What should I expect next

If you have noticed any burning, it may get worse.  Pain with BM's and urination may worsen.  Your skin might deteriorate.  Blood counts can drop.  Appetite may decrease or completely disappear.  Diarrhea can increase, which means hydration must increase.  You may have mouth sores with the second round of chemo.  Fatigue can worsen.  Anything that was a side effect during the first round can happen with the second round.  Any side effects you now have can worsen because your immune system is further compromised.  Stay clear of anyone who is ill.  I hope this helps you understand.

Martha

The main difference between first round of chemo and second was that the radiation had gotten me so tired by then, and the radiation burns got worse and worse. My white counts went super low and I ended up getting sepsis and spending the last week of my treatment in the hospital. I'm not telling you this to make you scared just to alert you how sick some of us have gotten at the end of treatment. My whole crotch became a weeping wound and the diarrhea got so bad it came every 15 minutes even with all the diarrhea meds they could use, including tincture of opium which is rarely used anymore. I hope it doesn't get that bad for you and you get thru the next two weeks with a minimum of problems. 

My wife just finished two weeks ago, and is rapidly improving.  It was grueling as you already know.  Her fifth week was the worst.  We had read about very painful urination as a result of the radiation, and it was terrible for her.  But more than one of the posts I read on this forum talked about getting a UTI, so she had the lab test her, and they found that on top of all the treatment effects, she also had a UTI.  After two or three doses of cipro (antibiotic), she was much better with the urination problem.

   So week 6 for us was actually much better than week 5, hopefully that's a positive if you have that many treatments.  Her blood counts were actually much better after the second mitomycin than the first.  The doctors had told us it would be worse after the second dose, and they didn't give a good explanation of why it didn't turn out that way.  She had the Xeloda pills instead of the port 5FU, don't know if that could have made the difference or not.

  Hang in there! 

Pat

I was dianosed 3 days before Christmas 2009. Started treatment Feb 2010. I'm a survivor so keep thinking positive. I saw your post and had to register and answer you. Talk to your doctor about vaginal stenosis. Sex could be an issue after treatment. Your radiation burns will get worse so get soft dresses and don't wear underwear. Buy yourself an inner tube to sit on comfortably. I counted down the days until the end of treatment - 10 days, 9, 8 etc.   that helped me. Alot. Sending positive vibes your way.

sherry123 said:

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Hi,

One thing I love about this forum is the variety of opinions shared and wealth of knowledge gained....thank you for your input!

In my opinion, stress is a key factor in lowering the immune system and surely contributes in the initial growth and resulting diagnosis of cancer in many cases. Yet, sometimes the cause of cancer is genetic or related to a known virus or other environmental poison, and sometimes just a mystery. While lowering stress is important "after" diagnosis too, it is not enough to treat something like a visible tumor!! A combination of methods of treatment has proven to be successful for many cancer patients, and for me personally, that has included chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, as well as a healthy dose of self-care and stress reduction. Without these treatments I would likely not be here today and I am thankful for the aggressive path recommended by my trusted doctors.

Tushygirl said:

You are so nicer than I am.

You are so nicer than I am.

Haha, thanks.....

Its hard to know where some people are coming from I guess?????