stopping treatment
Comments
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If
If I could stop treatment even for a month I'd do it. A year ago I went two months w/o treatment because my WBC was too low and I moved from Flagstaff AZ up to Ogden UT. By the time I started treatments again, my liver functions indicated that I was at the most 10 days away from failure. I'd considered waiting 3 weeks to get to the Huntsman clinic instead of starting at another one twice as far from home and now I'm glad that I didn't. If I had, I'd be ashes now.
If you can take a break w/o harming yourself, do it and enjoy it! Envy is supposedly a deadly sin, but right now I envy you.0 -
You will know when your body limits
You will know when your body limits more chemo treatments. Mine had failed twice during chemo. I ended up in the hospital for 8 days, and 3 days. I told the onc in good spirits that he was beating the heck out of me. We had words when I came out, to not let good mental health belie the facts that my body was at it's tolerance for chemo.
If you know you are done, then call it. You were correct before.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you!
Best Always, mike0 -
it's not a magic number
12 treatments (or 8 or whatever) is not a magic number -- and I doubt there has been a research study comparing the efficacy of say 10 versus 12.
When you are done, you are done. I did that one time. I think I was supposed to do 8, and I did 6 or 7 -- then I was finished!
Watchful waiting can be a good approach -- particularly if you are in a situation where you can get regular scans.
As someone who is on "chemo for life", i am a great believer in the chemo break or "stop-go" approach. Now, there HAS been a research study done on that -- comparing patients who had a chemo break versus those who carried straight through. And the efficacy was the same. (Sorry, I can't remember details -- even of the drug).
I don't intent to influence your decision in any way -- only you can make that call. Just throwing in my two bits worth
Tara0 -
numbers rackettaraHK said:it's not a magic number
12 treatments (or 8 or whatever) is not a magic number -- and I doubt there has been a research study comparing the efficacy of say 10 versus 12.
When you are done, you are done. I did that one time. I think I was supposed to do 8, and I did 6 or 7 -- then I was finished!
Watchful waiting can be a good approach -- particularly if you are in a situation where you can get regular scans.
As someone who is on "chemo for life", i am a great believer in the chemo break or "stop-go" approach. Now, there HAS been a research study done on that -- comparing patients who had a chemo break versus those who carried straight through. And the efficacy was the same. (Sorry, I can't remember details -- even of the drug).
I don't intent to influence your decision in any way -- only you can make that call. Just throwing in my two bits worth
Tara
I'm a chemo for lifer also, Tara. Tuesday will mark my 24th consecutive treatment. I hope someday that I can get down to 3 or lower and just get low, maintenance doses for awhile. I'm real leery of doing stop and go because I worry about what sort of stress that will put on the body as the cancer cells start growing again.0 -
The $64,000 Question
How (if at all) are you going to change your lifestyle?
You had 4 years between recurrances, do you think it's possible that if you made some lifestyle changes (like dietary ones) that you might be able to avoid a recurrance?
There's little argument that chemo sucks so I certainly know the need to take a break. I'm on a short one now myself. But if you're in a pattern of having IT come back and between your recurrance you had a "business as usual" approach to diet and exercise, do you feel some healthier changes might stave off it coming back?
Just a thought. I don't recall if you've done that already, excuse me if you have...
-phil0 -
What stage were you when youPhillieG said:The $64,000 Question
How (if at all) are you going to change your lifestyle?
You had 4 years between recurrances, do you think it's possible that if you made some lifestyle changes (like dietary ones) that you might be able to avoid a recurrance?
There's little argument that chemo sucks so I certainly know the need to take a break. I'm on a short one now myself. But if you're in a pattern of having IT come back and between your recurrance you had a "business as usual" approach to diet and exercise, do you feel some healthier changes might stave off it coming back?
Just a thought. I don't recall if you've done that already, excuse me if you have...
-phil
What stage were you when you were first diagnosed and 4 years between it showing up again?? I've been on a chemo. break since October. Onc. asked if I wanted a break, after much thought I said I wanted one till what showed on next scan in 3 months. That scan showed no change...so the break continues until I suppose some change is seen on the scans. The oncologist has booked this set of scans 4 months apart. If these next scans still show nothing new, my next set will put me at the two year mark with no progression (fingers toes everything crossed!!!) Scares me that there could be stuff going on that is not large enough to be seen on scans...but this approach seems to be working for me so far. Good luck with your decision, it's not easy, off chemo you're thinking all the time you should be doing SOMETHING to beat it down!!!0 -
UncertaintyPhillieG said:The $64,000 Question
How (if at all) are you going to change your lifestyle?
You had 4 years between recurrances, do you think it's possible that if you made some lifestyle changes (like dietary ones) that you might be able to avoid a recurrance?
There's little argument that chemo sucks so I certainly know the need to take a break. I'm on a short one now myself. But if you're in a pattern of having IT come back and between your recurrance you had a "business as usual" approach to diet and exercise, do you feel some healthier changes might stave off it coming back?
Just a thought. I don't recall if you've done that already, excuse me if you have...
-phil
You raise an issue many of us face and have to make impossible decisions about. I feel it really encapsulates the whole feelings of uncertainty that is at the core of living with cancer. Uncertainty about the illness, the future (will this kill me/ when / how?) , the past (could I have done something different to avoid this) and the present (should I have the treatments/ change my lifestyle etc). Ultimately it is about accepting that uncertainty and that there is no right or wrong decisions to make- there is only living.
It is also very individual how we respond to all this and cope with different aspects of it. For some being on treatment empowers us to feel we are fighting the beast. For others treatment represents the worst parts of 'being ill'. Balancing side effects and the down sides of treatments in the short term against the long term benefits is what we constantly do but all within a huge uncertainty of not really knowing what the future holds.
Ultimately only you can make the decision but part of the consideration needs to be how you may feel if in the future it comes back and you have the knowledge you stopped treatments earlier than recommended. For some people accepting this whole journey involves significant gambles is fine, while for others there is a need to do all they can to fight it so there can be no regrets.
No real advise here sorry- just my internal ramblings spilling out. Hope there is something helpful to aid in your thinking about this decision.
steve0 -
heal and rest
Get as much health as fast as you can.
Hugs,
Pete0 -
Smoky Joe i was diagnosedpete43lost_at_sea said:heal and rest
Get as much health as fast as you can.
Hugs,
Pete
Smoky Joe i was diagnosed stage 4 but that was over 6 years ago. 4 years ago was when I had my first recurrence.
Phil. I have always been very fit. I have been an avid mountain biker for over 10 years. I was hard core with major dietary changes after I was diagnosed. I was still hardcore diet for a couple of years after my first recurrence but got too comfortable and slipped into my old wasys. Now I am mostly vegan and have added a lot of vegetables and herbs that are believed to fight cancer. I have also been working on reducing my stress level which has always been a problem for me.0 -
Go For Itjanderson1964 said:Smoky Joe i was diagnosed
Smoky Joe i was diagnosed stage 4 but that was over 6 years ago. 4 years ago was when I had my first recurrence.
Phil. I have always been very fit. I have been an avid mountain biker for over 10 years. I was hard core with major dietary changes after I was diagnosed. I was still hardcore diet for a couple of years after my first recurrence but got too comfortable and slipped into my old wasys. Now I am mostly vegan and have added a lot of vegetables and herbs that are believed to fight cancer. I have also been working on reducing my stress level which has always been a problem for me.
You sound like you're doing things right.
I used to mountain bike a lot. Rode up Mt Mansfield in Vermont and Mt Washington in New Hampshire (back when you could ride any day, now I think it's only special days...) did a lot of touring too. Two 300+ miles (each way) vacations. Best time of my life in many ways...
Still have my Mt Hood Ross mountain bike. I'm pretty sure they were one of the first mass produced bikes out there. I know we were the first to be riding in Northern NJ.
-p0 -
We have a lot in common. IPhillieG said:Go For It
You sound like you're doing things right.
I used to mountain bike a lot. Rode up Mt Mansfield in Vermont and Mt Washington in New Hampshire (back when you could ride any day, now I think it's only special days...) did a lot of touring too. Two 300+ miles (each way) vacations. Best time of my life in many ways...
Still have my Mt Hood Ross mountain bike. I'm pretty sure they were one of the first mass produced bikes out there. I know we were the first to be riding in Northern NJ.
-p
We have a lot in common. I failed to mention that I kayak too which I think you had mentioned before. You also mentioned NJ. I was born an raised in Morristown NJ.0
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