From colon to liver and then lung (stage iv)

ccpm1960

My father-inlaw was dignosed with stage iv colon cancer when i took him for a thorough checkup in May 2006. He complained of discomfort and insisted it was just gastric pains. He did not tell us he was passing bloody stools as he thought it was his piles acting up again. On x-rays taken on his chest, found that his right lung has water. Had a colonoscopy found a huge tumor blocking the colon. A resection was done during surgery.
Now on third week of oral chemo - Xeloda 3000mg a day. Only feeling more tired each day but his appetite is really good - he eats almost 7 meals a day and even wakes up at 4am to say he's hungry again. Is this normal?

KathiM

Normal is different for each and every one of us. I used to beat myself up because others were returning to work on chemo day, and all I could do was go home and sleep....
If he is on steroids for the nausea, that can cause appetite, or his colon could be working more now that that nasty tumor is gone....
I made a list of things for my onc visits...so that I could make sure we were on the right track...
I wish all I had was a feeling of tired...both my chemo routines were nightmares!
Hugs, Kath
P.s. BUT I DID survive them, and am currently NED....

vinny3

I may have missed something. Did his scans show mets in liver and lungs and how old is he?

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ccpm1960

vinny3 said:

I may have missed something. Did his scans show mets in liver and lungs and how old is he?

****

Yes, mets in both liver and lungs. Age is 71years. Any idea if Xeloda prescribe 3000mg per day is mild - if yes, can cancer cell mutate!

mindy10

ccpm1960 said:

Yes, mets in both liver and lungs. Age is 71years. Any idea if Xeloda prescribe 3000mg per day is mild - if yes, can cancer cell mutate!

My dad had mets to his lungs and his lung filled with fluid also. He tried Xeloda and it did nothing for him his tumors kept growing but that does not mean this will happen to your father in-law because every person is different. He was also on 3000mg per day. My dad lost his fight to colon cancer two weeks ago. I believe he gave up once his lungs filled up because he only lived 2 1/2 months after that. Again that does not mean this will happen to your family my dad stopped eatiing and didnt want to fight anymore. If you need to talk please email me. Mindy

lfondots63

Hi,

I want to say that I have good days eating and bad on my regiment (folfox). It is good he is eating. Is he only on the Xeloda? No premeds or other medications? The tiredness is a result of the chemo. My new normal is naps. Helps me get through the day. I know that I felt so much better after my tumor was out since it was almost blocking my colon. I couldn't eat very much at all. It just might be that now he is able to eat with no discomfort. Make sure he drinks a lot of water too to wash out the chemo. Take care.

Lisa

Betsydoglover

ccpm1960 said:

Yes, mets in both liver and lungs. Age is 71years. Any idea if Xeloda prescribe 3000mg per day is mild - if yes, can cancer cell mutate!

Re: Xeloda dosage.

Chemo drugs are initially dosed based on a (to me) wierd formula involving body mass - involves height, weight and the square root of something, I think! I was initially on 4000mg/day (divided into two doses). After 3 cycles this was reduced to 3000mg/ day for the remaining 3 cycles. So, I think this sounds like a fairly normal dose.

Is this the only chemo or are there other drugs also being given?

Take care,
Betsy

ccpm1960

lfondots63 said:

Hi,

I want to say that I have good days eating and bad on my regiment (folfox). It is good he is eating. Is he only on the Xeloda? No premeds or other medications? The tiredness is a result of the chemo. My new normal is naps. Helps me get through the day. I know that I felt so much better after my tumor was out since it was almost blocking my colon. I couldn't eat very much at all. It just might be that now he is able to eat with no discomfort. Make sure he drinks a lot of water too to wash out the chemo. Take care.

Lisa

He had resection done on his colon on May 22. Discharged June 1. Saw the oncologist on June 16 and since then have been on oral Xeloda - 1500mg (twice daily). Also given drug to stop nausea (a tablet 3 times a day). He will be going to see the oncologist again on July 14 that would mean he would have been on Xeloda for 3 weeks.
He looks ok so far just a little more tired. Gone back to his hometown for a week to attend to some personal things and should be back on July 11 to stay with me.
They will be taking a blood test prior to seeing the oncologist. I was told if there is no change after taking Xeloda, he might be given Oxaliplatin too.
What do you mean by cycles when taking chemo treatment? What's the length of days each time?

The1Energy

Dear, CCPM,

I have to laugh at your situation. I'm a 6 yr, survivor of colon cancer and my appetiite was nowhere near what your father has. In fact, it was a lot less. A good appetite is a sign that he's feeling well enough to eat - even if its a lot. Think of him as a new born baby that need to feed often. If he stops eating.... then you should worry...

Good luck
Hugs & Hope,
Gerald

ccpm1960

mindy10 said:

My dad had mets to his lungs and his lung filled with fluid also. He tried Xeloda and it did nothing for him his tumors kept growing but that does not mean this will happen to your father in-law because every person is different. He was also on 3000mg per day. My dad lost his fight to colon cancer two weeks ago. I believe he gave up once his lungs filled up because he only lived 2 1/2 months after that. Again that does not mean this will happen to your family my dad stopped eatiing and didnt want to fight anymore. If you need to talk please email me. Mindy

Dear Mindy, I am so sorry to learn about your dad. How long was he suffering from colon cancer before it spread to his lungs? In my father-inlaws case, it was already stage iv when he found out. He had 1.25 litres of fluid from his lung when he found difficulty in breathing.

ccpm1960

Betsydoglover said:

Re: Xeloda dosage.

Chemo drugs are initially dosed based on a (to me) wierd formula involving body mass - involves height, weight and the square root of something, I think! I was initially on 4000mg/day (divided into two doses). After 3 cycles this was reduced to 3000mg/ day for the remaining 3 cycles. So, I think this sounds like a fairly normal dose.

Is this the only chemo or are there other drugs also being given?

Take care,
Betsy

Hi Betsy how are you doing? My dad-inlaw had taken only been taking Xeloda for the past 3 weeks. Thank God he did not suffer from any side effects. In three days time he will be seeing the oncologist to know how he's progressing. I am not sure whether he will be introduced to a new chemo drug. What chemo drugs are you on?