bkat
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It’s six days later and a question has come up. How does one know if symptoms are side-effects of the chemo or if they are a result of the CC?
Basically, he didn’t feel any different in the day or two following the chemo. Now, in the last 36 hours, he feels measurably worse. He can barely walk due to weakness, says he hurts, general malaise, doesn’t feel like eating, sleeps most of the time, etc. I know mentally this has to take a toll, but seeing him today he looked unhealthy.
Round two of chemo is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I think he is wondering whether it’s worth the effort. (He told my sister he feels he’s declining no matter how hard he tries not to.) Thanks to your suggestions, I plan on asking the doctor about vitamin D or other options to see if that might help. He’s not on steroids, so that is another question I will pose.
Sidebar question. The doctors have him on Norco for the pain. Could this be contributing to his lack of energy? I would never want to deny him anything that makes him more comfortable. But I’m cautious about doctors making assumptions and possibly keeping him drugged simply because he’s older and his cancer is non-resectible.
Thanks again. You are a wonderful group.
Hebrown,
My condolences to you and your entire family. I can’t tell you how sorry I am. All I can say is, your father would be so very proud of you right now. A friend told me, “The hole in your heart will never go away, but one day it will get smaller.” Take care.Thanks again to all. I think he’s surprised to hear he has a cheering section in all of you!
Well, my dad has his first round of chemo (Gemzar) yesterday. Twenty-eight hours later, he hasn’t felt any side effects, ate a normal dinner, and slept most of the night, so I guess that’s a good start. His blood work is a bit off (elevated WBC, low RBC, slight anemia, and very low iron). Should I assume this to be normal with CC? I tried questioning the RN & lab tech on this and was given a vague answer about how this is just a baseline by which future tests will be compared and you really can’t tell anything by it. Which isn’t telling me a whole lot.
The one question my dad keeps asking is, if chemo works as it’s supposed to, will he get some of his strength back? Aside from the obvious concerns with this disease, I think it’s driving him nuts that he has very little stamina.
Thanks for the support. He seemed a lot stronger yesterday so I think he’s making the right decision. My mom is having a tough time with his disease and what lies ahead for both of them, but my dad is determined to fight since it beats the other option. So his attitude is good. He says he’s accepted what may be down the road but in the meantime he’s going to try and keep this cancer at bay.
Met with the oncologist today and she told my dad the pros & cons with chemo. She was very straight-forward and informative, which was good. So he is proceeding with gemcitabine to see how he handles it. If he does OK then she’ll add cisplatin, I believe. He wants to fight this as long as he is able, so we have a plan.
Thank you all for offering both perspective and comfort with this. Having strangers who have been through or are going through this come forth to share their stories does help in making an informed choice. He has an appointment soon to meet with the oncologist who would be administering the chemo so this will give me the opportunity to present some of the questions that will help him decide what is best for his life.
Like Peggyp’s father, my dad’s raison d’etre has been to make sure my mom is taken care of, as she has health issues of her own. She’s not doing too well with any of this and I believe one of his main goals is to get them moved into a retirement community quickly so there will be support and care for her when the time comes that he is no longer there. We are trying to keep the ball moving forward on this while simultaneously addressing the medical issues.
Pam, I empathize with what you went through. When my father first awoke from surgery he looked me in the eye and asked what the prognosis was. It was a tough moment.
PCL1029, can you elaborate on what you experienced with the chemo? I know the oncologist told my dad drugs take care of the nausea and the worst will be is that he will be “a little tired.” I don’t blame the doctor for trying to be encouraging and underplaying the chemo to some extent, but hearing from those who have been through the chemo, even if they did not have “side effects” is helpful. Like Marions addresses, the fact my dad is 81 years old comes into play but that it’s the patient’s overall health and not his numeric age that is the real determining factor. So much now depends on to what degree his health has been compromised.
And Lainy, thank you for you insight. Directly asking the oncologist just how much time chemo will buy might help determine when it is time to focus on steps beyond chemo.
I will update everyone after his next oncologist appointment.
Thank you all again.
