stand4hope Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 I know a lot of you have posted that you or your loved one has received Cisplatin. It is one of the choices my husband is considering, the other one is Iressa. He's not too thrilled about the Iressa. It's kind of hard to deal with diarrhea when you work a 10-hour day in a production area on machines that are so big that you have to climb under, over and inside of them to work on them, especially when the success of the drug is limited. He might still try it, but hasn't decided yet. My main question is about the side effects and success of Cisplatin. The onc told us it one of the ones that is more prone to nausea, and of course, like all them, fatigue. He's not afraid of the fatigue, nausea, etc., because his second line chemo caused some of that, but he got through it just fine and still worked every day. The first line chemo was another story - what a nightmare. I'm particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has received this chemo as a 3rd line chemo treatment. We're aware that by the time one gets to the 3rd line chemo, it gets tougher and tougher to slow down this devil-created disease. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance. Love to all, Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cary Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Here is an old thread dealing with Cisplatin. You may also want to post in general to get members personal experiences with it. http://www.lchelp.com/community/viewtop ... =cisplatin Donna G mentions the following link: http://chemocare.com/ Cary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stand4hope Posted June 6, 2004 Author Share Posted June 6, 2004 Hi Cary, and thank you for your response. Your name and face are new to me, but I see you have been a member for almost a year. That was very kind of you to reply to me. I have seen both of those links already because I have been searching this board for a couple of days to get others' personal experience with the drug, especially as a third-line chemo. I think the members here would really like for us to try to keep these kinds of questions on this thread because the General thread gets so large. Also, if we keep medical and treatment questions on one forum, it's much easier for people like me to find the information we want. Once again, thank you for finding and posting those links for me. God bless you, Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karenl Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Hi Peg I posted a response in the general forum. Karen PS: Nice to put a face to the name, Cary!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chloesmom Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 I had cisplatin as a first line chemo. Found that if I took the anti-nausea meds for about 3 days whether I felt I needed them or not, things went a lot better. My treatments were on Thursday--sometimes I worked on Friday, and then by the time I didn't feel well, which was Saturday, I was off and could rest on Sat and Sun. Felt better again by Monday. I didn't really have any horrid side effects like I expected from chemo. It wasn't pleasant, but I still functioned, and no one would have known from looking at me. Good Luck and I hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addie Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 Peggy... My onc opted to put me on carboplatin instead of cisplatin because he said cisplatin can be harder on the kidneys. I offer that info up...because I haven't seen anyone else mention it yet...and perhaps it's something you want to ask the doctor about. Best wishes....I know these must be tough decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chloesmom Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 Yes, cisplatin is hard on the kidneys--you have to really push the fluids and they will give you IV hydration as well. In my experience, they tested BUN and creatine levels every time before the chemo and nothing changed, so I did ok, but I also took bottled water with me to chemo and drank it like crazy. I was running off to the bathroom constantly while I was getting chemo, but they thought that was great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 As Addie said carboplatin is supposed to have fewer side effects than cisplatin. Cisplatin can also cause neuropathy and ear problems. Maryann mentioned that she took ethyol and thought it help prevent ear (hearing) problems. Has the doctor discussed other clinical trials with your husband? There probably are alot more options than just cisplatin or iressa. Also I thought it was common practice to take care of the brain mets before proceeding with chemo. Most chemo won't cross the blood-brain barrier. There is a drug called Temador (Temozolomide) that might help with the brain mets. Ginny's husband is taking this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stand4hope Posted June 7, 2004 Author Share Posted June 7, 2004 John, He had carboplatin with the taxotere the first time, and he had ear problems and neuropathy with that combination, but I don't know which one caused the problems. His hearing is ok now. If he decides to get the Cisplatin, I will ask about ethyol. You are correct about treating the brain mets and the barrier. Before anything else was done, he immediately got WBR because that is where he was symptomatic. Then he got the taxotere & neuropathy at the same time the lung was radiated, then he got the Novalis to each individual brain tumor, the he got gemzar/navelbine. When we go back, I will also ask about Temador and clinical trials. Thank you, John. You always provide such useful information. Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debi Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 Hey Cary.... Sorry for temporarily hijacking this post but its about time you posted a pic after 18 months!! I think you need to post you and your dad's story up in "My Story" so that new posters can see what you have done for him and others by your tenacity and endless research..... Your contribution to his health and behind the scenes help to others is nothing short of remarkable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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