Oxiplatin side effects

janbopuck

My step son (age 32) surgery was diagnosed with rectal cancer Jan. 2, started Oxiplatin and radiation, had surgery April 15th, now has iliostomy. Has had 6 chemo treatments of Oxiplatin post surgery. After the 5th he started experiencing a gag reflex. Dr. advised if it continued after the 6th, he would stop treatment, and it has happened again. He was supposed to have 8 treatments administered once every 3 weeks. Anyone else with this symptom? What should we do now? He is also taking Xeloda.He is VERY bummed that he cannot complete treatments.

shmurciakova

Maybe the doctor is concerned it is an allergic reaction to the drug. I never had Oxaliplatanin (sp?) but I have heard of folks being allergic to it. I suggest that you ask the oncologist if 6 treatments will still be effective and/or if your son can switch to a different treatment. I was on a drug called Camptosar/Irinotecan along with Xeloda. Perhaps they will take a wait and see approach at this point. I guess it all depends on whether he is NED at this point or still has tumors present.
Make sure to ask the doctor all of your questions!
Good luck to him. He is not alone. There are alot of us "youngins" on here.
-Susan (diagnosed at 31, now 36!)

vinny3

I have had 4 cycles of it. Does anything in particular trigger the gag response. I get some heartburn type feeling in the center of the chest and stomach, esp the first week. What stage is he at?

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CAMaura

Well, I didn't have that symptom...but a few others: scary tongue swelling, blood pressure spikes, rash -- just to name a few. It is hard stuff, and our bodies tell us when they have had their fill. Mine was telling me and i stopped early -- NO REGRETS! I would tell him NOT to feel bad; instead, he can finish with the other stuff and start a GREAT nutritional program to detox his system (very important!) and stay cancer free. It sounds so funny, but it is incredibly empowering to take the control away from the drugs and accept the responsibility for keeping yourself (or at least trying to) healthy. I hope he doesn't feel bad. Accepting chemo is not a competition; if we do it, we can only take what our bodies allow. Again, Oxy is nasty stuff. All the best to both of you - Maura

pepperdog

My husband is in the middle of 6th Oxy treatment. His older sister just finished 12 of same in early April. During her 2nd treatment, she had a similar allergic experience that made her feel like she couldn't breathe...they gave her a drug to counter the reaction and before each subsequent treatment, they gave her something to avoid another reaction. She was able to finish all 12 treatments. Since they were familiar with her case, they started my husband on the same routine and he's had no similar reaction. He takes a benedryl orally, along with meds to prevent nausea. There may be another antiallergen he's taking, but I'm not sure. Let the doctor know how important finishing the treatments is to the patient and ask if there's an alternative to counter the reaction. Oxy is strong stuff, but I know there are things they can do to help the patient's tolerance, and your patient is young; that's a plus for him.
Pepperdog

victory10

Oxiliplatin
Thanks for all the comments on Oxiplatin...it gives me more amunition to stand up for my body's right to tone down the amount of Oxiplatin given to it. 2 out of 37 lymph nodes tested positive so I decided to go through the treatment but I know now that they don't have to blast my body as if there are lots of lymph nodes affected. I really believe that God used the doctor to remove the cancerous mass but i'm going through this process and learning so much Its been a blessing in disquise to allow me to share that 'cancer is not a death sentence....Just one more in this army to slay that giant!!!!