Living on Chemotherapy
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kandre…stay hopeful. I would not worry too much about the delay in treatment especially since your husband had to fight off the infection first. Good luck with the upcoming new treatment. And, please keep us posted. We care.
All my best wishes,
MarionThe last scan was done +- 2 months ago. The name is hilar cholangiocarcinoma. He is starting with his chemo on the 30.12.2011. carboplot/gemzar. Just hoping he will be fine.
Sorry it is carboplatin/gemzar.Hi,
When was the last CAT scan or MRI done? In the States, the only way to tell about the progress of the tumor or the absence of it is scan every3-4 months.
If I am correct,your husband has the extrahepatic bile duct cancer(ECCA);as long as he can tolerate the chemo and the tumor is under control(stable or shrinkage);he will be fine. Here in the States ,most patients change the stents every 2-3 months if it is plastic to keep the bile flow smoothly.
Please remember,I am only a patient like your husband and not a doctor;
Chills and fever are the two most common medical problems related to ECCA.and they should immediately call for help from doctors or best to go to ER. Once after your husband finished the ENTIRE course of antibiotics treatment and checked out by the attending GP or oncologist; chemotherapy can be resumed base on the judgement of the oncologist.some likes to wait for a couple weeks more,;order labs to confirm the situation;others like to resume the chemo as soon as the patient is able to do so.
Keep in touch and ask questions;
God bless.Hello Kandre and welcome to our wonderful family. I am so sorry about your husband and was wondering if you have had a 2nd opinion as we strongly believe in getting other opinions. I know when Teddy had 25 radiation treatments I was told that it kept on working for about 3 months afterwards. Since he didn’t have chemo I can’t give advise on that one. You might want to familiarize yourself with our Search button at the top of the page. Just type in a word and many posts will appear on that subject. Best of luck and wishes to you and your hsuband and please keep us posted.
plc1029
Thanks for the quick respond. My husband was diagnosed in September 2010 with cholangiocarcinoma. He was on chemo for 10 months and radiation for 25 days. The cancer can not be operated. He have 2 internal stents in. He had infection recently and the chemo was put on hold. His last treatment was at the end of August. At the moment there is no fever, he is just very weak. My husband is 52 years. My question is, is it ok for him to be without treatment for so long?
Hi, Kandre,
Oxaliplatin is the third generation of the platium family which included cisplatin,carboplatin. In general that means there will be less side effects for oxaliplatin as compare to the first and second generation.(less anemia (RBC);less thrombocytopenia (platelets); neutropenia (WBC);and producing less nausea and vomiting symptoms.
Gemox(Gemzar/oxaliplatin) and GEM/Cis(gemzar/cisplatin) are 2 commonly used regimen for advanced cholangiocarcinoma. There are good objective responses (20-40%) for both of them;but there were NO randomized trial to compare the 2 regimens to show which is better than the others yet.
God bless.
Hi Summergirl,
Thanks for that. The Gem/Cis combo that your mum is on is one that is used for many CC patients, and indeed it is now seen as the worldwide firstline chemo treatment for CC. It is of course not the only type or combination of chemo’s used to treat this cancer, but it is widely used. And there are a ton of posts on the site about the Gem/Cis combo should you wish to read more about our members experiences on it.
My dad never had chemo of any type at all, but he also suffered from the fatigue as well. He used to take a lot of naps each day and it seems that fatigue is very common here. I know that it might feel strange to you asking for help from people that you don’t know, especially so as you say that you have never used a blog or site like this before. But please, we really are all here for you so just ask away if you have any questions at all. We can’t promise to have all the answers, but we’ll do our best and we know how you are feeling and what you are going through.
My best wishes to you and your mum,
Gavin
Summer girl, yes the fatigue is normal. My mom was 63. It would drive her crazy because there was always something she wanted to do but couldn’t because she was so tired. We limited visitors to one a day because it would tire her out. However, when she was feeling really tired we would talk to the doctors and get a blood transfusion. She always felt so much better afterwards. In fact I would live to sit with her during her transfusions because her face and chest would get so rosy towards the end of the transfusion. She always looked and felt great afterwards.
Summergirl…you Mom’s tiredness may be related to anemia due to a low red blood cell level. The blood test should reveal this. A call to the doctor may be in order. Does your Mom flood herself with liquids especially post chemo treatment? It is really important to drink large amounts of fluid during cancer treatment.
Please do not hesitate to ask questions on this site. Our great members have tons of experience and all are helpful and caring and gladly will share their thoughts with you. We are in this together.
All my best wishes,
MarionI appreciate all of your replies very much. I called my mother and read them to her also. She was very excited since she has met no one with this type of cancer and there is so little information about it.
Gavin, my mother is taking Gemzar and Cisplatin. She has tolerated it fairly well as far as side effects are concerned. However, she is extremely tired. She has never been one to sit down much and the fatigue she began to experience about a year ago is what finally prompted the tests she had in July that led to her diagnosis. When I read all of your responses to her, she asked me to ask one question. “Do most patients on this chemotherapy protocol feel so fatigued”? I realize it’s not possible to compare something like this, but can you give her some idea if this is to be expected for someone who is 78? She has now had seven sessions of the chemo and it seems like her energy level goes down a little more with each one.
Thanks to all of you so much for your kind responses and well wishes. This is my first time to participate in any blog, so it feels a little strange to ask for help from people I don’t know. Thank you again for all you do.
Hi Summergirl,
Welcome to the site. Sorry that you had to find us all and I am sorry to hear about your mum, but I’m glad that you have joined us all as you have come to the best place for support and help. And you will get tons of both from everyone here.
What is the chemo that your mum is on, is it Gemcitibine and Cisplatin combination or another type? Not really much I can add to what the others have said to you, but I just wanted to welcome you here. Please feel free to ask any questions and we will do what we can to help in answering them. I hope that the chemo works well for your mum, and please keep us updated on how she does with it.
My best wishes to you and your mum,
Gavin
Dear Summergirl, Welcome to our awesome family. You are not alone as we have all been confused by this very strange Cancer and truly all we know isthat that we don’t know much. Your Mother is being treated at one of the best places she could be and that in itself is excellent. I am wishing her a ton of good luck on the chemo and the fact it has not grown is good. I am hoping this is your Christmas Miracle, no growth for now!
summergirl… I don’t have much to add to what already has been told, but simply wanted to chime in for a quick hello.
All my best wishes,
Marion
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