Starting Avastin and have some concerns

dmj101
dmj101 Member Posts: 527 Member

HI folks, Well my scan results weren't as good as I hoped even though I am feeling the best I have in a very long time. This is so depressing. Dr has decided I need to switch from Vectibix to Avastin.. Everything she told me and I have read about Avastin seems rather scary.. I am not sure I can survive a cardiac incident should one occur.. They say I am not at real risk of that but I have been winning the side effect lottery that this me seems a real likely thing that could happen.

Has any one had a good experience on or from Avastin... please share... I am trying to make tomorrow better for me..

Thanks, Donna

 

Comments

  • johnnybegood
    johnnybegood Member Posts: 1,117 Member
    hey there

    sorry your scan was not what you hoped it to be but we just have to take it one day at a time as you already know.as far as your question about avastin i have been on this drug since march 2011 of course with breakes every now and then due to surgeries and then was off for a long period due to low platelets.finally had my spleen out in feb 2013 to get my platelets up which worked great so i am now back on avastin with xeloda.i have no problems on avastin and no side effects only thing for me is i have to have a 30 min infusion time as opposed to a 10 min infusion time for many people.good luck and i know you will do great...Godbless...johnnybegood

  • janderson1964
    janderson1964 Member Posts: 2,215 Member
    Donna I am so truly sorry to

    Donna I am so truly sorry to hear about your scan results. I did avastin on 2 different occasions. I did 10 treatments after intial diagnosis and 8 treaments after my first recurrence. I didnt have any issues.

  • jasminsaba
    jasminsaba Member Posts: 157 Member
    Avastin

    Hi Donna - my mom has been on avastin since summer of 2011 ... some things to be aware of on Avastin:

    - stuffy nose and nose bleeds

    - elevated blood pressure

    - headaches

    - fatigue

    - abdominal pain

    My mom has experienced all of the above ... but these side effects are all mitigated by other meds. She has been on Lisinopril to control BP which as worked great. The headache has been a real issue for her but she controls that with Imitrex. I hope you have an easy ride on Avastin and that it proves very effective for you. It's a great treatment.

  • jasminsaba
    jasminsaba Member Posts: 157 Member
    Avastin

    Hi Donna - my mom has been on avastin since summer of 2011 ... some things to be aware of on Avastin:

    - stuffy nose and nose bleeds

    - elevated blood pressure

    - headaches

    - fatigue

    - abdominal pain

    My mom has experienced all of the above ... but these side effects are all mitigated by other meds. She has been on Lisinopril to control BP which as worked great. The headache has been a real issue for her but she controls that with Imitrex. I hope you have an easy ride on Avastin and that it proves very effective for you. It's a great treatment.

  • renw
    renw Member Posts: 282 Member
    My experience with

    My experience with avastin:

    1. Increase in blood pressure

    2. wounds were much slower to heal

    3. constant chunks of congealed blood when blowing my nose and the occassional 5hr nose bleed that would just not stop.

  • dmj101
    dmj101 Member Posts: 527 Member
    Sounds like what I was expecting to hear.. Thank you!

    Thank you all for responding so quickly.. I know I haven't been around much.. the counsellors at the hospital think I need to distance myself from cancer as much as possible and since I work in a related industry it is hard so this interaction I had to cut back on .. but truth be known I have been lurking just not responding.. and the loss of so many lately has really bummed me and now this scan not being what I wanted really blew me away...

    Well I am taking Xeloda but a low dose as the hand cracks are running me crazy and now will be starting Avastin.. since Vectibix contributes to the hand problems hopefully some of that will clear up and they will be able to up my xeloda.. or I will have to go back to 5FU in the bottle but I really hate that and am holding out... really don't want to do any other of the stronger drugs... as yes I have discovered I am more vain than I thought and am so happy my hair is returning and this time it has a little wave in it.. was always pin straight. new look.. new guy that hopefully all this won't scare away the guy... Turned 50 last month and was feeling awesome.. till the scan..

    Oh well Life Goes On and as so many others have told us.. Keep Living.. that is the only way thru this... So I will do just that.. and try not to dwell too much on what I got but what I can do.. ..

    Thanks.. Donna

     

  • Chelsea71
    Chelsea71 Member Posts: 1,169 Member
    dmj101 said:

    Sounds like what I was expecting to hear.. Thank you!

    Thank you all for responding so quickly.. I know I haven't been around much.. the counsellors at the hospital think I need to distance myself from cancer as much as possible and since I work in a related industry it is hard so this interaction I had to cut back on .. but truth be known I have been lurking just not responding.. and the loss of so many lately has really bummed me and now this scan not being what I wanted really blew me away...

    Well I am taking Xeloda but a low dose as the hand cracks are running me crazy and now will be starting Avastin.. since Vectibix contributes to the hand problems hopefully some of that will clear up and they will be able to up my xeloda.. or I will have to go back to 5FU in the bottle but I really hate that and am holding out... really don't want to do any other of the stronger drugs... as yes I have discovered I am more vain than I thought and am so happy my hair is returning and this time it has a little wave in it.. was always pin straight. new look.. new guy that hopefully all this won't scare away the guy... Turned 50 last month and was feeling awesome.. till the scan..

    Oh well Life Goes On and as so many others have told us.. Keep Living.. that is the only way thru this... So I will do just that.. and try not to dwell too much on what I got but what I can do.. ..

    Thanks.. Donna

     

    Hey Donna. Steve's Avastin
    Hey Donna. Steve's Avastin side effects were the exact same as Ren's. I think you will be fine on it. Once Steve went off it, things began to fall apart.

    Miss you on the board. To hell with what your counsellor thinks. Lol. There has been a lot of sad news here lately. I often wonder if I should take a break too, but at the same time, I find it extremely helpful.

    I have the gut feeling Avastin will be very effective for you. Keep us posted.

    Good luck.

    Chelsea
  • dmj101
    dmj101 Member Posts: 527 Member
    Chelsea71 said:

    Hey Donna. Steve's Avastin
    Hey Donna. Steve's Avastin side effects were the exact same as Ren's. I think you will be fine on it. Once Steve went off it, things began to fall apart.

    Miss you on the board. To hell with what your counsellor thinks. Lol. There has been a lot of sad news here lately. I often wonder if I should take a break too, but at the same time, I find it extremely helpful.

    I have the gut feeling Avastin will be very effective for you. Keep us posted.

    Good luck.

    Chelsea

    Thanks Chelsea,
     I hope you

    Thanks Chelsea,

     I hope you are correct.. I am going to believe I will be fine..

    The support I get here has always made me feel better..

    I will be around..

    Donna

  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    dmj101 said:

    Thanks Chelsea,
     I hope you

    Thanks Chelsea,

     I hope you are correct.. I am going to believe I will be fine..

    The support I get here has always made me feel better..

    I will be around..

    Donna

    Donna -

    Watch out for heart tics.....any thing funny in the breathing....either too shallow or too exerted....or the feel of catching your breath when you were expecting to receive that breath.....

    I'm the rare goon on the board that this happened too.....I took it about 8-9 months I think.....and I developed this tic in my heart beat.....like when it beats on the downbeat, you are expecting to release air, but you got shorted on the upbreath and so it feels like the rug slipped out under you....or you were punched in the stomach.

    It's a little scary if it happens....and I'd have to get it together and measure my breaths and try and manually override the breathing to see if the rhythm would get back......happened 100 of times a day.

    Still have it....not as bad now, though I still miss a breath many times a day and just have to 'catch' it again. 

    I'm the only one.....won't happen to you.....but I wouldn't be doing right if I did not let you know of the possibility.  The Avastin lliterature on their website clearly states that Avastin can cause CHF, congestive heart failure, over extended time and use. That's important to keep in mind as you do the drug going forward.   

    However, it stopped short of defining what that time period is for these conditions to occur......

    Looks like most people do well with it...at least up front....as with most drugs and the side effects...one should always be congnizant of past drugs taken and their  after-effects, as they may surface at a later date. 

    As with all major changes, since we can't see the future....we have to take our chances armed with the best knowledge we can acquire.....and then justify and rationalize to ourselves that we had to take the chance with Trading Tomorrow - For Today...

    I'm hopeful that you will be do fine with the treatment but just keep a close inventory on how your heart feels while on this drug. 

     

     

  • dmj101
    dmj101 Member Posts: 527 Member
    Sundanceh said:

    Donna -

    Watch out for heart tics.....any thing funny in the breathing....either too shallow or too exerted....or the feel of catching your breath when you were expecting to receive that breath.....

    I'm the rare goon on the board that this happened too.....I took it about 8-9 months I think.....and I developed this tic in my heart beat.....like when it beats on the downbeat, you are expecting to release air, but you got shorted on the upbreath and so it feels like the rug slipped out under you....or you were punched in the stomach.

    It's a little scary if it happens....and I'd have to get it together and measure my breaths and try and manually override the breathing to see if the rhythm would get back......happened 100 of times a day.

    Still have it....not as bad now, though I still miss a breath many times a day and just have to 'catch' it again. 

    I'm the only one.....won't happen to you.....but I wouldn't be doing right if I did not let you know of the possibility.  The Avastin lliterature on their website clearly states that Avastin can cause CHF, congestive heart failure, over extended time and use. That's important to keep in mind as you do the drug going forward.   

    However, it stopped short of defining what that time period is for these conditions to occur......

    Looks like most people do well with it...at least up front....as with most drugs and the side effects...one should always be congnizant of past drugs taken and their  after-effects, as they may surface at a later date. 

    As with all major changes, since we can't see the future....we have to take our chances armed with the best knowledge we can acquire.....and then justify and rationalize to ourselves that we had to take the chance with Trading Tomorrow - For Today...

    I'm hopeful that you will be do fine with the treatment but just keep a close inventory on how your heart feels while on this drug. 

     

     

    Thanks Craig,,  I will

    Thanks Craig,,  I will definitely watch out for this..

  • dmj101
    dmj101 Member Posts: 527 Member
    First infustino completed today

    Ok well it went rather uneventfully which is a good thing..

    It is now 7pm and I the infusion completed at abou 11am and I am feeling ok..

    Lets hope it stays this way.. next infusion in 3 weeks.

    Thank you for all your good thoughts and advise...

     

  • hippiechicks
    hippiechicks Member Posts: 509 Member
    Great news! Wishing you the

    Great news! Wishing you the best during this treatment with smooth sailing!

  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    Avastin

    Avastin was approved 1 month after I started chemo back in Feb/March of 2004. Out of the 6 months of FOLFOX, I did 5 months of Avastin. It shrunk my liver tumors so I became operable. The only real side effect was occasional spots of blood when I blew my nose.

    I hope you do well with it...

  • pbec
    pbec Member Posts: 5
    Donna, 
    just blood chinks

    Donna, 

    just blood chinks when I blew my nose and some bloody noses. The best side effect is that it halted the growth of my tumors. I'm stage 4 and Avastin is the first thing to slow down the progress of the disease. 

  • dmj101
    dmj101 Member Posts: 527 Member
    Funny how I iwanted this drug

    Funny how I iwanted this drug a year ago but my Dr wanted me to try Vectibix and I had no success or minimal success and when I went off Folfiri I had growth so now Avastin is being applied with Xeloda. I was not afraid of this drug a year ago but when the dr talked me out of it... I sort became aprehensive when she mentioned it now..

    I feel much better now after reading your responses to my concern.

    Thanks. Donna

  • kennyt
    kennyt Member Posts: 110
    dmj101 said:

    Funny how I iwanted this drug

    Funny how I iwanted this drug a year ago but my Dr wanted me to try Vectibix and I had no success or minimal success and when I went off Folfiri I had growth so now Avastin is being applied with Xeloda. I was not afraid of this drug a year ago but when the dr talked me out of it... I sort became aprehensive when she mentioned it now..

    I feel much better now after reading your responses to my concern.

    Thanks. Donna

    how are things going

    with your avastin? hopefully well

  • Dyanclark
    Dyanclark Member Posts: 296
    Avastin

    You should feel just as good on avastn as vectibix.  George is on vectibix and his CEA was down to .7 now it is 3.6 so he will have to switch to something else.  He felt good on avastin.  Nothing is killing the cancer for him he only gets a 2 or 3 month remission.  What next we don't know