disappointment with onc

tesslee
tesslee Member Posts: 97
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
hi everyone. i finished folfox 6 3 weeks ago. had my first avastin only infusion a week ago. also had blood work and petscan last week. haven't gotten results of scan yet. anyways my point is this. all thruout my chemo i had constant diaherra(sp). i told doc this over and over. the last couple months especially i got weak and stayed in bed 20 out of 24 hours a day approximately. depressed and weak and tired. dishes piled up and laundry behind. everything put on hold.

well the lab test for the bloodwork comes back and the nurse calls me and says i have low potasium (sp) and puts me on a prescription med to bring the level back up. yesterday i had blookwork drawn again to see if there is a rise in the level even tho i only started it last friday. so while there i talked with a nurse and played dumb. she confirmed my suspision that my potassium was low because of my constant diaherra. that i have been totally wiped out due to 5fu and low potassium. the last test of my potassium was in august. why didn't he take me seriously and test me while i was complaining of weakness and constant diaherra? would this make you upset? cause i am.

my output has gotten better, but yesterday diaherra again. i love milk and could not have it during chemo, cause i couldn't drink it warm. so i've been drinking my milk again and i believe it is causing me gas problems. does anyone know of an alternative or something i can take so i can have my milk and drink it too? thank you everyone for your help you've given me.

Comments

  • AnneCan
    AnneCan Member Posts: 3,673 Member
    Tesslee
    I don't blame you for being upset. Fatigue is brutal. I hope you are feeling better soon. With regards to milk, I love it too! Have you tried lactose free or rice milk? Good luck!
  • pepebcn
    pepebcn Member Posts: 6,331 Member
    tesslee it's very normal to have intolerance. to lactose while
    and after chemo, also after any gastric surgery ,it took me 6 months after chemo to get back to milk!
    I've been having almond milk, to me is delicious! did you ever try it?
    Hugs.
  • Nana b
    Nana b Member Posts: 3,030 Member
    pepebcn said:

    tesslee it's very normal to have intolerance. to lactose while
    and after chemo, also after any gastric surgery ,it took me 6 months after chemo to get back to milk!
    I've been having almond milk, to me is delicious! did you ever try it?
    Hugs.

    Soy Milk
    Try soy milk from Costco or traders joes. It's organic and really good!
  • Kathryn_in_MN
    Kathryn_in_MN Member Posts: 1,252 Member
    pepebcn said:

    tesslee it's very normal to have intolerance. to lactose while
    and after chemo, also after any gastric surgery ,it took me 6 months after chemo to get back to milk!
    I've been having almond milk, to me is delicious! did you ever try it?
    Hugs.

    Almond milk
    I love it! I don't drink it, but add it to Chai Tea, and use it for cooking, on cereal etc. Better than soy.

    I have mild lactose intolerance, so I usually limit my dairy intake to yogurt, frozen yogurt, and aged cheeses. I've heard of a lot of people becoming lactose intolerant after chemo. It sure couldn't hurt to take dairy out of your diet for a month and see if the diarrhea resolves.
  • tesslee
    tesslee Member Posts: 97

    Almond milk
    I love it! I don't drink it, but add it to Chai Tea, and use it for cooking, on cereal etc. Better than soy.

    I have mild lactose intolerance, so I usually limit my dairy intake to yogurt, frozen yogurt, and aged cheeses. I've heard of a lot of people becoming lactose intolerant after chemo. It sure couldn't hurt to take dairy out of your diet for a month and see if the diarrhea resolves.

    thanks everyone
    i just got back from seeing my family doc and he told me the same thing Kathryn, that i should try lactaid free milk. he also told me my onc should have tested me sooner and that if i wanted a second opinion let him know and he would refer me out. thanks guys, it's nice to finally have a reason for laying in bed all day instead of blaming it all on depression and myself and well 5fu also. that's 5x times f**** y** 5fu. sorry couldn't help myself. i hate those drugs.