oxaliplatin and 5FU - what to expect?

menang

My brother was diagnosed with Peritoneal Carcimatosis and starts chemo next week - can anybody give me a heads up on the side effects of this chemo regimen? We have been warned about his cold sensitivity, but nothing else.

Thanks for the help!

neverquit

I don't know about the
I don't know about the oxaliplatin, but my husband (battled stomach cancer) did have the 5FU (5 days on a pump for each chemo session). Watch for the mouth sores (rinse with the salt and baking soda regimen they hopefully gave him) and have Ulcer Ease on stand by too. Also, my husband had a lot of "ropey" phlegm that they warned about. I wish your brother the best.

Faithful_Angel

neverquit said:

I don't know about the
I don't know about the oxaliplatin, but my husband (battled stomach cancer) did have the 5FU (5 days on a pump for each chemo session). Watch for the mouth sores (rinse with the salt and baking soda regimen they hopefully gave him) and have Ulcer Ease on stand by too. Also, my husband had a lot of "ropey" phlegm that they warned about. I wish your brother the best.

5FU
If it helps at all when my dad was making progress with his stomach cancer it was with this drug. HE hated having to be attached to the bottle all the time he said that was his main complaint. And He got mouth sores too... He didn't get this Salt/baking soda regimen but they told him to gargle hydrogen peroxcide which i think is pretty much the same. Seemed to work well...

And also he lost his toe nails..But responded well to the 5FU

I Hope your brother has the same Success and it works well for him ♥and hugs

have2believe

side effects affect skin sensitivity and appearance
My mom was on FOLFOX (5fu + oxaliplain). It darkened her skin, to the point where people would ask if she went to the beach. The skin on her fingertips and feet peeled. She also wore gloves because she had extreme cold sensitivity. In addition, her hair thinned significantly. She also had mouth sores.

I wish your brother well as he begins treatment. My mom still had an appetite and did not experience nausea. Even though those side effects sound bad, it was manageable. I rub her feet and hands with cream everyday with regards to her skin. Gold bond is a good brand. WIth mouthsores, she took magic mouthwash. Another thing that I highly recommend is BIOTENE toothpaste, it's specifically for dry mouth and ti's the only toothpaste she uses now. You can get it at walmart for 5.19 and on biotene.com website, you can get a $1 off coupon.

She is now on xeloda (5-fu in pill form).

menang

have2believe said:

side effects affect skin sensitivity and appearance
My mom was on FOLFOX (5fu + oxaliplain). It darkened her skin, to the point where people would ask if she went to the beach. The skin on her fingertips and feet peeled. She also wore gloves because she had extreme cold sensitivity. In addition, her hair thinned significantly. She also had mouth sores.

I wish your brother well as he begins treatment. My mom still had an appetite and did not experience nausea. Even though those side effects sound bad, it was manageable. I rub her feet and hands with cream everyday with regards to her skin. Gold bond is a good brand. WIth mouthsores, she took magic mouthwash. Another thing that I highly recommend is BIOTENE toothpaste, it's specifically for dry mouth and ti's the only toothpaste she uses now. You can get it at walmart for 5.19 and on biotene.com website, you can get a $1 off coupon.

She is now on xeloda (5-fu in pill form).

that is the regimen...
that my brother will start. I'll have to remember the gloves - that's a good idea. I am hoping that the side effects are manageable for him - they are treating him for palliative, since his cancer has progressed upward and he only eats very small meals. We are just trying to buy him some time - and obviously if the side effects are rough, it won't be worth it.

Thank you for your replies.

menang

menang said:

that is the regimen...
that my brother will start. I'll have to remember the gloves - that's a good idea. I am hoping that the side effects are manageable for him - they are treating him for palliative, since his cancer has progressed upward and he only eats very small meals. We are just trying to buy him some time - and obviously if the side effects are rough, it won't be worth it.

Thank you for your replies.

His first infusion..
went very well. He had no neuropathy (he did have calcium/magnesium infusion twice during the 46 hours). His appetite and energy level seem good. He has not tested his sensitivity to cold yet. He did experience nausea each day, which had him not wanting to eat but they eventually gave him Zofrain which seems to work the best.

Hope the next when goes as smoothly.

have2believe

menang said:

His first infusion..
went very well. He had no neuropathy (he did have calcium/magnesium infusion twice during the 46 hours). His appetite and energy level seem good. He has not tested his sensitivity to cold yet. He did experience nausea each day, which had him not wanting to eat but they eventually gave him Zofrain which seems to work the best.

Hope the next when goes as smoothly.

great to hear!
I'm glad things went smoothly. I remember my mom's first infusion and we were kinda waiting for something horrible and bad to happen but it didn't and it was ok. I think that as long as a dr uses good judgement and has the wisdom and knowledge to handle side effects and stay on top of the treatment, he's in good hands.

menang

have2believe said:

great to hear!
I'm glad things went smoothly. I remember my mom's first infusion and we were kinda waiting for something horrible and bad to happen but it didn't and it was ok. I think that as long as a dr uses good judgement and has the wisdom and knowledge to handle side effects and stay on top of the treatment, he's in good hands.

Heading in for round 2...
My brother is going in today for round two. His appetite has increased so much, although he is still losing weight (doc said this was normal, and that he will gain it back - seems to think it's the fluid weight in his abdomen that he is losing). They just told my mom that they will do the 5FU for 6-8 weeks, and then switch to the pill form. How is your mom doing on the pill?

I have to say, your posts are very encouraging for my family and I - thank you for that.

have2believe

menang said:

Heading in for round 2...
My brother is going in today for round two. His appetite has increased so much, although he is still losing weight (doc said this was normal, and that he will gain it back - seems to think it's the fluid weight in his abdomen that he is losing). They just told my mom that they will do the 5FU for 6-8 weeks, and then switch to the pill form. How is your mom doing on the pill?

I have to say, your posts are very encouraging for my family and I - thank you for that.

xeloda is ok--but side effects are catching up
My mom doesn't get nauseous but she's been feeling tired and her hands and feet hurt. It's difficult for her to open bottle caps and flex her fingers. Her feet also burn a little. Her skin has darkened and her toe nails are kinda black. But mind you, this is also coupled with her working full time at the supermarket AND standing all day... I think she's going to have to go back on disability. I just hope the pill is chewing away at the cancer and she will have clean CT scans and be off chemo. I just hate cancer...ugh!!!!

westie66

have2believe said:

xeloda is ok--but side effects are catching up
My mom doesn't get nauseous but she's been feeling tired and her hands and feet hurt. It's difficult for her to open bottle caps and flex her fingers. Her feet also burn a little. Her skin has darkened and her toe nails are kinda black. But mind you, this is also coupled with her working full time at the supermarket AND standing all day... I think she's going to have to go back on disability. I just hope the pill is chewing away at the cancer and she will have clean CT scans and be off chemo. I just hate cancer...ugh!!!!

Oxaliplatin and 5FU Chemotherapy
HI all: I am on what is called folfoxfiri which adds irenotecan to the oxaliplatin/5FU mix. I am starting treatment 4. My only real problems with the oxaliplatin have been with neuropathy at the start - I did not believe that one couldn't drink a cold glass of water! Well, I found out pretty fast that it was like drinking broken glass. My hands were cold sensitive for a few days and I did have tremors. However, the oncologist reduced both the dose of it plus its infusion rate (less and slower) and that has helped a lot. I also take calcium/magnesium, Vit B6, and 5 grams/day of powdered L-Glutamine which coats the nerves. I'm not sure what effects are caused by the 5FU (I get a short infusion and then wear a pump for 42 hrs). The irenotecan causes severe diarrhea. Here in Ontario, we get lots of anti-nausea drugs and infusions before, during, and after chemo. I haven't had any problems there. There is lots of information on this regime on the colorectal discussion board. But I also see the first entry on this thread was a peritoneal carcinoma diagnosis. That is what I have (6 nodules) resulting from gallbladder cancer seeding. You might be interested to know that we hope to start a Discussion Board on Peritoneal Cancer shortly.
Cheryl

westie66

westie66 said:

Oxaliplatin and 5FU Chemotherapy
HI all: I am on what is called folfoxfiri which adds irenotecan to the oxaliplatin/5FU mix. I am starting treatment 4. My only real problems with the oxaliplatin have been with neuropathy at the start - I did not believe that one couldn't drink a cold glass of water! Well, I found out pretty fast that it was like drinking broken glass. My hands were cold sensitive for a few days and I did have tremors. However, the oncologist reduced both the dose of it plus its infusion rate (less and slower) and that has helped a lot. I also take calcium/magnesium, Vit B6, and 5 grams/day of powdered L-Glutamine which coats the nerves. I'm not sure what effects are caused by the 5FU (I get a short infusion and then wear a pump for 42 hrs). The irenotecan causes severe diarrhea. Here in Ontario, we get lots of anti-nausea drugs and infusions before, during, and after chemo. I haven't had any problems there. There is lots of information on this regime on the colorectal discussion board. But I also see the first entry on this thread was a peritoneal carcinoma diagnosis. That is what I have (6 nodules) resulting from gallbladder cancer seeding. You might be interested to know that we hope to start a Discussion Board on Peritoneal Cancer shortly.
Cheryl

Oxaliplatin and 5Fu
Sorry - forgot to add this. For the mouth sores (which I haven't had yet but I'm prepared!) I gargle with club soda - saves mixing (it is sodium and baking soda already mixed as a soft drink). I also use Udder Butter (for cow's udders) cream to help with the dry skin. My hair did thin through breakage so I treat it with care.
Cheryl

menang

westie66 said:

Oxaliplatin and 5Fu
Sorry - forgot to add this. For the mouth sores (which I haven't had yet but I'm prepared!) I gargle with club soda - saves mixing (it is sodium and baking soda already mixed as a soft drink). I also use Udder Butter (for cow's udders) cream to help with the dry skin. My hair did thin through breakage so I treat it with care.
Cheryl

Side effects have been kept at bay....
I am happy to report that Mike has been handling the chemo well. He does get nausea on the second day, but the neuropathy we dreaded has not happened yet. He had his first reaction to something cold after his second infusion (holding a cold soft drink). He goes in again on 7-11 for his 3rd round, and we are hoping the chemo is doing it's job - he has a busy summer ahead of him!

menang

menang said:

Side effects have been kept at bay....
I am happy to report that Mike has been handling the chemo well. He does get nausea on the second day, but the neuropathy we dreaded has not happened yet. He had his first reaction to something cold after his second infusion (holding a cold soft drink). He goes in again on 7-11 for his 3rd round, and we are hoping the chemo is doing it's job - he has a busy summer ahead of him!

Just an update
Mike is doing great! I switched over to the new "peritoneal" board, but wanted to let you know.

canuck1

menang said:

Just an update
Mike is doing great! I switched over to the new "peritoneal" board, but wanted to let you know.

Mouth sores with 5-FU
While having the 5-FU chemo treatment make sure that you have ice cubes in your mouth during the chemo treatment .... it constricts the blood vessels and prevents the mouth sores. 5sessions with ice cubews.... no mouthsores... last treatment without ice cubes ....major mouth sores....