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starting chemo


Kaffie

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Saw my oncologist today. She is starting me on chemo this Thursday.

I have to admit I'm scared as heck. I've seen too many people I know get deathly sick off the stuff, but I need it.

I'm taking Taxol and carboplatin every 3 weeks for a total of four sessions. That seems tolerable.

I'm curious to know the side effects any of you had with that combination.

She said with her experience it should up my 5 year survival by 5 to 10% considering I'm a stage 1A. I"m learning here to take those stats and ignore them.

She has me scheduled for an MRI Friday to have that growth on my adrenal gland checked out. She did say it would be extremely rare for my lung cancer to only have gone to the adrenal gland and no where else so she seemed optomistic that it was not cancer, we shall see.

Wish me luck

Thanks

Kathy

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Kaffie

I'm encouraged to see you going with the latest recommendations on follow-up chemo. If that had been proposed to me at the time of my lobectomy I would have gone with it if only to squeek out every little possible advantage. Hang in there and let us know how it goes. Praying for a cure for you.

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Hi Kathy,

I have a dear friend who is a 5 year stage IIA lung cancer Survivor and she went all over IOWA begging for an Onc Doc to give her chemo. They didn't recommend she have it, being she was an early stage, and they did surgery and said they got it all. Well........... She isn't one bit sorry she did that. And while I'm on a positive note here, I also know of a LOT of people that DON'T GET SICK from chemo. Try really hard and start now, in talking yourself into NOT GETTING SICK from your chemo. Mind over matter, DOES MATTER!!!!! Good luck my dear, don't worry, you have an entire week to go and enjoy, and I suggest you do just that. :wink:

No sense in worring about something you don't know may or may not happen. (((((((((((((((KATHY))))))))))))))))

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Thanks Connie,

From what you've been through between your heart and your cancer, I'd say you are living proof of mind over matter. :D

My onco admitted I'd have a rough time with the Taxol and said sometimes people just want to quit by the 3rd round. I've made up my mind that once I put myself thru that he_ _ of the first few treatments I'm going to finish all 4. So many people in here have gone through sooo much I feel like a big baby for even posting my fear :oops:

Prayers for all

Kathy

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Good for you Kaffie...hang tough and good luck. As noted before, seems you and I are on parallel regimens..hehe...Im starting post-op chem o next week as well...not sure what the cocktail is yet, but I guess its a 5 hr. infusion..yuk. Well, we do what we gotta do, I guess...wishin us luck, Richinsdak.

P.S. One difference, I guess...I havent got the nicotine monkey off my back yet...I gotta find a way...sigh

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Not to say that chemo is any fun by any stretch of the imagination, but I hope yours goes as well as mine did. I didn't have the same drugs, but I know that one I had, cisplatin, is said to be tough stuff.

My experience was this: chemo on Thursday--I felt good on Friday, didn't feel real great on the weekend, but if I wanted to do something I did. By Monday I was pretty good again. I also had chemo every week for 3 weeks and was off one week unless my blood counts went low, which they did sometimes, then I could only get chemo for 2 weeks and had to be off for one.

My best advice to you is to take the anti-nausea meds whether you need them or not. It's not designed to catch up with your sickness once it hits, but works pretty well to keep it away. Get plenty of fluids, dehydration is a nasty side effect, and you don't want that happening. Also take a laxitive to avoid constipation--that sneaked up on me once and it was miserable.

Be good to yourself--if you want to rest, rest. Try to keep a little something in your stomach all the time.

I hope this helps, and try to remember, this is not forever and will be over sooner than later. If you can squeak that extra 10-15% chance out, it will be well worth the effort....

Cindy

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Kathy,I was on carboplatin and Taxol every monday for 7 weeks,while getting radiation 5 days a week also for 7 weeks.I would get sick at my tummy real bad 2 or 3 days after chemo & spent a lot of time sitting on the throne.(compazine helped that a little).I also was very tired.My hair thinned out some but I didn't lose it all.Had lots of burn from rad.It is very uncomfortable to say the least but it is also very doable.Keep a good attitude & get thru it and hopefully as in my case the end result is worth the discomfort.I have been stable since Jan 04.(knock on wood)

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Dear Kathy,

Thank you my friend for the condolences on the loss of my family.

And I just wanted to chime in here, that if you feel like a big baby, well then so be it! You have the right to feel that way. I can remember feeling just like that many a times when I went through my ordeals. You'll toughen up my dear. Not to worry, your going to beat this crap.

And as for the anti-nausea meds. I learned during my chemo's that we needed to slow the drip down a little and adminster it slowly. It really made a difference for me as to the nausea. (I didn't have any once we slowed it down) I have shared this with many others and they have come back and told me it DOES make a difference.

Good luck, and hang in here. Your not alone!!!!

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Kathy,

Take the anti nausea meds religiously, make certain you do not become dehydrated (ask for IV fluids if you are unable to drink 8 or more full glasses of water a day, and remember that if you drink coffee or sodas that contain caffeine you have to increase the amount of water you drink). One of the lessons I learned from the Pediatric Cancer Survivors I encountered was that when you are sick it's okay to show it, but as soon as you don't feel sick don't waste your time worrying about when you will be sick again. The kids don't. They deal with it when it happens, but when they have a lull in the nausea they don't lie around worrying about when or if it will come back. They spend that time playing and laughing and just being kids. We can learn a lot about how to handle illness from little children.

And Connie B. is right....attitude does make a huge difference.

Wishing you good luck with it all.

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Hi Kathy,

I had Taxol/Carbo just like Frank did. I had 38 treatments of radiation and 8 weeks of chemo at the same time. After that I was off chemo for two months then back on Taxol/Carbo for 4cycles (evr'y three weeks times 4) I didn't get sick with the original treatment of 8 wks. and did not loose my hair, only thinned. With the 2nd go around of evr'y 3 wks., I lost my hair the 3rd treatment and was only nauseated once. That was on the 2nd treatment. Drink lots of water and stay hydrated, Gator Aid is good also. The doctor will be checking your blood counts (red & white.) You'll be fine, I was scared too, but after the 1st treatment you'll know what to expect. If you get tingling or numbness in hands or feet, let your doctor know asap. Thinking of you and your in my prayers...

God Bless,

Karen

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Thank you all so much for the info and the advice. I'll have to print this page out to keep all of it handy, I'll definately take those anti nausea pills on schedule.

I'm really surprised that so many people don't get sick, that's great to know! Slowing the drip is a good thing to keep in mind.

So many of you have been through so much with the radiation and Chemo and are sitll going strong.

Frank I just know you'll see that 100th Bday with your wife and daughters throwing you a big bash. You may be senile but you'll be cancer free :)

bean_si, I'm amazed by the horrible way you were treated! If you are no longer using the one who threatened to cut you off disability, he needs to be reported, what a jerk! On the brighter side, YES, my precious little dog is a Maltese and she is my baby, spoiled rotten and I love every minute of it. I take her where ever I can. You're right, they don't think they are dogs, they feel like they are one of us, our equal and they demand to be treated that way. She is the bright spot in my day and she makes me laugh out loud, too. I love the name you gave her, Maltese think they are human so they need human names. My little girl is Natalie :D

Yup, rich, one more parallel thing going on, only you get off the hook with one treatment and I get to go for 3 more. I'm curious to know why the doctor is giving you just one treatment. Think you could ask him that? I'm wondering if he is planning on giving you one big whallop to get and hiding cells or if ih is confident that you just need one treatment "just in case". Oh yes, the smokes........I know when someone says something about it, it only makes a person smoke more. No preaching from this gal, I've been there.

Thank you all again for responding. I really do feel better about the chemo now.

Prayers and Hugs to everyone

Kathy

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Hi Kathy,

My husband has done pretty well on chemo. Everyone is different. The anti nausea meds have helped, I am pretty sure. Just take it one day at a time. What my husband complains most about is that it takes too long. Good luck neighbor, and you are in my prayers.

Oh, Natalie is a doll. I am a suck up for the cute little ones. Have 2 yorkies, thus the name "Loyork."

Take care,

Lori

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Kaffie,

I had chemo and radiation at the same time,

I never really got sick -- the first morning after was a little rough, that was after the largest dose of cisplatin-- but I took all the premeds for nausea I could get and took zofran orally three times a day every day. plus prilosec. I was able to eat after the premeds for nausea, so I always had a nice sack lunch after they administered the premeds. Somehow I think that helped, not having an empty stomach.

I took my own comfortable blanket, because it was always air conditioned there ( something about the infusions make you chilled), and a good book, but half the time I fell asleep.

I'm glad you have the option to take out"extra insurance". Would that some others I know could have done the same.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Prayers always,

MaryAnn

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