Need advice/opinions on chemo please

sasjourney
sasjourney Member Posts: 395 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I have a tough decision to make and wanted to get some thoughts/opinions from all of you. I was diagnosed in March 2010 with stage 4 colon cancer. They were able to remove the tumor in colon and 2 small liver mets as well as a complete hysterectomy since it had spread to the ovaries. I completed 10 treatments of Folfox, but had to drop the Avastan after number 8 because my blood pressure was through the roof. My last PET/CT scan showed NED (that was after treatment 7). The last two rounds have really knocked me down with the usual side effects (neuropathy, diarrhea, weight loss, etc..) but also I have felt very weak and unable to do much of anything. My body is telling me to quit the chemo now, but I am scared to make that decision. Since I currently do not have tumors, there is really no way to tell what the chemo is doing other than killing my good cells, too. What do you think?

Thanks,

Sara

Comments

  • christinecarl
    christinecarl Member Posts: 543 Member
    #2
    How many do you have left to
    How many do you have left to do? What does your Onc think?
  • John23
    John23 Member Posts: 2,122 Member
    #3
    Sara -


    There are many of us here that have opted out of chemo and
    radiation, and are doing quite well (so far). Some of us are well
    over the three year mark, without any significant sign of the disease.

    I used both Traditional Chinese Medicine, and my own research
    to locate medicinal strength Chinese herbs that are known to kill
    cancer cells.

    Others have used Juicing with specially prepared concoctions
    of vegetables and fruits, nuts, etc, to build the immune system
    and allow it to fight the cancer.

    There are other options also, including chemicals that can kill cancer
    cells without the side effects of traditional western medicine's drugs.

    The route you choose need not be limited to anything anyone
    else suggests, but to what your own inner instinct and intuition
    points you to. You have to trust yourself to make the right
    choice, and promise yourself not to look back or be critical
    if what you decided fails. Chemo and radiation treatments
    suggested by the "world's finest" have failed many, and they
    offer no apology for it's failure. Likewise, your choices should
    owe no-one; not yourself, or anyone else, an apology, nor
    should it cause you guilt or remorse.

    You have to overcome the fear of having cancer, and the fear
    of possibly dying, if you expect to live.

    You can find info about options right here on this website's forum.
    Just use the search engine for the topic......

    Think healthy; be healthy.

    John
  • Lovekitties
    Lovekitties Member Posts: 3,364 Member
    #4
    My suggestion
    My suggestion is to meet with your doc to discuss your overall health. It may be that you need a short break before finishing rather than quiting.

    Your body is saying it is run down, not that you need to quit chemo. Your doctor is the one who can best assess your overall well being via blood work, etc. and hopefully come up with a plan which works for every part of you.

    Hope you feel better soon, and glad that your scan showed NED.

    Marie who loves kitties
  • mnttownsend
    mnttownsend Member Posts: 22
    #5
    John23 said:

    Sara -


    There are many of us here that have opted out of chemo and
    radiation, and are doing quite well (so far). Some of us are well
    over the three year mark, without any significant sign of the disease.

    I used both Traditional Chinese Medicine, and my own research
    to locate medicinal strength Chinese herbs that are known to kill
    cancer cells.

    Others have used Juicing with specially prepared concoctions
    of vegetables and fruits, nuts, etc, to build the immune system
    and allow it to fight the cancer.

    There are other options also, including chemicals that can kill cancer
    cells without the side effects of traditional western medicine's drugs.

    The route you choose need not be limited to anything anyone
    else suggests, but to what your own inner instinct and intuition
    points you to. You have to trust yourself to make the right
    choice, and promise yourself not to look back or be critical
    if what you decided fails. Chemo and radiation treatments
    suggested by the "world's finest" have failed many, and they
    offer no apology for it's failure. Likewise, your choices should
    owe no-one; not yourself, or anyone else, an apology, nor
    should it cause you guilt or remorse.

    You have to overcome the fear of having cancer, and the fear
    of possibly dying, if you expect to live.

    You can find info about options right here on this website's forum.
    Just use the search engine for the topic......

    Think healthy; be healthy.

    John

    Opted Out
    John - do you know if some of the opted out folks have/had stage 4 cancer with multiple mets their lungs? I would like to find out more about them.

    Thanks,
    Brian
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #6
    Hi Sara
    It is a tough decision that only you can make. The tricky part of that is how knowledgeable you are about all of the treatments and side effects of the "traditional western" options and other choices like TCM or juicing. ALL of them require either extensive research on your part or having a good medical team that can try to steer you in the direction that they feel is right for you. In the end, it's your call. More than likely, the medical team is not going to be advocating for TCM, that is something that you'll have to research on your own. Always remember that you can't always believe everything you read on the internet or any place else for that matter. If you read similar information from various unrelated sources, then chances are that it's truthful information. But then again, we are all different with how we react to treatment. One persons experience does not always mean that you will respond the same way. Both with good things and with bad things.

    Being tired and knocked out is real common with chemo. I do not know of anyone who's gone through it and felt fine. Chemo is in essence controlled poisoning. It also happens to help many people too. But like I mentioned before, there are no guarantees that you will have the same results. You could have better results. While chemo does not really differentiate between healthy cells and cancerous ones, all it takes is one stray cell to get "away" to start the growth of new tumors. That is often why chemo is given in the cycles that the give it in. Some forms of treatment have gotten better where it does not kill cells indiscriminately but it goes after cancerous ones. That is part of why people do not always lose their hair.

    If you've done 10 treatments and only have 2 to go, I would finish them. You have to ask yourself "am I OK with not doing these treatments and if it comes back I won't dwell on the 'what ifs'?".
    Good luck
  • Crow71
    Crow71 Member Posts: 679 Member
    #7
    Hey Sara - You might want to
    Hey Sara - You might want to consider reducing the dose. My Onc reduced my dose of Oxy for the last 2 treatments. It really helped me make it.
    Take Care - Roger
  • pepebcn
    pepebcn Member Posts: 6,331 Member
    #8
    l think the most toxic
    on folfox is oxali, as per l understand you are NED and what you are looking for, is a maintenance chemo isn't ? ln my case they remove oxali after surgery due to toxicity and continue with 5FU + monoclonal antibody ,.It sounds similar to xeloda+avastin.(actually l think xeloda is a drug based on fluoracil too) But don't pay attention we are not doctors! Sepeak to them ,sure they have an answer for you.
    Hope it helped !
  • Lifeisajourney
    Lifeisajourney Member Posts: 216
    #9
    My experience
    I did not find this board till after my chemo experience, which made my experience more scary because I felt so isolated. I have learned much from everyone else's experience and would approach my future exp. with a different attitude.
    I only made it thru 7 sessions of folfox and that ended when my onc said no more, that it was too toxic for me to continue. I ended up in the hospital for 10 days and 15 months later I still have neuro problems, tiredness, but if I said continue I feel I might not have made it. So listen to your onc and please do tell him how you feel, I kept thinking I should be feeling so terrible, so didn't really explain all side effects I was having and probably should have said more, but I was trying to be positive like they say you have to be and I should have whined more. Please evaluate with onc and let him know how you feel. I can only advise on what I experienced and it is very little compared to everyone else. Good luck and have a good discussion with onc. Pat

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