite and trouble sleeping at night. The lack of good nights sleep didn't help the fatigue. Positives: Fluid in chest hasn't seemed to return, no noticable SOB and 3 weeks without a cigar. Oncologist said he could start chemo tomorrow or monday. Dad chose to take a 4-day break and will start Cisplatin/Gemzar on Monday. If anyone has experience with this chemo I'd be interested in hearing it. Take care, Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatlemike Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 Im glad your dad has done well thru the rad. Andy. Lets hope and pray the chemo goes well also. I had gemzar and carboplatin without to many side effects.Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recce101 Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 Sounding good! Best wishes and lots of Aloha for you both, Ned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 I didn't have the chemo your pops will, but I wanted to wish him luck next week. Its great to hear that the radiation went smoothly. Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don M Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 I had carboplatin/gemzar, which is similar I suppose. I had mainly fatigue that I usually recovered from in the last week before the next infusion. I took decadron and comapzine to hold off the nausea. I still felt a little yucky after the 2nd day past the infusion and for the following 8 days or so. I am not on chemo now, but have been on prednisone to treat pneumonitis from my ck treatment. I have been on it for 4 months and I take ambien to help me sleep. Maybe your dad should get some ambien. Don M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shineladysue Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Andy , I'm not familiar with the chemo combination except that I have read good results from others on the same treatment. I would just like to let you know that your Dad has my prayers. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fillise Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Congratulations on your Dad getting trough with the radiation! I wish him the best as he begins his chemo. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welthy Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Andy, Thanks for the update and glad to hear your Dad is in fightin' mode and holding up okay. The mental stuff will clear up in time and it's good for him to get a little breather before starting chemo. You must be very happy to know the fight is on! It's always comforting to know that action is being taken to nail the beast in its tracks. The night sweats might be related to the steroids, but my husband also had them just from the cancer. It's not uncommon for tumors to produce this nice little side-effect all by itself. Definitely contact the Doc for sleep meds. Tony used them during his illness. They really can help. Gemzar produced high fevers for my husband, but I don't think that's a real common side-effect. Best wishes, Welthy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyT Posted December 28, 2007 Author Share Posted December 28, 2007 Thank you all for your thoughts and advice. I just talked to Pops and he shaved his hair off 2 days after treament. He had a few clumps fall out and decided the rest would come out on his terms. He also has been taking 1/2 an ativan in the evenings and this seems to have helped him sleep at night. Welthy, thanks for the heads-up on the night sweats and cancer. We assumed it was the steriods as they started a day or two after the steriods. Wishing a joyous 2008 for all...Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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