side effects

Kelly- I have rectal cancer too. I just finished 28 treatments of radiation and I am also receiving continuous 5FU. I will finish that up Saturday morning. I never had much side effects until about the 5th week. My skin was burnt really bad then, but they have medicine for that. I also, became really tired. I had diarehea quite a bit too. And, just this week developed a urninary trac infection. They have medicines for all of this, so just tell him to hang in there. I will have a 4-6 week break before surgery, which I am really going to enjoy the break. If you have any questions, I will be glad to try and answer them. I wish your husband and you good luck.
Love and prayers, Judy H(grandma047)

Hi.........I went through 6 weeks of the chemo/radiation and tolerated it very well. My doctor suggested a bland low fiber diet and I think it really helped. No real side effects never missed work. My skin did get burned towards the end and my insides felt constricted also. After 3 weeks of no therapy I feel really good. I am having surgery in 3 weeks to take out what is left if any of the rectal tumor. Did they say he would have surgery also??

Hi Kelly, let us know of any side effects your hubby gets as all of us here had different reactions.We will then be able to offer advice.I did 6 months of 5fu and had some diarrhea, lots of nausea, metallic taste and ulcers---hey--but don't let that get him down--REMEMBER--as others have said--they had little or no effects.
luv n huggs, kanga n Jen

I just finished C & R for rectal cancer. I had 25 rad. treatments and daily oral chemo. I continued to teach for the first 12 rad. then I ended up in the hospital that night with stomach cramps. I spent a week in the hospital. After the hospital I had daily fluids at the cancer center. I had it rough, but I want you to know now three weeks after it was over I feel and look great! It's like childbirth: it's bad for a while then the pain and bad memories fad. You are wise to ask these questions. I did not seek advice from survivors;therefore, I did not know what to expect. I will keep you in my thoughts.

dolffingirl said:

Anyone taking Camptosar
Hi my father just had his second treatment of camptosar.Both times that night when he went to bed he has woke up in the middle of the night freezing and almost like he was sweating ice.
When I went to change his bed close they were soaked with really cold sweat. His body felt like a freezer,it took him half the day to thallout. Is this a normal side effect? Has anyone
else ever had this happen? It does'nt seem normal.

I had 30 radiation + 5 FU treatments and never threw up. The main side effect was fatigue. Then I had my anus, rectum, and sigmoid colon removed and spent 31 days in the hospital with intestinal blockage. I lost 40 pounds and had to use a walker for several weeks. It has taken most of the past year to regain strength in my muscles, especially abdominal strength.
I also had 8 post-surgery chemo infusions of 5-FU, Leucovorin and Oxaliplatin. The last 3 times I got very sick, had low electrolytes, etc. After the 8th treatment I threw up for 3 days and had to be hospitalized to stop the vomiting. (I was supposed to have 12 treatments but I stopped after 8).

I still have a lot of side effects and it has been 14 months since the last treatment. I have neuropathy in my hands and feet. I cannot hold my head up for more than 3 hour due to fibromyalgia. My body cannot regulate temperature well. I went into hypothermia when we tried camping at the beach. The temperature dropped to 58 degrees when the sun went down and I went into Stage 1 hypothermia despite a wool coat and 3 layers under it. I break into cold sweats if air blows on me, and quickly get dehydrated if I go out into the sun. Although my eyes are not damaged, they do not focus when I am fatigued and I see double.

The trauma of rectal cancer treatment has really left me disabled, maybe for life.

Side affects
I had eight treatments of oxiplatin, 5fu, and avastin and I had all the side affects they tell you about. Loss of hair, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, etc. After the eight treatments, I went back for the ninth and the doctor saw how bad off I was (I hadn't eaten a solid meal in three weeks by then) that he canceled my treatment for that week. In three weeks I saw him again and had a letter to tell him I would rather take my chances with the cancer than take anymore chemo.
Well, he talked me out of that and into a half dose of 5FU, took me off oxiplatin, and lowered the dose of avastin. I'll now have CT Scans every other month and have CEA taken every other week.
The doctor told me he had 70 patients on the same dose of oxi, 5fu, and avastin and only me and one other person (70 year old with Parkinson's) couldn't tolerate the high dose of oxi and highest dose of 5fu.
Good luck and I hope this doesn't scare you.

Debbie