Summer cold

bdee
bdee Member Posts: 304
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I have a summer cold that has changed to a sinus infection and I think is going toward bronchitis. I used to get these all the time, but my family doctor put me on Clarinex and Vitamin C and haven't had a sinus infection in YEARS. My onc told me to quit the Clarinex and Vitamin C, which I did.
What doctor should I go to for this? My oncologist or my family doctor? I've been on chemo for six months and this is the first problem I've had not connected to the cancer. My onc doesn't even want me to have a pap smear, mammogram, scope, etc. He's very against "not needed" procedures.

Thanks,
Debbie

Comments

  • PGLGreg
    PGLGreg Member Posts: 731
    #2
    I used to get sinus
    I used to get sinus infections, at least one per year, but I haven't gotten any for several years. And I used to take Vitamin C, but then I lost confidence that it had any positive effect and stopped taking it, roughly at the time my sinus problems ended. So I am a little skeptical that your ceasing the Vitamin C could have some connection with your sinus problems. (But I'm not saying Vitamin C causes sinus infections.) I don't know anything about Clarinex.

    My chemo oncologist is an internist and should be competent to prescribe for problems such as you describe, so I'd guess yours probably is, too. But as to whether you should better trust the recommendations of your family doctor or your oncologist, I really couldn't say.

    Sorry to be so vague and inconclusive.

    --Greg
  • trish07
    trish07 Member Posts: 138
    #3
    What was the reason your
    What was the reason your oncologist gave you for wanting you to stop? Sometimes medications and certain vitamins should not be taken while on chemo. Ask him/her what he would suggest for your sinus condition. I would always follow the directions of the oncologist before the family Dr.
    Take Care, Trish
  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
    #4
    trish07 said:

    What was the reason your
    What was the reason your oncologist gave you for wanting you to stop? Sometimes medications and certain vitamins should not be taken while on chemo. Ask him/her what he would suggest for your sinus condition. I would always follow the directions of the oncologist before the family Dr.
    Take Care, Trish

    Colds and Flu symptoms.........
    When I got deathly sick from a bad chest cold my onc wrote me a script for a Z-Pak....and antibiotics...It is actually a steroid pack that you take 5 the 1st day 4 the 2nd 3 then 2 then 1 with antibiotics each day along with it. It seemed as though it would turn it around on the 2nd day and be gone by the 5th.........might ask him about that or tell him about that....got to remember, he works for you !!! Good Luck...I hope ya get to feeling better
  • bdee
    bdee Member Posts: 304
    #5
    trish07 said:

    What was the reason your
    What was the reason your oncologist gave you for wanting you to stop? Sometimes medications and certain vitamins should not be taken while on chemo. Ask him/her what he would suggest for your sinus condition. I would always follow the directions of the oncologist before the family Dr.
    Take Care, Trish

    Stop Vita C
    The onc said anything that helped your body was also helping the cancer. So, since Vita C helps boost your immune system, it also helps those little cancer cells get a boost. On the Clarinex, he just doesn't want me to take any prescriptions that are not essential. He feels Clarinex is a chemical that I don't need in my body while I am fighting cancer. He said it gives the chemo a better chance to work if the chemo isn't battling other chemicals.

    Thanks,
    Debbie
  • nudgie
    nudgie Member Posts: 1,478 Member
    #6
    This is
    what my care team (Onc Dr & Nurses) told me.

    While on chemo try and not have any procedures performed due to easy bleeding issues. Chemo thins your blood, so no GYN appts or dental appts. For other radioactive procedures like X-Rays, Mammograms, etc., these could wait until after treatment.

    Regular ills, like, cold, minor aches / pains, etc., I called my primary care doctor, but did inform my Onc Care Team at every chemo visit what adnormal systems or effects I was having.

    I tried to keep my entire care team in the loop, which can be hard, but informative and helpful. I even kept a 3-ring binder of all medical bills, reports, scans, path reports, etc., and still have today.
  • bdee
    bdee Member Posts: 304
    #7
    nudgie said:

    This is
    what my care team (Onc Dr & Nurses) told me.

    While on chemo try and not have any procedures performed due to easy bleeding issues. Chemo thins your blood, so no GYN appts or dental appts. For other radioactive procedures like X-Rays, Mammograms, etc., these could wait until after treatment.

    Regular ills, like, cold, minor aches / pains, etc., I called my primary care doctor, but did inform my Onc Care Team at every chemo visit what adnormal systems or effects I was having.

    I tried to keep my entire care team in the loop, which can be hard, but informative and helpful. I even kept a 3-ring binder of all medical bills, reports, scans, path reports, etc., and still have today.

    Waiting for after treatment
    for me is going to be in two or three years. I've been getting regular mammograms since I was 27 years old because of the many cysts in my breasts. If I have bronchitis, I would think they would have to X-Ray to get positive confirmation. There are times I think my doctor is treating me like a regular colon cancer patient who knows how many treatments they will have and can wait on things like mammograms and dental appointments. I don't want all my teeth to fall out while waiting for my onc to stop my chemo once and for all. Because by that time, I still won't be cured but I'll be to the point he can't help anymore.

    Sorry,
    Debbie

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