Alternitave meds

Psjeepster
Psjeepster Member Posts: 63
in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1

Took Dad to his oncologist appointment yesterday.  Good news is they said the tumors are shrinking.  The last CT scan he had does not show all the little spots of cancer that were spread through out his abdominal area.  Also the large tumor that made it so he could not eat before has as they said "has practically melted away" this is all good news. 

 

Then things went not so good.  Dad has a hard time with his chemo.  He gets belly cramps bad and his blood counts drop seriously low, no appetite, etc. 

 Just before the doctor was getting ready to let us leave the appointment,  she left the room.  Dad was cat napping on the bed and work up shaking really bad saying he was cold.  The doctor came back into the room and seen that dad was all of the sudden not doing well.  She took his temp which had been normal up to this point,  and it was 101. I said that is not good because I had given him a pain pill before we left the house and it had a fever reducer in it. This means his actual temp was around 103 or 104.  So off to the ER we went.  

 

He is back in the hospital.  They are trying to figure out what is going on.  He is doing good.  I am so grateful that this happened in front of his doctors so he got help immediately. 

 

With all of Dads tummy problems the doctor mentioned that maybe we should look into a less ethical treatment.  I am assuming medical marijuana is what she was getting at but with Dad getting so sick at that time we never got the chance to talk. Has anyone tried this to help with their tummy issues and cancer? 

Comments

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,819 Member
    #2
    ??

    Sorry about your dad's continuing ordeal.

    The doctor said "less ethical?"  This is peculiar to me. Are you sure you heard her correctly ?

    Medical pot is legal in some states, not in others. It is a sham and fake way to do business. I am ot "opposed" to it. Heck, we get morphine for pain instead.  But other drugs now control chemo-induced nausea as well or better than pot.  It is a popular discussion item at the Prostate Board, and there is no clinical evidence that it is really beneficial.   Some advocates there even claim that pot cures the cancers.  Those people universally get much sicker immediatley after ending conventional meds and die.

    Update: TODAY (Aug 11, 2016) the US Government confirmed that marijuana will remain classified as a Schedule I drug, saying that it "has high potential for abuse and no known medical benefits."

    I neither agree nor disagree -- just sharing this announcement.

    I would ask the doc specifically what she meant. She will answer you, and there is no reason to rely on guesswork.  I wonder if she was referring to Hospice, but that is just a guess on my part. I wish you both well,

    max

  • po18guy
    po18guy Member Posts: 1,509 Member
    #3
    Doctor should have known...

    First is that loaded word "alternative." What you want to avoid like the plague are the lunatic "alties" who sell you all sorts of junk on the lie of "curing" cancer. The world is full of them. Now, as to marijuana, I'm surprised that doctor did not mention Marinol, which is a prescribable synthetic form of THC (the primary active agent in marijuana). I used it briefly after my transplant, simply because I had zero appetite. It also helps with nausea. I was also on Zofran and Ativan 24/7, although the Ativan was not ultimately needed. A newer and effective anti-nausea drug is called Emend - but it is $$$.  

  • Psjeepster
    Psjeepster Member Posts: 63
    edited August 2016 #4
    I struggle with this part. I

    I struggle with this part. I really want to do right for my Dad. 

    I am a 49yr old female and i have a very painful disease which also causes me to have no appetite and a lot of nausea. No cure for what I have.  I am a tiny person 5'0" and around 95 lbs. I can not take narcotics they all make me very ill. I use Marijuana. With out it I can not eat or function. I have wasted so much time and money on prescription meds that only make me sick.

    However this is me not my Dad. Dad is kinda small for a man. He has no appetite, but I seem to be able to control most of his nausea with Zofran and Ativan, but this does nothing for his appetite. He has to basically gag the food down.

     

    So my feeling. Just because it is right for me does not mean it is right for anyone else. I am very cautious of what I do for Dad. 

    So I come here to seek opinions and advice, to help me understand.

     

    Max and po18guy you have both invested a lot of time and effort in my journey with my Dad. Thank you!

     

  • po18guy
    po18guy Member Posts: 1,509 Member
    #5
    He has to eat!

    That is #1. For 31 years, I arrested those who used drugs illlicitly. But, in the hospital, fighting a dread disease, and there is a legal drug that carries the potemtial to dsve life and avoid a fatal infection...what could possibly be wrong with that? Just ask doctor. 

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,819 Member
    #6
    po18guy said:

    Doctor should have known...

    First is that loaded word "alternative." What you want to avoid like the plague are the lunatic "alties" who sell you all sorts of junk on the lie of "curing" cancer. The world is full of them. Now, as to marijuana, I'm surprised that doctor did not mention Marinol, which is a prescribable synthetic form of THC (the primary active agent in marijuana). I used it briefly after my transplant, simply because I had zero appetite. It also helps with nausea. I was also on Zofran and Ativan 24/7, although the Ativan was not ultimately needed. A newer and effective anti-nausea drug is called Emend - but it is $$$.  

    Those were the days....

    Po, Psjeepster,  and all others,

    My onc had me gets bottles of Ativan and Loritab prior to my first infusion, and I used them a lot. He always used its other name, Lorazepam....described as an anti-anxiety with "hypnotic effect."   I took the former Loritab for pain, but it has been replaced in the US by an updated pain killer.  Mostly I took it because I had "flu-like syndrom" -- a feeling that you have the flu continuously, mainly in the form of muscle aches.   As you would know, Flu-Like Syndrom is fairly common.  Loritab had a lot of Tylenol in it, which I did not need because of my liver enzymes, but he told me to stay on it as needed.

    I walked away from six month's use of these drugs with no dependency or issues at all. They can be habit-forming for some, but had no such effects on me.

    I also used EMEND from Day 1. As Po noted, it is astronomically expensive, and I received infusions next to other patients who were nauseaus, becuase their insurance would not pay for it.  I do not know if this has changed, but will note that I did six months of high-dose R-ABVD with no nausea, ever.  I recommend EMEND to anyone who has uncontrolled nausea from chemo, if they can get the drug. I took EMEND in a three pill set,but Ihave heard from friends that EMEND is now available in the IV drips. I have not confirmed this.

    Like your dad, Ps, I lost all appetite, and survived on breakfast drinks for a long stretch. I also had food fetishes, and at times could tolerate this or that -- mostly french fries, which was odd, since I dislike greasy foods.

    As I noted initially, I have no opinion on medical pot, and was just sharing current news. It certainly seems less dangerous than the opates that so many of us get !  It is established that marijuana absolutely does not kill cancer cells however.

     

    max

  • Psjeepster
    Psjeepster Member Posts: 63
    #7
    Po18guy when you used Marinol

    Po18guy when you used Marinol did you get an appitite back? Were you also taking anti anxiety and or antidepressants?  

    Dad has never drank, smoked, or used any illegal drugs. I think I would be willing to try Marino, but medical Marijuana in my opinion with someone as sick as Dad is might not be the right choice. I am not confident that these dispensaries in my state are safe. They don't seem to be regulated and they just don't look like a place I want to walk into. 

    BTW... I do live in a state where it is legal for medical use.

    I will be talking to the doctor about this but I like to have a little background knowledge. I have a lot of time right now to research all of this. It looks like he is going to be in the hospital again for a while. 

    He had c-diff and his blood counts suck big time. 

    WBC Count 0.15 X 10*3/uL      

     
    RBC Count 2.93 X 10*6/uL      
    Hemoglobin 8.8 g/dL      
    Hematocrit 25.7 %

     

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #8
    Pot - cannabis - marijuana

    my problem with pot is the fact that even though it is not tobacco, you are still smoking. Smoking is a real vice and threat to your health - any kind of smoking. Because of fire, smoking is especially bad for people who are bedridden, on oxygen or around alcohol or other disinfectants. Most hospitals forbid smoking. My tendency would be to tell him to work with his Dr. to find relief or just suck it up and be tougher. That may sound insensitive, I know, but strength is our best attribute to fight cancer.

    i buried a dear friend today. She died of small cell lung cancer less than 2 years after diagnosis, despite the very best care available on planet Earth. Dr. Said the type of cancer she had is "typically caused by smoking". She was 65 and smoked while in college, both cigarettes and pot. She had not had anything to smoke in almost 40 years But, like many of us, aften sat in smoke filled rooms at work before that was generally banned in the early 1990. Her husband also smoked in the car when they traveled. Smoking is dangerous, not only to you, but to those around you. And it sets a bad example for young people. And it is a proven fact that pot smoking often leads to smoking tobacco. And pot is not better than alcohol. Statistics show that most people have an alcoholic beverage with their pot, making them a double threat when they drive.

  • Psjeepster
    Psjeepster Member Posts: 63
    edited August 2016 #9
    unknown said:

    Pot - cannabis - marijuana

    my problem with pot is the fact that even though it is not tobacco, you are still smoking. Smoking is a real vice and threat to your health - any kind of smoking. Because of fire, smoking is especially bad for people who are bedridden, on oxygen or around alcohol or other disinfectants. Most hospitals forbid smoking. My tendency would be to tell him to work with his Dr. to find relief or just suck it up and be tougher. That may sound insensitive, I know, but strength is our best attribute to fight cancer.

    i buried a dear friend today. She died of small cell lung cancer less than 2 years after diagnosis, despite the very best care available on planet Earth. Dr. Said the type of cancer she had is "typically caused by smoking". She was 65 and smoked while in college, both cigarettes and pot. She had not had anything to smoke in almost 40 years But, like many of us, aften sat in smoke filled rooms at work before that was generally banned in the early 1990. Her husband also smoked in the car when they traveled. Smoking is dangerous, not only to you, but to those around you. And it sets a bad example for young people. And it is a proven fact that pot smoking often leads to smoking tobacco. And pot is not better than alcohol. Statistics show that most people have an alcoholic beverage with their pot, making them a double threat when they drive.

    Gkh I am so sorry for your

    Gkh I am so sorry for your loss.

    I would not let my Dad smoke anything. There are several ways other then smoking. 

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