folfox treatment

nanagrandma · February 2008

I started my folfox treatment on Jan. 14,every 2 weeks.I thought i was going to do well with it but just this week feel sick alot and nothing seems to taste good. For those who have had this will it just get worse? I had one of those silly crying spell today and told my husband i didn't want to do this any more but know i need to. Thanks for letting me vent.

sladich · February 2008

I know where you are coming from. Hang in there. Make sure you tell your onc what your experiencing because there's a lot of drugs out there that help. Unforunately, each treatment wears you down a little bit farther. The neuropathy, fatigue gets worse with each treatment. Eat whatever tastes good. I couldn't eat any of my favorite foods. I had a very bland diet; i.,e, mac-n-cheese, donuts, spaghetti O's, cheetos, etc. I couldn't eat fruit, vegies, cereal, certain breads. There is an end and you will make it there. Best of luck.

Debbie

vinny3 · February 2008

You may just have to try different things for your diet. For me, the salty foods were most tolerable. Ask your onc about medication for the nausea. Make sure you get little naps in but then try to do some walking as that often helps some of the fatigue feeling. It is difficult but try to hang in there as long as you can but don't feel guilty for wanting to stop. We all have had that feeling.

****

Faith4Cure · February 2008

I'm sorry for how you are feeling. My husband thought he was going to get through without any sickness as well. After about the 3rd treatment he started feeling very tired for about 3-4 days after the treatment. We tried not to have anything planned for those days.He always got plenty of rest on those days and started feeling better by the 4th day or so after. It may not get a lot better before your treatments are finished, but with each treatment you are that much closer to being done! Hang in there! Cry when you need to, but then pick yourself up and think positive, have faith, and believe that this will pass. My prayers are with you.

Faith

cahalstead · February 2008

I know how discouraging the effects of the chemo can be, been there! I hate to say it but it does build up and the side effects get worse. BUT there is an end, I told myself daily "I can do this". There is life after chemo. The fatigue is hard but I continued to work, I came home and took a nap to get me through the evening. I had a problem with mouth sores and the lining of my nose was very sore. I used a mouth wash my onc put together, it was so helpful. It had lidocaine in it~~numbed my mouth for a short period. My neuropathy was so bad and I did have to give up the oxy treatment after 5 Xs, my legs were just not working properly.

Drink lots of water and eat when you can and what you want. Zofran did a great job on my nausea.

Believe in yourself~~you can do it!!

hoagiemom · February 2008

Hang in there. I went through the same thing a year ago. Before you know it the treatments will be over with. I swam alot or just hung out in the pool. It was also summer time but the water felt great. It had to be warm water because of the effects of the folfox. I slept a lot and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. That was the only thing that tasted good to me. Vent,cry do what ever you need to. This board helped me out a ton.. You can do...

Michelle

jerseysue · February 2008

You will probably get even more tired and tell your onc about feeling sick there are a lot of anti nauseau medicine out there and they work. If the one he gives you doesn't work make sure you tell him/her and try something new. Stay strong.

nudgie · February 2008

I was on the exact treatment, FLOFOX that I received every two weeks. I could not eat or drink anything cold. Had to wear gloves to get in the frig and freeze. If it got cold outside, had to wear gloves, scaf around mouth and nose.

My premeds were good, I did not have any issues with food itself, just that I ate too much (steriods).

Keep in mind that each person's DNA is different which makes the chemo drugs affect each individual differently. Some get all side effects while others get hardly any.

The important thing is to LISTEN to your body and ALWAYS talk with your ONC Dr and ONC Nurses. There is never a question or concern that is too small.

I always bugged my Doctor to the point I told him he would miss me once I completed my treatment.

And always, your family here, will help you with anything you need.

DK2006 · February 2008

Hi,
As others stated here, the effects of Folfox are cumulative. However, for me, there were some treatments that were just worse than others and it did get better. Hang in there. Soon you will know what to expect and it won't seem so bad.
Best wishes,
Donna

livefreeordie · February 2008

That happened to me on the first treatment, then went away. They also had to lower my dosage because my white blood cells went to low.
I got used to it, side affects only last a couple of days after treatment. Everyone is different.. hopefully you will adjust too..

mackabee · February 2008

nana, unfortunately it gets worse. The worse part for me was the neuropathy and the loss of taste which made every food taste like carboard, plus the feeling of thousands of needles everytime I tried to drink something cold. After the treatments my taste buds came back, the needle feeling went away, but the neuropathy stayed. It has not gotten better or I just adapted to it. It was so bad that doing just the basic higiene(sp) was an adventure. I'm now going thru chemo again due to recurrence of my cancer. This time is FOLFIRI which is the same as before but they substitute the Oxilaplatin with Irinotecan. I still have the neuropathy and my taste buds are getting worse after every treatment, the fatigue is just as bad as before, this time most of my hair fell off so I'm doing the close to bald look. Just hang in there, I know it's easier said than done but you can do it. Having a strong family support is the best net you can have.

hopefulone · February 2008

So sorry that it isn't going smoother for you. My husband's regimen went very well and he was very fortunate and completed 9 treatments before his liver resection. If your not, please be sure that you are hydrating yourself really well. Drink a lot of water. I agree with what others have said though, some treatments do go better than others , but I'd still discuss your side effects with your doc. Sometimes an adjustment in dosage might help a lot . Other times, if the side effects are really bad, a complete switch in treatment regimen is necessary. Your body needs an adjustment period also. I hope your feeling better soon .

(ps- don't feel silly crying , it's ok to cry and perfectly normal. Make up your mind that you will get through this. I can already tell by your statement that you've got that determination! Hold on to that thought and keep the faith and sending you a big hug!

God Bless & keep us posted!
Diane

folfox treatment

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