The Colon Club

Hi All

Ive been an avid reader of this group since being diagnosed with Colon Cancer in March 2014.

Its been a battle ever since that day. I did my sigmoid colectomy in April 2014 (diagnosed Stage IIIa) and then did my chemo from May to November. The drugs of choice were the classic Xeloda and Oxaliplatin.

In the interim I developed:

- A pulmonary embolism from the Chemo (I am on warfarin)
- A large incisional hernia
- Hand and Foot syndrome (suffer from terrible finger numbness and feet feel like concrete).

I also picked up a superbug in hospital in September (C-Diff) and had anaphlactic shock on my last dose of oxaliplatin.

The problem I have now is i cant exercise much whilst im trying to get rid of the Embolism and at the same time my body feels out of whack and I not really able to lose weight.. In fact I keep putting on weight. Since I had my operation I put on 20Kilograms (44 pounds)!!!

Apparently the chemo and steroids they gave me during chemo are still in my body and are causing these problems.

Has anyone else experienced weight gain post chemo? I am starting to feel abnormal.

Can anyone offer me any advice?

Many Thanks
Tzonni

Just about everyone I have ever talked to who has been on Chemo for what ever cancer, not just Colon Cancer, has gone through the post chemo weight gain. I did so no you are not abnormal. Sorry no weight loss tips from me, wish I had them.

I also gained about 50 pounds post-chemo. I wish I had some good advice. I strive to eat less sugar and to exercise more, with mixed success. All I can do is keep trying. I've always been prone to stress eating and I was overweight before cancer. The stress of the cancer diagnosis and treatment and surgical menopause (in my case), on top of the possible metabolic effects of chemo and steroids can really do a number on us.

Best wishes to you!

I have so similar issues! And yes, even gain weight. No solution to suggest I'm afraid...

Do you have access to a swimming pool. Swimming or water exercise puts less strain on your body but is great exercise. If you don't swim, you can still use the water for resistance exercise. If you live in or near a bigger city you may be able to contact cancer support organizations and ask for a referral to yoga classes specifically geared for those on chemo or have lingering side effects from chemo. I'm sorry you've had such a rough time during your journey. I hope that things will get better for you.

Valorie

Wow, I also had an anaphlactic shock response to my next-to-last oxaliplatin infusion - so I didn't end up doing the last one.

Yes, drugs and all that played havoc with my thyroid and I put on weight, have struggled to get it off again. Though if I'm honest, I haven't struggled that much, just mostly GOT FAT and stayed there. Oh, and I also have a post-op hernia that limits certain kinds of exercise. Unless your doctor thinks your weight gain is a health risk perhaps it's not worth stressing over right now?

Thank you for all the responses so far. It's nice to know I'm not alone and hence why I keep coming back to this group so much.

It really was a massive help for me to be part of this amazing forum.