Starting folfox6 treatment tomorrow...

mark440
mark440 Member Posts: 63
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Tuesday morning I start my 6 months of folfox, my port was put in on friday, im a bit worried about how this will go. One step closer to doing the dance!!!
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Comments

  • maglets
    maglets Member Posts: 2,576 Member
    chemo
    Mark the worst is not knowing how it will be....anticipating and imagining all the worst.

    Best of luck to you tomorrow....hope it goes well....you can do it!!!!

    I like to quote my chemo nurse...it was the third time I had done chemo and this one was oxalyplatin and I had myself worked up into a little tiz and he said.....

    "Maggie, you Do not have a problem until you have a problem!"....there was no prob that first day.....good luck Mark

    hugs
    mags
  • dianetavegia
    dianetavegia Member Posts: 1,942 Member
    Mark, I didn't find this
    Mark, I didn't find this site til I'd been on chemo a month or so. I was terrified about what to expect! Chemo day was very calm. Watched TV, did puzzle books, read, talked to other patients (all dead now) and ate snacks. It took about 4 1/2 hours with doctor visit and blood work. You won't feel bad for a few days and maybe not for a couple of months.

    Be prepared! Take your laptop and some books or other things to do.

    Diane
  • msccolon
    msccolon Member Posts: 1,917 Member
    what she said
    I agree, we work ourselves up for something and then it never lives up to the expectations. I like Maglets nurse's comment, you don't have a problem until you have one. It will go fine. I knew someone who took Oxi and went to work that afternoon, EVERY TREATMENT!
    mary
  • robinvan
    robinvan Member Posts: 1,012
    Good luck Mark
    My first chemo was in November '04, FOLFOX. I recall being very worried and finding that the results were not as bad as I had expected. We all react differently. I hope you cope well.

    You are one step closer. This is an important step in preventing a recurrence.

    TTFN... Rob; in Vancouver
  • AnneCan
    AnneCan Member Posts: 3,673 Member
    Mark,
    The unknown is scary.

    Mark,

    The unknown is scary. Once you begin chemo, you will find you will get into a "rhythm" + you will have an idea of what to expect the next time. I have been on chemo for awhile + I find it "manageable". I have found my port makes chemo much easier. Best of luck as you begin this next part of your journey!
  • Aud
    Aud Member Posts: 479 Member
    Mark
    all the best to you.
    Aud
  • Mchapp
    Mchapp Member Posts: 95
    Aud said:

    Mark
    all the best to you.
    Aud

    You can do it!
    Mark- I just finished 12 rounds of folfox today. Drrink lots of water and every drip tell those cells to die! I always told myself each & every day I would not let chemo kick my tail. And it did not. Journaling was a huge help- especially to let the oncologist know what the cocktail was doing or if I was getting too much!
    Very soon your story will be.... There once was a little boy named Mark....who won his battle!
  • Crow71
    Crow71 Member Posts: 679 Member
    Hey Mark - Best of luck
    Hey Mark - Best of luck tomorrow. Each treatment brought on a new side effect for me. It wight be rough sometimes, but you can do it. Some days I am a salmon swimming furiously upstream. Some days I am a flounder that moves as the waves dictate. Let us know how it goes. Take Care my friend.
    Roger
  • Jaylo969
    Jaylo969 Member Posts: 824 Member
    Mark
    I was terrified the first treatment. Of course I didn't have this group yet to help me along. Just relax and I think you will do just fine. If you have any concerns or questions your onc nurse will help you along. You might find that when you get home you feel hyper...I did. It was the steroids. The feel bad always came 2 days later for me...but remember, we are all different, so be prepared with anti-nausea meds handy and take them at the first hint of nausea.You can do it and in 6 months we'll ALL do the 'dance' with you :)

    -Pat
  • Brenda3.16
    Brenda3.16 Member Posts: 209
    Jaylo969 said:

    Mark
    I was terrified the first treatment. Of course I didn't have this group yet to help me along. Just relax and I think you will do just fine. If you have any concerns or questions your onc nurse will help you along. You might find that when you get home you feel hyper...I did. It was the steroids. The feel bad always came 2 days later for me...but remember, we are all different, so be prepared with anti-nausea meds handy and take them at the first hint of nausea.You can do it and in 6 months we'll ALL do the 'dance' with you :)

    -Pat

    I was really afraid of the
    I was really afraid of the first treatment. I found that the worst day for me was the day after I got the pump disconnected. I was really tired on that day, which was Sat for me and I wanted to rest all day. I continued to work full time, with time off for infusion and disconnect days. I kept exercising, traveling and doing normal things. I did get neuropathy in my hands and feet, which I still have, but it isn't that bad. Just annoying.

    Good Luck- Brenda
  • RickMurtagh
    RickMurtagh Member Posts: 587 Member
    don't worry...
    the needles they use a huge, so you will probably just pass out and miss the whole thing!
    Remember, as you go through life, make this your goal, watch the donut not the whole! And for goodness sack don't eat it, find something healthy to snack on - you ned to keep your health up!
  • coloCan
    coloCan Member Posts: 1,944 Member

    don't worry...
    the needles they use a huge, so you will probably just pass out and miss the whole thing!
    Remember, as you go through life, make this your goal, watch the donut not the whole! And for goodness sack don't eat it, find something healthy to snack on - you ned to keep your health up!

    If I can do it, you can do it!!!!!
    We all respond/react differently to chemo as we're all unique, as is/are our tumor(s), therefore your side effects, if any, may be different than mine or someone elses.Since you've found this site prior to your treatment, you're that much ahead of me when I first started my battle. I'm nearing the conclusion of my postsurgical chemo of FOLFOX (minus the oxy after 4th dose did me in). As I said, If I can do it at 59, so can you....Best of results with minimal nastiness.....steve
  • soccermom13
    soccermom13 Member Posts: 224
    You are in my prayers! I
    You are in my prayers! I slept each time thru the drip. I tried to read, talk with others and journal but I just got sleepy. Then when I got home I immediately went to sleep. The last couple of treatments I got very nauseous and slept with a wet cloth on my forehead. Exercise when you can! It truly helped!
  • porkchopqueen
    porkchopqueen Member Posts: 37
    Folfox
    Mark - got my port today and start chemo next week. Stopped in here to find out what to expect too. It's me and you buddy. We can do this.
  • maglets
    maglets Member Posts: 2,576 Member

    Folfox
    Mark - got my port today and start chemo next week. Stopped in here to find out what to expect too. It's me and you buddy. We can do this.

    buddies
    I think you newbies will really like having a buddy....i remember on oxy there must have been 6 or 8 of us at the same time and it was wonderful comparing notes.

    nice to talk to the more experienced but really good to have some buddies in the same space.

    mags
  • P_I_T_A
    P_I_T_A Member Posts: 133
    Mark
    I have no doubts you'll do just fine. There will be ups & downs, a time or two where you'll be completely wiped out. Then, there's the good days and relish them for as long as they last. You have all of us to lean on for info and support. I have 2 more Tx to go so I'm starting to not feel like much of a newbie and can offer up some tricks of the trade, so to speak, to help you through the journey. Plus there's far more knowledgable persons on the board other than myself. Just focus on the positives and consider the alternative. Fight this out! Later!

    -DJ
  • mark440
    mark440 Member Posts: 63
    thanks
    It went pretty good today I guess... tried to eat an ice creme sandwich this evening... It felt like I stuck my tounge in a light socket!!! Isnt it too early for this???
  • robinvan
    robinvan Member Posts: 1,012
    mark440 said:

    thanks
    It went pretty good today I guess... tried to eat an ice creme sandwich this evening... It felt like I stuck my tounge in a light socket!!! Isnt it too early for this???

    Welcome to Oxi!
    Hi Mark,

    You'll want to save those ice cream sandwiches for when you are done with the Oxaliplatin. Too bad! You'll probably want to hold off on that first spring dip into Lake Superior too!!

    Glad you've survived the first day. A couple of days of the pump and you'll be done round #1.

    Be well... Rob; in Vancouver
  • Crow71
    Crow71 Member Posts: 679 Member
    mark440 said:

    thanks
    It went pretty good today I guess... tried to eat an ice creme sandwich this evening... It felt like I stuck my tounge in a light socket!!! Isnt it too early for this???

    not too early
    Glad to hear it went pretty well. I couldn't eat or drink anything colder than room temp 15 minutes into treatment. Yesterday I picked up an ice cube off the floor. It's the first time I held something frozen since Sept 1. Hang in there.
    Roger
  • dianetavegia
    dianetavegia Member Posts: 1,942 Member
    mark440 said:

    thanks
    It went pretty good today I guess... tried to eat an ice creme sandwich this evening... It felt like I stuck my tounge in a light socket!!! Isnt it too early for this???

    LOL, no buttttttt
    The mouth thing will go away in a few days.