OXI-WOO-HOO

thready
thready Member Posts: 474
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Today I went in for my 10th treatment of folfox, I got all the premeds and then came OXI and oh want fun we had. I have the oxi infused over 5 hours because of all the neuropathy that it causes. About 1/2 hour into it I started getting very hot, I turned "cooked lobster red" and then the itching and welts started. My husband was with me and he went to get my infusion nurse, he had left the room so he grabbed the other infusion nurse in the room. She was so cool and calm she stopped the oxi and started beneryl and steriods. The redness disipated quickly and the itching etc went away in a few minutes. She also went to tell my onc and the onc said NO MORE OXI.

The onc had wanted to stop the oxi and not give it this time, but I wanted to give myself the best chances possible so I told her we should just push through. She said o.k.

Moral to the story-Listen to the Oncologist, they might know more than you think? (Maybe)

Well I am home now, no infustion of 5FU or leucovorian, just a week to rest-I kind of needed that as I am having all sorts of bad feelings and bad dreams about treatment. But now the treatment options are changing. We will do 6 straight weeks of 5FU and leucovorian. Have 2-3 weeks off and scan then re-evaluate. Re-evalute what I am not sure but I guess that is what we will do. I am not sure what to expect with the 5fu and leucovorian but I sure hope it is easier than the full folfox cocktail.

Take care
jan

Comments

  • geotina
    geotina Member Posts: 2,111 Member
    #2
    Yikes
    Sorry you had such a hard time. George gets the 5FU and Leucovorin every week adding Avastin every other week. For chemo, he said it is a piece of cake after Oxi and only takes about 30-40 minutes. It should be much easier without the oxi. Good Luck - Tina
  • kimby
    kimby Member Posts: 797
    #3
    Oxi Sucks!
    Good ridence to the oxi. You've had enough for it to work. My onc said, "What's the magic number of doses? We don't know because it's different for everyone." Maybe your magic number was 3 and now you're WAY ahead of the game.

    I had the 5fu and leucovoran infused over 48 hours. I had so few side effects that I called it 'chemo lite'. I hope that is true for you, too.

    Enjoy your short break. Rest and take care of yourself. It's hard for me to admit that my onc Harvard education and 38 yrs of experience means he might know more about it than ME. That doesn't even make sense.....hmmmm. LOL

    Outwit. Outplay. Outlast.

    Kimby
  • Jaylo969
    Jaylo969 Member Posts: 824 Member
    #4
    Jan
    I think you did very good going through 10 rounds of oxi.I only made it through 5 rounds and I really felt like a failure the first couple of days after being taken off oxi. I so much wanted to make it through the whole 12 rounds.The onc didn't even leave me on the 5-FU & Leucovorian and made arrangements to have the port removed. I was in shock...thinking maybe she was just giving up on me....well duh!

    I had a week off also and toward the end of that week I found myself actually humming a tune and feeling more like my old self.I am now on 3,300 mg Xeloda day and let me tell you I DO NOT miss that oxi OR the infusions. The only side effects I've had on the Xeloda so far ( only 9 days into it ) has been nausea, which I did NOT have on the Folfox, and of course the endless fatigue.

    Best wishes and enjoy your week of rest.

    -Pat
  • Crow71
    Crow71 Member Posts: 679 Member
    #5
    Hey Jan - 9 treatments of
    Hey Jan - 9 treatments of Oxi is great. Number 10 does indeed sound like a fun time. You gotta love a good chemo nurse. Sounds like yours was excellent. Also sounds like you have a solid plan. Enjoy the time off. Try to grow some of your feather back.
    Roger
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    #6
    Sorry it was so rough
    I reallyhope the next treatment is easier.

    *hugs*
    Gail
  • JR
    JR Member Posts: 139 Member
    #7
    Only 8
    Jan,

    I only made it through 8 rounds of oxi. #7 was my first and worst reaction. Lobster effect, sweating, threw up twice, almost passed out in the bathroom. They gave me the steroids and benedryl, slowed the drip, and everything returned to normal. Onc said no more oxi. Round 8 came and I talked my onc into trying one more time. This time with meds before infusion. Had another reaction, not as severe as the first. Anyway, no more oxi. Just like the old TV show. Eight is enough.

    John
  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
    #8
    yikes
    Jan,

    Sorry had that experience. I know how the getting hot, itchy, and swollen thing feels. It happened to me the very first time I got oxi. We kept on with it, though, which was quite scary. I did the steroids and benadryl thing each time, got it infused slowly over 6 hours, and was then fine for infusions #s 2-9. Infusion #10 came around and I got the allergic reaction again even with the steroids and oxi. So, we stopped it and I never did all 12 treatments- 10 was enough!
    Well, you've already done 10 treatments, so I would say it's probably had time to do in the cancer by now- you just don't want it do you in!

    You're almost to the end- and the chemo will get easier from now on without the oxi.

    Hugs and take care-
    Lisa
  • coloCan
    coloCan Member Posts: 1,944 Member
    #9
    JR said:

    Only 8
    Jan,

    I only made it through 8 rounds of oxi. #7 was my first and worst reaction. Lobster effect, sweating, threw up twice, almost passed out in the bathroom. They gave me the steroids and benedryl, slowed the drip, and everything returned to normal. Onc said no more oxi. Round 8 came and I talked my onc into trying one more time. This time with meds before infusion. Had another reaction, not as severe as the first. Anyway, no more oxi. Just like the old TV show. Eight is enough.

    John

    Piece of cake without the oxy, tho how effective?
    First time around, prior to op, barely survived scheduled five doses of oxy(also on Xeloda and radiation then). Second time around with chemo (now) had to stop oxy after 4th dose so now doing remaining Tx of FOLFOX without oxy so I guess you can't call it FOLFOX anymore,can you? Without the oxy, no real problems so far (go in this AM to have PICC flushed/bandaged-3 more doses to go)but I wonder how effective treatment now is as the oxy is so powerful. My onc says its ok to continue as is tho I'm thinking about adding oxy to final two doses. My biggest fear is the unpredictably appearing fit of shaking/alternating freezing and burning up/cold to hot sweats/ difficulty breathing....don't know what to call this reaction but it scares me tremendously, having three such fits after 4th dose, as I said.
    So Jan, as you see, you're not alone in feeling the nastiness of oxaliplatin, also known as Eloxatin .Lets hope we can beat this thing without it. Best of results with your remaining treatment.....Steve
  • AnneCan
    AnneCan Member Posts: 3,673 Member
    #10
    Jan,
    Sorry you had this
    Jan,

    Sorry you had this reaction, + I hope you will feel better with this new plan. Enjoy your break!
  • thready
    thready Member Posts: 474
    #11
    AnneCan said:

    Jan,
    Sorry you had this
    Jan,

    Sorry you had this reaction, + I hope you will feel better with this new plan. Enjoy your break!

    Thanks everyone
    I knew I would be among friends with this one. I am glad to be done with oxi. The onc said because of significant neuropathy we should not do any more. I convinced her I wanted to procede, I tried. Oh well we will finish with 5fu and leucovorian. Thanks for all the encouragement. You all are the best!
    Take Care
    Jan
  • mark440
    mark440 Member Posts: 63
    #12
    Jan
    I start the same treatment next week, I get the port in on tuesday and I start the folfox after....NOT looking forward to it.... I hope I make the 12 mark!!! good luck in the future.... any hints on what to do during treatments are welcome... GOD BLESS Mark

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