Sorry for all the question?????

Kristen1112

My mom started her first round of chemo on Monday morning! It is the Cisplastin(sp) taxol and 5fu. She is extremely nauseated with vomiting and all she has done is sleep if she's not vomiting. Is this normal? Also about how long will this last. We go to doctor tomorrow to get taken off the 5fu's. She has two nausea meds that we stay on top of one I can't remember name and today she got zophrin called in and has started that. Any information is appreciated! 

Hard12Find

Kristen

I am sorry your Mom is having a rough go so early in treatment, but being ill and extremely tired isn't uncommon during treatment, and she will probably have ups and downs, I would keep working with the doctors to make sure she is getting anti naseau meds that work.......

Hope this helps and I am sure others will chime in soon.

Jim

Kristen1112

She got admitted

I ended up talking to her chemo nurse and doctor and they suggested we come to the er. She is now admitted getting some much needed fluids. Thank you for replying!

fisrpotpe

suggest

i have a couple friends recently who did the same chemo's and about the 3-4 days later they felt the same way. i suggested to them that they get IV fluids 3 days after the chemo and if needed any day after that. both of they said it made a huge difference. you might want to try some. both went after the first treatment on day 5 and got fluids and helped them. they should give you fluids anytime you ask for them. 

good luck

john 

Skiffin16

EMEND

EMEND..., that's the wonder drug of nausea for the first three days of TPF (Cisplatin, Taxotere and 5FU)...expensive, but everyone that I have heard of that took it, it's amazing...

You take one just before meds (an hour or so), then one each of the next two days... By then the worse has passed, and Zofran, Phenergan, or similar to knock the edge off of any additional nausea.

It's pricey, but well worth it..., just ask your Mother what she wouldn't give to not be sick.

BTW, with all of that vomiting, you better keep her super hydrated, de-hydration will do nothing but make her feel worse, to the point of a hospital stay. Only wanting to sleep is a tell tell sign of being under hydrated...

I went through it my second cycle..., sick as a dog, not taking anything in, (no vomiting, just not drinking enough)..., just wante to sleep. The more I slept, the less I drank, the worse I felt.

Monday I went in, caught hell from my nurses, two bags of fluids...amazing how good I instantly felt.

Growing up with only women, now three (my wife and two female labs)..., not sure if it was the fluids or just the **** reaming, LOL....

John

phrannie51

Good...I'm glad to hear she's

getting much needed hydration.  Getting dehydrated is a merry-go-round of nasty symptoms....the only one not apparent is being thirsty, go figure.  This will give her needed strength.  She's getting hit hard with chemo.....I did fine with the Cisplatin, but the 5FU kicked my butt right down the block.

I'm with John.....ask the Dr.'s for some Emend for the first three days after chemo.  The longer I'm on here, the more surprised I am that so many Dr.'s who give it at the same time as they give the chemo, don't offer it up in pill form for the first three days afterwards.  It is the big gun!!  Zophran works well too, but she'll want to take something to avoid constipation (Senna tea, colace, etc). 

p

Skiffin16

phrannie51 said:

Good...I'm glad to hear she's

getting much needed hydration.  Getting dehydrated is a merry-go-round of nasty symptoms....the only one not apparent is being thirsty, go figure.  This will give her needed strength.  She's getting hit hard with chemo.....I did fine with the Cisplatin, but the 5FU kicked my butt right down the block.

I'm with John.....ask the Dr.'s for some Emend for the first three days after chemo.  The longer I'm on here, the more surprised I am that so many Dr.'s who give it at the same time as they give the chemo, don't offer it up in pill form for the first three days afterwards.  It is the big gun!!  Zophran works well too, but she'll want to take something to avoid constipation (Senna tea, colace, etc). 

p

Never Asked You...

But apparently, yours was administered differently than mine...

Mine came in a three capsule pack, similar to a Z-Pak....oh and it cost $450.00.

Each pill was marked for the day to be taken. First being one hour before any chemo, other two taken over the next two days...

JG

CivilMatt

you are doing good

Kristen,

 

I am sorry your Mom is nauseated, but I agree with what every one else has said.  I emphasize hydration and constipation, watch out for each.

 

By-the-way, I think there is a limit of 9,435 questions allowed per week, per H&N member and by my count you are not even close.  So ask away!

 

Take good care of your Mom,

 

Matt

donfoo

Get your doctor more proactive

I was lucky as my MO has a proactive stance against side effects so he loads up before symptoms show up. My anti-side effect regimen was start Decadron (pills) two days before starting main infusion. Then Emend in the bag during main infusion. Then Compazine, Reglan, and Zofran (all pills) to be taken for up to a week of and some days after the 5FU takedown. I never got a single bout of nausea or vomit, just really heavy bouts of fatigue and one bout of dehydration which sent me to ER for a saline IV fill up. Other than that all good through three cycles of induction TPF.

"P" - how do you know it was 5FU that kicked your butt? Didn't they give all three at the same time? I could not begin to guess what drug would cause what side effect when they it is all mixed up cocktail style.

don

 

phrannie51

Skiffin16 said:

Never Asked You...

But apparently, yours was administered differently than mine...

Mine came in a three capsule pack, similar to a Z-Pak....oh and it cost $450.00.

Each pill was marked for the day to be taken. First being one hour before any chemo, other two taken over the next two days...

JG

Mine was just like yours...

in that every 3 weeks I'd run to the pharmacy to pick up my two packs of two each.  The Onc did use it as part of the IV preparation before chemo was administered.  It was very expensive....I was shocked!  But my insurance covered all but $100.  I used Emend for 4 days once I started the 5FU....nobody told me that it was ok to do, but nobody said not to, either .

p 

phrannie51

donfoo said:

Get your doctor more proactive

I was lucky as my MO has a proactive stance against side effects so he loads up before symptoms show up. My anti-side effect regimen was start Decadron (pills) two days before starting main infusion. Then Emend in the bag during main infusion. Then Compazine, Reglan, and Zofran (all pills) to be taken for up to a week of and some days after the 5FU takedown. I never got a single bout of nausea or vomit, just really heavy bouts of fatigue and one bout of dehydration which sent me to ER for a saline IV fill up. Other than that all good through three cycles of induction TPF.

"P" - how do you know it was 5FU that kicked your butt? Didn't they give all three at the same time? I could not begin to guess what drug would cause what side effect when they it is all mixed up cocktail style.

don

 

I knew because

when I was just getting Cisplatin every 3 weeks (during the radiation), the only side effects were fatigue, and a little nausea if I didn't stay ahead of it.  I never had any mouth sores during the first phase of treatment, nor did I ever use my tube.  During the adjuvent chemo, I had my regular dose of Cisplatin, then they hooked on the 5FU pump for 4 days....within 24 hours my mouth would start bleeding, and I was so so sick....and I'd stay that way for 2 1/2 weeks....just start to heal up and I'd be in for another round.  It was during the 5FU treatment that I became totally tube dependent, except that little window of time before the next treatment.  It was also during the time I was getting 5FU that I had 3 transfusions, untold number of hydrations and my CBC's were in the toilet.  None of this happened with just the Cisplatin.

p 

fishmanpa

Anti Nausea

Hi Kristen,

Sorry to hear about your Mom. I'm going with the suggestion of Emend. I'm getting 6 weekly Cisplatin infusions and they added it to the list of  drugs I get at infusion. I still have two others I take orally Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday along with a breakout pill if I'm still feeling sick. 

Dehydration will have the same effect so the IV fluids are a life saver and don't hesistate to get them or take advantage.  I feel so much better just 30 minutes into a drip.

Positive thoughts and prayers

"T"

 

 

phrannie51

fishmanpa said:

Anti Nausea

Hi Kristen,

Sorry to hear about your Mom. I'm going with the suggestion of Emend. I'm getting 6 weekly Cisplatin infusions and they added it to the list of  drugs I get at infusion. I still have two others I take orally Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday along with a breakout pill if I'm still feeling sick. 

Dehydration will have the same effect so the IV fluids are a life saver and don't hesistate to get them or take advantage.  I feel so much better just 30 minutes into a drip.

Positive thoughts and prayers

"T"

 

 

I only had a few times where

I felt nauseous all day long....it is such a miserable feeling...and then your head is saying "you MUST eat....you MUST hydrate", so for me there was this little panic thing happening at the same time, that I had to get something wet in....only to have it come right back up. 

Breakout nausea is a whole nother kettle...it would hit at the most odd times, and it always seemed to be triggered by something I was seeing.  Like....one morning I went with hubby so he could get breakfast at a casino.  I was feeling just fine, he was eating, and all was well...then a lady at the next table started taking pills....and I ended up puking in the parking lot...just seeing her swallowing pills put me over the edge.  It was always weird stuff that would set me off.  I almost forgot about breakout puking.

p

donfoo

phrannie51 said:

I knew because

when I was just getting Cisplatin every 3 weeks (during the radiation), the only side effects were fatigue, and a little nausea if I didn't stay ahead of it.  I never had any mouth sores during the first phase of treatment, nor did I ever use my tube.  During the adjuvent chemo, I had my regular dose of Cisplatin, then they hooked on the 5FU pump for 4 days....within 24 hours my mouth would start bleeding, and I was so so sick....and I'd stay that way for 2 1/2 weeks....just start to heal up and I'd be in for another round.  It was during the 5FU treatment that I became totally tube dependent, except that little window of time before the next treatment.  It was also during the time I was getting 5FU that I had 3 transfusions, untold number of hydrations and my CBC's were in the toilet.  None of this happened with just the Cisplatin.

p 

Got it.

I did not realize cisplatin and 5FU were combined alone. It seems usually when I hear 5FU it is the triple cocktail and that drops most as well, just was not sure which one was doing the dirty deed. Also, it seems you are somewhat unusual to get chemo rounds after doing chemoradiotherapy (CRT). 

My MO explained the reason to do induction then sequential CRT was the TPF rounds would shrink the tumors and kill any stray micro cancers floating around and keep any cancers from growing. By doing the chemo after CRT you are delaying getting to the loose cancers and also do not benefit from the tumor reduction that induction can offer.

At least that is the way he explained the thinking behind his chemo treatment plan. So far so good!

don

donfoo

phrannie51 said:

I only had a few times where

I felt nauseous all day long....it is such a miserable feeling...and then your head is saying "you MUST eat....you MUST hydrate", so for me there was this little panic thing happening at the same time, that I had to get something wet in....only to have it come right back up. 

Breakout nausea is a whole nother kettle...it would hit at the most odd times, and it always seemed to be triggered by something I was seeing.  Like....one morning I went with hubby so he could get breakfast at a casino.  I was feeling just fine, he was eating, and all was well...then a lady at the next table started taking pills....and I ended up puking in the parking lot...just seeing her swallowing pills put me over the edge.  It was always weird stuff that would set me off.  I almost forgot about breakout puking.

p

is there any other kind? lol

>> breakout puking <<

Is there any other kind? I never heard of anyone just having a casual puke? It is usually a quite instant event and somewhat unplanned. LOL

phrannie51

donfoo said:

Got it.

I did not realize cisplatin and 5FU were combined alone. It seems usually when I hear 5FU it is the triple cocktail and that drops most as well, just was not sure which one was doing the dirty deed. Also, it seems you are somewhat unusual to get chemo rounds after doing chemoradiotherapy (CRT). 

My MO explained the reason to do induction then sequential CRT was the TPF rounds would shrink the tumors and kill any stray micro cancers floating around and keep any cancers from growing. By doing the chemo after CRT you are delaying getting to the loose cancers and also do not benefit from the tumor reduction that induction can offer.

At least that is the way he explained the thinking behind his chemo treatment plan. So far so good!

don

I think maybe because I

had NPC that I had the adjuvent chemo of a 5FU pump in conjunction with another 3 rounds of Cisplatin.  Maybe it's because NPC is inoperable???  I've seen a few others that had the exact treatment that I had....but NPC is pretty rare in America (compared to tonsils or BOT) so it's hard to know if there were other options. My Onc confered with MDA, and what I got was exactly what I would have gotten there (I had thought long and hard about going to Houston)...the only difference was my Onc also gave Amifostine which MDA does not.

p 

Skiffin16

donfoo said:

Got it.

I did not realize cisplatin and 5FU were combined alone. It seems usually when I hear 5FU it is the triple cocktail and that drops most as well, just was not sure which one was doing the dirty deed. Also, it seems you are somewhat unusual to get chemo rounds after doing chemoradiotherapy (CRT). 

My MO explained the reason to do induction then sequential CRT was the TPF rounds would shrink the tumors and kill any stray micro cancers floating around and keep any cancers from growing. By doing the chemo after CRT you are delaying getting to the loose cancers and also do not benefit from the tumor reduction that induction can offer.

At least that is the way he explained the thinking behind his chemo treatment plan. So far so good!

don

5FU

.Mine was like yours I believe...

I had Cisplatin and Taxotere along with a multitude of other bags of this, that and the othere during the first day. At the end of the day, last this was to strap on the 5FU pump, stuck into the port. That was Monday afternoon, it would run out after pumping 24/7 around 3AM or so Thursday night/Friday morning.

Then in to the center, 5FU removed, port flushed done until Monday..., then an injection of Neulasta, and a bag of fluids...

Done for that week and the next, then start again...

JG

jcortney

phrannie51 said:

I only had a few times where

I felt nauseous all day long....it is such a miserable feeling...and then your head is saying "you MUST eat....you MUST hydrate", so for me there was this little panic thing happening at the same time, that I had to get something wet in....only to have it come right back up. 

Breakout nausea is a whole nother kettle...it would hit at the most odd times, and it always seemed to be triggered by something I was seeing.  Like....one morning I went with hubby so he could get breakfast at a casino.  I was feeling just fine, he was eating, and all was well...then a lady at the next table started taking pills....and I ended up puking in the parking lot...just seeing her swallowing pills put me over the edge.  It was always weird stuff that would set me off.  I almost forgot about breakout puking.

p

Had my first case of "Breakout Puking"

Just happened yesterday for the first time.  Searching for something solid(ish) that I can eat Jenn brought home some kind of Chicken Soup from Whole Foods.  I took one spoonful and found my head in the sink 60 seconds later.  Nothing but Ensure coming up but what a shock!

J.

donfoo

donfoo said:

Got it.

I did not realize cisplatin and 5FU were combined alone. It seems usually when I hear 5FU it is the triple cocktail and that drops most as well, just was not sure which one was doing the dirty deed. Also, it seems you are somewhat unusual to get chemo rounds after doing chemoradiotherapy (CRT). 

My MO explained the reason to do induction then sequential CRT was the TPF rounds would shrink the tumors and kill any stray micro cancers floating around and keep any cancers from growing. By doing the chemo after CRT you are delaying getting to the loose cancers and also do not benefit from the tumor reduction that induction can offer.

At least that is the way he explained the thinking behind his chemo treatment plan. So far so good!

don

humm..

"P" - I guess your cancer is somewhat rare and the Amifostine as well. I had written this on my list when I met with the RO and he quiped "Humm. not hear of that one.." 

John - Were you not on a three week chemo cycle? One week of infusion then two weeks off? Your comment implied you were on a two week cycle which seems rare.  Also, my 5FU doser was a 2 day version, not a 4 day version, so I came in on Wednesday for a bag exchange. I guess I did really well on hydration as I don't recollect ever getting an IV saline recharge at that time, just the swap and I was on my way.

donfoo

jcortney said:

Had my first case of "Breakout Puking"

Just happened yesterday for the first time.  Searching for something solid(ish) that I can eat Jenn brought home some kind of Chicken Soup from Whole Foods.  I took one spoonful and found my head in the sink 60 seconds later.  Nothing but Ensure coming up but what a shock!

J.

On second thought

I guess there is the type of puke that follows the drumroll playing while the nausea has its way with you first. It has been some time forunately but I rememer the nausea feeling then just sticking my finger down my throat to get on with it. Breakout puke - Let's get the party started! lol

Skiffin16

donfoo said:

humm..

"P" - I guess your cancer is somewhat rare and the Amifostine as well. I had written this on my list when I met with the RO and he quiped "Humm. not hear of that one.." 

John - Were you not on a three week chemo cycle? One week of infusion then two weeks off? Your comment implied you were on a two week cycle which seems rare.  Also, my 5FU doser was a 2 day version, not a 4 day version, so I came in on Wednesday for a bag exchange. I guess I did really well on hydration as I don't recollect ever getting an IV saline recharge at that time, just the swap and I was on my way.

Three... ~ Amifostine (ethyol)

First week Monday Cisplatin, Taxotere, 5FU started, Friday 5FU pump off. Week two, Neulasta and fluids, week three nothing.... That was one cycle...

Amifostine, I too had the daily Amifostine Injections... There are a few of us, but not many....

I never thad the thick ropey choking phlegm, I attribute that to amifostine, whether or not that's the case, not sure...

Also, I never had thrush or mouth sores... I attribute that to a slight modification of the standard, baking soda and salt rinse and spit... Mine was Hydrogen Peroxide and baking soda rinse and spit... (in about 4 oz of water), a tablespoon of H2O2 and half teaspoon or so of baking soda...

JG