Husband starts chemo on Monday - scared

Hi, Donna
Gosh, I'm sorry your husband is about to start this chemo thing. I know how tough it is to see someone you love go thru this. I am in the same place as you, tho my husband has completed his 11 treatments. The 12th was cancelled due to low blood counts. So, here I am trying to give you a brief overview of what to expect and I have only been on the sidelines, too.

However, I went with him every single time he had a treatment. He was in good health when he started the chemo. He was/is stage III, with one lymph node being affected. He had the 5 FU pump with Oxaliplatin every two weeks. He had minor side effects compared to some of the wonderful people on this board. Sensitivity to cold, jaw pain with the first bites of food, fatigue, and diarrhea. That was basically his sides, we were so fortunate not to have more. Some get nausea and weakness, pain in feet and hands, also. That's all from the Oxaliplatin. He had to stop the Oxal after the 9th treatment as his blood counts were not coming up enough even with the Neulasta injections (shots to help the blood counts rebuild).

Sure hope that your husband is as fortunate as mine was and has very few bad effects from the chemo. You didn't say what his "cocktail" will be, so I'm assuming he'll have the same. Sorry, I know nothing about the hospital you asked about. We were able to have treatments at our local hospital tho we did go to the James Cancer Center for a second opinion on the recommended treatments. This is a fight worth fighting! If you need to chat, feel free to mail me.
Sandy

SandyL said:

Hi, Donna
Gosh, I'm sorry your husband is about to start this chemo thing. I know how tough it is to see someone you love go thru this. I am in the same place as you, tho my husband has completed his 11 treatments. The 12th was cancelled due to low blood counts. So, here I am trying to give you a brief overview of what to expect and I have only been on the sidelines, too.

However, I went with him every single time he had a treatment. He was in good health when he started the chemo. He was/is stage III, with one lymph node being affected. He had the 5 FU pump with Oxaliplatin every two weeks. He had minor side effects compared to some of the wonderful people on this board. Sensitivity to cold, jaw pain with the first bites of food, fatigue, and diarrhea. That was basically his sides, we were so fortunate not to have more. Some get nausea and weakness, pain in feet and hands, also. That's all from the Oxaliplatin. He had to stop the Oxal after the 9th treatment as his blood counts were not coming up enough even with the Neulasta injections (shots to help the blood counts rebuild).

Sure hope that your husband is as fortunate as mine was and has very few bad effects from the chemo. You didn't say what his "cocktail" will be, so I'm assuming he'll have the same. Sorry, I know nothing about the hospital you asked about. We were able to have treatments at our local hospital tho we did go to the James Cancer Center for a second opinion on the recommended treatments. This is a fight worth fighting! If you need to chat, feel free to mail me.
Sandy

It is encouraging that your
It is encouraging that your husband is feeling better. Your husband will get sick from chemo but if his treatments work eventually he will start feeling alot better because the tumor shrinkage will take away alot of his symptoms as far as the illness goes. Personally my experience so far has been that I have had some bad days from the chemo and other days in between treatments when the chemo is not affecting me that much. On those days I feel better than I have felt in a very long time. I have probably had this illness for a very long time before diagnosis because on the days I feel better I feel better than I have felt in years. Your husband is not starting out 100% but he will probably get better with treatment. Some people get very sick during chemo and some have mild symptoms. Hopefully your husband will be the latter or atleast close to it. It`s no cake walk but nowdays they have plenty of drugs for nausea. Either way he will be alot better off than doing nothing and he will feel a heck of alot better if he goes into remission.

Eric (:.)

Round two chemo for me heading for third
It was the same for me scared to start but anxious as well, I had to wait 6 weeks after surgery to start chemo because the Avastan. Your body has to be healed to take that drug. I am on Folfox and avastan for treatment, you did not mention your husbands treatment. I can tell you that I have had two and the first I got sick for two days with nauseas and being tired, second time got better nausea drugs and stayed ahead of the nausea, with only one day of mild nausea and fatigue. The rest of the time I feel good! I have been to the lake with my family twice out on a boat, shopping with my daughter and doing some walking. I can tell you that in my cocktail they give me a steroid nausea medication iv first before the chemo. That will help for a couple of days and give you energy and make you hungry. Tell your husband to stay strong and fight through any side effects he may have and tell the Drs. because they can combat most every side effect. Speaking of side effects, I did have blisters on my lips that went away, a few mouth sores but they give you magic mouthwash to gargle. Cold sensitivity in fingers and mouth for a few days. I can tell you Donna that what helps me the most is for my husband to pray healing scripture with me, and to reassure me that he is in this fight with me! I don't know where you are with your beliefs but there is a great little book by Dodie Olsteen (Joel Olsteen's Mom) that she wrote regarding Healed of Cancer, you can order it through Joel Olsteen's website I believe, it is filled with her experience of being healed and it has 40 healing scripture to read with your husband. Good luck to you both, God Bless you, Patti

Sundanceh said:

OK, Le'ts Begin...
Hi, Donna

I'm right here beside you as we get starated. Everyone has already given you some pretty good advice. There will be good days and bad days. Sometimes, I felt OK the day of chemo and then the next 3 or 4 were rough, so I just napped and rested on those days. That's a good thing to do when he feels bad. Just roll with the punches and take it as it comes. The only thing that was harder for me, was I was working during the chemo treatments and felt so bad some days and wished I could have been at home.

The Oxy has the potential to really knock down the white blood counts and the blood platelets, so over time it's possible that his chemo schedule could be delayed until those counts rise up high enough. I started out every 2 weeks and at the end of the treatment it was every 2 Months. And then we just discontinued it due to its toxicity and the inability to get my body to response every 2 weeks that they wanted to give it to me. Just be aware of this and keep your doctors informed of your husband's side effects - do report them no matter how small - get it on the doctor's report. I only got in 8 of 12 treatments, my body just could not take it anymore. I've read others who are similar and others who have had a couple of more.

We're all here for you and I am praying for strength as you began another chapter in both of your journies. Stay strong and you can always talk to me if you need to.

I'm facing a crossroads in my journey right now and the last 5 weeks of waiting have been challenging, even for me. You are a good person and your husband is lucky to have you there with him.

All my best to the both of you and I'm in the fight with you.
-Craig

Strength
Donna:

You've gotten such caring and informed advice in the posts on this thread. I hope that advice has given you and your husband a degree of confidence that you can get through this part of his treatment and has given you some comfort in knowing that others who have had similar experiences have coped with the challenges.

I hope you will be kind to yourself and find it possible to relax (easier said than done, I know). As others have said, your husband is so lucky to have you to care for and about him.

Since Monday is your husband's (and your) first experience with chemo, you probably don't know what to expect or what to take. In my husband's case, his chemo was always in the morning. It was important for him to be well-hydrated when he went in; lots of liquids made it easier to place the needles and seemed to make him tolerate the treatment better. He was also encouraged to drink a lot of fluids for a couple of days after the treatment to flush his system of extra chemicals.

The nurses were wonderful at his treatment center. They answered our questions and watched him like a hawk during the whole procedure. The first time, I was allowed to sit with him throughout the treatment. This helped him stay calm and helped me stay calm, too. Our treatment center was very busy and it wasn't always possible for me to stay with him throughout the procedure. They had a pleasant waiting room for families and friends. Some people brought the patients to the treatment, got them settled and then ran errands.

The nurses joked that some of what they were giving him was "a nap in a bag." That meant that he slept through a lot of the treatment.

Our treatment center encouraged people to eat during the procedure. The only rule was that the food brought in could not have strong smells. I usually packed fresh fruit (strawberries, other berries, etc.), a mild sandwich or a thermos of soup, a power bar of some type and some V8 juice (I also brought a lunch for myself). My husband usually didn't eat everything I packed in his lunch bag but he almost always ate some of the lunch I prepared. The nurses encouraged him to eat. Keeping up with your nutrition is a big deal for chemotheraphy patients and the encouragement of the nurses and seeing that others getting treatment were eating, too, seemed to help my husband stay on track.

For those parts of the treatment when he didn't sleep, I always made sure he had his morning newspaper, a good book, and I loaded his IPOD with a wide variety of programs (comedy, news, music he likes, etc.) . I also loaded important family photographs on his IPOD, including pictures of our beloved family dog, Misty. I also took similar items to keep me busy. I did see a couple of people with small DVD players who watched movies and there were people in the waiting room who had laptops.

Perhaps others have other suggestions or insights on the chemotheraphy experience.

Donna, I'm so sorry your family is having to go through this. Getting stressed at times is inevitable for most of us, but there are ways to mitigate the stress and make the experience easier.

I'll be thinking of you and your husband on Monday.

Hatshepsut

P.S. I wrote you a note several days ago under the thread on this board titled "Reassurance." I don't know if you saw it, but if you didn't, just scroll down through the topics and it will eventually appear on your computer screen.

Hope it goes well
Donna,

I'll be praying that things are good for your husband on Monday. I hope he likes the new oncologist and does well with the chemo.

*hugs*
Gail

donnare said:

Thanks
Thanks everyone!
Haven't been on since I posted - tried to keep my husband busy all weekend so he didn't have to just sit and think about it. It is going to be a marathon day for him - tests, followed by meeting with the docs, followed by the chemo. Appreciate all the advice, support and prayers.

Thanks,
Donna

1st Treatment
Donna,

I'll be thinking of you and your husband today. I hope it is uneventful! Please let us know.

Hugs,

Kimby

donnare said:

Thanks - love all you semis
Hi everyone,

Thanks for your posts, prayers, good thoughts.

Long day, but all went well. He is getting the Folfox regime - Oxaliplatin with Leucovorin and 5FU push, and then a pump for 48 hrs. They will give him the Avastin next time - too close to surgery they said to give it to him yesterday. They are going to show me how to unhook the pump so he will only have to go up for the treatment day, and not again to be unhooked, since he plans to go back to work around 9/14 (IF - big IF, he can). It will probably be good for him, but we will see how it all goes. S**ks he will have to return to work, but life, mortgages, utilities, college tuition, etc., all go on in spite of cancer, don't they?

Yesterdays CT scan showed basically the same as the last - although they said one spot on liver may be a little bigger compared to the last CT. They didn't seem too concerned and the new oncologist was really nice and very positive. She was also very open, and actually helpful with regard to all the nutrition things we are trying to complement the chemo. We also found out from the surgeon that they took 26 lymph nodes and found cancer in 12. I initally thought that was good - less than half - but was told anything over 4 is not good. Still, they all say the goal is to get the cancer under control, shrink what is on the liver to get him to a possible re-section or other procedure, and if that is not possible, to live well with this like a "chronic" disease. Possibly some type of chemo for the rest of his life has been mentioned, but briefly, and we are hoping that the nutrition, prayer, juicing, meditation, etc., will wipe out the need for that option. Docs have been upbeat and positive, no time limits mentioned.

He did have the cold sensitivity when he drank a cold drink last night, but nothing else so far. He is wondering if the Oxy effects are just for the weeks you get the treatment, or if it lasts the whole time you are undergoing treatment - anyone? Doesn't it build up in your body - wouldn't that mean you have the side effects the whole time, and even for awhile after treatment? Trying to get him to post here - even set up an ID for him - but I guess he just isn't ready, so I am the conduit for now. It has been great for me to talk to you and read other posts and ask questions - I understand so much when we speak to the docs. Thank you all!

No other side effects so far, but thanks to this board and the wonderful (and I do mean wonderful - great club all you semis & caregivers) generous people here, I kind of know what to look for. Keepin our fingers - legs, arms, toes :-)))) crossed, but from what I have read here he probably will experience some in a few days. Like they kept saying yesterday "...everyone is different...all depends upon how he tolerates treatment....", just like you told me.

Hope you and your loved ones are all well.

Donna

1 st chemo here too and ours went........
I wanted to post this for anyone else who maybe facing their first day of chemo. For my husband the first time sure did have him and I scared,however,upon arriving our fears were quickly laid to rest. In his case,he only did a 2 1/2 hour push in short stay and was able to bring the 48 hour drip home,therefore,as I write,he is laying here at home with his drip going.
He is reciving FolFox 6 which is Oxalipatin(done on the push),Leucovorin(done on the push),a small bag of Fluorouracil(done on the push),then 48 hour drip of the Fluorouracil. The small bag was done to insure no reactions so when we came home we would know the odds of a toxic reaction were less than.001%.
Prior to any chemo drug going in his port they gave him a whooping dose of Zolpran which kept the upset stomache to little or nothing. He only got a little green around the gills once about half way through the Oxalipatin,which is the drug known to make you sick to your stomach,however,he did not throw up,and upon arriving home,within a half an hour,for the first time in a week said,"I'm Hungry". Best words I have heard in a long time. He was able to eat over half a burger and quite a few fry's. While most would tell you this is less than a healthy approach or diet,he has lost over 40lbs so his doctors said if he'll eat it,feed it to him.
We go for round two in two weeks. I know I came to these boards searching for answers on how others went through their first day,and I wanted to return the favor,and hopefully bring some comfort to another,as many here have comforted me.