sw55
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I had 20 cycles of gem/cis off and on over a 1-1/2 year period. Toward the end I felt like my ears were stopped up all the time. I had to get off gem/cis because of neuropathy in my feet but the good news is my ears cleared up and I felt like my hearing was restored. I also had my hearing checked over a 3 month period and did not have hearing loss, but it sure seemed like I did at the time.
I never had a problem with my platelets but the nausea and fatigue was pretty bad during the on week.
Good luck!
Dr. Javle’s office emailed me and said there were no openings in the clinical trial at this time and to start on Folfox and we would discuss it again when I go back in March.
I talked to the clinical trial department and they said there are other options if you don’t have insurance but I would need to have a consultation with the clinical trial doctor to find out specifics. I am going to talk to them about having the consultation before my next appointment in March.
Thanks Kris and Marion! I will call them today.
Kris, I guess the winter storm is going to prevent you from going to see the tree. Sorry about that. Stay warm!
Kris, the way I understand our insurance is covering clinical trials is an option and we opted not to cover clinical trials on our plan. We are self insured so I don’t know if that makes a difference. We have great insurance so I just assumed they were covered and had never asked until now.
Thanks Lainy! I have an appointment Thursday with my local oncologist to discuss the new plan. I will probably start in a couple of weeks.
Patti,
Loved the poem! I’m sorry the gem/cis didn’t work for you. I’ve never been on oxaliplatin but I have been on Gemzar/ Xeloda since April and have not had any bad side effects from Xeloda. I was worried about that as well and have been vigilant about keeping lotion on my hands and feet. I keep lotion and socks on my feet most of the time. I also rinse my mouth with baking soda and water 2 to 3 times a day and drink lots of water. I go back and forth between constipation and loose stools depending on how many anti- nausea pills I take for the Gemzar and an occasional pain pill, so no bad diarrhea.
Good luck! I hope the new combination works for you.
Christopher,
Welcome to our site. You will receive great support from this group and I hope you are able to meet others in your area.
You mentioned you had a stent. The alkaline phosphatase spike could be related to your stent. How is your bilirubin? An increase in these numbers sometimes indicate it is time to exchange (plastic) or clean out (metal) stents.
Good luck with chemo and let is know how you are doing.
Dorien,
I was diagnosed 2 years ago with stage 4 ICC with mets to the lungs and ovaries. i will never be able to have surgery because of the location of the tumor. I was on gem/cis, radiation and xeloda and am currently on gemzar and xeloda. Chemo has kept the cancer in my liver and lungs stable. The lungs have never been an issue and have remained unchanged for these 2 years. The ovaries were not responding to chemo so I had a complete hysterectomy in February and everything has remained stable since then.
No two ways about it, chemo sucks, and the fatigue can be bad, but I still work part time and live a normal life. Like Kris, I’m not sick, I just have cancer! My doctor says to think of it as a chronic disease and not terminal cancer. Of course that is easier said than done but I try to have that attitude.
So be positive and I hope your husband does great on chemo.
Tiffany,
I am so thrilled to hear how well you are doing. That’s amazing! Good luck with the rest of your recovery.
