And so it begins ...

Please feel free to read, share your thoughts, your stories and connect with others!
dauofcamom
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2018 7:11 pm

And so it begins ...

Postby dauofcamom » Wed May 16, 2018 5:23 pm

I’m sitting at the infusion center with my mom as she undergoes her first day of chemo. She is in good spirits and we are all very hopeful.

Mom is on the Xelox regime — oxaliplatin infusion and 14 days of xeloda followed by a week off. I’m so very anxious to see how she reacts to the meds.

I’ve been reading here for weeks, posted only once several weeks ago when this diagnoses was all so new and I was a basket case. My mom lives on one coast and I live on the other. Although I’ve been here with her the past six weeks, I’ll be heading home after her first cycle. However, frequent flyer miles are in my future. :D

Mom is 75 and other than a hysterectomy in the 1970s, she’s never had any surgery or been in the hospital. She has had no health issues, other than the cc. She doesn’t even take Tylenol or aspirin. So this drug regime, with anti nausea and anti anxiety meds, with the chemo meds, is all brand new to her. I’ve been researching and prepping her the best I can as far as eating healthy, drinking plenty of fluids and asking for help when she needs it. She knows the importance of putting herself first in this fight!

I’ll create a signature line when I get a chance but for now this is it. Dx 3/15/18. Surgery 4/7. Right hemi, 7.5 cm cecum mass removed. T4N1M0. Stage 3b.

I appreciate everyone sharing their journey. I have learned so much. Still so much more to learn though.
Long Distance Caregiver to 75 year old Mom
3/2018 - colonoscopy, DX malignant cecum mass
4/2018 - right hemi
Stage IIIC - T4bN1aM0
MSI High
5/2018 - Xelox Regime
10/2018 - peri Mets discovered
10/2018 - Start Keytruda every 3 weeks
12/2018 - scan all clear

User avatar
O Stoma Mia
Posts: 1709
Joined: Sat Jun 22, 2013 6:29 am
Location: On vacation. Off-line for now.

Re: And so it begins ...

Postby O Stoma Mia » Wed May 16, 2018 11:54 pm

O Stoma Mia wrote:
  • Common side effects of XELOX (CAPEOX) are:
    ' Each of these effects happens in more than 1 in 10 people (10%). You might have one or more of them.
    * 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. ' '
    .
  • Occasional side effects
    Each of these effects happens in more than 1 in 100 people (1%). You might have one or more of them.
    * 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
    .
  • Rare side effects
    Each of these effects happens in fewer than 1 in 100 people (1%). You might have one or more of them.
    * Ringing in your ears (tinnitus)
    * Heart problems
    * An allergic reaction to oxaliplatin


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.
.


dauofcamom
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2018 7:11 pm

Re: And so it begins ...

Postby dauofcamom » Thu May 17, 2018 7:22 am

Thank you so much for all this helpful info. By the end of the evening Mom was feeling a little tingling in her fingertips. How quickly do side effects usually kick in? I thought it took a couple days. I hope Mom getting tingly so quickly is not a sign that she’s going to have neuropathy problems.
Long Distance Caregiver to 75 year old Mom
3/2018 - colonoscopy, DX malignant cecum mass
4/2018 - right hemi
Stage IIIC - T4bN1aM0
MSI High
5/2018 - Xelox Regime
10/2018 - peri Mets discovered
10/2018 - Start Keytruda every 3 weeks
12/2018 - scan all clear

Aqx99
Posts: 403
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2017 7:28 am
Facebook Username: aqx99
Location: Pfafftown, NC

Re: And so it begins ...

Postby Aqx99 » Mon May 21, 2018 10:31 am

Make sure she is not touching cold stuff right after her infusion. I felt the cold sensitivity in the infusion center after my first infusion. I washed my hands after using the bathroom and the water was too cold, it felt like electricity going through my fingers. I carried gloves with me at all times just in case I needed to touch a cold door handle or reach into the fridge for something.
Anne, 40
Stage IIIB Rectal Cancer
T3N1bM0
2/21/17 Dx, Age 39
2/21/17 CEA 0.9
3/23/17 - 5/2/17 Chemoradiation, 28 treatments
6/14/17 Robotic LAR w/temp loop ileostomy, ovaries & fallopian tubes removed, 2/21 lymph nodes positive
7/24/17 - 12/18/17 CapeOx, 6 Cycles
7/24/17 Dx w/ovarian cancer
9/6/17 CA 125 11.1
11/27/17 CEA 2.6
12/5/17 CT NED
12/13/17 CEA 2.9
1/11/18 CA 125 8.6
1/23/18 Reversal
3/21/18 CT enlarged thymus
4/6/18 PET NED
7/10/18 CT NED
7/11/18 CEA 2.6
9/18 Bilateral Prophylactic Mastectomy


Return to “Colon Talk - Colon cancer (colorectal cancer) support forum”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 114 guests