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Side effects after chemotherapy


lovelife

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Hi Everyone,

Hope you are all doing well! My mom just finished chemo. To back track my mom has lung cancer that spread to the brain last year. She had two tumors in the lung and one in the brain, she did surgery last septmember for the one in the brain and been on chemo for the lung up until last month. She responded great to her chemo got rid of one tumor on long and the last one is dead and just lingering around, but no cancer activity (so thats great) and the head had been clean since last year up until last month, the doctor discovered two tumore (small) so she got the gamma knife and was on her way. She gets the brain scan in a few weeks to check the brain, since the gamma knife was just done about 6 weeks ago. the doctors stopped chemo when she had to get the gamma knife, and when she just had another scan done on her lung two weeks ago, they said the lung still looks great!!! (which i was surprised since they saw something in the brain) Thank god...so the doctor said lets take you off chemo for about 8 weeks and then do a pet scan and see what treatment you will have next, wether its the same kind of chemo or a new kind. Right now the doctor said her scans are clean, and they really have been for the past year, except for the new reoccurence in the brain last month (total bummer) OK so this is my question, my mom has been on the chemo since last year, did great, body responding got rid of the cancer, she felt good, didnt have any side effects from the chemo except she didnt sleep the nights after she got chemo b/c the steroids with the chemo kept her awake, and gave her a big appetite and energy.... so i guess you can say for the past year, she didnt sleep well considering she got chemo every friday and barely slept the weekends....So like i said earlier the doctor stopped the chemo in order to do gamma, and since lungs are still clean no cancer he stopped chemo for 8 weeks or so.... but NOW she is exhausted, sleeps like a baby, goes to bed at 8pm (if she can stay up that late now lol!) and sleeps till 10:30 am, then cat naps during the day. and she looks wiped, and she has NO appetite, which is so odd b/c she ate like crazy for one year straight, but i guess that was the steroids helping, and no she is on absolutely nothing at all. My dad gave her Ensure to drink to get some vitatmins and calories....she said i just feel blahhhh.... my dad told the doctor....the doctors just said to watch her appetite if it gets worse he will see her ,but nothing seems to alarming... when i tell you this women would eat your arm if she could lol! she ate and ate and ate... and now nothing is appetizing to her, and you have to remind her to eat.... she did eat dinner last night, but dad probably forced her though. Should i be concerend? or is this typical from coming off chemo and steriods? Its kind of werid b/c my mom was more herself, energy and etc on chemo then off. I would have expected to see her like this in the beginning. My mom has a late stage of cancer and thank god it only as of right now went from lung to brain. Eventhough its bad, but i'm thankful for having her right now and that it is somewhat contained. The doctor said she will probably be back on chemo, i guess b/c of the stage and etc, like maybe a maintenance thing.....I pray her brain stays clear from any more tumors, I pray for everyday!!! I do believe in miracles! SOrry for rambling..... If someone can give me some input that would be great!! Thinking of all of you

Laurie

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It is great news that your Mom is doing so well. It does seem a little unusual that she did so well on chemo, but now that she is off is now having some of the usual chemo symptoms. I do know that chemo is cummulative and it is possible it has just finally built up enough. Once off chemo, it takes quite a long time to get back to "normal" - I think for me it was at least 6 months. This would probably be a good question for the doctors at cancergrace. I'm sorry I don't have any good information for you.

The fact that she has done so well for the past year, and is continuing to be stable is wonderful. I hope that her appetite will improve and she will be feeling great very soon.

Diane

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Thank you Diane for responding to my post in regards to my mother. My dad will mention her symptoms to the doctor again and see what he says. She really has no appetite at all, find myself getting frustrated trying to get her to eat, and she gets frustrated right back b/c she dosnt want to eat. I stayed with my mom during the hurricane and now i see how much she dosnt eat, and it was a bit alarming. Hopefully this passes soon, but my dad will see the oncologist and see what he says...

Thanks for your support & I hope your doing well and feel good!!

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Hi Andrea, Thanks for responding. I've been getting so nervous. My mom did better during chemo then now. SHe is so tired, sleeps all the time, but the worst part is she is not eating much. Its so strange, b/c I invisioned this during her treatment but she surprised all of us when she had none of the normal side effects. I'm going to see how she is this week, and call the doctor with an update. My dad called him about a week and a half ago maybe two weeks by now, and the dr said if it gets worse to call and my dad says well it didnt get worse just the same... which still stinks...I'm sure she will be at chemo at some point again, since her stage is advanced. I was so looking forward to this 2 month break of no treatment, I didnt expect her to get like this. I think she's a little depressed as well, b/c she had to retire and she isnt driving right now so she feels so helpless. I try to push her, but I never know if Its too much its hard judging when your the caregiver and your not going through it.

Thanks for listening

Laurie

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Hi Laurie - I'm sorry to hear your Mom is still not eating more. If she is depressed, that could also account for the lack of appetite and excessive sleeping - maybe she is more depressed than you realize. Having to retire and not being able to drive are two huge life changes - and unfortunately when they are caused by cancer it generally comes much earlier than it would normally in life and none of us are ready for it. It can be very hard to come to grips with the fact that our lives will never be the same again. Perhaps you could talk to her doctor about an anti-depressant. A lot of cancer patients take them - especially when they are trying to adjust to such huge life changes. Anyway - maybe something to think about.

I'm keeping your Mom in my thoughts.

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You didn't mention which areas of the brain were treated with the gamma knife. If I remember my course work correctly, parts of the mid-brain (hypothalamus) control hunger and thirst. Where these areas treated? If they were treated, then perhaps you should talk over your mother's lack of appetite with someone in the neuroscience/neurology area. Of course, this is just a stab in the dark.

Also, I think it may be important to notice whether your mother will refuse food/liquids completely, or whether she just has a different(lower) point to be satisfied. I believe that there have been experiments with rats, where oblation of parts of the mid-brain made either fat or skinny rats. But once at their new weight "goal", the rats ate to maintain their new weight.

Again, I am just advancing ideas that your should discuss with your mother's doctors. These are not meant to be total solutions in themselves. Rick.

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