update on Hank/extreme fatigue

[peebygeeby]

Hi everybody,

Just checking in looking for a little reassurance here.

Hank had his second chemo treatment 4/9. Carbo/Taxol/Zometa

and then had Neulasta shot the next day. He had alot of bone pain this time. I guess a from the Nuelasta and Zometa combo. the bone pain has pretty much gone away as of today, but he is soooo tired. Can barely make it from one end of our house to the other (house is only 1200 sq. feet) Of course he has'nt been sleeping well either because of the bone pain. He got up today and thought he was going to mow the grass. Well, he managed to get the mower started, and that pretty much wiped him out. Did'nt do much for his spirits to have that happen.

I'm wondering if any of you have had experience with this sort of extreme fatigue. Is it normal? Should it resolve soon? We are now at five days past treatment.

Looking forward to your replies.

All the best,

Gail

[Welthy]

Hi Gail,

Sorry to hear the fatigue is so bad for your hubby. It's the cumulative effects of chemo and his blood counts are probably down somewhat. He'll rally again, but some people get hammered more than others from the chemo. Give it some time. Rally's tend to take longer following each chemo cycle.

I always told my husband that, even though it doesn't look like it from the outside, his poor body was working very hard on the inside to fight the cancer.

Best of luck and hope he's better soon.

Welthy

[peebygeeby]

Hi Welthy,

Thanks for the reply. Yes, that is also a concern I have. I do know that the cumulative effects make it harder and harder to bounce back after treatment. But, the treatments are only 3 weeks apart. This was just his second treatment, and I wonder what kind of shape he will be in further into the cycle. I mean, he's got to recoup to a decent extent before he gets hammered again! I just hope he's going to have the strength to go through this whole thing. It's really sort of shocking because he's a big strong guy.

All the best,

Gail

[Welthy]

Gail,

I know it's shocking. There is no rhyme or reason to how each person will react to chemo.

A tiny little person can end up doing better than a big strapping man. It's a bit crazy. We were blessed that my husband could take a helluva lot of chemo time after time, but that's the only reason he survived as long as he did. We don't know the why's of it, just that it happened to fall that way for him.

Best of luck to Hank.

Welthy

[recce101]

Gail, my first impression was that it sounds rather typical and much like what I experienced, but I went back to check my logs to be sure. In the entries, Day C2 is the day of the second chemo infusion, C2+1 is the day after the infusion (i.e., Neulasta day), on up to C2+20, then it's time for C3 (third infusion).

I was unusually vigilant about checking the readings on the plastic spirometer I brought home from the hospital, since I was short of breath from the loculated pleural effusion in my right chest, couldn't get above 1000ml in the hospital, and the surgeon believed I'd need to have the fluid drained again and would never regain much right lung function. My first indication that he was wrong was when my spirometer numbers started increasing after beginning chemo -- they have now stabilized at about 2000ml.

My usual background activity during the day was working in my garage shop doing various projects, most of which didn't require standing or walking for long periods. I would not have been capable of mowing the lawn during that phase of my treatment. Here is an excerpt starting with the second infusion:

10/24/06 C2 Second chemo session today, no problems. 97.1°F with their tester. No side-effects as of late evening, but Neulasta will be tomorrow afternoon.

10/25/06 C2+1 Morning 96.4°F, 1600ml. Still feeling normal, Neulasta this afternoon.

10/26/06 C2+2 Morning 1500ml, 96.8°F. Some constipation, took softener last night, milk of magnesia this morning. Feel okay, a little more sleepy than normal. No actual aches yet.

10/27/06 C2+3 Aches not as bad as previous cycle. Generally tired. 96.9°F, up to 1700ml a couple of times. Mouth not particularly sore, but everything tastes weird.

10/28/06 C2+4 More tired today. Took 2 naps. Some aches, but mainly fatigue. 97.0°F, 1500ml.

10/29/06 C2+5 Still tired, but maybe improving some. Main problem is sore left foot -- feels like boil under surface of left sole, but skin is smooth with no redness.

10/30/06 C2+6 Feel much better, but still have sore left foot. Some other areas, mainly where dry and cracked, also getting sore. Used Bag Balm. Will see onc tomorrow. 97.7°F, 1650ml.

10/31/06 C2+7 Saw onc, who gave antibiotic prescription due to nick on left heel which has become infected. 97.7°F, 1600ml. Energy returning, mouth almost normal -- tip of tongue is sensitive.

11/01/06 C2+8 Feet better, wearing socks. 1500-1600ml, 97.7°F.

11/02/06 C2+9 Wearing sturdy bedroom-type slippers outside, good! Energy is back. 98.3°F, 1600ml. Seeking balance between constipation and diarrhea. Eating more fruit.

11/03/06 C2+10 97.3°F, 1500ml. Left foot good, got blister on right [loose socks]. Good energy until late afternoon.

11/04/06 C2+11 97.6°F, 1600ml. Appear to have reached plateau, similar to first cycle, maybe 100-150ml better overall.

11/05/06 C2+12 Getting harder to beat 1500ml. Left foot fine, right has irritation on right side. Used new Longs ointment, covered with pad & sock before bed. Need band-aid on port scar again [shoulder strap irritation].

11/06/06 C2+13 Right foot feels a little better. 97.6°F, up to 1500ml but not above.

11/07/06 C2+14 Right foot okay as of last night. Also noted that incisions for thoracotomy and port, which had been pinkish and sensitive, look normal again. Believe chemo-induced sensitive skin was the culprit for both. Still some discomfort (soreness, dull pain) just below right breast when coughing. 97.3°F, 1500ml with effort.

11/08/06 C2+15 Less discomfort when coughing. 1500ml, 97.6°F. Feet okay. Chest x-ray at Pali Momi.

11/09/06 C2+16 1450ml, 97.3°F. Took a nap. Feet okay.

11/10/06 C2+17 1500ml, 97.6°F. Needed nap in afternoon, felt okay generally.

11/11/06 C2+18 1600ml, 97.0°F. Good day, no nap needed. Stool soft, but not runny. Some irritation, maybe from paper. Used anti-itch cream after shower.

11/12/06 C2+19 Felt good today. Walked around lower half of cul-de-sac, did exercise bike and bar in afternoon. 97.1°F, 1550-1600ml.

11/13/06 C2+20 Good day. Walked in morning, exercise bar in afternoon, walked Hannah at night. 97.6°F, 1500ml.

11/14/06 C3 No problems during infusion. Felt good afterward, especially after Benadryl wore off.

Aloha, Ned

[peebygeeby]

Hi Ned,

I sure do appreciate you supplying me with your in depth log. It has helped me put things in perspective as to where Hank should be at this point in terms of energy level, and it has eased my mind. I think that much of Hank's decreased energy level has to do with the fact that he is having such difficulty getting much really restful sleep following treatments. The prednisone in the chemo keeps him awake, and then the bone pains from the Neulasta also keep him awake. I believe that tonight he will finally get some restful sleep and feel better tomorrow. I HOPE!

Thank you for your reply, it really helped.

All the best,

Gail

[J.C.]

Gail,

I hope Hank gets some sleep

and starts to feel better after the

treatment.

Mike was never sick from a treatment

and he was getting chemo every week

also never was tired, same for radiotherapy

but when the treatments were finished

he started to get weak and that is when

all the effects of the treatments hit him.

A few doctors told me that when there

is no fast side effect from a treatment it

shows that the treatment is not working

too well????

We did not have the latest drugs approved

in Canada when Mike got sick.

Now there are so many different drugs for

cancer that some will do good to Hank.

Good luck

Jackie

[Brandyswa]

Gail,

My grandpa did pretty good the first few treatments, but he did get tired after the treatments were over. He woould get sob just taking a bath, also be aware that he may slip into a depression from not being able to do the things from the past like mowing the lawn. We dealt with that also. Good luck and things will get better. Lots of prayers for ya. Brandy