few effects w/ ABVD

positive

Is there anyone out there who had minimal side effects from Chemo (ABVD) A lot of people seem to have a rough time with it. My dad has had his 3rd treatment, he lost his hair and feels fatigue 5 days after treatment. He has not gotten nausea, they give him kytril, which seems to work. I hope he continues to tolerated his effects.

truejoy8

Absolutely. I had 6 months of ABVD treatment starting last May and I was really lucky as far as side effects. My hair thinned quite a bit but I cut it short and was able to go without a wig. I was nauseus and tired for anywhere from 2-5 days afterwards but I had good preventative meds. Ativan and Compazine worked to stop my nausea but everyone has to keep trying stuff till they find one that works for them. I'm glad your dad's doing well. And this may just be me, but I found I kinda got used to feeling sick after so it wasn't so bad after a while. I was able to do things I normally do.

The MOST important thing is his attitude! I tried to stay positive and happy with my life. That doesn't mean I didn't ever cry or get upset or scared, you gotta do that too. However the focus of my life was not the cancer. I would live my life around it like it was no big deal. Sometimes I would even forget about it. I didn't let it change who I am and I didn't lock myself up away from the world.

I think it's wonderfull that your dad is doing well with his treatments. And I'm sure that having caring and supportive family like you helps a lot. If you ever have any questions or want to talk feel free to email me. Much love to you.

lolobean

I had very few effects, I had 8 cycles, my hair got very thin, but never really fell out. I felt no nasuea, had a great appetite, just a little tired.

sherra

I had 6 cycles of ABVD with few side effects too. I lost MOST of my hair and was tired all the time but thats about as bad as it really got. The doc gave me drugs to counter-act most of the side effects which I'm sure was the reason I experienced so few. I did have an upset stomach a few times but it was not nearly as bad as what I had expected.

winsted_man

I am 3 1/2 cycles through a 6 cycle treatment. To be honest I am very lucky with side effects being at a minimal. I have not lost my hair. The only thing that is my biggest side effect is the fatigue.

karieallen

I had 8 total treatments of ABVD in year 2000.. I didn't get nauseous (as in throwing up) not once...I did lose 75% of my hair, however which was the biggest side effect...and I did get tired.
I had one very odd side effect: my sense of smell got VERY good...it is still very good even years after treatment..
so anyway, my body tolerated the chemo very well, it also responded very well to the treatment.. so well my doc reduced the number of chemo treatments by 1/3..it was the first time he had ever done that in 20 years of practice... I'll keep my fingers crossed for your dad to continue tolerate the treatment.