Side effects,Cisplatin,etoposide and radiation

sendnsmiles315 said:

cisplatin and 5 FU
My mom is 64. She underwent high dose cisplatin and 5 FU along with concurrent radiation treatment for small cell Lung ca that was caught early - expecting a cure . The doctors told her that aggressive tx was her only option for a potential cure or that she could opt for treatment to just shrink the tumor and lessen the symptoms. She opted for teh cure.
We are very lucky to have her with us still almost 1 yr later ( March 23 was first tx) but still suffering from severe wt loss and no appetite
I can advise you to be very careful and her symtoms developed quickly after her 3 rd treatment and became very severe.
Severely low sodium ( 110) and potassium levels as low as 1.9. and platelets down to about 10,000 and a WBC count < 1 for over 2 weeks . She developed pneumonia complicated by aspergillis which is uncommon ( except for in leukemic patients ). She didnt want to go to teh hospital despite sever weakness and shortness of breath ( but we promised her we wouldnt force any treatment she didnt want. By teh time we got her into teh hospital she was abou 6- 8 liters of fluid behind with early sepsis which developed into severe sepsis
It took about 30 days of hospitalization to correct her multiple states of infection, low potassium and sodium as well as her very severe neutropenia. During this treatment she required 6 units of packed red blood cells and many many units of platelets and ongoing aggressive potassium supplementation - which complicated by her low protein levels from malnutrition was a downward spiral. Secondary to aggressive tx she lost her appetite and her ability to speak ( damage from radiation on her vocal cords)

ADVICE: If he becomes unable to drink at least 4 liters of fluid daily and has lost his appetite suggest IV hydration at the hospital in the early stages.
With Lung cancer you can develop an acute pericardial effusion ( you can look this up on the internet) so watch for sudden onset of shortness of breat or hoarseness - mom developed this too. The zofran worked great for her nausea but she debveloped open ulcers on the roof of her mouth and esophagus

Have Faith. I am very hopeful. Mom may require a temporary PEG /feeding tube to help her malnutrition ( if she will) .. I know she needs it . I can only offer her my encouragement and support her decisions.
You are in my prayers

mamacita5 said:

Online Chemo Drugs???
Chemo drugs can be VERY dangerous when handled by anyone who is not specifically trained to do so. I had a break through with one of my veins and a tiny drop of my medication got on my skin and burned me like I had been burned with a cigarette! From that point onward my chemo was given to me through a PICC line so there would be no chance of that happening again. Please reconsider ordering these drugs online.

Ex_Rock_n_Roller said:

Cisplatin+Etoposide+Radio+ ??? self-medicating ???
Yikes, yeah. Never heard of such a thing as on-line or self-medicating with that kind of stuff.

I had that same treatment about a year ago, and really had no problem, other than a fried esophagus from the radiation, and fatigue. No dizziness or anything like that, to speak of. I took one fluid infusion near the end because swallowing was getting to be the opposite of a day at the beach.