Alimta

JohnBinDC
JohnBinDC Member Posts: 91 Member
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
Hi all. Just got a note from my oncoliogist and she wants to start me on Alimta next week. The biopsy I had did not produce sufficient tissue to get the specific mutation info of my cancer. (for the third time). It is likely I have adenocarcenoma, which will be confirmed tomorrow, and we'll start chemo without the specific info on mutations.

Anyone have experience with Alimta? If so, what has been your experience?

Thanks much and have a great day!

John

Comments

  • hdbilly1
    hdbilly1 Member Posts: 24
    #2
    alimta
    hi john,
    after my surgery, they gave me alimta and cisplatin. i didn't get the alimta alone so it's tough to say what was from the cisplatin and what was from the alimta. I know that none of theses drugs are a picnic but with the alimta alone it may not be that bad. i have been told that the cisplatin is the heavy hitter so i could only assume that most of the side effects that i had were from that. i wish i could be more help. good luck and you will be in my prayers, bill
  • JohnBinDC
    JohnBinDC Member Posts: 91 Member
    #3
    hdbilly1 said:

    alimta
    hi john,
    after my surgery, they gave me alimta and cisplatin. i didn't get the alimta alone so it's tough to say what was from the cisplatin and what was from the alimta. I know that none of theses drugs are a picnic but with the alimta alone it may not be that bad. i have been told that the cisplatin is the heavy hitter so i could only assume that most of the side effects that i had were from that. i wish i could be more help. good luck and you will be in my prayers, bill

    Thanks Bill
    After going to the chemo class today, I found I will be having the same cocktail as you, Alimta with cisplatin. So any experience you had and perhaps how you overcame some of ther effects could be helpful, realizing that the meds affect each person differently.

    I failed in my quest to be the Valdictorian of Chemo class, which was a big disappointment :)

    John
  • hdbilly1
    hdbilly1 Member Posts: 24
    #4
    JohnBinDC said:

    Thanks Bill
    After going to the chemo class today, I found I will be having the same cocktail as you, Alimta with cisplatin. So any experience you had and perhaps how you overcame some of ther effects could be helpful, realizing that the meds affect each person differently.

    I failed in my quest to be the Valdictorian of Chemo class, which was a big disappointment :)

    John

    the good old chemo cocktail !!!!!
    i'm sorry to hear that you have to do the cisplatin too. it's not going to be the highlight of your life but just keep looking toward the last cycle. i had to undergo four 21 day cycles. the first day or two were not bad at all. they were actually pretty good. then you will probably start feeling really bad and foods will start tasting different. i found that about the only thing that tasted the same was bacon. they gave me steroids too so i would eat like crazy for a period of time and then not want much of anything for a while. feeling bad will last for about a week and a half or two weeks and then you will start to feel better, yes just in time for another cycle. then it's time to do it all over again. i felt at times like i was in a totally different world. i even got to a point where i had to use a cane to walk because it made me so weak. you may think at times that you just can't do another cycle but you "CAN" . just keep focusing on getting that last cycle done and over with. it was an inspiration to me that my cousin who also had lung cancer had been on chemo for 5 years so if he could do it for 5 years i could do the 4 21 day cycles standing on my head. well i didn't try standing on my head but i did get through the 4 21 day cycles. it's not going to be easy my friend but you can do this. i will send you my phone number in a private e-mail so if you need to talk don't hesitate to call. i understand !!!! you will be in my prayers and i am wishing you the best of results, bill
  • cb girl
    cb girl Member Posts: 56 Member
    #5
    hdbilly1 said:

    the good old chemo cocktail !!!!!
    i'm sorry to hear that you have to do the cisplatin too. it's not going to be the highlight of your life but just keep looking toward the last cycle. i had to undergo four 21 day cycles. the first day or two were not bad at all. they were actually pretty good. then you will probably start feeling really bad and foods will start tasting different. i found that about the only thing that tasted the same was bacon. they gave me steroids too so i would eat like crazy for a period of time and then not want much of anything for a while. feeling bad will last for about a week and a half or two weeks and then you will start to feel better, yes just in time for another cycle. then it's time to do it all over again. i felt at times like i was in a totally different world. i even got to a point where i had to use a cane to walk because it made me so weak. you may think at times that you just can't do another cycle but you "CAN" . just keep focusing on getting that last cycle done and over with. it was an inspiration to me that my cousin who also had lung cancer had been on chemo for 5 years so if he could do it for 5 years i could do the 4 21 day cycles standing on my head. well i didn't try standing on my head but i did get through the 4 21 day cycles. it's not going to be easy my friend but you can do this. i will send you my phone number in a private e-mail so if you need to talk don't hesitate to call. i understand !!!! you will be in my prayers and i am wishing you the best of results, bill

    Not so yummy cisplatin
    My husband did 6 cycles of gemzar/cisplatin and it was the cisplatin that really put a hurtin' on him. The first couple of times it wasn't too bad, but then the cumulative effect they talk about really sprang into action. He would try and get any paperwork or desk stuff done before he had his cisplatin because the chemo fog would roll in and stay for the week as well as the fatigue. As hdbilly1 said, you feel better just in time to do it again. Luckily, I was able to get him to shower so I didn't have to deal with the smell :-) Smells bothered him some, but not much. And as far as food, he ate everything, actually gained weight during his chemo. When he couldn't decide if he was nauseous or hungry he ate. He also stayed on top of his antinausea meds-emend and zofran. They said not to eat your favorite foods because you always associate it with chemo there after so we ate lots of hamburger helper, figuring we wouldn't miss eating that ever again. I would leave a crock pot with food in it on low so he could eat something warm while I was at work and it didn't create too much food odor. It helps to move around some, walk etc if you can, but it's not always easy with the fatigue and fog. Just keep your eye on the prize- we had good shrinkage with his protocol and I hope the same for you.

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