Starting chemo again!

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sarahb74
sarahb74 Member Posts: 81 Member
in Ovarian Cancer #1
I finished my last dose of carbo/taxol 5 or 6 weeks ago and my CA125 is now slightly over 1000. Apparently the chemo stopped working after the fifth infusion and my cancer began growing again whilst I was still receiving chemo. Which means I suppose that the last 6 months have largely been wasted. All I got out of it has been 5 stays in hospital, loads of digestive problems and a bald head! Now I’ve got to start again on Monday, this time with Doxil. I know there’s nothing anyone can say and there are others in a far worse situation than me, but I’m sooooo fed up with all this. I absolutely hate having cancer!

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  • mopar
    mopar Member Posts: 1,972 Member
    #2
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    SORRY, SARAH
    You're right - it's hard to know what to say, except that I'm sending lots of prayers and hugs to you today. I'm not familiar with Doxil, but I know the other ladies who are will chime in soon to give you some advice as to what to expect.

    Have they done a recent CT to see if there's something going on? Once again, as we always discuss, the CA125 is a helpful diagnostic tool. I'm just wondering if follow-up tests might clarify what you're actually dealing with, if maybe it's due to something else - infection, etc.

    Please keep us posted, Sarah.

    (((HUGS)))
    Monika
  • fightison
    fightison Member Posts: 3
    #3
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    Chemo sucks, so true!
    I was on doxil last year, my advice is to rinse mouth after every meal to avoid mouth sores and be kind to your feet. I had a lot of mouth sores early on and did not start rinsing my mouth until after they appeared. I did ok on the chemo but at the very end I was in extreme heat, vegas in july and had huge blisters on the tops of my feet. Good luck, I know how hard this is mine has come back twice since 2008. Good luck, don't give up, hope is a wonderful thing. A lot of treatments are available I hope doxil works for you!
  • Mwee
    Mwee Member Posts: 1,338
    #4
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    Hi Sarah
    I'm so sorry you have to start this again. I've been chemoing for the past 1 1/2 years. It's keeping me steady so far, but I know how fed up you must feel. I've done Doxil. There's been lots of prior posts with good suggestions, but I'd like to add mine. Ice your feet for about five minutes, several times each night. Best of luck and here's hoping the Doxil is "the one".
    (((HUGS))) Maria
  • kikz
    kikz Member Posts: 1,345 Member
    #5
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    Mwee said:

    Hi Sarah
    I'm so sorry you have to start this again. I've been chemoing for the past 1 1/2 years. It's keeping me steady so far, but I know how fed up you must feel. I've done Doxil. There's been lots of prior posts with good suggestions, but I'd like to add mine. Ice your feet for about five minutes, several times each night. Best of luck and here's hoping the Doxil is "the one".
    (((HUGS))) Maria

    Sorry Sarah
    You don't seem to be getting any kind of break. With ov/ca I guess the best most of us can hope for is some time in remission. Here's hoping the next treatment gives you that time.

    Karen
  • sarahb74
    sarahb74 Member Posts: 81 Member
    #6
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    kikz said:

    Sorry Sarah
    You don't seem to be getting any kind of break. With ov/ca I guess the best most of us can hope for is some time in remission. Here's hoping the next treatment gives you that time.

    Karen

    Thank you everyone
    for your replies and suggestions. This will be my third round of chemo since I was dx so I'm pretty used to it and will hopefully be able to cope with it. I've always done up to now! I have my first infusion tomorrow
  • poopergirl14052
    poopergirl14052 Member Posts: 1,183 Member
    #7
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    sarahb74 said:

    Thank you everyone
    for your replies and suggestions. This will be my third round of chemo since I was dx so I'm pretty used to it and will hopefully be able to cope with it. I've always done up to now! I have my first infusion tomorrow

    chemo is very tough
    to go through, especially with no breaks or remission. I hope this chemo will work for you and give you some relief. How are you feeling?? I know carbo/taxol is very rough to go through with the jointand bone pain. Good luck..val
  • sarahb74
    sarahb74 Member Posts: 81 Member
    #8
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    poopergirl14052 said:

    chemo is very tough
    to go through, especially with no breaks or remission. I hope this chemo will work for you and give you some relief. How are you feeling?? I know carbo/taxol is very rough to go through with the jointand bone pain. Good luck..val

    Thank you
    I'm still feeling a little tired but quite good overall. I haven't had the joint pain I had the first time I was on carbo/taxol. That lasted for months after I finished chemo and was quite awful. I think with my second line therapy I was on a lower dose of taxol so I just have some abdominal pain which my onc seems to think is my cancer progressing. I take fentanyl patches to control it which seem to work quite well. This stuff seems to be never ending!
  • dreamer007
    dreamer007 Member Posts: 61
    #9
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    sarahb74 said:

    Thank you
    I'm still feeling a little tired but quite good overall. I haven't had the joint pain I had the first time I was on carbo/taxol. That lasted for months after I finished chemo and was quite awful. I think with my second line therapy I was on a lower dose of taxol so I just have some abdominal pain which my onc seems to think is my cancer progressing. I take fentanyl patches to control it which seem to work quite well. This stuff seems to be never ending!

    starting chemo again
    Sarah,

    has your doctor ever tried Gemzar? i had about 4 or 5 taxol/carbo chemo treatments,
    then the ca 125 stalled out, so my doc put me on carbo/gemzar, for the rest of the
    treatments, and i am still in remission almost 8 months later

    i have noticed many here getting doxil, but gemzar, not so much.... i have not been
    here for very long, so that could be a factor,too

    my ca 125 was going up each month, for the past 3 months, so i had a CT scan to
    check for masses, and it came back clean... not sure why it is going up, but i have
    heard that "any infection" can do that...

    i had a very hard time with my "intestinal fortitude" during chemo, because i have
    diverticulosis, and a very sensitive digestive system.... that totally sucked, but the
    anti nausea meds, marinol, helped out... zantac was added after a particularly
    terrible time, which also helped quite a bit
    for the most part i gave up coca cola, which i LOVE, in order to keep the intestines
    from screaming back at me, and because chemo totally ruins the taste of coke

    i remember the month before i had the most recent ct--july 18, 2011
    i had convinced myself that "this is it, i am
    not gonna make it, just like my sister" .... it made me batshit crazy...
    guess it goes with the territory of ovc

    hope you can get to a good place with this upcoming chemo
    its so rough!

    dreamer007
  • sarahb74
    sarahb74 Member Posts: 81 Member
    #10
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    dreamer007 said:

    starting chemo again
    Sarah,

    has your doctor ever tried Gemzar? i had about 4 or 5 taxol/carbo chemo treatments,
    then the ca 125 stalled out, so my doc put me on carbo/gemzar, for the rest of the
    treatments, and i am still in remission almost 8 months later

    i have noticed many here getting doxil, but gemzar, not so much.... i have not been
    here for very long, so that could be a factor,too

    my ca 125 was going up each month, for the past 3 months, so i had a CT scan to
    check for masses, and it came back clean... not sure why it is going up, but i have
    heard that "any infection" can do that...

    i had a very hard time with my "intestinal fortitude" during chemo, because i have
    diverticulosis, and a very sensitive digestive system.... that totally sucked, but the
    anti nausea meds, marinol, helped out... zantac was added after a particularly
    terrible time, which also helped quite a bit
    for the most part i gave up coca cola, which i LOVE, in order to keep the intestines
    from screaming back at me, and because chemo totally ruins the taste of coke

    i remember the month before i had the most recent ct--july 18, 2011
    i had convinced myself that "this is it, i am
    not gonna make it, just like my sister" .... it made me batshit crazy...
    guess it goes with the territory of ovc

    hope you can get to a good place with this upcoming chemo
    its so rough!

    dreamer007

    The oncology team told me there are
    a few other chemos if doxil doesn't work for me but they haven't mentioned anything specific. I'm trying not to think that far ahead, it's just too scary!

    I'm so sorry you have diverticulosis as well as ovca to deal with, as if ovca isn't enough without all those other problems. My husband has diverticulosis as well and he has a pretty unpleasant time with it.
  • Cafewoman53
    Cafewoman53 Member Posts: 735 Member
    #11
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    sorry it didn't work
    I know thats a terrible thing to have no break but you will do it, this may be the one that puts you in a long remission. When I thought that I was getting no break after a year of treatment I had myself a little hissy-fit (no offence Carlene) after a day or two I got over it and went back to concentrating on fighting this disease. I caught a break and I don't need any treatment right now but I can relate to you.
    This is a big test of endurance and do whatever it takes to recharge, for me it is my grandchildren, this isn't going to keep you down. You will get up and fight and we will be here cheering you on !
    Colleen
  • jbeans888
    jbeans888 Member Posts: 313
    #12
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    Sarah, I am so sorry to be
    Sarah, I am so sorry to be reading this. I know chemo sucks, but you gotta admit having a bald head isn't bad for summertime. The wigs are just so hot. I always joke that I couldn't have been going thru this is winter when the wigs would help keep you warm. Anyways, keep your spirt up.

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