Breathing Difficulties

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Carol Connell
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 9:17 am
Location: NH

Breathing Difficulties

Postby Carol Connell » Sun Jul 16, 2006 9:02 am

I am 64, diagonosed stage IV July 2004. I had 2 feet of right
descending colon removed. I have mets to the Liver and Lung,
both unoperable. I have been on Chemo since Oct 2004, now on
Folfox with Oxipilatin. I have always shared info on this board,
now I need help.

I have had extreme breathing problems for several months now.
Walking from room to room leaves me breathless and exhausted.
I use Adavair, 500/50 2x a day. I have Albuterol and nebulizer
treatments daily but nothing works. I have Chest CTS every 2 months
and a chest xray occaisonally. The Oncologist said it had nothing
to do with chemo and my primary care said I do not need oxygen!
My question is, what do I need and is anyone else having this problem?
The treatments are not so bad, after almost 2 years, I can tolerate
most anything. The breathing problem has put me in a depression
and taken the fight out of me. Any advice will be considered.

Thanks, Carol

monkeyblam
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:54 pm

Postby monkeyblam » Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:41 am

This may be a naive suggestion but I figured it couldn't hurt to at least mention it... Have you been eating or drinking anything cold? My mom's on Oxaliplatin as well and they told her that if she eats or drinks anything cold, she may get spasms (or an inflammation?) in her throat that make her feel like she can't breathe. They tell her not to panic because she actually is breathing okay and getting enough oxygen but that she'll feel exactly like she would if she were having trouble breathing.

I don't know how long you've been on the Oxaliplatin so I apologize if this is something you're already well aware of but, like I say, I figured it couldn't hurt to at least suggest it.

I hope you feel better soon, Carol!

monkeyblam
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:54 pm

Postby monkeyblam » Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:52 am

more info on this (from another website)...

Laryngeal spasm - Rarely the area around the voice box (larynx) can be affected by oxaliplatin, resulting in a sensation of difficulty swallowing and severe breathing problems. This can be very frightening but should only be a temporary side effect. This symptom may be triggered by cold and it is advisable to avoid such things as cold drinks for a few days after treatment. It is important to let the doctor know if you have this side effect.

guest

Breathing difficulties

Postby guest » Mon Jul 17, 2006 9:42 am

My husband was on FOLFOX last year for Stage 3c colon cancer (has since recurred in presacral space), BUT towards the end of FOLFOX he was very short of breath. I was noticing it and beginning to worry about it. One day, he was sitting in the floor removing a door knob and "huffing and puffing." My brother called me out of the room, and asked me what was going on. It scared him how bad he was breathing. I told him I had been noticing the SOB, and he said but all he is doing is sitting in the floor and removing 2 screws.

Thankfully, when he finished chemo that continually got better. I won't say he is back to normal, but I doubt he will ever see the precancer normal again.

They may not admit that as a side effect, but I talked to others on FOLFOX with the same issue.

MA

Becca
Posts: 63
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2005 10:08 am
Location: Mechanicsburg, PA
Contact:

Postby Becca » Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:54 pm

I am stage 4 survivor... finished up my 8 rounds of FOLFOX of at the beginnig of February this year. I also experianced shortness of breath. My issue was with the Oxaliplatin. It got so bad at times that I could barely swallow. The sypmtoms went away almost immediatly after I stopped taking oxaliplatin. ( I had to switch 8 treatments in due to an allergic reaction.) My advice to you is to keep on your Dr. about it. I was prescribed a low dose of Ativan that I took the day of chemo & usually for a day or 2 after. It REALLY helped. Also, & I can't stress this enough, AVOID THE COLD!! Cold air, cold drinks, heck, even room temp drinks effected me!! I lived on hot tea, coffee, etc... I hope this helps. I drove my Dr. nuts detailing all of my side effects (they where pretty severe) but you are your own best advocate, and as my mom always says "The squeaky wheel gets the oil!" Good luck! :D


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