A break from chemo???

IBROWN0785
IBROWN0785 Member Posts: 1
in Esophageal Cancer #1

My Dad was diagnosed with stage 4 EC last year in Feb. When first diagnosed his health was really bad, the doctors all told us that he had weeks maybe months... He's superman! He said he wasn't ready to die and told the doctors he wanted to try chemo.. SO WE DID and I know that my daddy would be gone by now if it had not been for the pallative care chemo they offered him. So, here we are almost a year and a half later and my dad is still here and still doing chemo every other week for 3 days straight on a pump that comes home with him.. this has not changed and hes never missed a round. HOWEVER, his health in the past 3 months has greatly decreased... excessive weight loss, hyperkalcemia, newly developed diabetes, and extreme drops in blood pressure. CT's show no progression just what we already knew. The doctor thinks maybe he needs a break from chemo to rebuild his strength. That maybe this chemo is hurting more than helping him right now with the length of time hes been taking it. 

 

Someone please... If you've taken a break or know someone who has ... tell me how it went.

When they started back doing chemo did it still work. I'm scared if he stops the chemo may not work next time.

Did they feel better after stoping... If they did, I desperately want that for my daddy 

ANY INFO WOULD BE GREAT! 

Comments

  • Deathorglory
    Deathorglory Member Posts: 364 Member
    #2
    Hello

    Hello IBROWN, 

    I've been on the EC roller coaster ride twice.  1st time (2008) I was stage III, the 2nd time (2011) I was stage IV (metastatic to lung) and terminal, with just a few months of life expectancy.  I was fairly young and wanted to attack the cancer as aggressively as possible.  I was HER2+++ (PLEASE tell me your father has been tested), so herceptin was added to my folfox, instead of a clinical trial.  I only did the folfox for about six months (12 biweekly rounds), but I've been receiving the weekly herceptin for almost 6 years now.  I had problems with weight loss (dropped to 5'8' 115--and I'm neither a woman nor a model) and low blood pressure (passed out twice and brained myself from standing up quickly).  The passing out thing was considered by my oncologist to be a possible sign of EC spreading to my brain, but fortunately it wasn't.  I was an insulin dependent diabetic before the cancer came, but still ran into many problems managing my blood sugar as a result of the cancer treatments.

    A possible difference between my situation and your father's is that I was VERY MUCH  focused on quantity of life and was willing to compromise quality of life in exchange for the extra time.  In fact, by the time I was finishing the folfox, I was so bad off that everyone who knew me (wife, mother, sisters, friends) was 100% convinced that I was going to die and soon.  Turned out that it was just the side effects of the folfox and that it was doing its job very well.  After I finished the 12 rounds, I very slowly started regaining strength.  It's now over 5 years since I finished the folfox and I weigh more than I did pre cancer and am able to eat and drink whatever I want in whatever quantities I want (a big deal for EC folks).

    As far as your father taking a break goes, I hope you are dealing with top flight oncologists and that you can trust their recommendations.  There can certainly come a point where chemo is doing more harm than good.  If you are dealing with Dr. Fred from the hospital down the street that doesn't deal with EC regularly, please get a second opinion from a high quality cancer center.  50% of doctors are below average, and you absolutely want your father to be treated by folks from the other half.  It's worth a trip to a top filght cancer center.  

    Wishing you guys the best,

    Ed

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