Tips on minimizing FOLFOX side effects
- Common side effects of FOLFOX
Each of these effects happens in more than 1 in 10 people (10%). You might have one or more of them.
- Increased risk of getting an infection
- Breathlessness and looking pale
- Bruising, bleeding gums or nosebleeds
- Tiredness and weakness (fatigue) during and after treatment
- Numbness or tingling in fingers and toes
- Feeling or being sick
- Pain in the vein
- Diarrhoea
- Mouth sores and ulcers
- Periods stopping
- Loss of fertility- Occasional side effects
Each of these effects happens in more than 1 in 100 people (1%). You might have one or more of them.
- Soreness, redness and peeling on palms and soles of feet
- Runny nose
- Skin sensitivity to sunlight
- A brown marking on the skin following the vein
- Hair thinning
- Brittle, chipped and ridged nails
- Watery or sore eyes- Rare side effects
Each of these effects happens in fewer than 1 in 100 people (1%). You might have one or more of them.
- Difficulty swallowing or breathing
- Ringing in your ears (tinnitus)
- A mild or severe allergic reaction to oxaliplatin
.- ⫸⫸⫸⫸⫸Tips for dealing with these and other FOLFOX side effects are given in the reference below. Click on the plus sign (+) next to the side effect of interest on the web page.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/cancer-drugs/drugs/folfox/side-effects
Weekly side effects log (Use this for monitoring changes in side effects from one week to the next
_MON____TUE_____WED____THU____FRI_____SAT____SUN__
.AM PM..AM PM..AM PM..AM PM..AM PM..AM PM..AM PM.
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Numbness or tingling in fingers and toes
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Increased risk of getting an infection
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Breathlessness and looking pale
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Bruising, bleeding gums or nosebleeds
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Tiredness and weakness (fatigue) during and after treatment
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Feeling or being sick
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Diarrhoea
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Mouth sores and ulcers
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Loss of appetite
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Soreness, redness and peeling on palms and soles of feet
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Constipation
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Hair loss
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Headaches and dizziness
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Watery or sore eyes
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Tummy (abdominal) pain
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * High levels of bilirubin in your blood
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Kidney changes
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Difficulty swallowing or breathing
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Periods stopping
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Ringing in your ears (tinnitus)
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * Heart problems
|...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| |...|...| * An allergic reaction to oxaliplatin
.
Medications for each side effect - For each of the major expected side effects, you should have a plan for treating the side effect at three possible levels of intensity, for example:
1. Mild level - Home remedies or over-the-counter preparations
2. Moderate level - Mild prescription medications or over-the-counter preparations
3. Severe level - Strong prescription medications
It would help to have the options identified in advance at these three levels for each major type of side effect (and approved by your doctor), although it may not be necessary to purchase everthing in advance. Some products may be hard to find, so it may be wise to do some research in advance to determine where you are going to obtain the products in case you ever need them.
It is important to be pro-active and start treating the problems early, as soon as they start to appear. There is a reason for this: Under chemo/radiation therapy the immune system becomes somewhat compromised and a bit dysfunctional. It takes a bit longer for medications and treatments to take effect, so you need to start the treatments early, at the first sign of a problem. If you decide to wait until the problem becomes almost unbearable, then this might be a bit too late for your immune system to step in, catch up, and quickly solve the problem. In a way, there is no point in taking a 'macho' approach by trying to be a hero by toughing it out. Now is the time when your body needs tender loving care by giving it some form of treatment whenever something starts going wrong.
.
- Oxaliplatin - Treating peripheral neuropathy by naturopathy -
Re: Oxyplatin advice (post)
http://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=50311&p=385241#p385241
Prevention and Management of Chemotherapy-Induced-Peripheral Neuropathy in Survivors of Adult Cancers: ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline
http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/32/18/1941.full.pdf+html
Complementary Therapies for Chemo-Neuropathy: An Integrative Oncologist's Bag of Tricks
http://www.integrativeoncology-essentials.com/2013/06/complementary-therapies-for-chemo-neuropathy/
°- Note: Oxaliplatin toxicity and oxaliplatin desensitization protocols -
Oxaliplatin desensitization questions
http://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35164#p246839
Allergic reaction to Oxi
http://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=43093#p304849
Desensitization protocol for oxaliplatin
http://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=57906&p=456018#p456018
Hypersensitivity Reactions to Oxaliplatin and the Application of a Desensitization Protocol
http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/content/9/5/546.full.pdf+html
°- Oxaliplatin - Slower infusion rate. Normally, the Cycle 1 infusion is run at a slower rate (like 3 hours instead of the normal 2 hour infusion). This is so that they can better monitor the patient for reactions during the first infusion. From Cycle 2 onward, however, they will probably try to set up the infusion at the normal rate (like 2 hours to deliver the same amount of chemo that was delivered over a 3-hour span in the Cycle 1 infusion). This might be too fast for you. It would be less stressful on your system if they continued with the slower infusion rate from Cycle 2 onward. The down-side to this is that your infusion sessions would be an hour or more longer than standard if you choose to go with the slower setting. This is something that you could discuss with your oncologist.
.- Oxaliplatin -Lower overall dose of oxaliplatin - I think the standard dose for oxaliplatin is 85mg/m2, but the fall-back dose for patients who cannot tolerate this level is 75mg/m2. It might be better for you over the long haul if you were given the lower dose instead of the standard dose. With the lower dose you would have almost all of the benefits of oxaliplatin, but would have the added possible benefit that you may be able to tolerate oxaliplatin for the treatment period as opposed to having to drop it completely halfway through. This is also something you could discuss with your oncologist.
VeggieLvr wrote:I am having my fourth treatment of Folfox tomorrow. I also go home with the 5FU pump, which I hate - it's actually not that terrible but I am a very squeamish person and hate the idea of something being connected to me (I also have a severe needle phobia). Getting through the first treatment I actually felt a little better, since I then knew what I was in for going forward. I researched a lot but the anticipation of not knowing what to expect was scary, so I totally get where you're coming from.
Honestly, I hate treatment, it's the oxaliplatin that causes the worst side effects for me. But - you get through it, and you enjoy the good days in between. That's what has helped me the most - enjoying the days when I do feel well by spending time with my family, friends, and my beloved pets. On the bad days during and after treatment, all you can do is try to get through them the best you can.
You mention fasting - I tried that with my last treatment (round 3) and for me, it made a huge difference. My side effects were greatly lessened, and I started to feel better much sooner than I did after my 2nd treatment. After my second treatment, where I just ate normally (or as much as I could with the nausea), it took me 9 days to feel better and like I was "back to normal"; after my third treatment when I fasted, I was feeling much better on day 5.
Basically what I did with my round 3 (and am going to do for tomorrow's round 4) is a "fasting mimicking" diet, where for 48 hours prior to treatment and 24 hours after treatment, I eat less than 500 calories a day. So it's five days total, which is a long time - I break the fast 24 hours after the pump is disconnected. The hardest part for me is the 48 hours pre-fast - fasting during treatment is easy for me as I get very nauseous and don't want to eat anyway!
I was worried about affecting my liver also, but from what I understand, the potential for liver issues can occur if you break the fast during the time the is connected to you. I'm relatively new to the forum so am not sure if I can post links, but I learned a lot from here: https://adventuresinlivingterminallyopt ... fast-lane/
I also learned a lot about fasting from here: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=59328&hilit=fast+food
Basically I'm experimenting with each treatment to see what makes it easier. I had such amazing results with the fasting that I wanted to share in case it helps you too. Hang in there, this journey is tough, but what I try to do is just take one day at a time, enjoy the good days, and not think too far into the future.
lakeswim wrote:VeggieLvr wrote:
Basically what I did with my round 3 (and am going to do for tomorrow's round 4) is a "fasting mimicking" diet, where for 48 hours prior to treatment and 24 hours after treatment, I eat less than 500 calories a day. So it's five days total, which is a long time - I break the fast 24 hours after the pump is disconnected. The hardest part for me is the 48 hours pre-fast - fasting during treatment is easy for me as I get very nauseous and don't want to eat anyway!
lakeswim wrote:Hi, all.
So, I've decided on treatment and I start tomorrow morning - with chemo - and I'm terrified.
After a 2nd opinion and lots of hand-wringing and sleepless nights, I decided on a treatment - total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) - or chemo, then chemo/radiation, then surgery (if a good response, perhaps no surgery, but I'm assuming surgery). This has taken forever (diagnosis, staging, appts, decisions) and now it's REAL. The depression has hit hard.
lakeswim wrote:lakeswim wrote:VeggieLvr wrote:
Basically what I did with my round 3 (and am going to do for tomorrow's round 4) is a "fasting mimicking" diet, where for 48 hours prior to treatment and 24 hours after treatment, I eat less than 500 calories a day. So it's five days total, which is a long time - I break the fast 24 hours after the pump is disconnected. The hardest part for me is the 48 hours pre-fast - fasting during treatment is easy for me as I get very nauseous and don't want to eat anyway!
One more question - VeggieLvr - so, you said 5 days of fasting. With my tentative chemo schedule, mine would be closer to 5 1/2 days? If I fast 48 hours prior to treatment, that is fasting all Sat, Sun. Monday - early am - is treatment and it will be removed sometime Wed afternoon. So, then I'd go back to eating "normally" on Thursday afternoon (you say 24 hours after being removed). That's 5 1/2 days. How did you do it for that long - what did you eat? Did you get headaches/feel weak/hangry? Also, I'm curious what you ate? Did you focus on anything? Fats? Proteins? Thanks!!
Return to “Colon Talk - Colon cancer (colorectal cancer) support forum”
Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 66 guests