Moms treatments

joenlisa500
joenlisa500 Member Posts: 23
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Mom is now about four weeks out of surgery and doing good. She has to go in next week and have an internal stent put from her kidney to her bladder then we will be ready to start treatments again. I failed to ask for sure what kind of colon cancer we are dealing with, I think there is a part of me that doesn't really care after a year of treatments for the wrong cancer. I know it is a signet ring type and the info I found on that wasn't good so sometimes I think I put my head in the sand and feel that as long as she is feeling good and they want to treat her there must be something the dr. feels they can do for her. After the stent is put in and she gets the ok from urology she will start treatment. It is supposed to be June 9 for 6 months every two weeks. We are planning on Oxaliplatin, Avistin, and Xeloda. She had a great response to Xeloda as a monotherapy so our oncologist said it is ok to stay with that instead of the usual 48 hour constant infusion of a 5fu drug. I hope this is an ok treatment path. I am scared as always, nothing to go by, the doctor said it is just a waiting game from here because we have no tumor markers to use. She said we will do a CAT scan in three months to see if everything looks ok and make sure these drugs are working. Any suggestions as to what to expect on these drugs. I know the doctors are supposed to know what is best but I feel much better hearing from you all because you have been through it and I like keeping our options open and having suggestions for the doctor when we go to see him. I will ask more questions of the dr. as we go, I think I am just so happy she is doing good I am afraid of what answers I may get. Her case is troubling to even the doctors so that doesn't help. Well sorry to go on, i would appreciate any help in what to expect and watch for with these treatments.
Thanks,
Lisa

Comments

  • tkd3g
    tkd3g Member Posts: 767
    #2
    Hi Lisa.

    Sorry your mom is having a tough time of it. I have a daughter that is so disabled that she depends on us for all her needs. The doctors, can't tell us what is wrong with her! Sometimes they never know.

    I was on the Oxaliplatin for 3 treatments. I had the 5FU not the other drugs you spoke of.

    My biggest side effect was neuropathy. Cold sensitiviy to the hands and feet. I didn't tolerate the drug very well, and went off of it after 3 treatments.

    That said, many have done very well on that drug. I'm sure they can give you a bit more information on it.

    Best to you and your mom, Lisa.

    Barb
  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #3
    Ahoy, Lisa -

    I must have missed your original post (or I'm suffering from CRS...) You mom has metastatic colon cancer? Or is it renal/bladder cancer? Just curious - my mom, her sister, and I all have the same genetic "uniqueness" (I hate to say "flaw"!) called HNPCC. My mom has had CC, uterine cancer and is now going at her second bout with bladder cancer. Her sister is a renal cancer survivor - she didn't get the CC before it got to her kidney.

    Anyway, I only had 5FU and leukovorin as my treatment regime, so I can't really tell you about the side effects. I would be happy, however, to put your mom in touch with my aunt if she's interested.

    Cheers

    - SpongeBob
  • joenlisa500
    joenlisa500 Member Posts: 23
    #4
    spongebob said:

    Ahoy, Lisa -

    I must have missed your original post (or I'm suffering from CRS...) You mom has metastatic colon cancer? Or is it renal/bladder cancer? Just curious - my mom, her sister, and I all have the same genetic "uniqueness" (I hate to say "flaw"!) called HNPCC. My mom has had CC, uterine cancer and is now going at her second bout with bladder cancer. Her sister is a renal cancer survivor - she didn't get the CC before it got to her kidney.

    Anyway, I only had 5FU and leukovorin as my treatment regime, so I can't really tell you about the side effects. I would be happy, however, to put your mom in touch with my aunt if she's interested.

    Cheers

    - SpongeBob

    Sponge Bob,

    I tried to send this to your own e-mail but had problems so here I go briefly, mom was mis diagnosed last year and went through treatments for ovarian cancer only to find out a year later and two more opinions that it is matastatic colon cancer, we believe it is a cecum primary which has now been removed so two surgeries later one to remove the tumors that were not showing in the colon, but were in the ovaries, and now the one that showed up in the colon we are once again starting treatments. Right now there is no evidence of any disease in the bladder, kidneys, liver lungs, etc... however when they did the latest surgery they found a kink in the urter, don't know if it was from scar tissue, adhesions, or a stich fron the last surgery but they want to fix that first because they feel kidney functions are very important for her, so that is where the kidney thing is coming from. I know this is confusing, so as far as we know it is now colon cancer and that is the treatment path we are going to take, hopefully we are on the right track, I am not ready by any means to give up on her this is just making me crazy as I am sure everyone here can relate to on some level. Well hope I cleared things up a bit for you and hopefully mom will hold up as good through these treatments as she did the ovarian cancer ones. Take care and thanks.

    Lisa
  • themis01
    themis01 Member Posts: 167
    #5
    My mom had oxilplatin and avastin for 6 treatments and she had fatigue and very tired for a few days after each chemo. The chemo seemed to work well since it did shrink everything out of view from a PET scan after 4 treatments. Good Luck to your mom. My mom is getting ready for surgery in 6-8 weeks.
  • Glv49
    Glv49 Member Posts: 206 Member
    #6
    My cancer was originaly thought also to be ovarian, but I wasn't treated for that. They found out before my treatments that it was colon cancer stage IV. I took 6 weeks of the continuos 5FU., and radiation at the same time. Then I went on the folfox regimine, and I also took leukovorin and oxillaplatin. It didn't really bother me at all, except for the neuropathy in my hands and feet, and sensitivity to cold food, and drinks. But it only lasted a couple of days after treatment. I hope your Mom does well on her treatments, she is in my prayers.
    Glv49

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