The Colon Club

The port is not a big deal - I did my first infusion of Oxaliplatin in a vein in my hand. Before it was over, my entire arm was numb. And I mean numb. My wife had to help me with my jacket as I could not feel the arm at all. It was more than a day before it returned to normal.

There are two front line CRC chemo treatments. One is Folfox and the other is Xelox. IMHO - if your Onc has not talked to you about both of them, he or she is very "old school " and I would get a new Onc. One that is younger and in touch with currently approved treatments.

Hi Mike,
I did not use Xelox, so cannot comment on it. I did have 12 cycles of FolFox, and while I had some problems the port and the pump were the least of them. The port really worked well for me as I had very poor veins because I was in physically bad shape as a result of complications from my surgery. It was not sore when the port was inserted and after the small incision healed I never really noticed it. I also had a PICC line in for some of the time and it was much more bothersome. The pump was a bit of a nusiance, as I found it difficult to sleep for the two nights it was attached, but otherwise it was quite discreet under my clothes, although I did not work while on chemo and was not very physically active either apart from plenty of walking. In my experience it was the side effects of the chemo itself that casued the real problems not the method of delivery. Hope this is some help, and good luck with your treatment.
Regards
Macpudd

Thanks for all the input from everyone. All these decisions are very stressful. So many choices and each choice has its own set of consequences. Plays with your mind and emotions. I will sit down with my oncologist and talk to him about both options.

As for the every 2 weeks folfox vs 3 weeks xelox. From what I know, oxi is higher dose on the 3 week schedule (which I would expect due to the time between). You can double check tho. The pump for me was no big deal and did not get in my way even sleeping, the only thing is I didn't shower til it was off, but only 2 days anyway. I got mine every Wednesday morning and disco nurse came to my house Friday morning. I started with the baby bottle size one, later switched to a small ball about half the size. (same amount tho, weird). They give you a fanny pack to carry it in. Again, for me, no big deal at all! Some that have not done it just hated the thought of it, others for other reasons, but if you try it and don't want it, I'm sure you can switch. I also hear more se's from xeloda, but I don't personally know myself. Just a few things you may want to ask about before you decide. Btw, I LOVE my port! I have really bad veins. So anywhere that can access it for any reason, I always have them use it.

Nik. Thanks for the info. I have bad veins also so the port sounds like it will be very helpful. They have trouble finding my veins. I will ask the doctor about possible difference in dosage.

mike1965 wrote:Nik. Thanks for the info. I have bad veins also so the port sounds like it will be very helpful. They have trouble finding my veins. I will ask the doctor about possible difference in dosage.

Same with me, I tell everyone when they have to "poke me" and I think they don't believe me until they try! Had my colonoscopy yesterday, got poked twice, first on under arm (between wrist and elbow), exploded my hand on 2nd, then got someone else and they got it, yeah, my hand tends to be better, butt... The 3rd and final was in the same hand, different vein. Ugh. Tiny, roll, colapse, etc.

The port is your friend. Access is SO much easier than getting pricked again each time.

I had a port for my 24/7, 5FU treatment. My chemo/radiation lasted for 6 weeks. They did labs from my port and used it for multiple surgeries. It wasn't too bad. Best of wishes with your treatment.

I'm headed to the infusion center in just a few minutes to get my 5FU pump disconnected. I've worn it for 4 days and it's been pretty unproblematic. I am only on my 3rd cycle, but I've been able to work with it and most people don't even notice it. In my second cycle I did Xeloda, and I'm just not very good with taking pills on a schedule, so it took a little more thought. Side effects seemed the same.

I have a Groshong catheter rather than an internal port, and they do everything through it. I love it since I was getting sick of getting stuck all the time!

kellywin wrote:Everyone has their own personal choices, it just depends on what works for you.

This is very true. I ended up doing Oxi via a port and Xeloda. With my personality I knew the pump would drive me crazy. It wouldn't be a big deal for others. I didn't mind taking a bunch of pills. It was the right choice for me. You have to decide what's best for you.

mike1965 wrote:Nik. Thanks for the info. I have bad veins also so the port sounds like it will be very helpful. They have trouble finding my veins. I will ask the doctor about possible difference in dosage.

Mike, make sure you ask for a "PowerPort." It's a special kind of port that can be used for CT scans too so no needle pokes for that either.

I took Xeloda rather than using the pump but I had Oxaliplatin and Avastin through my port. That particular combination is called Xelox. As kellywin and horizon said, it's a personal choice, but for me the pills were a lot easier.

chemo sabe wrote:The port is not a big deal - I did my first infusion of Oxaliplatin in a vein in my hand. Before it was over, my entire arm was numb. And I mean numb. My wife had to help me with my jacket as I could not feel the arm at all. It was more than a day before it returned to normal.

This is similar to what happened to me. They had trouble getting the IV inserted and gave up on one arm and had to switch to another. Did I mention I *hate* needles? Then during the middle of the infusion my arm starts itching and I notice the vein getting red. I had numbness for a day or so. Got a port after that.

I just started my 4th week of Xeloda (3000 mg per day, 5 days on/2 off per week). I have been very diligent about using hand cream throughout the day and the foot cream at night. So far my only side effect is being tired...or maybe that is from the radiation. So far my chemo DR is pleased that I am handling it well. Radiation is a bit more bumpy, but I am in the home stretch now. 1.5 more weeks to go. Whatever you choose, hopefully the time will go fairly fast for you. For me, one day just seems to blend in with another and now I am almost done with this bit.