coni Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 I'm starting to get scared, my hubby goes in for his 4th round of Chemo Monday. the Doctor only wants to give him 6 rounds total and said if there is still some cancer he will talk about other things. Hubby is doing great so far but I'm scared after the chemo stops he will go down hill..it to me is like a life support as long as he is having it, he is ok in my mind. His cancer has shrunk by 50% after his 2nd treatment but he is still having bone pain. Anyway, just needed to vent...all this is so scary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muriel Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 Coni, If you have any doubts about his treatment plan, please, please get a second opinion. Has he had a PET scan? Is there cancer in his bones? Muriel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fillise Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 Coni, 406 rounds of chemo is pretty standard. If he is having a good result, they may want to give him a rest before starting a second line of treatment. It is also standard to scan every three months. Mom got a full year of no treatment after her first line chemo. You might want to head over the www.cancergrace.org to ask Dr. West about the treatment and to read up on different treatment options. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaze100 Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 Hi Coni, We're all pros at being scared here. All this cancer stuff is alot like driving the car down a windy road....you just never know what's coming next, but you have to trust that the doctors will have a plan when and if it happens. Plus, this site is excellent resource for info on newest treatments and where to get 'em. Are his doctors planning radiation next? Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 couple things I want to say. First, 50% reduction is awesome! and is a great sign as Dr. West has made it quite clear through his posts that "responders respond." That is to say, that people who have good responses to one kind of chemo or "anti-cancer treatment" often have a positive response to other chemo treatments down the line. (The converse is also often true -- non-responders tend never to respond, unfortunately, as was the case with my poor father). 4 to 6 rounds of first line chemo is aboslutley the norm. Dr. West and the other Dr.'s on CancerGrace have discussed this in depth throughout the board. But as Dr. West recently pointed out, there is new compelling research showing that it may be a good idea after 4-6 rounds of one chemo regimen to dive in immediately to "second line" chemo, if the patient is up to it. (The "traditional" approach was after first line chemo completed to wait until there was cancer growth before starting second round treatment) Beginning second round chemo straight away may be an option to discuss with your oncologist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandraL Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 There is no better word for it Coni but scary. There is a thought here in Canada anyhow that 4 rounds can be just as effective as carrying on. But it is scary when you don't seem like you are not doing anything proactive. I know when I finished first line treatment I thought now what...you feel like you should be doing something. So discuss options with your doc...they usually to know best..just need to coax their reasoning out of them. Continued best wishes and prayers for even better results. Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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