shortness of breath
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Donna,
Good luck with the scan. Will be keeping everything crossed for you! Please let us know how it all goes.
Hugs,
Gavin
Donna,
Best wishes coming your way for good scan results. I am surprised that it’s been a year; it seems like a long time.
take care,
CatherineDonna…..happy to know that the breathing problems have disappeared. Scan anxiety is nearly unavoidable, but know that you have a tidal wave of support heading your way.
Hugs
MarionThe word from my oncologist is that it is most likely the Gemzar. My blood work came back normal. She said that normal management of chemo is to be off of it at times. I did not receive my infusion last week and am off this next week. The funny thing is that the day of my appt and infusion i was practically back to normal so i cannot attribute it to the Gemzar. We will just have to wait and see. I will be back on it in a couple of weeks and if it rears its ugly head again, we will know that it is the drug.
My CA19 increased again. I have not had a scan in one year and next Tuesday i will get one and on Thursday will see my dr. This is going to be a tough week for me not knowing what it will reveal. I would think the cancer is progressing if my CA 19 is rising, right?
I feel badly for you, Cathy, that you are dealing with this. It is so frustrating.
Thanks to all again.
Donna
Donna, Welcome the world to of CC! I to am so short of breath, I can’t walk to living room from bedroom with out be winded. Many chest CT, blood work. ER visits XRays and long story short it is my liver and CC. Before my CC came back I was very short of breath, I couldn’t walk and talk (God forbid!!) turns out I was very anemic and take 3 iron supplements a day, made big difference back then. My hemoglobin stays low about 9 now. I use a scooter, if I ever in a store where available, and that is very exhausting!!
Not sure I added any new information but I feel your pain and frustration!
Sending prayers-CathyThank you so much for all of the input. When i went to ER 11 days ago they did a CT scan and lung x-ray which were negative. I go in today for my blood work and treatment so in a couple of hours i will know what my blood levels are. I do believe it is the Xeloda and perhaps the Gemzar. There are so many questions unanswered when i talk to my doctor. I am not blaming her, it’s just the nature of cancer and the individual. It is just frustrating not to know what I can do to help alleviate the problems i am having.
I am sleeping horribly also which seems to make my heart beat so hard. At times, like last night, I got 3 hours of sleep and that weakens me even more so i do become a couch potato, not my nature at all.
I have been very fortunate since my diagnosis 16 months ago. I am on the go all of the time and do rest a lot in the afternoon, but considering the severity of my health, i am doing so well and so blessed with family and friends.
I will tune in later and let you all know what the blood work reveals.
Hugs,
DonnaDonna,
I just posted this to someone else, but it bears repeating here. I agree with Karen and Marion. Chemo can cause your hemoglobin to drop very low. At one point, about round 5, mine dropped so low that if I tried to walk 10-15 feet, I was gasping for air and my chest hurt. I called my onc and they said the best would be to go to the ER, where they checked for a blood clot and did blood labs . My hemoglobin was at 7. They gave me two units of blood and within a couple days, I started feeling much better. I was still very tired because it only brought the hemoglobin up to 9, but at least I didn’t have any more gasping for air. The next round of chemo knocked the number back down some again, but not as bad as when it was at 7. Your problems well could be a low hemoglobin and you should see if your onc would do a check on your hemoglobin at the very least. Fatigue is one thing, but shortness of breath to the extent you are having it is quite another. I’d go back and sit on their doorstep until they figured out
Donna…..fatigue and compromised liver are fairly common. Perhaps the upcoming scan will provide some answers. Fingers are crossed for a good visit and please share with us. We are in this together.
Hugs
MarionHi Donna,
Not to negate the advice that Lainy has given you, but here is another thought to help out:
As you are on Xeloda and Gemzar…..are your physicians routinely checking your lab tests? You could very well be anemic.
Anemia will also give you shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness, increased pulse rate, etc. etc. You stated that you have had some sensitivity to these medications, so you may just have a low hemoglobin and hematocrit, aka, anemia.
Keep us posted!
KarenD, RN, CHPNDonna, it requires a Lung Xray and a lung CT Scan. It is just that your symptoms are the same as my son who was just DX with it. Valley Fever. It may very well be something from the CC but because of the breathing situation I would at least ask about it. It is a fungal infection. Best of luck on this. At least you would be eliminating problems.
OMG!!! Would that not show on a scan? How do you determine if you have it? That’s all i need is another health problem. I will certainly ask my doctor about it.
Thank you.Donna, I am sure not only is this not fun but it is kind of scary. For sure it could be the higher dosage and also good that you are having a scan next week. Now I am going to throw something at you that is new. Valley Fever. My son just got this here in Phoenix and it ONLY occurs here and in Cali. It is a fungi infection that occurs in the lungs due to blowing dirt and sand. All the things you mentioned he also has. I would ask your ONC if there is a possibility and at least tell him now what you are feeling. Best of luck to you and on your upcoming scan! Looking for better news.
Hello,
I have only posted twice and am new to this board. I certainly feel the support from everyone posting. I have a question. For the past 3 weeks I have had shortness of breath to the point of having to sit down and rest before i reach the other end of the house. If i bend down to pick something up or try and sort laundry, i get so winded and then my legs feel like jello. I went to the ER 10 days ago and had a CT scan of my lungs since they suspected a clot. It all came back negative which was a relief since i could have sworn my cancer was in my lungs. I have had an occasional cough and a strange feeling in my lungs for a few months.I am currently on Gemzar and Xeloda – only 500 mg now since i had severe side effects with the recommended dose. I increased the dose to 1000 mg about 6 weeks ago but am now wondering if my shortness of breath is caused by it so now i am back to 500 mg. When i was on the original dose of 2000 mg i had angina which was quite frightening. The cardiologist and oncologist recommended reducing it and it did help alleviate the symptoms quickly. But now this shortness of breath and a weakness all over my body is puzzling me. For the last 4 days i walk to the bed and to the the couch and lay there so fatigued. I am usually such an active person so this is really a concern for me. I am going back to the cardiologist on Wed . The oncologist really did not have anything definitive to say about it other then checking with the cardio. I would also like to add that my diostolic B/P is in the high 80s and pulse high 90’s or low 100s. This is not normal for me.
BTW, I have a tumor on my ovary and rice-like specks in my peritoneum. My last scan in February, showed to trace of cancer but my CA19 is rising. I am due for a scan next week and of course have some anxiety. I was diagnosed 16 months ago and am surprised that i am still here feeling pretty good except for these past couple of weeks. I also have had abdominal pain since all of this shortness of breath started. It is so puzzling.
Donna
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