How long does it take after Chemo (ABVD) to feel 'normal' ?

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PA_grandma
PA_grandma Member Posts: 48
in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1
My husband will be receiving his final (12th) ABVD chemo treatment this Friday, April 29th (also his 80th birthday, AND the Royal wedding). His PET scan after the 8th showed complete remission

I realize that everyone is different, but he keeps wanting to know... when will he stop being tired? When will his taste buds return? When will he no longer be short of breath?

The sharing of what others have experienced would be a great help!
Thanks,
Joyce

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  • scott72
    scott72 Member Posts: 11
    #2
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    Hi Joyce,
    So glad to hear
    Hi Joyce,
    So glad to hear your husbands almost through it. Your right everyone is different. Im not going to lie but it takes a little while. My first bit of advice is make sure to eat right. At the end of my treatment i was so worn from it i had no appetite. To get better you need all the energy you can get. Ensures are great. In a month or so you should see signs of improvement. They kinda go unrecognized but pretty soon he will start noticing he feels better. I had nerve damage to my hands and feet that i thought would never go away. About a year and a half later it was almost gone. It still acts up if i dont eat right. Hopefully that helps you some and tell your hubby i said congrats on his final treatment. Be patient it gets better!

    -Scott
  • PA_grandma
    PA_grandma Member Posts: 48
    #3
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    scott72 said:

    Hi Joyce,
    So glad to hear
    Hi Joyce,
    So glad to hear your husbands almost through it. Your right everyone is different. Im not going to lie but it takes a little while. My first bit of advice is make sure to eat right. At the end of my treatment i was so worn from it i had no appetite. To get better you need all the energy you can get. Ensures are great. In a month or so you should see signs of improvement. They kinda go unrecognized but pretty soon he will start noticing he feels better. I had nerve damage to my hands and feet that i thought would never go away. About a year and a half later it was almost gone. It still acts up if i dont eat right. Hopefully that helps you some and tell your hubby i said congrats on his final treatment. Be patient it gets better!

    -Scott

    Thanks, Scott
    I appreciate hearing what you've experienced, Scott.

    John (my husband) tried the Ensure, (yuck). He's switched to Carnation Instant breakfast. Not as many calories, but he can get it down and his weight is not TOO bad...at least the doctor is not yelling at him.

    Sorry about your nerve damage. That's one symptom John has missed. The breathing worries him, can't play his french horn anymore.

    We will TRY to be patient!
    Joyce
  • allmost60
    allmost60 Member Posts: 3,178 Member
    #4
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    When?/feeling better
    Hi Joyce,
    Thats great your husband is nearing the end of his treatment. I finished my 6th round of CVP-R on Dec 14th/2011 and I am still very tired. With that being said, some things have improved since then. I no longer have the numbness in my toes and fingers tips and I'm not as short of breath when doing my house work. Some days I wake up as tired as when I went to bed, but then other days I wake up feeling rested, but by mid afternoon my energy is zapped even if I've done very little that day to cause me to be tired.I am doing maint rituxan once evry other month, so that might still cause some tiredness for me. Each one of us is different and in my opinion one size just doesn't fit all. Tell your husband to take it one day at a time, eat healthy foods and incorporate a bit of exercise in his daily routine..(short walks) etc. I'm sure when his body realizes the worst is behind him he will start to feel better. I'll be thinking good thoughts for him. Best wishes...Sue (FNHL-2-3a-6/10)
  • PA_grandma
    PA_grandma Member Posts: 48
    #5
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    allmost60 said:

    When?/feeling better
    Hi Joyce,
    Thats great your husband is nearing the end of his treatment. I finished my 6th round of CVP-R on Dec 14th/2011 and I am still very tired. With that being said, some things have improved since then. I no longer have the numbness in my toes and fingers tips and I'm not as short of breath when doing my house work. Some days I wake up as tired as when I went to bed, but then other days I wake up feeling rested, but by mid afternoon my energy is zapped even if I've done very little that day to cause me to be tired.I am doing maint rituxan once evry other month, so that might still cause some tiredness for me. Each one of us is different and in my opinion one size just doesn't fit all. Tell your husband to take it one day at a time, eat healthy foods and incorporate a bit of exercise in his daily routine..(short walks) etc. I'm sure when his body realizes the worst is behind him he will start to feel better. I'll be thinking good thoughts for him. Best wishes...Sue (FNHL-2-3a-6/10)

    Good to hear, Sue
    Good to know what you're experiencing, Sue. Is it different with CVP-R and John's ABVD. Different drugs, different side effects?

    Yes, the short walks are on the to-do list. The supermarket aisles are a good excuse.

    Again, best wishes and thanks...
    Joyce
  • allmost60
    allmost60 Member Posts: 3,178 Member
    #6
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    PA_grandma said:

    Good to hear, Sue
    Good to know what you're experiencing, Sue. Is it different with CVP-R and John's ABVD. Different drugs, different side effects?

    Yes, the short walks are on the to-do list. The supermarket aisles are a good excuse.

    Again, best wishes and thanks...
    Joyce

    Yes different..
    Yes Joyce...CVP-R I think(?) is milder/not as harsh as ABVD.(Someone correct me if I'm wrong) The hardest part for me in my chemo cocktail was the Prednisone and Vincristine. I think the Cyclophosphimide is one of the old time drugs that has been around for years, so I'm sure it has it's fair share of hard side effects also. So far I'm handling the rituxan pretty good. I'll be on it for the next 2 years and I've only had 2 infusions thus far, so time will tell. Many here have done the R-maint and I'm hearing mostly good reports so that makes me happy. Thats what I love so much about this group...someone has been there and done that and they are always helpful in sharing their experience. Please keep us posted on how your husband progresses. Thinking good thoughts...Love...Sue (FNHL-2-3A-6/10)
  • PA_grandma
    PA_grandma Member Posts: 48
    #7
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    allmost60 said:

    Yes different..
    Yes Joyce...CVP-R I think(?) is milder/not as harsh as ABVD.(Someone correct me if I'm wrong) The hardest part for me in my chemo cocktail was the Prednisone and Vincristine. I think the Cyclophosphimide is one of the old time drugs that has been around for years, so I'm sure it has it's fair share of hard side effects also. So far I'm handling the rituxan pretty good. I'll be on it for the next 2 years and I've only had 2 infusions thus far, so time will tell. Many here have done the R-maint and I'm hearing mostly good reports so that makes me happy. Thats what I love so much about this group...someone has been there and done that and they are always helpful in sharing their experience. Please keep us posted on how your husband progresses. Thinking good thoughts...Love...Sue (FNHL-2-3A-6/10)

    I thought so...
    Sue, none of those meds are familiar to me. It sounds like quite a haul. I have read about the rituxan maintenance. Gosh, everyone has a large hill to climb.

    I will post follow up reports on John's condition. He'll get an additional PET scan in a few months... and we're also fighting a Prostate cancer, which according to the recent PSA test, is in remission.

    We've had a long life, and fifty years together. It would be nice to enjoy the years or months we have left under relatively pleasant conditions.
    Joyce
  • truckingalong
    truckingalong Member Posts: 445 Member
    #8
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    PA_grandma said:

    I thought so...
    Sue, none of those meds are familiar to me. It sounds like quite a haul. I have read about the rituxan maintenance. Gosh, everyone has a large hill to climb.

    I will post follow up reports on John's condition. He'll get an additional PET scan in a few months... and we're also fighting a Prostate cancer, which according to the recent PSA test, is in remission.

    We've had a long life, and fifty years together. It would be nice to enjoy the years or months we have left under relatively pleasant conditions.
    Joyce

    Take time to rest and recover
    Joyce,

    I too have hodgkins and had ABVD of 12 treatments - last one in Jan. Now I am feeling more alert. My taste in food gets better. I still get tired if I run around too much but that is becuz I lost all of my muscle tone so I am trying to gain them back through exercising. That activity surely makes me tired but it is good.

    Good luck to your hubby getting his strength back.

    Blessings,
    Liz
  • PA_grandma
    PA_grandma Member Posts: 48
    #9
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    truckingalong said:

    Take time to rest and recover
    Joyce,

    I too have hodgkins and had ABVD of 12 treatments - last one in Jan. Now I am feeling more alert. My taste in food gets better. I still get tired if I run around too much but that is becuz I lost all of my muscle tone so I am trying to gain them back through exercising. That activity surely makes me tired but it is good.

    Good luck to your hubby getting his strength back.

    Blessings,
    Liz

    Thanks Liz
    Good to hear how another ABVD person is doing...thanks, Liz

    John expects to be his old self again quickly. I just want him to know the reality and not get discouraged. Yes, lack of activity will be a big factor. His shortness of breath is what worries him the most. Some days.... just standing up or walking a few steps... he has to put his head down on a table for several minutes to recover. They discontinued the Bleomycin mid way through therapy because of this symptom. I just HOPE the lung damage isn't permanent.

    Joyce
  • nickydog
    nickydog Member Posts: 76
    #10
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    PA_grandma said:

    Thanks Liz
    Good to hear how another ABVD person is doing...thanks, Liz

    John expects to be his old self again quickly. I just want him to know the reality and not get discouraged. Yes, lack of activity will be a big factor. His shortness of breath is what worries him the most. Some days.... just standing up or walking a few steps... he has to put his head down on a table for several minutes to recover. They discontinued the Bleomycin mid way through therapy because of this symptom. I just HOPE the lung damage isn't permanent.

    Joyce

    My daughter finished ABVD on
    My daughter finished ABVD on March 17th. She is doing very well, but the last couple of days she has been complaining of a stomach ache and is saying she has "gas". Does anyone know if this is normal? I am a bit worried/concerned as would be expected. While she was taking her treatments she did feel some stomach discomfort like she is feeling now. If there is anyone out there who have experienced anything like this I would be happy to hear from you. We are waiting on a PET scan, but she will be returning to work on Monday. Her CT scan showed what her doctor suspects is scar tissue but the PET scan will tell for sure if it is scar or if there is activer cancer cells.
  • truckingalong
    truckingalong Member Posts: 445 Member
    #11
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    nickydog said:

    My daughter finished ABVD on
    My daughter finished ABVD on March 17th. She is doing very well, but the last couple of days she has been complaining of a stomach ache and is saying she has "gas". Does anyone know if this is normal? I am a bit worried/concerned as would be expected. While she was taking her treatments she did feel some stomach discomfort like she is feeling now. If there is anyone out there who have experienced anything like this I would be happy to hear from you. We are waiting on a PET scan, but she will be returning to work on Monday. Her CT scan showed what her doctor suspects is scar tissue but the PET scan will tell for sure if it is scar or if there is activer cancer cells.

    after effects
    Yes, my onc stopped the Bleomycin when my lung function capacity went down 15% and could feel the discomfort in my throat. I noticed when I am real tired, I feel more discomfort and pain in my body so rest, rest, rest. Also gas in my tummy - the less fat the better which I think contributes to this factor. The gas was worse during treatments. Now little better. I do have "thunderclap headaches" with head noise - part of that came from reaction to Kytril the anti nausea drug - thank god I don't use it anymore. Now my headaches are less. They can get worse if I don't rest or nap. Once a while I had stomachaches... Nickydog, how was Pet scan result? Hope there is no scar nor cancer there. Positive thoughts sending my way.

    Liz

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