Out of hospital

Julie 44
Julie 44 Member Posts: 476 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hey just got out of the hospital..I feel somewhat better now...I was severly dehydrated and my potassium level was very low. Plus I have be dry heaving non stop for days..So I was in the hospital for 3 days..
This chemo treatment is really kicking my butt!!! I am on Camptosar and I am having terrible side effects from it...They don't understand why..These are not the normal side effects..I keep telling them I am not normal..lol.lol..So now they are going to reduce my treatment again...By another 25% so that means they are cutting in half plus I have been to sick to finish my second day of treatment. So I need to know how this will effect the cancer?? Is it strong enough to do anything to it??? Should I continue this med???Is anyone else having the same problems with this med???? I have a follow up with the oncologist on Thursday but wanted some of your opinions on this....Thank JULIE

Comments

  • lizzydavis
    lizzydavis Member Posts: 893
    #2
    Hi Julie,
    Hi Julie,

    I do not know anything about this med but I wanted to say how glad I am that you are out of the hospital. Please eat crushed ice, drink water, tea, water with cherries or lemons, more fruit juice, etc. Please stay hydrated and eat bananas for potassium. Take care of yourself, hun.
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #3
    Julie :)
    You can't take what your body won't let you have - at this point, even a reduced dosage of Camptosar is better than NO Camptosar at all - you have to "hold it down" to some degree to be effective. Chemo is so hard on us and each dosage is not always the same as the one prior to, or the one after the curent one.

    It can change with each dosing cycle. I know you did Folfox, so now you're doing Folfiri. If this gets to where you can't take it, there is Xeloda and Avastin together that you could take, which is also good when you can't do the harder stuff.

    What I would recommend is to take the Camptosar at 50% for your next cycle and see how far you go with that - you can monitor how you are feeling, if you are nauseous or exhausted, lose appetite or whatever and report that back to the onc, as he/she will be evaluating to see if you can stay with the Camptosar, or they have to move you to another med(s) as I mentioned above.

    They key will be to communicate all of your feelings and side effects to the onc so they can make the proper determination based on your responses and lab tests etc.

    I'm sorry you had a rough time - I've heard this one can be very nasty itself and it sounds like it's been very hard for you. I wish I could take your pain away or reduce it.

    Stay stubborn - Cancer hates that! Hoping this reduced chemo will be tolerated better by you. It will definitely have some kind of an effect and at least keep things held back.

    Your friend!
    -Craig
  • Julie 44
    Julie 44 Member Posts: 476 Member
    #4
    Sundanceh said:

    Julie :)
    You can't take what your body won't let you have - at this point, even a reduced dosage of Camptosar is better than NO Camptosar at all - you have to "hold it down" to some degree to be effective. Chemo is so hard on us and each dosage is not always the same as the one prior to, or the one after the curent one.

    It can change with each dosing cycle. I know you did Folfox, so now you're doing Folfiri. If this gets to where you can't take it, there is Xeloda and Avastin together that you could take, which is also good when you can't do the harder stuff.

    What I would recommend is to take the Camptosar at 50% for your next cycle and see how far you go with that - you can monitor how you are feeling, if you are nauseous or exhausted, lose appetite or whatever and report that back to the onc, as he/she will be evaluating to see if you can stay with the Camptosar, or they have to move you to another med(s) as I mentioned above.

    They key will be to communicate all of your feelings and side effects to the onc so they can make the proper determination based on your responses and lab tests etc.

    I'm sorry you had a rough time - I've heard this one can be very nasty itself and it sounds like it's been very hard for you. I wish I could take your pain away or reduce it.

    Stay stubborn - Cancer hates that! Hoping this reduced chemo will be tolerated better by you. It will definitely have some kind of an effect and at least keep things held back.

    Your friend!
    -Craig

    Drugs
    I am also taking Avastin but I will ask about the Xeloda. Something has got to give where I can tolerate this treatment...I am on Reglan,Zofran,Compozine and Emend all for nauseaness..Plus potassium,and all kinds of fluids and still I wind up in the hospital..Crazy isn't it!!!!!!JULIE

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