DAY 2 AFTER CISPLATIN TREATMENT - HOW SHOULD I FEEL???

luv4lacrosse
luv4lacrosse Member Posts: 1,410 Member
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Let me start at the beginning, my Cisplatin treatment was actually the 4th bag they hung on me with a totalof 6 infused. it all started with a one Liter bag eash of NS w/ Magnesium and Potassium. Then a drug called Ethyol was given with me laying flat on my back with my legs raised and my BP was monitored every 3 min. As she predicted, my BP would drop, I would get hot flashes, palpitations, skin color would turm white or gray and nausea would set in but the expectation was for absolutely no vomiting. this all lasted 30 - 40 min. with only some nausea and no vomiting. Next was the 45 min. infusion of Cisplatin which was uneventfull followed by 2 more one Litre bags of magnesium and Potassium. Total day lasted 6 hours.

Day 2 I felt great, got up worked from home, went to the office then drove myself to my Radiation Appt. and drove home. All is good. My wife was able to give me my one liter bolus of NS that evening and I went to bed.

Day 3 I woke up feeling nauseated and took some compazine and ativan which kept it from becoming severe but it was with me all day. I slept a good part of the day and then discovered my Hohn catheter was Bleeding. I went to Intervention radiology and they said the lovenox I am on was causing the bleeding around the 2 stitches used to secure the line. He injected the site with Lodocaine and Epinephering and placed a compression bandage on it. I then went to radiation and went home.

I was told Monday that by thursday-Sunday would be when my White Blood Count would be at it's lowest. What can I expect to feel like for the next several days or until I have my nect Chemo in just under 3 weeks??

My gut feels like it cannot tollerate any regular food, I am drinking water, some sprite for ease of stomach aches and nutrition shakes to keep the calories up.

ANY SUGGESTIONS OR ADVICE??

THANKS

MIKE!!

Comments

  • Greg53
    Greg53 Member Posts: 849
    #2
    Ginger Ale
    Hey ya Mike

    Besides all the anti-nausea drugs they gave me (3 but I forget the names) I would drink some ginger ale and that helped with nausea for me.

    I also did the 3 treatments of Cisplatin (only made thru 2 due to the hearing loss thing). Mine was 6 hours also everytime and sounds like the same things I got. Everyone is different but for me this is how I felt after the Cisplatin: first 2 days after always felt fine; the next 3 days a little nausea but nothing the drugs didn't take care of; then usually 3 more days of feeling good; then a week later it hit me fullforce -major nausea, totally fatigued, felt like crap!! It surprized me the first time cause I thought I was past the effects from Cisplatin - NOT. Doc told me everyone reacts to it differently but this surprized him. However I talked to my rad tech (my opinion the most caring and knowing of the people that worked on me) and she said this was not uncommon and suggested some under the tongue anti-nausea drug (sorry forget the name, will have to go look it up).

    It worked, but one week after was when I hit my bad time from Cisplatin. Again, just how it affected me.

    Good luck Dude!

    Greg
  • luv4lacrosse
    luv4lacrosse Member Posts: 1,410 Member
    #3
    Greg53 said:

    Ginger Ale
    Hey ya Mike

    Besides all the anti-nausea drugs they gave me (3 but I forget the names) I would drink some ginger ale and that helped with nausea for me.

    I also did the 3 treatments of Cisplatin (only made thru 2 due to the hearing loss thing). Mine was 6 hours also everytime and sounds like the same things I got. Everyone is different but for me this is how I felt after the Cisplatin: first 2 days after always felt fine; the next 3 days a little nausea but nothing the drugs didn't take care of; then usually 3 more days of feeling good; then a week later it hit me fullforce -major nausea, totally fatigued, felt like crap!! It surprized me the first time cause I thought I was past the effects from Cisplatin - NOT. Doc told me everyone reacts to it differently but this surprized him. However I talked to my rad tech (my opinion the most caring and knowing of the people that worked on me) and she said this was not uncommon and suggested some under the tongue anti-nausea drug (sorry forget the name, will have to go look it up).

    It worked, but one week after was when I hit my bad time from Cisplatin. Again, just how it affected me.

    Good luck Dude!

    Greg

    THANKS
    Thanks for the info. I will be looking for something to happen. I will keep you advised.

    Hope you are doing well.

    BEST!!

    Mike
  • Kimba1505
    Kimba1505 Member Posts: 557
    #4
    luv4lacrosse said:

    THANKS
    Thanks for the info. I will be looking for something to happen. I will keep you advised.

    Hope you are doing well.

    BEST!!

    Mike

    Cisplatin's a bugger
    Hey Mike,
    Sounds like you are waiting for the shoe to drop. Mark started with cisplatin but could not stay on it due to hearing loss. What we were told is that people usually do okay during the first dose. But because of the accumulative effect, it can get worse with each one. After Mark's first treatment we went to one of our favorite restaurants and he ate a lamb chop. Felt nausous the next day and then fell hard. They said this was unusual for the first dose and considered pulling back the dosage until they detected the hearing loss then he was off it completely.
    But like Greg already said, everyone is different...but take those anti-nausea meds just to be on the safe side. Do you have Emend?
    You are doing great...one day at a time.
    Kim
  • HeartofSoul
    HeartofSoul Member Posts: 729 Member
    #5
    luv4lacrosse said:

    THANKS
    Thanks for the info. I will be looking for something to happen. I will keep you advised.

    Hope you are doing well.

    BEST!!

    Mike

    as with most chemo's and
    as with most chemo's and especially cisplatin, its accumulative. I had 20 treatments of cisplatin over a 10 week period (57 days) and after each rd (5 days a week every 2 weeks) it beocme more intense. Fatigue was at top of list, nausea, lost weight, hair, bowel irregularities, some joint pain, had 5 blood transfusions both red and platelets but no infections. WBC was between 1.5 and 6.0. My glands in eyes dried out, and blood pressure went to 78 over 39 causing heart pumping action to be affected which led to close monitoring of heart for about 3 days. Think of chemo as a gradual climb up a steep hill and rocks as the grade of hill becomes more vertical. allow 2 months after last treatment to start feeling decent but hemoglobin red blood cell counts may take 4 to 6 month to get to where they were before treatment. Neuropathy is common usually during or after treatments
  • adventurebob
    adventurebob Member Posts: 691
    #6
    Cisplatin
    Hi Mike,

    I get the Cisplatin once monthly and each time the side effects have been a bit different but progressively worse. The 3rd day after is usually worse for me as far as nausea and fatigue goes but the stomach cramping starts almost immediately and continues for at least a week or 2. I've experimented around with different drinks to ease the cramping and the best so far is Basil tea. I use dried bulk Holy Basil from a health food store (Whole Foods) and steep 1 teaspoon for each 6 ounces of water covered for 10 minutes and then strain. Peppermint tea is second best for cramping. For nausea, ginger works well but should be without sugar. Sugar based anything increases cramping dramatically. I prefer getting ginger root from the produce department and dicing it up and boiling it for about 10 minutes. 1 tablespoon for every 12-16 ounces seems about right. For me, straight water aggravates both cramping and nausea.
    The best for both though has consistently been the medical marijuana. Both nausea and cramping disappear within minutes of taking a hit. I realize this is a bit controversial as marijuana is not legal in all states and alot of people still think of it as a recreational drug and not serious powerful medicine. For me the side effects are much more tolerable than any of the pharmaceutical drugs I have been prescribed and the dosage is controlled by me and can be modified depending on how I feel.
    I'm sorry for your discomfort. Cisplatin is rough. Fortunately it's rough on cancer.
    Here's my best tip for minimizing side effects from chemo. Pray over the chemo bag before they connect it. My family and I have done this for each and every bag. It works.
    I hope some of this helps you Mike. Let me know. Best wishes and prayers for you and yours.

    Bob
  • D Lewis
    D Lewis Member Posts: 1,581 Member
    #7
    Cisplatin
    Hi Mike

    I had the cisplatin three times, in weeks 1, 4 and 7 of my eight week course of radiation. Two day infusion, on Monday and Tuesday of the chemo week. I seemed to be sickest on day 3 after infusion, but felt lousy for six or seven days each time. Then I would have two good weeks before the next round of treatment. Each treatment, I felt worse than the one before. But I survived. Cisplatin is the "raging bull" of the chemo world.

    Deb
  • Jimbo55
    Jimbo55 Member Posts: 590 Member
    #8
    D Lewis said:

    Cisplatin
    Hi Mike

    I had the cisplatin three times, in weeks 1, 4 and 7 of my eight week course of radiation. Two day infusion, on Monday and Tuesday of the chemo week. I seemed to be sickest on day 3 after infusion, but felt lousy for six or seven days each time. Then I would have two good weeks before the next round of treatment. Each treatment, I felt worse than the one before. But I survived. Cisplatin is the "raging bull" of the chemo world.

    Deb

    Cisplatin
    Mike, I had the same treatment course as Deb, Cisplatin 3 times, weeks 1, 4 & 7. Each treatment also felt worse than the previous one. My 1st infusion was rather mild in terms of side effects. The 2nd was more pronounced and the 3rd and final infusion was rougher. I felt the most side effects probably 2-3 days after the infusion and they lasted for 4-5 days initially and up to 7-8 days for the final injection. I had a bit of nausea, fatigue and loss of appetite were the main ones for me. No cramps, joint pain or hearing loss. It was recommended to drink lots of water and also as several jugs of gatorade or similar. Cheers

    Jimbo
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #9
    Neulasta
    Are they giving you any injections the following week of Chemo? I know when I was on the three cycles of Cisplatin, Taxotere, and 5FU, I had them. Each injection of Neulasta would be the following Monday.

    Neulasta helps to regenerate the blood cell production within bone marrow (from my understanding).... I do know that a day or so after the Neulasta (especially the first time), it felt like I had a sever flu. My bones ached everywhere, especially the larger bones. My back felt like it went out, my legs and hips hurt....

    It would subside within a day or so...

    My blood counts got down very low also, right in the 2.0 range. I finished treatment mid June 2009 and it took until March 2010 for all of my CBC blood counts to get back within normal range.

    But they did, I'm 56, no meds, my BP, GFR, cholestral everything normal and within range....

    Hang in there, it's a rough diet, but you can handle it...

    Best,
    John
  • luv4lacrosse
    luv4lacrosse Member Posts: 1,410 Member
    #10
    Kimba1505 said:

    Cisplatin's a bugger
    Hey Mike,
    Sounds like you are waiting for the shoe to drop. Mark started with cisplatin but could not stay on it due to hearing loss. What we were told is that people usually do okay during the first dose. But because of the accumulative effect, it can get worse with each one. After Mark's first treatment we went to one of our favorite restaurants and he ate a lamb chop. Felt nausous the next day and then fell hard. They said this was unusual for the first dose and considered pulling back the dosage until they detected the hearing loss then he was off it completely.
    But like Greg already said, everyone is different...but take those anti-nausea meds just to be on the safe side. Do you have Emend?
    You are doing great...one day at a time.
    Kim

    EMEND
    I was given 2 days worth of Emend. I also have Compazine and the doc said to alternate this with Ativan. Today is a little better, not as sleepy, but the queeziness is always there.

    Thanks

    Mike
  • luv4lacrosse
    luv4lacrosse Member Posts: 1,410 Member
    #11
    HeartofSoul said:

    as with most chemo's and
    as with most chemo's and especially cisplatin, its accumulative. I had 20 treatments of cisplatin over a 10 week period (57 days) and after each rd (5 days a week every 2 weeks) it beocme more intense. Fatigue was at top of list, nausea, lost weight, hair, bowel irregularities, some joint pain, had 5 blood transfusions both red and platelets but no infections. WBC was between 1.5 and 6.0. My glands in eyes dried out, and blood pressure went to 78 over 39 causing heart pumping action to be affected which led to close monitoring of heart for about 3 days. Think of chemo as a gradual climb up a steep hill and rocks as the grade of hill becomes more vertical. allow 2 months after last treatment to start feeling decent but hemoglobin red blood cell counts may take 4 to 6 month to get to where they were before treatment. Neuropathy is common usually during or after treatments

    THANKS
    Thanks for the feedback, it is very helpfull.

    All the best to you in your recovery

    Mike
  • luv4lacrosse
    luv4lacrosse Member Posts: 1,410 Member
    #12
    HeartofSoul said:

    as with most chemo's and
    as with most chemo's and especially cisplatin, its accumulative. I had 20 treatments of cisplatin over a 10 week period (57 days) and after each rd (5 days a week every 2 weeks) it beocme more intense. Fatigue was at top of list, nausea, lost weight, hair, bowel irregularities, some joint pain, had 5 blood transfusions both red and platelets but no infections. WBC was between 1.5 and 6.0. My glands in eyes dried out, and blood pressure went to 78 over 39 causing heart pumping action to be affected which led to close monitoring of heart for about 3 days. Think of chemo as a gradual climb up a steep hill and rocks as the grade of hill becomes more vertical. allow 2 months after last treatment to start feeling decent but hemoglobin red blood cell counts may take 4 to 6 month to get to where they were before treatment. Neuropathy is common usually during or after treatments

    THANKS
    Thanks for the feedback, it is very helpfull.

    All the best to you in your recovery

    Mike
  • luv4lacrosse
    luv4lacrosse Member Posts: 1,410 Member
    #13
    HeartofSoul said:

    as with most chemo's and
    as with most chemo's and especially cisplatin, its accumulative. I had 20 treatments of cisplatin over a 10 week period (57 days) and after each rd (5 days a week every 2 weeks) it beocme more intense. Fatigue was at top of list, nausea, lost weight, hair, bowel irregularities, some joint pain, had 5 blood transfusions both red and platelets but no infections. WBC was between 1.5 and 6.0. My glands in eyes dried out, and blood pressure went to 78 over 39 causing heart pumping action to be affected which led to close monitoring of heart for about 3 days. Think of chemo as a gradual climb up a steep hill and rocks as the grade of hill becomes more vertical. allow 2 months after last treatment to start feeling decent but hemoglobin red blood cell counts may take 4 to 6 month to get to where they were before treatment. Neuropathy is common usually during or after treatments

    THANKS
    Thanks for the feedback, it is very helpfull.

    All the best to you in your recovery

    Mike
  • GreeneyedBeauty
    GreeneyedBeauty Member Posts: 2
    edited June 2018 #14
    To Mike

    Just read your post on Cisplatin dated Sept 2010. I am wondering if it worked for you? My husband is about to begin treatment of Cisplatin weeks 1,3 & 5 and radiation for 7-weeks. I certainly hope you are cancer free!

    Susan

  • GreeneyedBeauty
    GreeneyedBeauty Member Posts: 2
    edited June 2018 #15
    D Lewis said:

    Cisplatin
    Hi Mike

    I had the cisplatin three times, in weeks 1, 4 and 7 of my eight week course of radiation. Two day infusion, on Monday and Tuesday of the chemo week. I seemed to be sickest on day 3 after infusion, but felt lousy for six or seven days each time. Then I would have two good weeks before the next round of treatment. Each treatment, I felt worse than the one before. But I survived. Cisplatin is the "raging bull" of the chemo world.

    Deb

    Hi Deb,

    Hi Deb,

    My husband is about to begin Cisplatin for weeks 1,3 & 5 along with radiation for 7-weeks.  Did the treatment work for you, have you been cancer free?  I wish you a healthy & happy life!

    Susan

     

  • wbcgaruss
    wbcgaruss Member Posts: 2,274 Member
    #16
    GreeneyedBeauty said:

    To Mike

    Just read your post on Cisplatin dated Sept 2010. I am wondering if it worked for you? My husband is about to begin treatment of Cisplatin weeks 1,3 & 5 and radiation for 7-weeks. I certainly hope you are cancer free!

    Susan

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