Doxil making mum poorly.

Mum2bellaandwilliam
Mum2bellaandwilliam Member Posts: 412
edited March 2011 in Ovarian Cancer #1
God , when is she gong to catch a break hey, she was almost in tears on the phone this morning.
The doxil has made mum feel really rough, she says she feels like she has the flu.
Has anyone else felt like this on doxil , and how long did it last after each infusion?
It seems most people tolerate doxil quite well ( except Tina!) god all migthy give her a break please, thankyou!!!

Comments

  • Tina Brown
    Tina Brown Member Posts: 1,036 Member
    Hello Mum2bellawilliam
    Yes you are quite right Doxil / Caelyx made me really ill. It was just like I had been poisoned, I felt so nauseous. I eventually got some strong anti-sick tablets - Cyclizine and Ondansetron which did the trick. Once I was on these anti-sick meds I began to feel a little better.

    However, I was taken into hospital whilst still on it with a high temperature and the doctor realised it wasn't working for me because I had fluid build up around my lungs. So they took me off it and put me back on carbo/taxol.

    Tina x
  • Mum2bellaandwilliam
    Mum2bellaandwilliam Member Posts: 412

    Hello Mum2bellawilliam
    Yes you are quite right Doxil / Caelyx made me really ill. It was just like I had been poisoned, I felt so nauseous. I eventually got some strong anti-sick tablets - Cyclizine and Ondansetron which did the trick. Once I was on these anti-sick meds I began to feel a little better.

    However, I was taken into hospital whilst still on it with a high temperature and the doctor realised it wasn't working for me because I had fluid build up around my lungs. So they took me off it and put me back on carbo/taxol.

    Tina x

    The ascites is back as well.
    :( spoke to mum this morning and the fluid is back, she rang the hospital waiting for a call back , I hope they will drain it for her, I know they don't like to do anything invasive while you are on chemo. Please god let her ha e a break.
  • Rookerbird
    Rookerbird Member Posts: 100

    The ascites is back as well.
    :( spoke to mum this morning and the fluid is back, she rang the hospital waiting for a call back , I hope they will drain it for her, I know they don't like to do anything invasive while you are on chemo. Please god let her ha e a break.

    Keeping your mom in my thoughts
    Keeping your mom in my thoughts and prayers today. Hopefully the hospital will drain the fluid for her.

    I've had three rounds of Doxil, and did not experience flu-like symptoms. Sorry your mom has felt lousy. :( I had short-lived nausea after one Doxil infusion, and took Zofran for that. Been dealing with redness of the hands and had a one-week delay because of that.

    Hope your mom (and you) get a reprieve from bad news/feeling bad.
  • Mum2bellaandwilliam
    Mum2bellaandwilliam Member Posts: 412

    Keeping your mom in my thoughts
    Keeping your mom in my thoughts and prayers today. Hopefully the hospital will drain the fluid for her.

    I've had three rounds of Doxil, and did not experience flu-like symptoms. Sorry your mom has felt lousy. :( I had short-lived nausea after one Doxil infusion, and took Zofran for that. Been dealing with redness of the hands and had a one-week delay because of that.

    Hope your mom (and you) get a reprieve from bad news/feeling bad.

    Thanks rookerbird, she os
    Thanks rookerbird, she is booked in at 10.00 tomorrow morning to have the fluid drained , this should make her feel a lot more comfortable, it just seems like it is relentless, I hope the doxil works for her she needs a break !
  • Tina Brown
    Tina Brown Member Posts: 1,036 Member

    Thanks rookerbird, she os
    Thanks rookerbird, she is booked in at 10.00 tomorrow morning to have the fluid drained , this should make her feel a lot more comfortable, it just seems like it is relentless, I hope the doxil works for her she needs a break !

    Keeping my fingers crossed
    Keeping my fingers crossed for your mum. Let us know how she gets on xxxxxx Hope they manage to drain it all off. Is it in her tummy or around her lungs?
  • Rookerbird
    Rookerbird Member Posts: 100

    Thanks rookerbird, she os
    Thanks rookerbird, she is booked in at 10.00 tomorrow morning to have the fluid drained , this should make her feel a lot more comfortable, it just seems like it is relentless, I hope the doxil works for her she needs a break !

    How's Your Mom?
    Hope the draining helped her feel better. Please tell her I had three rounds of Doxil and another CT last week, and the tumors have shrunk by three-fourths! Praying Doxil works for her too.

    Kathy
  • Mum2bellaandwilliam
    Mum2bellaandwilliam Member Posts: 412

    How's Your Mom?
    Hope the draining helped her feel better. Please tell her I had three rounds of Doxil and another CT last week, and the tumors have shrunk by three-fourths! Praying Doxil works for her too.

    Kathy

    Thanks Kathy, I will let her
    Thanks Kathy, I will let her know, that Is great news I hope she has the same success.
    Tina , I ve been away for a week , but she had to go in again this morning , to have the fluid drained. The onc didn't seem to worried, and has said to wait until the next treatment to see if It stops the build up.I am not sure about the lung question , I did ask her if it felt like it was in her lungs about a week ago , I remembered what you had said about it before, she said she was slightly short of breath , but her tummy was huge, and she said she thought it was only because of that. If the onc thought it was in her lung would they say? She has only had her baselines scan , and the fluid was not there then.

    Liz x
  • Beth68
    Beth68 Member Posts: 4
    Dixol was the worst. I was
    Dixol was the worst. I was only able to do one treatment. I threw up and had mouth sores in mouth and down throat. Im back on taxol and it took me about a month to get straightened out from it
  • Beth68
    Beth68 Member Posts: 4
    Dixol was the worst. I was
    Dixol was the worst. I was only able to do one treatment. I threw up and had mouth sores in mouth and down throat. Im back on taxol and it took me about a month to get straightened out from it
  • Beth68
    Beth68 Member Posts: 4
    Dixol was the worst. I was
    Dixol was the worst. I was only able to do one treatment. I threw up and had mouth sores in mouth and down throat. Im back on taxol and it took me about a month to get straightened out from it
  • Beth68
    Beth68 Member Posts: 4
    Dixol was the worst. I was
    Dixol was the worst. I was only able to do one treatment. I threw up and had mouth sores in mouth and down throat. Im back on taxol and it took me about a month to get straightened out from it
  • Rookerbird
    Rookerbird Member Posts: 100
    Beth68 said:

    Dixol was the worst. I was
    Dixol was the worst. I was only able to do one treatment. I threw up and had mouth sores in mouth and down throat. Im back on taxol and it took me about a month to get straightened out from it

    Beth...
    Sorry to hear this. My nurse says Doxil's effect do vary tremendously. There are patients who have just one treatment, then patients who've tolerated 15. Hope Taxol works well for you.
  • LaundryQueen
    LaundryQueen Member Posts: 676

    Beth...
    Sorry to hear this. My nurse says Doxil's effect do vary tremendously. There are patients who have just one treatment, then patients who've tolerated 15. Hope Taxol works well for you.

    In the future
    Probably not in my lifetime, but in the future, patients will be tested for their genetic differences in detoxification of the various medications especially chemotherapeutic agents.

    The technology already exists and is being used in a limited way but is way too expensive to implement routinely.

    There is something in grapefruit juice (naringin) that blocks one important detox pathway in the liver (the CYP3A enzymes, part of the P450 enzyme family) and I shied away from it when I was on chemo (just in case it made a difference).

    Wouldn't it be nice to know in advance whether or not your body can handle a drug instead of just guessing? For all the science behind modern medicine, there is a lot of trial and error still going on that causes untold suffering. Sigh...
  • LPack
    LPack Member Posts: 645
    doxil
    Doxil has been working for me. I did have 8 treatments and then my last treatment which was March 28th I had a CA125 taken. It is up to 43 - so above normal. Had CT scan this morning and will see my doctor April 25th for exam and then suppose to have #10 doxil treatment.

    But since I am on a clinical trial IF I show evidence that the disease is progressing the trial will be over. I have had a clean CT scan the last two times - I am sure if anything is going on it will show. My physical exam does confirm that 1 cm tumor in sigmoid junction everytime.

    And this last time, I had severe stomach issues with doxil. Doxil does effect the mucous membrane which is not only your nose and throat, but also your internal organs and genital and anus areas. This time I think my total insides was burnt with the Doxil. And you know I don't complain much and I have a high tolerance of pain. ☺

    It probably has been cumulative for me as I have not experienced any side effects that have not been managable. This time was different.

    Guess my body is saying enough is enough!

    Living for Eternity,
    Libby