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Anne123
Anne123 Member Posts: 3
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Ok, They are wanting to do the two day treament, every two weeks for 6 months...Eloxatin,Leucovorin and Fluorouracil. The onc wants the port put in this week (we meet with the surgeon tommorrow) dont know if that will happen this week, but onc wants to start chemo Mon. He is concerned because surgery was 7/9 and chemo hadnt been started yet, but husband developed a wound infection in the hospital and we have finally gotten that cleared up. So surgeon didnt want chemo started till that was clear. Can anyone shed any light on what side effects he may have from all of this? and the magnesium sulfate? Does the Dr give him that or can we get it ourselves?

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  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #2
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    Hi Anne
    I left you a few
    Hi Anne

    I left you a few replies on the other post that you had.

    Do the port install first - then schedule the chemo.

    Magnesium Sulfate is given at the Infusion center by IV - they will inject it through his port. This drug will help with the neuropathy and the cold sensations, especially in the throat. He will be able to drink cold liquids the day of treatment or right after - normally that's 5-7 days, but not with the Mag.

    I've talked with my onc about the effectiveness of this drug with chemo...I saw where someone posted here that it would work against the chemo drugs - but that's not true.

    My onc said he looks on a case by case basis and there is no hard scientific evidence either way that Magnesium Sulfate interferes with the Oxaliplating. I'll tell you what it will do though - is bring a quality of life to your husband and ease the side effects of his treatments.

    One infusion without the Mag and one infusion with the Mag, he would definitely tell the difference - this is a Winner all the way around. If it works for him, stay with it.

    All my other comments are on the other post.

    -Craig
  • nudgie
    nudgie Member Posts: 1,478 Member
    #3
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    It sounds
    like he will be given the FLOFOX treatment every other week with the 5FU (Fluorouracil) pump for 46/48 hours. I was on the same treatment and my treatment day consisted of:

    a) Arriving at the hospital around 8:00am and having blood drawn from my port for check counts.
    b) If counts were good, I would start with the 20/30 minute IV infustion of Magensium and Calcium, after that
    c) Receive my premeds of Decadron and Zofram
    d) I would receive the 4 hour chemo treatment and then
    e) An IV push of 5FU and then hooked-up to the 5FU pump for the 46/48 hours and
    f) Have the pump removed on a Sunday.

    I did my treatment over the weekend so I would not miss much work.

    Some of the side effects of this treatment that I received were:

    a) Flushing of face and throat
    b) Tingling of hands and arms
    c) Cold sensitvity to food, beverages and weather. Drank room temp liquids and room temp and warm foods
    d) Acid Reflux. Onc Dr put me on Nexium, but today I take Prevacid
    e) Headaches
    f) Locking of wrists while typing, due to sitting next to a window in the winter months
    g) Increase heat rate (120 bpm); this was considered normal
    h) Mouth sores
    i) First bite syndrome
    j) Insomnia sometimes due to the steriod premed

    Keep in mined that everyone is different (DNA), so the side effects from chemo will vary from person to person.
  • lesvanb
    lesvanb Member Posts: 905
    #4
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    nudgie said:

    It sounds
    like he will be given the FLOFOX treatment every other week with the 5FU (Fluorouracil) pump for 46/48 hours. I was on the same treatment and my treatment day consisted of:

    a) Arriving at the hospital around 8:00am and having blood drawn from my port for check counts.
    b) If counts were good, I would start with the 20/30 minute IV infustion of Magensium and Calcium, after that
    c) Receive my premeds of Decadron and Zofram
    d) I would receive the 4 hour chemo treatment and then
    e) An IV push of 5FU and then hooked-up to the 5FU pump for the 46/48 hours and
    f) Have the pump removed on a Sunday.

    I did my treatment over the weekend so I would not miss much work.

    Some of the side effects of this treatment that I received were:

    a) Flushing of face and throat
    b) Tingling of hands and arms
    c) Cold sensitvity to food, beverages and weather. Drank room temp liquids and room temp and warm foods
    d) Acid Reflux. Onc Dr put me on Nexium, but today I take Prevacid
    e) Headaches
    f) Locking of wrists while typing, due to sitting next to a window in the winter months
    g) Increase heat rate (120 bpm); this was considered normal
    h) Mouth sores
    i) First bite syndrome
    j) Insomnia sometimes due to the steriod premed

    Keep in mined that everyone is different (DNA), so the side effects from chemo will vary from person to person.

    First bite syndrome
    Nudgie thanks for the list of side effects of FOLFOX. I've never heard anyone mention first bite syndrome but I'm think that this happened to me-a cramping at the TMJ joint at first chew often if I chewed gum. I didn't have all of the side effects that you had but your list validated my experience. I had good luck relieving the flushing in face and throat with acupuncture.

    Leslie

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