Oxaliplatin

[NICK THE BRIT]

Hi guys, excuse me for maybe being a bit naive here. Im a stage 3a and currently on my third of eight cylces. oxaliplatin followed by two weeks of xeloda then a week off. Things arent too bad, bit of pins and needles here and there. When you guys refer to a port,
is it administered instead of having an infusion drip every time??? im gathering it is, but i was curious as i was never offered one here in the uk. Also for anyone who has had or is having the infusion drip are you using the same arm each time or swapping arms so the veins dont get damaged as bad????

[missj]

hi nick,
how is it over across the pond? havn't been there for a few years but plan on going back in 3 years when my daughter is 10, have family in ferndown which is in dorset. anyways i have a port and get oxi everyother week in about a 1 1/2 iv drip then followed by avastin, then i go home wtih a 46 hour pump of 5fu. i have read in places that all should not be infused together but don't know if that is true or not. a port is a good thing it is not painful to have it accessed at all, i think it is less painful then searching for a decent vein and having a catheter put in all the time. the port is kind of annoying to me because i am that type that things bother me, i can't stand this pump hanging off of me everyother week but i know i have to have it in order to survive this crap which i will im sure.

missj in florida

[guest]

A port or port a cath is a silicon resevoir attached to a catheter that sits under the skin on the chest wall. It usually enters the superior vena cava. It is refered to as a "permanent access", as opposed to an IV that usully must be reinserted every treatment. There are other permanent accesses as well such as a Hickman catheter. The port a cath is the most permanent. It can also be used for blood draws as well. YOu have some concerns about your veins, and you are not wrong. Chemo can be quite hard on the veins. A port is good, but there can be probems with it and it is a surgical procedure (minor). It can be done by a radiologist or a surgeon. I urge you to speak to yor physician. Good luck to you.

[Bryan Pettit]

Nick.....hang in there. I did 12 cycles (6 months) of FOLFOX (5FU, Leucovorin, and Oxaliplatin). It was basically a double treatment every 2 weeks.....1 1/2 hour IV, followed by 46 hours of infusion (I can still hear that pump cycle in my head), delivered through a portacath. It was the best method advised by both my oncologist and surgeon; the only problem was a blood clot about 2 months into chemo....no big deal, just 2 days in the hospital and 4 months of a blood-thinner called warfaren. There was one setback with the port....it became a one-way valve about 3 months into chemo; they could put stuff in, but not draw blood from it. I'm told that's very common, and had the port removed in June after my last treatment. Now, about the oxi....the numbness does get worse, and apparently will for 3-5 months after your last chemo. I'm scheduled to see my oncologist tomorrow, and will try to get you more info. I'm currently 3 months post-chemo, and 11 months post-op (colon resection). One day at a time, pal, and that's a LOT easier said than done; good luck with everything. Bryan

[NICK THE BRIT]

Cheers Brian. Ive just completed 4th bout out of 8. So half way there. I havent got a port. Just have it infused everytime i go. Im on the oxaliplatin combined with 2 wks of xeloda. Can't complain too much. Feel worse for about 7 days then have 2 weeks when im not too bad. So onwards and upwards. All the best.