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shaken' it up


JT

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Wow, it's been a whirlwind!

My Mom @ 76yr, was just diagnosed with stage 1V, NSCLC, 10/08.

The urgency of testing, 2nd opinion and learning is overwhelming.

I'm thankful I stumbled onto this site and I thank each and every one of you who have shared their stories and experience!

Does anyone have any experience with the cooling caps during chemo tx? Do they work in helping to reduce hair loss with chemo? Just curious.

Hopeful to have her tx begin next week.

Thanks for listening.

JT

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JT, never heard of the cooling caps. I'll be watching to see if anyone responds in the positive. If there is anything that will help prevent hair loss, I sure want to know about it.

Tell your mom good luck next week. I'm sure she'll do great with your there at her side.

Judy in Key West

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A couple or three months ago someone asked about them either here or on cancergrace.org and was planning to place an order, but I never saw an update on the outcome. It sounded like a reasonable idea to me, and I believe the product line included items for keeping the hands and feet cool too.

Aloha,

Ned

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Judy, Sandra and Ned...thank you for your input! If anyone is interested, the "cooling cap" info came from:

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Resource ... tshairloss

In theory, it seems logical.

Ned...the link (Grace thread) you provided me was so helpful! Thanks so much. I didn't even apply it to the hands and feet...but finally, the light bulb moment happened! I'm told the Taxol is common for some people to experience neuropathy of the hands and feet. We'll have to check to see if my Mom is up for the cooling experience. If she tries it, I will sure to post the results.

Thanks to you all... I sense the wonderful "hope" you send out and I'm so grateful for this.

JT

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Welcome, hope we can help.

Don't know about cooling caps. I lost most of my hair on my body but my grey hair hung in there. There's great wigs now. It is temporary . I did not mind not shaving my legs for months! That was great.

Keep us posted about your Mom.

Donna G

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  • 1 month later...

It's been some time that I've had to post a note. Once again, thanks to all of you for your kind support. I couldn't seem to log back on and, Katie, I appreciate your help in getting me going again.

My Mom is (in my opinion) doing so well with the chemo treatments. Turned out, the drugs chosen are different from the original recommendation. Cisplatin/Alimta - Her hair is thinning, but not bad. The fatigue was huge, for the 1st cycle, along with the "fog" and lightheadedness. This 2nd cycle, her response has been so much better. She was resistant to hydrate. In fact, the MD told her, if her creatin #'s don't go down, she would take her off the cisplatin. Well, this got her attention and she's been better, enough so she can con't with the drugs, at this point.

Hydration seems so essential, her response this cycle has been so much better. My Mom is still very resistant to hydrating, but she is doing way more than before, and thus, her fatigue is less, and so is the "fog"!

Does anyone have any comments about hydration and benefits for chemo side effects?

I appreciate everyone's comments, it's most helpful!

Thanks

JT

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Hi JT. Thanks for posting and letting us know how your mom is doing. I agree with you, she seems to be doing fairly well. I am not sure about all the benefits of drinking lots of water but there are many. My med onc told me to drink, drink, drink and if you couldn't eat then so be it, the drinking of water was very important in getting through it. So I did, and I for the most part had a pretty easy time of first line chemo. I hope things continue to go well for your mom

Sandra

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basically Hydration is imortant for a number of reasons. The most important being the effects of dehydration! dehydration can cause an unwanted visit to the ER for IV fluids and spend about a day in ER if not hydrated!

Some chemotherapy drugs can irritate or damage the bladder or kidneys and can cause the urine to change color or take on a strong odor for a day or two. The doctor may ask for a blood or urine sample before beginning chemotherapy to evaluate kidney function.

Giving yourself plenty of fluids to drink will ensure good urine flow and help prevent problems in the urinary tract. Be sure to let the doctor know if you experience symptoms that may indicate a problem with the urinary system, such as painful or frequent urination, reddish or bloody urine, or an inability to urinate.

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JT

I am so sorry I missed your first post! Let me just say hello and welcome to the site a bit late!

Randy gave you some excellent information on dehydration issues and I just want to say that having seen first hand how horrible dehydration can be, I can attest to how very important pushing those extra fluids is.

Please keep us posted and know you and your Mom are in my thoughts and prayers.

Warmly

Christine

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JT, I think you have the word from the others on hydration. I think drinking during chemo infusions is important too. Don't know why but chemo nurses and others stress it. Thanks for the update and glad mom is doing well. You'll be in our hearts and thoughts.

Judy in Key West

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