Search Results for '5fu'
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Search Results
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It happened so quickly.
3/09 Whipple at USC
Spread to Lymph nodes
6/09-12/09 Gemzar/Xeloda Chemo at USC
12/09 More spread to Lymph Nodes
12/09 Chemo changed to Oxiliplatin/Leucorvin/5FU
2/10 Spread to Abdominal Wall, Liver, and Uterus
2/10 Stopped Chemo/Began Hospice
3/5/10 Passed AwayIt began with shortness of breath for about a month. Then came the severe edema, she could barely walk. What made it unbearable for her was the severe abdominal bloating. It hurt and she could not move, sit, or stand comfortably. Her fatigue basically crippled her as she strugged the five feet to the bathroom. She was tested to make sure her heart was ok, which it was. Her cardiologist said it was the cancer spreading and her oncologist said it was her heart. I was told to take her to emergency if it got bad. I called her oncologist and insisted she be admitted to the hospital. A CT scan at the hospital revealed major spread that ravaged her body in about three weeks. We were stunned. It took five days to stabalize her in the hospital and she was told to go home, there was nothing else that could be done. As I immediately began calling other institutions, she became worse. It was too late. She was released from the hospital on a Monday and died twelve days later. She was in pain and would not take her medications because they were too many and she had difficulty swallowing. She also stopped eating and drinking. She had diarrhea and constipation. She could not stand the pain and suffering any longer. In the end, she was in hospice at home for five days, suffering a great deal and she was extremely aggitated. It took a great deal of drugs to calm her. During her last night, her breathing was scary as we waited for every breath. Her beautiful eyes rolled to the back of her head and she could not speak other than moan in pain. She took her last breath at 1:00 pm, the next afternoon. All we could do is hold her hand and speak to her one by one. It was a nightmare.
I share this with you so that you may know what can happen. This will not happen to everyone, but I think the more information we have against this monster, the better. Please cherish every day with your loved one and keep strong.
In reply to: Time to stop watching and join in…
Welcome and yes you bring us all Hope. Funny about you shaving your head. Our doctors all made sure myhusband knew that in treating CC you don’t lose your hair. But I’m sure a new style is refreshing and easy. Keep us all posted. My husband is on his second week of 7 day 5FU drip into his port, for 5 weeks, so that is like 35 days straight chemo drip and then radiation 5 days a week for 25 visits. Week two, he is wearing down and man, he lost 60 lbs and is so cold and weak, I’m amazed that some people can continue to work. Keep us all posted.
Hi everyone – just thought I would pass on the details of the desensitization procedure I started and has so far been successful. I’ve been on FOLFOX6 since September 2009, then in Jan 2010 had an allergic reaction. Had the first desensitization on Feb 4 which went fine, no reaction. Had my second one yesterday, again no reaction. So this is how I’ll be receiving this chemo from now on. It takes about 8 hours from start to finish, so in case you have to go through this be prepared for a really long day. I have my bloodwork done the day before to save some time.
Instead of receiving the full dose of oxaliplatin in 1 bag, it is split into 5 smaller doses that are given over a 6 hour period. Before I am given the oxaliplatin, I am given premeds of singulair (pill), pepcid (iv), benedryl (iv), zofran/decodron (iv), and ativan (iv).
Bag 1 of oxaliplatin is given at .01 mg of full dose over 1 hour
Bag 2 is given at 0.1 mg of full dose over 1 hour
Bag 3 is given at 1 mg of full dose over 1 hour
Bag 4 is given at 10 mg of full dose over 1 hour
*I am given another dose of benedryl before bag 5 is given
Bag 5 of oxaliplatin is given at 90 mg over 2 hours
After the last bag is given, the 5FU pump is attached as normal
I no longer get the Leucovorin or the 5FU bolus (due to low platelets)I sleep until lunch (which my fantastic husband brings me (love Cracker Barrel), then sleep for a while longer, then I’m just kind of groggy the rest of the day. The benedryl/ativan combo wipes me out.
Hope this is helpful.
In reply to: type III cholangiocarcinoma unresectible
Hi Kathy, My name is Rose. Please take courage from our story. My partner Bob was diagnoised with cc unrectable in Nov 2008. Prognosis was 3 – 6 months. He commenced 5fu on 7th Jan 09, went to Serbia to celebrate his sons wedding on 28th May 09, commenced gemzar in june 09, MARRIED ME! on the 5th Aug 09, celebrated his grandsons birth on the 7th Aug 09, built our decking in September 09! Believe me while everyone around us is talking about sombre things…… we are busy living! He has had NO hospitalisations, NO surgical intevention, plenty of medication and an abundance of love and support. Bob is now 49yrs old and the ‘key word’ is LIVING!
My very best wishes to you as you continue to live your life… just as you should.
God bless,
Rose & Bob Sevdelinovic, Ireland.
rose mccusker@yahoo.com
Topic: Not eating well
My husband Eddie started his new chemo on Wednesday. He is now on Oxaliplatin/5FU/Leucovorin mix. He has been feeling the nausea bad. He eats very little and then has to stop. Any suggestions on what could take?
Mayra
Topic: Nothing is working…
Hello, my name is Mayra and I am new to this site. My husband has been fighting this evil cancer for 7 months now. We have been married for almost 4 yrs. and have an adorable 14 month old baby girl. Kayla is the light of our life and she keeps us going. We are going to fight with everything we have.
My husband Eddie was diagnosed with cholagiocarcinoma in July of 09. His tumor is extrahepatic. We have not been told what stage his is in. We do know that when it was detected, his tumor was 4.6 cm. He was reffered to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston by his local oncologist, Dr. Shenkenberg.
Our first appointment to Houston revealed that sugery was not an option. He was scheduled for and ERCP and a plasic stent was placed in his bile duct. It was amazing how the stent helped. His jaundice was gone and his urine was normal again. In October, he began his first round of chemo. Gezar and Cisplatin. He went through 7 rounds of the chemo every two weeks with no big side effects other that the nausea and fatigue.
He had a repeat CT Scan in Dec. His tumor was now 6.3 cm. His oncologist at MD Anderson decided that he would add oral Tarceva to his chemo. The side effects were visible after the first two weeks. He broke out and got bad acne. It was so bad that his pillow would have blood stains every morning. Dr. gave him some stuff that really helped. After a month of that we returned to Houston in January for another CT Scan. His tumor was now 6.4 cm. He has already had his stent replaced 4 times. He has now stopped with the Gemzar/Cisplatin combo. He is now getting the 5Fu/Leucovorin/ Oxaliplatin mix along with the Tarceva. He was sent home with the pump for 46 hrs. He just started on that yesterday. He is feeling real tired. He has been in bed all day.
He is scheduled for the SirsPhere treatment on March 2. God willing that will the stop this monster from growing. Nothing has helped so far. Has anyone experienced this? We ask for prayers.
Faithful,
MayraIn reply to: CC Stability for Now
During the past couple of month, my mom had to have a couple of transfusions due to a low red blood count and now she is having shortness of breath. She is not able to do the things she regularly does. She is just so tired. We went to see a cardiologist today and they are going to do an echocardiogram. They decided not to put a port in because they felt she was too weak with the shortness of breath. She has a pick instead.
She is now in her first round of Oxilplatin, Leuvorcin, and 5FU. I know this is standard, but we just have to pray it helps.
She is coming up on her one year anniversary of diagnosis, she had a whipple in March, then began chemo in June. She’s had six months of chemo and they are not planning on stopping unless she decides to. If the chemo shrinks the lymph nodes down and only a few are left they can operate on her. That’s our dream!!!!
We are grateful that she has had this much time with us and it is her strength that keeps us going. This whole disease is maddening…….
Topic: Update: good news
Hello everybody, I haven’t been here in a while, and I just wanted to let you guys/gals know about my father in law’s situation.
Background:
He was diagnosed in February 14th, 2009 (Valentines days will never be the same). He was told that the cancer is not resectable and the doc’s at UPenn had to do a combination of 5FU and concentrated radiation.The treatment beat him up really bad. His weight dropped from 190 to 135 within the first 6 weeks. Also with the local hospitals (not UPenn) treating him like absolute crap, resulting in unnecessary emergency room visits and infections. I am going to withhold the names of the hospitals because I do not know if it speaks for the whole hospital.
Updates:
1. the last scan showed no signs of tumor. They believe all of the abnormal signs are only scar tissues from the chemo/radiation combination
2. he is back to work. He is a workaholic, so it makes him very happy. I just wish that his work (he works in a power plant) wouldn’t be so demanding to him.
3. He still has pain, it is very bad in the morning especially. He can’t describe the pain very well. He just says “I’m in pain and it aches”. Do any of you know what this is? is it something we should look into?
4. His weight is up to 165 now! the doctors said that if you have an active cancer, there is noway you can gain that much
5. (side track) I grew very close to his side kick, pete
Coming from that day he received a call from UPenn with the term “5% survival rate and tumor size of a golf ball”. This has been a miracle. I am truly grateful to god and the members of this forum that helped us prepare for the fight.
As for me, I have quit my job in Japan last august, and came back to help him fight. Though money is tight and everybody knows the unemployment rate is terrible, I haven’t regretted a thing. I just thank god every day that he is still with us and making steady recovery.
JoeWillLive
P.S. if anybody knows of an IT position opening, please let me know!
In reply to: Please help – starting a long fight!!
I really want to thank ALL of you for responding. It is a good feeling to know there are people out there that know exactly what I am feeling. I have family and friends that have battled cancer but obviously no one with this.
I have been to three separate drs for opinions on my follow up treatment. All have agreed on the chemo and radiation however 1 of the 3 was going to treat me with Gemzar and Tarceva. The other 2 plan Gemzar and 6 weeks of radiation with 5fu. Has anyone undergone this same treatment? I know none of it will be pleasant but I really fear the radiation and chemo combination. I’m assuming it will be hell. I also did not want my 5 yr old to have to see the pump so I will do my best to conceal.
Kris – thank you for the encouraging words. Did Sue have surgery only?
Lainy – ditto above!
Katie – I am going to have my treatment at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Based on discussions with my surgeon, the “first round” of treatment doesn’t really vary too much. He said when you have issues of not responding or recurrence then maybe consider going to Sloane.
I am very anxious about beginning treatment tomorrow. I also am nervous because I am going on Friday for MRI so keep your fingers crossed.
We met with my oncologist today. She is in discussions with Drs. in 3 different cities. 1 the cc specialist, 1 Swedens top gasto cancer guy and Swedens top gastro surgon. I feel special.
I am now waiting on results from a scan that showed where my veins and arteries are so they can somehow overlap it with the pet scan to see if RFA is going ahead. If that is the case, they will get a tissue sample when they open me up for the procedure. If my tumor is typed “wild” (as opposed to mutated) I get a kinase inhibitor, most likely Erbitux. Not sure what Krase “wild” and “mutated” typing means though my doctor stressed that there wasnt a link to survival, merely treatment options. If I cant get RFA, we go back to how to find the tumor without opening me up which the surgeon really doesnt want to do just for a tissue sample and a looksy.
My doctor was again impressed with how well I looked. She wanted to wait to start chemo again to see what the surgon said. She wants me fighting fit if I go under the knife. The chemo regime will either be based on FOLFOX with 5FU push or Gemzar and Oxilplatin or Xeloda, Gemzar and Oxilplatin. I responded the best on Xeloda and Oxilaplatin, but it was too toxic for me. Combining xeloda with gemzar means they can reduce the amount (and hopefully the toxicity) of xeloda.
My doctor also stressed that WE are still very much “fighting” and that means that SHE is being as aggressive as she can be with the other doctors trying to get them to find a way for me to have surgery. She is fully aware that if people look at me on paper and not the energetic and strong me in person, that they may be temped to take a less aggressive approach. And to think this was the dr I didnt trust to do her best for me.
Kris
In reply to: CC Stability for Now
Well we got new CT scan results. Although she is still basically stable, her lymph nodes are increasing minimally in size. Her oncologist, Dr. Lenz, feels that although the gemzar and xeloda have stabalized her lymph nodes for the most part, he is changing her regimen to Oxilplatin/5FU/Leucovorin to be done at home. She is having a port put in next Tuesday and starting treatment. Does anyone know what we should expect? My mom is being brave, but I know that she is terrified.
This has been extremely stressful for my two brothers and two sisters. I have been the primary caregiver and have become protective of her. My sister still has her babysitting her three young daughters at least 3x per week afterschool so she can work! Although it’s great for her to be around her grandchildren, she should not have to care for them. My mom would never say no, she always tries to help everyone. There are many other issues and it’s just sad that this is tearing us apart even more, although we get along, we’ve never been close as a family. That has always bothered my mom so we are trying, but there is too much sarcasm and passive-aggressive behavior. Just sick of it.
Michael:
My sister had the exact same treatment plan that is being recommended for your father. She had an R0 resection at Hopkins. After a six week recovery, 5FU on 24-hour continuous pump with radiation 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Then a month off and Gemzar once a week for six months. She’s in the middle of the Gemzar now. Everything seems to be going great with her, with the exception of some typically nasty side effects from the treatments.
In reply to: Gemzar Side Effects?
I ask because it happened to my sister. She had a successful resection, but they decided to do chemo(5FU)/radiation and then chemo (Gemzar) as a follow-up. The radition was terrible, but she got through it. After a month break, she had her first gemzar, and it knocked her blood levels way down.
In reply to: gemzar plus oxali equals results the hard way
Hi Marjorie – I’ getting Oxaliplatin + 5FU (FOLFOX). The oxaliplantin has helped wipe out my platelet count. I haven’t been able to get chemo for more than 2 weeks now because of it. I’m trying again on Monday but not hopeful. Not sure what I’ll do if platelets are still too low. There is an injection I can get but the side effects of it are pretty severe. I’m still weighing it out. The docs tell me a platelet infusion won’t help because it will give a false rise and my actual platelets will still take a hit. We’ll see what happens on Monday.
In reply to: gemzar plus oxali…now what?
A research nurse has found 3 trials so far…
Cyberknife Radiosurgery Boost for Hilar CC (klatskin Tumor) at U.Cal, San Francisco, NCT00630890;
and
Definitive Chemoradiation with Gemcitabine and continuous fluorocil (5FU) followed y high dose rate bracytherapy or stereotactic bodyradiation therapy boost, this one at Utah;
and NCT00973713, Study of Rad001 in advanced cc (I think this one has to do with gene therapy)I would love a break from treatment and read elsewhere in the discussion boards about the various breaks people take. I’m doing it every other week, and it is getting so that there is not one day of relief, as the chemo builds up . Right now it’s 3 a.m. and I’m between ativan pills so i feel okay. This is the whining part, yes. whine whine, someone else bring the cheese.
Marjorie
