Only 5 Chemo Treatments???

Royce1
Royce1 Member Posts: 24 Member
in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1
Today Mom went in to have her sixth and final chemo treatment, but when we told her dr about how she almost passed out last night after taking a bath. I don't know whether she got overheated, low hemoglobin or what, but her dr said we should just stop at 5. My Mom does have multiple health problems such as chronic kidney failure, she acquired a pulmonary embolism after her 3rd chemo and she has arthirits/gout and hypertention. So her dr said "we'll leave well enough alone." Has anyone else just had 5 treatments? She scheduled to speak with a radiation oncologist next Tuesday. I'm afraid that if the chemo was doing all of this to her body...what's the brachythery going to do? She's also had radiation on her back years ago, I don't know if that will have anything to do with this radiation. I must say we are BOTH glad the chemo is over! Yay! We're taking this day by day!

Comments

  • debrajo
    debrajo Member Posts: 1,095 Member
    #2
    Royce, the standard douse
    Royce, the standard douse use to be 3-4 chemo sessions...the standard now is six. But you have to look at how far the chemo is pulling her other body functions down. Five should do just fine. As for the brachythery...that was sooooo easy for me. The first session lasted about thirty minutes for "mapping". After that it was literaly a two minute treatment. I remember joking with the tecs that I had driven 2 hours one way for a two minute treatment! I think you will see that it will not take the toll on your Mama that you think it will. Be positive and don't forget to laugh..it is the best medicine! best, debrajo
  • sunflash
    sunflash Member Posts: 197 Member
    #3
    debrajo said:

    Royce, the standard douse
    Royce, the standard douse use to be 3-4 chemo sessions...the standard now is six. But you have to look at how far the chemo is pulling her other body functions down. Five should do just fine. As for the brachythery...that was sooooo easy for me. The first session lasted about thirty minutes for "mapping". After that it was literaly a two minute treatment. I remember joking with the tecs that I had driven 2 hours one way for a two minute treatment! I think you will see that it will not take the toll on your Mama that you think it will. Be positive and don't forget to laugh..it is the best medicine! best, debrajo

    Debrajo, that's interesting.
    Debrajo, that's interesting. I didn't know the standard used to be 3-4 chemos. I wonder when that changed? Do you know?
    Know that I've finished chemo my blood pressure has returned to normal....but it was higher than its ever been during chemo. I thought it was emotional stress, but they told me that no, emotional stress is part of it but there are extreme physical demands on your body during chemo which will raise your blood pressure.
    Royce, it sounds like they made the right decision by stopping your mom's chemo!
  • Royce1
    Royce1 Member Posts: 24 Member
    #4
    debrajo said:

    Royce, the standard douse
    Royce, the standard douse use to be 3-4 chemo sessions...the standard now is six. But you have to look at how far the chemo is pulling her other body functions down. Five should do just fine. As for the brachythery...that was sooooo easy for me. The first session lasted about thirty minutes for "mapping". After that it was literaly a two minute treatment. I remember joking with the tecs that I had driven 2 hours one way for a two minute treatment! I think you will see that it will not take the toll on your Mama that you think it will. Be positive and don't forget to laugh..it is the best medicine! best, debrajo

    Standard dose
    Debrajo, thanks for that information! I didn't know that 3-4 chemo sessions used to be the standard dosage. That's why I really have enjoyed this website because it gives me a chance to learn so much about this disease. Staying positive is vital key to defeating this and I know I must remain positive for me and my Mom. Take care of yourself!
  • Royce1
    Royce1 Member Posts: 24 Member
    #5
    sunflash said:

    Debrajo, that's interesting.
    Debrajo, that's interesting. I didn't know the standard used to be 3-4 chemos. I wonder when that changed? Do you know?
    Know that I've finished chemo my blood pressure has returned to normal....but it was higher than its ever been during chemo. I thought it was emotional stress, but they told me that no, emotional stress is part of it but there are extreme physical demands on your body during chemo which will raise your blood pressure.
    Royce, it sounds like they made the right decision by stopping your mom's chemo!

    The Right Choice
    Sunflash,

    I hope and pray that her doctor made the right decision for my Mom. That's all I can do is pray. I want my Mom to beat this disease but also want her healthy so she can continue enjoying her life. Thanks for your input.
  • fanniemay
    fanniemay Member Posts: 53
    #6
    5 chemos
    Hi, I also had 5 chemos. The 5th one was really hard on me...diareah, chills, weakness,etc. Dr. said I had an aggressive treatment although my uterine cancer was 1A. Don't worry about the internal radiation. I had a little burning but that was gone by the 2nd day. My last chemo was the end of April and I feel a lot better now. God BLess
  • Royce1
    Royce1 Member Posts: 24 Member
    #7
    fanniemay said:

    5 chemos
    Hi, I also had 5 chemos. The 5th one was really hard on me...diareah, chills, weakness,etc. Dr. said I had an aggressive treatment although my uterine cancer was 1A. Don't worry about the internal radiation. I had a little burning but that was gone by the 2nd day. My last chemo was the end of April and I feel a lot better now. God BLess

    Thanks
    Thanks Fanniemay! I'm glad you feel better now! Yeah, my Mom is also 1A. Since she finished her chemo, she's more hesitant about getting the bracytherapy. I really want her to have it becasue although she was staged at 1A, her washings were positive, nodes were negative. I just want her to get everything she can to fight this. But I don't want to upset her and she feels that it may come back whether she gets the radiation or not. I'm at a croossroad here. But I'm staying prayerful and optemistic! I hope you contine feeling good! Blessings!
  • debrajo
    debrajo Member Posts: 1,095 Member
    #8
    sunflash said:

    Debrajo, that's interesting.
    Debrajo, that's interesting. I didn't know the standard used to be 3-4 chemos. I wonder when that changed? Do you know?
    Know that I've finished chemo my blood pressure has returned to normal....but it was higher than its ever been during chemo. I thought it was emotional stress, but they told me that no, emotional stress is part of it but there are extreme physical demands on your body during chemo which will raise your blood pressure.
    Royce, it sounds like they made the right decision by stopping your mom's chemo!

    Hi Sunflash, I'm not sure of
    Hi Sunflash, I'm not sure of the time frame for the 3-4 chemo. When my mother and grandmothers were having "female trouble", both of my grandmothers were radiated with cobalt radiation through the skin and that was that. When my mother had the cancer(1968)she had a radical hysterectomy, no radiation or chemo. Flash forward to the '80's when my aunt came down with cancer she had the radical hysteretomy with 3 chemo treatments. So I guess sometime during the 80's the standard went from 3-4 to 5-6 chemo's. At least that was the way it was here in Texas. I guess at first they figured that the operation was enough, the uterus was gone, and that was it. I suppose they were still learning about stages and aggressions, ect. Best, debrajo
  • daisy366
    daisy366 Member Posts: 1,458 Member
    #9
    Royce1 said:

    Thanks
    Thanks Fanniemay! I'm glad you feel better now! Yeah, my Mom is also 1A. Since she finished her chemo, she's more hesitant about getting the bracytherapy. I really want her to have it becasue although she was staged at 1A, her washings were positive, nodes were negative. I just want her to get everything she can to fight this. But I don't want to upset her and she feels that it may come back whether she gets the radiation or not. I'm at a croossroad here. But I'm staying prayerful and optemistic! I hope you contine feeling good! Blessings!

    Commendable doctor
    I think it is very good that your doctor is looking out for your mother's general health. I think that doctor's need to make decisions along the way whether the TREATMENT will kill their patient rather than the disease.

    It is natural for us to want to hit cancer with big guns - but the ART of medicine is making these calls - like your mother's doctor is doing. Cancer treatment is so inexact - not every patient is going to benefit from the "standard" treatment (whatever that is today - tomorrow it might be different). I wish my brother-in-law's doctors would have stopped his chemo before his bone marrow was killed off - and, of course, he died shortly after they said they could not do anymore treatment.
  • Royce1
    Royce1 Member Posts: 24 Member
    #10
    daisy366 said:

    Commendable doctor
    I think it is very good that your doctor is looking out for your mother's general health. I think that doctor's need to make decisions along the way whether the TREATMENT will kill their patient rather than the disease.

    It is natural for us to want to hit cancer with big guns - but the ART of medicine is making these calls - like your mother's doctor is doing. Cancer treatment is so inexact - not every patient is going to benefit from the "standard" treatment (whatever that is today - tomorrow it might be different). I wish my brother-in-law's doctors would have stopped his chemo before his bone marrow was killed off - and, of course, he died shortly after they said they could not do anymore treatment.

    It's a tricky disease
    Daisy, I'm so sorry to hear about your brother-in-law. You're right, everybody is different and doctors need to take that into account when dealing with their patients. Prayer is the only thing that I can surely rely on and that's what I'll continue to do for my Mom and for anyone who is dealing with cancer!
  • Royce1
    Royce1 Member Posts: 24 Member
    #11
    daisy366 said:

    Commendable doctor
    I think it is very good that your doctor is looking out for your mother's general health. I think that doctor's need to make decisions along the way whether the TREATMENT will kill their patient rather than the disease.

    It is natural for us to want to hit cancer with big guns - but the ART of medicine is making these calls - like your mother's doctor is doing. Cancer treatment is so inexact - not every patient is going to benefit from the "standard" treatment (whatever that is today - tomorrow it might be different). I wish my brother-in-law's doctors would have stopped his chemo before his bone marrow was killed off - and, of course, he died shortly after they said they could not do anymore treatment.

    It's a tricky disease
    Daisy, I'm so sorry to hear about your brother-in-law. You're right, everybody is different and doctors need to take that into account when dealing with their patients. Prayer is the only thing that I can surely rely on and that's what I'll continue to do for my Mom and for anyone who is dealing with cancer!

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