Anyone go through this?

P_I_T_A
P_I_T_A Member Posts: 133
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I had FOLFOX tx3 last week. I start on Tuesday and usually by Saturday/Sunday I'm feelin better. Well last night, Wednesday of my 'off' week all of a sudden I couldn't get warm and my body was shaking uncontrollably. Two blankets and an electric blanket got it under control. Some time during the night I had to go to the bathroom. I could barely stand up long enough and almost passed out. Managed to get back into bed and felt really nauseous. I'm feeling better this morning, pretty wiped out though. Has anyone gone through this on their 'good' week?

-DJ

Comments

  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    #2
    Yep!!
    I'm on FOLFIRI, and had chemo a week before Thanksgiving, and the week later, the leaks started happening around the eyes, the nausea came, the fatigue, and this was on my good week! that never happened to me before, I thought I was coming down with something, so on my next chemo last week it was, I asked the chemo nurse if it was normal to feel the effects of the chemo over a week later, and she said it was, sometimes it won't hit us on disconnect, but it can hit us even 2 weeks later! I was surprised, but it did pass, and she said it was normal.


    Hugsss!
    ~Donna
  • coloCan
    coloCan Member Posts: 1,944 Member
    #3
    DJ-I had the shakes, chills, sweats, fever all at once,
    feeling real strange like I was gonna die after my fifth dose of Oxy while taking Xeloda and doing radiatiion back in July which lasted hours. It wa5 85 degress out and I had my fans turned off and was fully dressed under two blankets, skaing with chills, covered in sweat.

    I started FOLFOX with pump and after first dose (just did third yesterday)had the same freeezing,shaking,sweating, chilling problem but only for a couple of hours. Don't know why and don't know why no repeat yet as effects of chemo is cumulative, they get heavier with time as you continue treatment. I don't know why you're getting this on your off week tho we all react differently to our chemo, as you know. Have you spoken to your onc about why delayed reaction, so-to-speak?Hope you feel better and get some energy back....Steve
  • Kathryn_in_MN
    Kathryn_in_MN Member Posts: 1,252 Member
    #4
    All the time
    I hate to say it, but I can't predict anything other than constipation day 2, 3, 4 and diarrhea day 5. Other than that, I can't say I have a good week, or good days I can count on. Tx #3 I did get a pretty good week, but I still had trouble with my body temperature all the time. I've been fighting that since day one. Most of the time I have night sweats and day sweats. But sometimes I get chilled and can't stop shaking for a long time.

    Sometimes when I am feeling somewhat ok, all of the sudden I get lightheaded or dizzy, or have a big blood pressure drop and almost pass out.

    I know I am the oddball, not being predictable at all, and one weird thing after another happening. But I guess I'm not the only one dealing with side effects on what should be good days.

    I do know if you get a fever over 100, or have the shakes and can't stop for too long, the oncologist wants you to call. Both are signs of possible infection. So don't write it off to a side effect if it continues for too long. Call and be checked out just in case. I am learning that everything we write off to just being a side effect, isn't always that. Sometimes it is more serious. Better safe than sorry. So if you get hit with fever or shakes again today (since this hasn't been normal for you), please call the office just to be safe.

    I hope today is a good day for you - and all the days till next tx are good too.
  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    #5
    Kathryn_in_MN said:

    All the time
    I hate to say it, but I can't predict anything other than constipation day 2, 3, 4 and diarrhea day 5. Other than that, I can't say I have a good week, or good days I can count on. Tx #3 I did get a pretty good week, but I still had trouble with my body temperature all the time. I've been fighting that since day one. Most of the time I have night sweats and day sweats. But sometimes I get chilled and can't stop shaking for a long time.

    Sometimes when I am feeling somewhat ok, all of the sudden I get lightheaded or dizzy, or have a big blood pressure drop and almost pass out.

    I know I am the oddball, not being predictable at all, and one weird thing after another happening. But I guess I'm not the only one dealing with side effects on what should be good days.

    I do know if you get a fever over 100, or have the shakes and can't stop for too long, the oncologist wants you to call. Both are signs of possible infection. So don't write it off to a side effect if it continues for too long. Call and be checked out just in case. I am learning that everything we write off to just being a side effect, isn't always that. Sometimes it is more serious. Better safe than sorry. So if you get hit with fever or shakes again today (since this hasn't been normal for you), please call the office just to be safe.

    I hope today is a good day for you - and all the days till next tx are good too.

    Yes...
    Make sure your temperature isn't over 100.3, if it is, you must get to the ER, that is a sign of infection, I actually had that a couple times.

    Kathryn, have you tried Miralax and Dulcolax for the constipation? The Miralax I put in juice, and you can't taste it, it keeps you pretty regular, and the Dulcolax are stool softeners that I take 1 in the morning, and 1 in the evening, also Senna Lax works pretty well.

    Hope all has a good day!
    Hugsss!
    ~Donna
  • Kathryn_in_MN
    Kathryn_in_MN Member Posts: 1,252 Member
    #6
    Shayenne said:

    Yes...
    Make sure your temperature isn't over 100.3, if it is, you must get to the ER, that is a sign of infection, I actually had that a couple times.

    Kathryn, have you tried Miralax and Dulcolax for the constipation? The Miralax I put in juice, and you can't taste it, it keeps you pretty regular, and the Dulcolax are stool softeners that I take 1 in the morning, and 1 in the evening, also Senna Lax works pretty well.

    Hope all has a good day!
    Hugsss!
    ~Donna

    peri-colace
    I've been having pretty good luck the last two cycles with peri-colace taken at night day 1, 2 and 3. Then I stop. Since this has been the one predictible thing, I am so happy to have something I feel I have a little bit of control over!

    When my white counts were real low, they told me that even if I had no fever, if I started shaking uncontrollably and couldn't get it to stop in a reasonable amount of time, to call. It can be an early sign of infection before the fever shows. So fever or shakes that won't stop - both reasons to call the doctor right away. And likely that they will have you come in to the office or send you to the ER.

    I am lucky in that I just bounce up and down 97 to 99.9. Up and down, and up and down. It is weird. But I haven't had an infection since starting chemo - just the port insertion before that. It must be awful to be dealing with the side effects of chemo and get an infection too. I sure hope you don't have any more.
  • thready
    thready Member Posts: 474
    #7
    We call it Shake and Bake
    I really hate the shake and bake thing. One minute I am cold the next I am freezing. The freezing part usually only lasts an hour or so and the heat up is longer, but I get drenched with the bake so then I start to freeze.

    Keep an eye on your tempature, and make sure to talk to your Dr. I think one of my nausea meds was causing a bit of this. Since I am not using it anymore things have gotten a bit better. (I was taking the Sancuso Patch, but it was way over the top and caused more problems than helped.)

    Brooks I think also had this problem. I remember a post where his wife went out to get him a snuggly.

    Best wishes.
    Jan

Discussion Boards