From hope to despair, Erbitux

I am so sorry for you. Has your doctor given you an antibiotic? Doxycycline helped me. If you are using any lotions like Aquaphor,  that could be making it worse. They also gave me a steroid when I got the Erbitux infusion to prevent an allergic reaction. I have heard of people taking a break from chemo to let things calm down, too. The way the treatment was explained to me is that radiation destroys the tumors. Erbitux,  a monoclonal antibody, attaches to remaining cells to cause your immune system to attack them which prevents the cancer cells from replicating. It's possible that radiation could be enough to make you cancer free, but your cancer team would have better knowledge about that. Let your doctor know how Erbitux is affecting you. There should be ways they can help you feel more comfortable. Feel free to call me if you have any questions or need a sympathetic ear. I will pray that you have a good night's sleep.

Beth 

Keep reminding yourself that this is a temporary patch of gravel in life...if you are 3 weeks into rads, you are also three weeks into chemo....that's half way.....you're on the downhill slide, so hang in tough....YOU CAN DO IT!!!  That's the thing about the treatment for HNC....it's hell on wheels....ah, but then it ends, and healing begins.  It's not like colon or pancreatic or even breast cancer where chemo goes on and on for 6 or more months....this is down to weeks. 

We know that treatment is hell on wheels.....we also can assure you that (especially with Erbitux), that once you've had the last dose, things start getting better on the chemo front pretty quickly.  Stay in bed...why not?  You're sick....so follow your body, and tell your head to take a hike....."talk to me in 6 weeks, Mr. Brain" .  You can do this....try every trick offered to you by those who did the Erbitux....if one doesn't work, try another....you'll find something that will help...and maybe just a little help will give you the will to fight??  You don't want to get 1 year out there, and have to regret that you didn't muscle through the last 3 weeks.

Tucking you into my pocket....you'll be in good company there.....

p

wmc said:

It is a very rough road.........

Please do not give up, you can do this. You just take one day at a time and on the bad days go hour by hour if needed. HPV+ has better cures and doing BOTH chemo and radiation ti the proven method of choose. Get with your doctors and go over this with them. They might say to take a fews days off to let your body settle down. 

I never had to have radiation or chemo but I do understand burn and acne from treatment When I was 31 my lung collapsed twice so they said I needed to have a chemical injected into the plural cell around my lung to scar it so it won't collapse again. When tour lung collapses they jab you with a 3/8" rod, with no pain killers, into your ribcage and suck out the air and it inflates and heals itself. The acid treatment was tetracycline and I had a great doctor. He said "I will give you every thing can to kill the pain and it won't do ****." His exact words and he was not kidding. On a scale from 1~10 it was 11 or 12. He doubled all the pain killer and then gave me a shot. The room was silly and I felt nothing, until he injected the acid and I screamed bloody murder. I turned so red and Ice just melted when it touched my skin. The doctor had to leave as he could not take but made the nurse stay and take vitals ever five minuts. I had to turn over and keep burning a new section for 1 1/2 hours. I also got two morphineshots and still screamed. Tetracycline is what they use to get rid of acne which I did not have.....until they gave ne the shot. My back was one big pimple is seamed like. But it does go away and so will yours. You have to get a big attitude that you are going to fight with all you have and more if needed for your kids. It is worth it and it is also a matter of life and death for real, no do overs.

I hope you will understand why I was a little blunt, and I do not mean to offend you. You Can do this. I said I only had surgery and no chemo or radiation so I do not fully undrestand, only what I have learned here. My surgery was because my lungs were so bad I would not survive surgery or radiation. The doctors said the only way they would do it is if they took out my larynx [voice box] and breath through my neck for the rest of my life and they will also take out 86 lymph galnds in my neck. Not a hard choise to make, live and breath through your neck or not live. I made the right choise as I am doing great, no cancer, and I even do several sopport groups and I did YouTube videos so my doctors can use them as teaching tools for other persons that need a laryngectomy. Just hang in there and you will get through this. You are not alone in this fight. If you click on my name[photo] it will take you to my page and then expressions, you can see my photos and even a video of me speaking. I hope this helps in some way.

Bill

let the doc know your concerns but dont give up. Is half dose possible, is break possible? On cisplatin there were days  I didn't think I wouldnt get to tx but family was my reason to go.