Anyone on Avastin?

scouty said:

I was on Avastin for 8 months. It was approved by the FDA last March and I started on it right before then. I took it with 2 other chemo drugs (5FU and Oxiliplatin) along with Leucovorin. The drug is supposed to cut off the blood supply to the metatisized tumors. In my case, I never had surgery to remove anything since my liver was involved. We concentrated on working on my tumors in the liver and left lung. I do know that chemo effects each and every one of us differently so be careful about what you may read. Folks bodies just react differently to them and if you are getting multiple drugs, you never really know which one is doing what, as far as side effects.

That being said, Avastin concentrates on the blood flow to the spreading tumors and can elevate blood pressure. It did mine and the bp meds they gave me worked for a short time and then stopped (I took 3 different ones). After getting off of it, my BP normalized. I am not cancer free yet and chose to try some alternatives to chemo for a time last November but won't go into that unless you want to know more.

Personally I had good success with it to start, but then I went into a "stable mode", no changes for 5 months.

You may want to contact the oncologist about her swimmy head and ask them specifically. It could be so many things. Blood pressure can do that and then they can give her meds for that.

You are right to ask here. I'm sure you will hear from others who have been on Avastin. Remember, my case could very well be very different from your Moms. No 2 bodies are alike and that is one of the many reasons that cancer is so hard to figure out.

Keep asking questions and learning. Education is very important.

Lisa P.

scouty said:

Yes BP is blood pressure. I said it COULD do that. Where I go for my chemo treatments, they have a help line for patients to call if they have questions. Ask your Mom if they have one for you to call so you can talk it out. Is she on any other meds including chemo? Again, it could be so many things.

As far as foods go, that is a toughy. I found my taste buds changed over time, as did what tasted good to me at the time. I lived on oatmeal one month and then the next it would be something else.

Eating is very hard while on chemo, but it is so very important. I had to force myself to eat things I knew I should. I lived by myself at the time and am very stubborn, so it became a personal challenge. I am fortunate that I have had a good job for 25 years and used some of my savings to pay for someone to clean my house nad mow my yard for the first time in my life. My priorites completely changed. Having a clean lovely home was not longer the priority, my body was and I tried to treat it the best I could with the energy I had.

I remember sniffing and eventually biting into a lemon to wake up my taste buds and relieve the nausea and then would have to make myself eat veggies, salads and other stuff I knew I needed. I did loads of research about it all and found taking vitamins and other supplements helped with the blood counts. I talked everything I did then and do today over with my oncologist before I proceeded.

If I had it to do over, the only thing I would do differently would be to get my family and friends to help me with the food prep things and kitchen cleanup. The fatigue is pretty intense and sleeping 12-14 hours a day was not at all normal for me. I just couldn't do near as much as I could a month earlier.

I think the most significant thing I learned was to get out my front door and get some fresh air as soon as I could after my chemo treatment helped immensly . I called it exercise, but sunshine and just walking around my yard helped my body get the stuff out of my system faster. I learned to drink oodles of water especially the day before chemo and the few days afterwards. I had a 46 hour drip of 5FU and learned that if I did not eat properly, especially at breakfast, and then drink lots of water, I would get nauseous. I would eat almost immediately after getting out of bed, since that was the best I usually felt. Showering became secondary to me (I bet I get some remarks about that)

I also learned that good fiber in my tummy really helped with the nausea, especially at breakfast. I always felt better right before chemo and would load up on food and water. There were times I chose to pig out on breakfast the day of chemo instead of showering (the oncology nurses probably hated me for that but they still hugged me).

I had never been much of a breakfast eater (fast, furious if at all and off to work, except weekends) but that changed as I learned more.

I lost 30 pounds in the 2 months before my cancer diagnosis and was just getting back to form (or so I thought) when the cancer was found. Ironically, I only lost 5 pounds while on chemo, but I WORKED VERY HARD AT IT.

If you are really interested, invest in the book, Beating Cancer With Nutrition by Patrick Quillin.

As far as the docs not telling you about the blood pressure, some folks don't experience that, so they try to be careful. They should have given your Mom something in writing about the possible side effects. If not, tell her to ask at her next treatment. People deal with cancer in so many ways, I think the docs just kind of go with the flow until they learn their patients better. My relationship with my oncologists is so very different now then it was a year ago when we first met. We are in this together and he and I understand what that means now. We did not have that relationship at first.

Feel free to contact me by the CSN email if you want to ask anymore questions. Just remember none of us on this board have all the answers, we are here to offer up support and help direct you in a positive direction.

Stay strong and try not to freak out too much. Yeah, I know that is very hard now. The first few months are definitely hard.

I am rambling way too much so will close.

Take care and again, contact me if you need to.

Lisa P.

slammer said:

HI There, my name is Amy and I am 44 yrs old, I found out I had colon cancer in Oct 03, actually by a bad appendix found tumor, etc, I did 6 months chemo then in 04 for 6 months only 5-FU and leucovorian, actually did well on chemo I mean had mouth sores, fatigue, nose bleeds weeping eyes, no appitite, etc, then I was done with that , thought cured, but then had overies enlarge, I mean really large, they thought it was ovarian ca but had total hystrectomy and since none there I am in re-occurance of colon cancer, stage 4, but the good news is I changed oncologists, went to a Cancer center in my town, he was more positive that the other, and put me on the Folfox6 ( which includes Avastin.) IT is a good chemo, but yes of course I am on a few others too, like a cocktial of 4, pre-chemo, pre meds, then,magnsium/calcium, then Oxalliplatin, 5 FU, then other meds then Avastin, all on a 8 hr drip, then I go home & have a home pump(fanny pack, which is a god send) no hospital, and do a 46 hour of 5FU again, but all is well side effects not so bad, but as someone else said, everyone is different,But as I know it Avastin is a leading drug in the fight against colon cancer. And as KK
loop said it is a newer drug just approved & my oncologist was eager to give it to me. I even read a small article in Readers Digest right after being put on it how good it was at combatting colon cancer, like they said it blocks the blood flow to the tumors, etc. I am pleased with all my chemo and really haven't had serious side effects, yes I have them but not too bad: Nausea, loss of appitite ( not too bad),
then sensitive to cold is from one drug where you can't drink cold stuff or even touch them cuz finger tips are sensitive, but mine passes after treatment, just gotta be careful, also dry skin & 5 -FU will give you the weeping eyes also, where you tear up at corners of eyes, I do that like one week. It's called weeping cuz it comes from the outer eye area, a pain in the butt only gotta carry kleenx alot but all in all theses side effects to me are toralable, not fun but hell I can handle them .IT SUCKS all of it.
Hope I didn't say too much but that is my experience with this chemo...
GOd Bless & Live Strong
Love Amy