Night sweats

trustinJesus
trustinJesus Member Posts: 59
in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1
My dad just had his 3rd treatment almost a week ago and for the first time he had night sweats. Is this normal to get them during treatment?

Comments

  • vinny59
    vinny59 Member Posts: 1,036 Member
    #2
    yes
    I never had them as a symptom, but I did get them during treatment. Went thru 8 cycles of R-CHOP...... Vinny
  • trustinJesus
    trustinJesus Member Posts: 59
    #3
    vinny59 said:

    yes
    I never had them as a symptom, but I did get them during treatment. Went thru 8 cycles of R-CHOP...... Vinny

    Your treatment and symptoms
    Hi I am new to this sight and my dad has diffuse large b cell lymphoma stage 4. I was just wondering what kind of cancer you had and what you symptoms were. I noticed you had 8 treatments. My dad needs 6 and maybe even 8. I am scared the treatment isn't working. It feels like it starts working and then the cancer takes over. He has a rash on his forehead. It is lymphoma. The doctor said it would go away when the cancer goes away. It was completely gone after this last treatment and now after a week it is coming back. He has pain in his stomach like a pulled muscle. Its getting worse and like I said before he had night sweats for the first time. I am curious to hear of what other people went through. I know my dad is getting down and I don't want him to give up. Thanks for listening and so if I am rambling. Melissa
  • bluerose
    bluerose Member Posts: 1,104
    #4
    Yes it does happen
    I had night sweats big time as a symptom before diagnosis but also after some treatments. It's part of the fight your body is undergoing to deal with the incoming chemo and repairing damage. Night sweats certainly can be other things too though, not the cancer, so try not to worry but do make sure the doctors know.

    Hope all goes well for him. Take care of yourself too, don't forget about yourself.

    Blessings,

    Bluerose
  • jnyb2020
    jnyb2020 Member Posts: 10
    #5
    trustinJesus said:

    Your treatment and symptoms
    Hi I am new to this sight and my dad has diffuse large b cell lymphoma stage 4. I was just wondering what kind of cancer you had and what you symptoms were. I noticed you had 8 treatments. My dad needs 6 and maybe even 8. I am scared the treatment isn't working. It feels like it starts working and then the cancer takes over. He has a rash on his forehead. It is lymphoma. The doctor said it would go away when the cancer goes away. It was completely gone after this last treatment and now after a week it is coming back. He has pain in his stomach like a pulled muscle. Its getting worse and like I said before he had night sweats for the first time. I am curious to hear of what other people went through. I know my dad is getting down and I don't want him to give up. Thanks for listening and so if I am rambling. Melissa

    Hi, Melissa
    Yes, I agree with Bluerose. I too, had bad nightsweats before and during treatment. Also, remember that the chemo itself is effecting your Dad. I had stage 3, NH Lymphoma, and during the treatments, (9?) I was terribly weak, sick, and generally had to really work at staying positive. My treatments were every 21 days, (depending on my white blood counts)I was sick for the next few days, then weak from being sick, and then just as I would start feeling better, I was nearing the next treatment, which brought dread for what I would have to go through again. So, yes, it is extremely hard on your Dad! Also, it took me quite a while to get back to "normal" after the treatments.
    I am so sorry he AND you are having to go through this! With your encouragement, and just being there for him helps more than you know! Don't give up! And keep encouraging Dad to hang in there! It IS a battle!
    I survived my cancer, and the chemo. My prognosis was "poor" (less than 6 months)... that was 28 YEARS ago!! So, Melissa, there IS hope!!
    God Bless you and your Dad!!
    John
  • dixiegirl
    dixiegirl Member Posts: 1,043 Member
    #6
    bluerose said:

    Yes it does happen
    I had night sweats big time as a symptom before diagnosis but also after some treatments. It's part of the fight your body is undergoing to deal with the incoming chemo and repairing damage. Night sweats certainly can be other things too though, not the cancer, so try not to worry but do make sure the doctors know.

    Hope all goes well for him. Take care of yourself too, don't forget about yourself.

    Blessings,

    Bluerose

    Sweats
    Yeah I had them too. Nightsweats have been a great "alarm" for me. It's how I pretty much know my cancer is back, although not always. I did have them after my transplant but couldn't tell if I was just having issues because my onc wouldn't let me have a fan on me at night or what. Soon as I could have the fan on, they quit.

    I've been having a few hot flashes at night, but I think it's just the gift of menopause from the chemo. I don't think it's anything to worry about.

    Just talk to your doctor about any concerns. I take Effexor XR for hotflashes, they are easily reduced by 60%! My onc asked me Thursday if I wanted to get on HRC to help but I said no, they are a pain but I don't want any more drugs in my body if I don't have to.

    Take care,
    Beth
  • Elbrus
    Elbrus Member Posts: 2
    #7
    Night sweats after R-CHOP chemotherapy for NHL

    Hello,

    My 68 year old mother was diagnosed in July 2014 with Large B cell Non-Hodkin Lymphoma, after we noticed nodules rapidly spreading all over her body. She immediately underwent 7 cycles of intensive R_CHOP chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, hydrocortisone, vincristine, doxorubicin and rituximab). She was supposed to have 8 cycles, but she ended up doing only 7 as her overall health deteriorated too much to the point that she couldn't eat, walk or talk anymore. The latest CT and Pet Scans (March 2015) showed complete cancer remission.

    However, she has been having night sweats almost every night since January 2015. The doctor didn't seem concerned and didn't really know what to say. Could this be a concern or is it an effect of the chemotherapy?

    My mother has also been experiencing coughing (with expectoration), as well as reduced vision - she hasn't experienced these before. The fungal and culture tests came out negative.

    Could anyone advise on similar experiences and / or a possible advice?

    Thank you very much,

    Alex

  • agness70
    agness70 Member Posts: 2
    #8
    Elbrus said:

    Night sweats after R-CHOP chemotherapy for NHL

    Hello,

    My 68 year old mother was diagnosed in July 2014 with Large B cell Non-Hodkin Lymphoma, after we noticed nodules rapidly spreading all over her body. She immediately underwent 7 cycles of intensive R_CHOP chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, hydrocortisone, vincristine, doxorubicin and rituximab). She was supposed to have 8 cycles, but she ended up doing only 7 as her overall health deteriorated too much to the point that she couldn't eat, walk or talk anymore. The latest CT and Pet Scans (March 2015) showed complete cancer remission.

    However, she has been having night sweats almost every night since January 2015. The doctor didn't seem concerned and didn't really know what to say. Could this be a concern or is it an effect of the chemotherapy?

    My mother has also been experiencing coughing (with expectoration), as well as reduced vision - she hasn't experienced these before. The fungal and culture tests came out negative.

    Could anyone advise on similar experiences and / or a possible advice?

    Thank you very much,

    Alex

    Traditional Chinese Medicine

    I've been dealing with recovering from breast cancer, my condolences to your mother for her illness and the harsh treatments.

    From the cluster of symptoms you have described I would suggest that you try Traditional Chinese Medicine as a complement to allopathic oncology care. Chinese Medicine recognizes patterns of symptoms in the body and works to restore function in the body. It also recognizes cancer as a systemic disease, something that I have not observed in the treatment offered me by my oncology team.

    I became familiar with Chinese Medicine year ago while dealing with infertility and I was able to conceive without western medical intervention -- no crazy hormones. Since I had already had success with this system of medicine and healing I reached out to it in parallel to my cancer treatment. I was able to get through chemo without crazy Neupogen shots (white blood cell stimulating hormone) by using herbs my practitioner gave to me -- my oncologist was flumoxed by my WBC number suddenly going up after two cycles of chemo after I started taking the herbs. I never had any neutropenic fevers or required hospitalization either.

    I finished my treatment in January but my body is still deficient, as evidenced by recent blood labs ordered by my naturopathic oncologist, a provider I have also added to my care team on my own and someone who has been invaluable on this journey. In example, my medical oncologist tested my CBC and did a metabolic panel to test for liver and kidney function. My naturopathic oncologist ordered testing of my zinc, copper, magnesium, ferritin, and D3 levels which were all completely in the extreme (everything was dangerously low but for my copper level which was extremely high).  The metabolic panel isn't going to show deficiency until it is quite dire, and I'm still amazed that mine was as good as it was given how depleted I was. In my case my deficiency came from years of stress followed by two miscarriages, and two pregnancies with extended breastfeeding of both children -- a huge nutritional drain, but there wasn't information out there to the contrary discouraging it.

    My advice is to extend her care team to include practitioners who understand nutrition and can work in an integrated way with her allopathic oncology care -- you want to do more than kill malignant cells, you want her to heal and for her healthy tissues to rebound from treatment. I'm posting a few directories of professional organizations for alternative care providers  in case you don't have ready access. Asking around to others that you meet, other cancer patients, etc. can sometimes help you find the gem of practitioners as there are some alternative practitioners who might be too "woo-woo" for your liking. I found my chinese medicine doc, physical therapist, naturopathic clinic and massage therapist this way.

    Society for Integrative Oncology

    Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians

    American Association of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine

    HTH

    -A

  • Elbrus
    Elbrus Member Posts: 2
    #9
    agness70 said:

    Traditional Chinese Medicine

    I've been dealing with recovering from breast cancer, my condolences to your mother for her illness and the harsh treatments.

    From the cluster of symptoms you have described I would suggest that you try Traditional Chinese Medicine as a complement to allopathic oncology care. Chinese Medicine recognizes patterns of symptoms in the body and works to restore function in the body. It also recognizes cancer as a systemic disease, something that I have not observed in the treatment offered me by my oncology team.

    I became familiar with Chinese Medicine year ago while dealing with infertility and I was able to conceive without western medical intervention -- no crazy hormones. Since I had already had success with this system of medicine and healing I reached out to it in parallel to my cancer treatment. I was able to get through chemo without crazy Neupogen shots (white blood cell stimulating hormone) by using herbs my practitioner gave to me -- my oncologist was flumoxed by my WBC number suddenly going up after two cycles of chemo after I started taking the herbs. I never had any neutropenic fevers or required hospitalization either.

    I finished my treatment in January but my body is still deficient, as evidenced by recent blood labs ordered by my naturopathic oncologist, a provider I have also added to my care team on my own and someone who has been invaluable on this journey. In example, my medical oncologist tested my CBC and did a metabolic panel to test for liver and kidney function. My naturopathic oncologist ordered testing of my zinc, copper, magnesium, ferritin, and D3 levels which were all completely in the extreme (everything was dangerously low but for my copper level which was extremely high).  The metabolic panel isn't going to show deficiency until it is quite dire, and I'm still amazed that mine was as good as it was given how depleted I was. In my case my deficiency came from years of stress followed by two miscarriages, and two pregnancies with extended breastfeeding of both children -- a huge nutritional drain, but there wasn't information out there to the contrary discouraging it.

    My advice is to extend her care team to include practitioners who understand nutrition and can work in an integrated way with her allopathic oncology care -- you want to do more than kill malignant cells, you want her to heal and for her healthy tissues to rebound from treatment. I'm posting a few directories of professional organizations for alternative care providers  in case you don't have ready access. Asking around to others that you meet, other cancer patients, etc. can sometimes help you find the gem of practitioners as there are some alternative practitioners who might be too "woo-woo" for your liking. I found my chinese medicine doc, physical therapist, naturopathic clinic and massage therapist this way.

    Society for Integrative Oncology

    Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians

    American Association of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine

    HTH

    -A

    Thank you

    Thank you very much for the information! I will do further research on the Naturopathic /Chinese medicine.

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