R-CHOP peeps

truckingalong said:

Treat his sensitive stomach gently
Hi, Whitney,

I just had 10th chemo (2 more to go) and find that my stomach is more sensitive to hard, uncooked or spicy foods. I prefer well cooked stuff - no fresh veg and fruits. My onc told me to now take Prilosec twice a day instead of mornings - I take the second pill before dinner and that helps. Well, I could say more but I don't know specifically how he eats.. let me know if I can help with your questions. Hope he feels better.

Liz
(HL-4-8/10, REMISSION)

Prilosec
FWIW, I have to ask if simple antacids wouldn't help. I think that's a lot of Prilosec to be taking. I'm not medically qualified but my experience with taking Prilosec every day without the 14-day regimen really did a job on me and I often wonder if it might have brought on my Stage One B-cell NHL. I'd get another opinion on that much use of Prilosec.

bobmcghee said:

Final leg
Liz,

These treatments are like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer, it feels much better when you stop. My 8th and last r-chop was supposed to be on 11-17-10 but the doctor said since my pet scan after the 6th treatment was good he decided to skip the last one. It was nice because I got to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and every meal since except for some that I cooked. Things will get better.
Thinking of you,
Bob

Thanks for the good wishes
Bob, Sue and Leslie -

I realize I had not the chance to say thanks here - so here it is for your positive thoughts and wishes when I had the last 2 chemo. That helped me get through those times. They are DONE!!! I am starting to feel better, yayy!! But I am real tired and know that I have to build up muscle back again - eat and exercise more. Look forward to be more alert then.

Liz

Singing the praises of R-CHOP
Sorry, that's a bit over the top, but I give it credit for saving my life. After four sessions at age 81 and five months later I swear I have never felt better. It wasn't exactly a walk in the park but with less than a dozen bad days out of 120, the odds were good, particularly when pain and discomfort gets easily forgotten.

Redwood2020 said:

R-Chop and Methotrexate

I have primary breast lymphoma DLBCL and have had two cyclys or R-Chop and 1 of intrathecal Methotrexate. I sure did not do well with it and wound up admitted to hospital with severe headache, Kidney infection and elevated Liver function enzymes. I really felt as bad as I ever have. Has anyone else had these things. The headache seems permanent, but hoping it will resolve. i am wondering if dosages are ever adjusted or will the next 4 cycles be a repeat of this one. 

Hi Redwood,

Hi Redwood,

I would encourage you to discuss your side effects with your medical team. The intrathecal methotrexate can cause headaches, and you should let them know so that they take extra care in measuring what amount of CSF they draw out before injecting. You may also want to be extra careful about laying down flat for a couple of hours after the injection.

Regarding the kidney infection, maybe make sure you increase your water intake and keep it up throughout treatment - and even after it is over.

The up side of things is that not all cycles are the same, and although effects are generally known to be cumulative (i.e., increasing with each cycle), in fact you may well find that the first couple of cycles are the most impressive, and thereafter you get into a routine.

One last note: the prednisone - which many complain about - is a constitutive part of your treatment, and however unpleasant its side effects, it must be taken as prescribed. After all, what are five days in a month? ;-)

Hang in there - this will be over sooner than it may seem from where you are now.

PBL

(Primary bone fNHL - Dx 01/2016 - R-CHOP 03-06/2016 - Maintenance Ritux 08/2016-04/2018 - currently in remission)

PBL said:

Hi Redwood,

Hi Redwood,

I would encourage you to discuss your side effects with your medical team. The intrathecal methotrexate can cause headaches, and you should let them know so that they take extra care in measuring what amount of CSF they draw out before injecting. You may also want to be extra careful about laying down flat for a couple of hours after the injection.

Regarding the kidney infection, maybe make sure you increase your water intake and keep it up throughout treatment - and even after it is over.

The up side of things is that not all cycles are the same, and although effects are generally known to be cumulative (i.e., increasing with each cycle), in fact you may well find that the first couple of cycles are the most impressive, and thereafter you get into a routine.

One last note: the prednisone - which many complain about - is a constitutive part of your treatment, and however unpleasant its side effects, it must be taken as prescribed. After all, what are five days in a month? ;-)

Hang in there - this will be over sooner than it may seem from where you are now.

PBL

(Primary bone fNHL - Dx 01/2016 - R-CHOP 03-06/2016 - Maintenance Ritux 08/2016-04/2018 - currently in remission)

encouragement

Thank you! Sorry for the delay, but am still learning how to use the site. Your words were wise and my last session was not as bad. After another trip to hospital my headache was resloved and now I have a rescue option that has given me great relief. It is easier to face the rest of the chemo sessions when you have some level of contro.

I am glad you are in remission!

 

Redwood2020 said:

IT methotrexate

I wound up in hospital again with that headache, but the person in charge tried Fiorecet, Reglan, and Magnesium which dialed down the headache in an hour. I am able to use it at home how and it put me in control of the headach that came after the last IT treatment. I am so relieved that I don't have to spend another two weeks in bed with a headache. Perhaps I have gone through my crisis of chemo early and now everyone know my weak spots. It is easier to face the next three, knowing that problems can be sloved before they become crisis worthy. Thanks for your encouragement!

Great news!

So glad that something helped. Halfway there, which is almost done!

R-EPOCH and R-CHOP

I was recently diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.  I really enjoyed reading the experiences of others after my diagnosis, so I wanted to be sure I posted my experience as well.  To that end, I created a blog (http://www.pandemiccancerfighter.com/).  I recognize that some people may enjoy reading all those individual details, but most people just want the cliff notes version, so here are the cliff's notes:

As I write this (8/13/2020), I am on day 20 of my sixth (and expected to be final) round of chemo. I was initially diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma on March 17th after visiting the Dr. about a swollen lump in my neck. For the record, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic the week prior (March 11th). I had several diagnostic tests to get a better understanding of my cancer and how best to treat it. This included a bone marrow biopsy, PET/CT scan, and echocardiogram. In addition, I needed a surgery to obtain a better biopsy vs. relying solely on the results from the fine needle aspiration.

The initial pathology indicated “Burkitt” lymphoma. This is an aggressive cancer, so I was started on a chemo regimen known as “R-EPOCH”. Several of the drugs in this regimen are given over 96 hours. In my case, I did not have to stay at a hospital or oncology office, but was provided a pump to receive the chemo. I had an appointment each day to refill the pump until the infusion was complete. As the pathology and test results of my case came in, it was recognized that my cancer was likely a “Burkitt-like” cancer, but not Burkitt lymphoma. As a result, I switched to a R-CHOP regimen instead of R-EPOCH. This had similar drugs, but was provided in one day as opposed to the 96 hour infusion. In addition to chemo, I was provided a “pegfilgrastim” shot after each round of R-EPOCH. This shot encourages your immune system to create white blood cells. Unfortunately, it also causes “bone-pain” for several people (myself included). For me, this generally started around 4 days after the shot and lasted 2-3 days. It was uncomfortable, but manageable with acetaminophen. I was happy to have the immune system support, but also happen to not need the shot under the R-CHOP regimen. Both of these regimens had a cycle length of 21 days.

Overall, I had similar side-effects from both R-EPOCH and R-CHOP. The oncology group has the side-effect management system down and provides several pre-meds ahead of treatment. As a result, I never felt nauseous to the point of throwing up. The worst of my side effects seemed to occur around days 5, 6, and 7. I have a hard time putting the feeling during this time into words. In general, I would feel a little fatigued and just sort-of “out of it”. This included feelings of anxiety, and apathy. I continued to work through treatment. I was fortunate enough to have the ability to work from home. In fact, all of my co-workers were working from home as well due to the global pandemic. During the worst days of treatment, I was well enough to work, it was just a bit harder to concentrate. During the last 2 cycles, I took 2 days off in this post treatment week, just to make it easier and to have extra time to hang out with the kids (this was summer break, after all). Once my treatment was done for a cycle (day 5), I would only need weekly visits to the oncologist to change my PICC line dressing until the next cycle started. My PICC lane gave me a lot of trouble. My skin reacted to the chloraprep used in the dressing changes and was a constant battle.

My lymphoma was caught early enough that it was still considered “stage 1” (a rarity when it comes to non-hodgkin’s lymphoma). As a result, I had a new PET scan completed after my 2 cycles of R-EPOCH. The results showed a complete response. I have one additional “post-treatment” scan scheduled 4 weeks after the final treatment. As long as that scan is clear, I would only have 3, 6, 9, and 12 month follow up appointments assuming there are no new symptoms.

All the best,

Randy

Your Diagnosis

Hi Randy,

I am glad everything is going well for you so far. I love reading some of the things that you had on your site. Very detailed and insightful! It brings back a lot of memories. I just finished up 2-R-CHOP back in March for Large Diffuse B-Cell. I was lucky that I didn't have to get the shot for my white blood cells. The bone pain worried me and they told me if you take Claritin with it that it helps. I am not sure if anyone else had heard this but it couldn't hurt to give it a shot. 

 

John

R-CHOP, Methotrexate, Radiation, PTSD

In 2010 was diagnosed with agressive DLBCL in my knee (femur bone) and received 6 cycles of dose-dense R-CHOP (every 2 weeks) and 3 cycles of Intrathecal Methotrexate. Also radiation. I was cured in 2010. However, I spent the next 3 years in a fog, the following 4 years trying to get my bearings, and the past 3 years with crippling PTSD from my cancer year 10 years ago! I am completely cured and do not expect a relapse, but my life has never been the same and I have found it hard to find a survivors group. Anyone have any suggestions?