Rectal Cancer, Stage 2, almost 41 yrs old...hating the chemo!

I had all 12 of the FOLFOX, and there were side effects, some lasting a year and a half, but I never felt panic directly related to them. At diagnosis the doctor offered a script for Xanax, I figured 'why not', and have kept that med since. It does ease the worst of panic and anxiety. The long term of all of it is still to be seen for me. I was 49 at diagnosis, and finished chemo by my birthday, [and went straight to Vegas, lol], now I'm 63+ and NED for over 7 years, with no signs of damage from chemo or all those CT's and PET's yet. Who knows what will come, but I'm happy to be here and clear. Lots of folks were damaged, and/or had to stop chemo, so your nowhere near alone with having troubles with it, I'm sure they'll be along to tell you their story, I just got as lucky as one can get with it, and it still sucked. Hang in there...............................Dave

We heard so much about Folfox being "easy" chemo, but it was rough for my ex! Hang in there!

FOLFOX and easy, do not belong in the same sentence. I think I would fire an Oncologist who told me so.

I have talked to a few - a very few, people who have 'breezed' through FOLFOX, lucky beggars.

Take it one day/infusion at a time. I always told myself it could be worse. Take the downtime to reflect and prepare for life after chemo! I did chemo, radiation with chemo, lower anterior resection with ileostomy and then had the ileostomy reversed about six months ago. I have some lingering side effects from the chemo but don’t spend a lot of time worrying about it. I can’t change it, so I choose play the hand I have been dealt. The thing that helped me the most was prayer. I didn’t pray for healing, I prayed for peace. Keep your head up and this will soon be just a memory!

i did 9 rounds. The first half were not to bad other than fatigue and diarrhea. The last 4 or 5 sucked, and I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. I tried to stay active and sometimes over did it. The good news is they will end, and you will get to feeling normal again. I was stage 2 rectal cancer. 5 day radiation, 9 rounds of Folfox, and an APR surgery, and I’m in survivorship mode now. I’m four months out of surgery, and fully recovered life is good again and other than tingling feet, I’m pretty much back to normal. Hang in there it can be done and you will move on. I was 44 when diagnosed. As they told me early in the treatments, you will look back and this will have been a moment in time you had to get through. And they were right. God Bless, and hang in there.

I didn't feel good during radiation+xeloda, but it will pass, be patient, you will be better and you will see positive results after you finish the treatment. Hang it there

I have vaginal and rectal stenosis, caused by radiation.

I tried using a dilator, but it was just too uncomfortable for me, because along with the stenosis, I had thinning of the skin, so anything used in that area can cause ripping and bleeding, including toilet paper.

Sex and stimulation in that area became a no-go, which was sad; but I'm alive, and both my husband and I are grateful for that. I use a Bidet to cleanse, and I am careful - sometimes I forget, and even now, eight years later.

Life goes on - and oh, how grateful I am for that. Too many others are not here to say the same. I will take the side effects and be grateful for my life.

Good luck as you move forward with your Cancer journey.

Tru