Is this normal after one round of chemo?

lmliess
lmliess Member Posts: 329
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I am doing 8 rounds of Folfox 6 + Avastin to make sure my surgeries got all the cancer. I did my first round last week and went in today to get my bloodwork done. I will go in each week for that. Well my white blood count is already low! They said 'overall' it was okay but I am low on the white count so make sure I wash my hands and stay away from sick people. I am frusterated because if I am doing 8 rounds, and I am already low, how can I get my body in better shape?

The thing that suxs too is I really don't have an appetite so my dr put me on an antidepressant that increases your appetite. Now when I get hungry I want cheeseburgars and fries and ice cream. All the bad stuff. BUT I am 88 pounds and I am trying to get to 100 so everyone is like 'eat whatever now, just get the weight back on'. Ugh!

So any suggestions or advise would be wonderful right now.

Comments

  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    #2
    Linda...
    That's exactly how I got my weight up..it was a temporary thing, to eat Big Macs, Fries, Ice cream, cookies, etc, for a couple weeks, and it worked, now that I'm at the weight I want to be at, but I don't deprive myself of the ice cream either, I love my Hagen Daz chocolate chocolate chip ice cream! I couldn't live on just salads alone, I eat alot of chicken as well, pizza, I eat what I want now, I've never been much of a red meat eater, but for a couple weeks to gain the weight, I did eat the bad stuff. I do eat veggies and fruits as well, I eat normally, I Just watch the portions now, I'm where I want to be now, and don't want to get too big either. I also drink Ensure everyday as well, they have one that helps boost weight, maybe try a couple of those a day as well.

    Also, can't your doctor get you to use those Neulasta shots that boost your WBC?

    Hugssss!
    ~Donna
  • dmdwins
    dmdwins Member Posts: 454 Member
    #3
    Shayenne said:

    Linda...
    That's exactly how I got my weight up..it was a temporary thing, to eat Big Macs, Fries, Ice cream, cookies, etc, for a couple weeks, and it worked, now that I'm at the weight I want to be at, but I don't deprive myself of the ice cream either, I love my Hagen Daz chocolate chocolate chip ice cream! I couldn't live on just salads alone, I eat alot of chicken as well, pizza, I eat what I want now, I've never been much of a red meat eater, but for a couple weeks to gain the weight, I did eat the bad stuff. I do eat veggies and fruits as well, I eat normally, I Just watch the portions now, I'm where I want to be now, and don't want to get too big either. I also drink Ensure everyday as well, they have one that helps boost weight, maybe try a couple of those a day as well.

    Also, can't your doctor get you to use those Neulasta shots that boost your WBC?

    Hugssss!
    ~Donna

    Not to worry
    Hi Linda

    Not to worry. After my first chemo my onc asked how I felt. I said "I feel like I got hit by a truck" He seemed suprised. Well, after they checked my bloodwork before treatment he knew why I felt like that.My blood counts were so low after the first chemo that they would not give me treatment. I had to wait a week and go back. They did have to reduce my dose once also.He said that especially for those that have lower weight it can just be too much. A few other times they had to give me the Neulasta to help boost me up. But--- even with all that I was able to complete ALL 12 of my treatments of Folfox and Avastin.

    One other thing that they did tell me in addition to hand washing and large crowds was to avoid salad bars until my counts came up.


    So hang in there.

    Dawn
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #4
    Is this normal after one round of chemo
    Hi, Imliess
    I was originally diagnosed with colorectal cancer back in 2004 and it has been a challenging road to be sure. Your white blood counts are going to remain low during your entire chemo treatment. My oncologist had me try Neulasta - I tried it one time and will never try it again. I had one long blinding headache for 5 straight days and could get no relief whatsoever until it passed. It was the worst. Try it once and then judge the side effects - it all varies between each individual - just letting you know I had a bad experience with it.

    My colorectal cancer spread to my liver. I'm not familiar with FolFox6 - they had me on Oxaliplatin for about 8 rounds of that. White cells were always down. More troubling will be your "platelet" counts. They will plummet during treatment and then rebound back up allowing you to be able to do treatments. A warning the doctors never told me: Over time, the chemo will bust your immune system up and you will probably develop what they call ITP - this basically means that your immune system has been permanently compromised and you will forever have low platelet counts, which is not a good thing. Normal range is from 150,000 - 450,000 ml. Mine go between 50,000 - 80,000.

    I also did Avastin for awhile through IV. We combined it with Xeloda and that's an effective combination you might want to talk to your doctor about.

    It looks like we have held off the cancer in the liver now, but it looks like it has spread to my lung now - so I'm busy this week chasing down information and seeing other oncologists to get a second opionion. It's a scary time.

    Hope this helps you somewhat. And go ahead and eat what you can tolerate. It sounds like you are a thin person by nature, so any added weight won't stay there. You do need to keep your weight up. Ensure is a good drink to add to your diet along with your meals. Keep them small and frequent.

    Take care and wishing you the best. I wish I had found this board when I was going through all of my stuff - but am glad I found it so I can try and help others.

    Thanks!
  • CarrieL
    CarrieL Member Posts: 13
    #5
    Yes it is normal
    I finished my 12 folfox chemo Jan. 7th. My counts went up and down and didn't get really low until the last few treatments which I was still able to get, I just felt bad all the time. I lost 18 pounds at my lowest point and within 2 months of finishing chemo my appetite started coming back and now 5 months post I am pretty much back to my old appetite and gained 10 pounds back. I never felt great after chemo, and slept for 2 or 3 days on and off, but I faithfully took all the nausea meds they told me to take and by day 5 or 6 I would start bouncing back and have a good following week. Hang in there, it stinks, but has to be done.
  • kmygil
    kmygil Member Posts: 876 Member
    #6
    Great, but oh, the danger
    Hah. I have always been fat, but I lost a bunch of weight on chemo to where my skin was hanging. So they said to put on a little. Unfortunately, I never stopped. I am bigger than before cancer, so if you need to, eat those burgers & fries, but remember to stop when it's time. LOL!!!

    Kirsten
  • lmliess
    lmliess Member Posts: 329
    #7
    Thanks everyone!
    I hate this...can I just say...

    Thanks for all of your input. I really struggle with eating the 'whatever I want' because I really believe that nutrition plays a big role in your health. I ate a burgar and fries and brownie and ice cream yesterday and today I feel like crap.

    I feel like 'okay - CANCER, been there and done that' time to move on now.
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #8
    Me Too Linda
    I just posted on another thread about similar issues. I have only been on the two rounds of chemo and my counts are below normal along with some other ones but doctor doesn't seem concerned.

    I also lost weight, again, so I'm not going to be helpful with advice on getting your weight put on. I, like you, just have no appetite, so even if I do eat I will eat a little and then be full for 5-7 hours. Hardly enough to sustain a proper diet or any weight gain. It's hard to eat whatever you would want when you really don't want to eat at all. My nurse yesterday suggested "grazing diet" to eat just a bite at a time throughout the day. At least you will be getting nutrients all day. I'm going to try that today.

    Kim
  • shoppergal
    shoppergal Member Posts: 118
    #9
    It's Normal
    For blood counts to be low, you have to realize that chemo compromises your immune system. What sucks is that while the chemo is killing the cancer it also kills the immune system. I only had one time that my counts were low and I had a shot of Neulasta, which I hated!! It made me feel really tired and achy (sp) for the week that I was off chemo, so that I never had a good week. The next time my counts were low and my onc wanted to do another shot, it was over a 3 day weekend and I really didn't want to feel lousy. Instead of the shot, my onc just lowed my dose of chemo which helped.

    As far as eating, I don't think anyone's eating habits were as bad as mine. I couldn't stand the thought of eating most things.I didn't touch any meat, chicken or fish at all. I basically lived on cereal, bread, cookies and cakes! LOL I spoke to my onc and she said don't worry because I was holding steady with my weight after loseing 20 pounds.She felt as long as I was eating something. I tried Ensure also to try to keep the weight on.

    As soon as I finished chemo, my appetite came back with a vengence and I eat anything now. Not only have I put back all the weight I lost, but I also put on 5 more pounds, which no amount of dieting lets me lose!!! I really believe the best thing to help blood counts is to try to keep the weight on. Your taste buds change so much on chemo that eating things that you would normally love, you all of a sudden hate. So eat what you crave because you'll be surprised how after all that changes.

    So go and enjoy all that junk food you crave, now is the time you don't have to feel guilty about enjoying it.
  • wizarddr
    wizarddr Member Posts: 11
    #10
    lmliess said:

    Thanks everyone!
    I hate this...can I just say...

    Thanks for all of your input. I really struggle with eating the 'whatever I want' because I really believe that nutrition plays a big role in your health. I ate a burgar and fries and brownie and ice cream yesterday and today I feel like crap.

    I feel like 'okay - CANCER, been there and done that' time to move on now.

    Need the strength
    My doctor put me on a high carb, high protien, high fat diet immediately when I started chemo to counter the beating and wear and tear I would take during treatments. I ate anything and everything because eventually the day would come when my body would have to draw on those resources because I wouldn't be eating due to lack of appetite. The other thing was water. Hydrate! Drink more water than you can handle and pee like a hydrant. It helps to flush the chemo through quicker and get your body back on line sooner after your treatments. You will have plenty of time to eat properly following your treatments. For now, pig out. The Wiz...
  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
    #11
    What is Normal in this Journey....
    Nothing at all.....
    My WBC stayed down from about the 3rd treatment and only went back up when I did the Neulasta or Neupagen shots... Then on with the treatments. I never tryed to stay away from people or really never was a hand washing phobic. Maybe I was lucky or maybe I didn't want to change my lifestyle, not really sure which it was, nevertheless I lost about28# when doing chemo/rad and the post surgery I now weigh 208 which is about 12# over what I normally weighed. If you are eating healthy then by all means keep it up. I never did before and am still eating fries, fried chicken etc. you get the drift. I also am on an antidepressant that I can't say makes me eat more but it sure makes life more manageable with the worries that I went through.
    Eating greasy fast foods for you after your body has been use to healthy is like smoking a cigarette after running 5 miles...do what makes your body feel its best. If the weight becomes an issue then tell your Dr that fast foods are not an option and find you a good nutritionist to speak with or let him advise you on some healthy alternatives.....

    and just for the record...I did learn yesterday from my Oncs Nurse that any antidepressant medicine is also a libido killer.....now is that a kick in the old butt or what...something that is suppose to make you feel better takes what makes you feel better away.....What the crap were they thinking......LOL

    You may find that if you slow down your regimen of housekeeping and everything else you try to do in a 24 hour period that you will start to gain a little weight back at a time...good luck to you.....
  • Mike49
    Mike49 Member Posts: 261
    #12
    Your experience is normal
    I had those cravings myself and I ate all the stuff you mention, it will pass. Got to get the weight up at 88lbs you don't have the reserve to spare. I am a vegetarian who cheats a little with chicken and fish just because my BUN level in my blood fell. This is reflective of too little protein.

    I had twelve rounds of FOLFOX-6 and AVASTIN. It was no walk in the park but it can be done. Hang in there you will start to get into a routine with the chemo and how it makes you feel. I found later on that if I ate lots of fruit and berries and peanut butter and preserves and just munch throughout the day. I maintained my weight,but when we moved to a new house I couldn't maintain my routine and lost 10 lbs in 14 days. I got it back but you will want to just take your nutrition serious and eat even when you don't have much appetite. Put things in baggies in what you know are good proportions and let your eyes guide you as much as your stomach. That's my advice, You can do it, lets go whip this thing and get on with our lives.

    Mike

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