Nose issues during Folfox

[klryder02]

Hello-

I think this is a side effect of Avastin, but what kind of issues are you guys having (with your nose) during Folfox.

I NEVER had to blow my nose unless I have a cold. I am now blowing my nose three times a day, going through tons of tissues. There is always mucus and dried blood up there...and it is getting really annoying. The onco said to get saline spray and the nurse said to drink more water.

Has anyone found anything else to help?

I have a feeling I will just have to get over it and wait for chemo to be over.

[Sweet Peg]

klryder02, I had the same problem. I was not on Avastin though so I would think it had to do with the 5FU or the Oxilaplatin probably. I drank more water which seemed to help some. It will go away once you are done with treatments.

Peg

[rthornton]

Yeah, I find that I am much more sniffly than usual (that is, more than in past winters), and often my nose bleeds. But it's not excessive blood, it's just a little. My current drugs are Xeloda + Avastin.

Rodney

[pjpeace]

Yeah just call me Rudolph ok!!! My nose ran CONSTANLY!!! we could buy stock in the tissue companies...get the lotion coated stuff if you haven't already...my Onco. noticed it and said to take Sudafed but i'd have to take it everyday and i was even on my regualar allergy stuff. Which did NOTHING to stop the drippies. I just nicknamed them the "Chemo Drippies".

Yeah, the salin solution (just get the cheap-o CVS brand) works for my mom. i didn't use it enough to really tell a difference. i used it when my nose got sooo dried up.

i had the blood too. i stopped chemo the other week so the blood is going away slowly but surely and the nose is starting to stop dripping as much.

if you have any more info from your doc or find out what works let us know! i might be back to chemo after surgery...fun fun...

Is the answer to every side effect 'drink more water'

Paula

[Guest]

I did Folxfox + Avastin (6 months) followed by 6 months of Avastin as part of a clinical study. Stage IIIa dx september 05. My nose dripped non-stop -- and it still drips but not quiet as much. All I can say is I went from a normal nose to a leaky faucet almost over night. It was ridiculous -- and I constantly had a handfull of tissue at work.
After a while, it got even worse. The right nostril would have a plug of gunk the size of my thumb every morning that would come from somewhere up in my sinuses about 45 minutes after I got up every day.
I was on all the allergy meds + benedryl, drank water non-stop and had stock in saline spray too. Two days after rweach round of chemo I would wake up in the middle of the night in pain from my sinuses -- nothing helped.
The onc. was never that concerned about my nose. Well, I've been off Folfox since May 06 (that didn't cause a change) and then off the Avastin in November (and that didn't seem to make much of a difference).
The one change I noticed was immediately after they took out my port in December my nose stopped running as much. Slowly, very slowly the size of the junk in my nose has decreased so that now it is more like the size of my thumb nail. I'm hopeful that one day soon it will stop.

[klryder02]

My major concern is...is this causing some kind of permanent damage to my nose/sinuses?

I NEVER get a straight answer from the onco. about permanent damage to any part of my body from all this damn stuff.

[Magnolia]

I've been under the impression it's the Avastin. I'm done with Folfox and on Avastin as monotherapy now and still have the problem, though not as bad. I just got over a cold and it was nasty having all the blood and mucus. Ick! The dried clots are really annoying. That seems to be getting a bit better. I live with my humidifier and saline spray. I don't think the oncologists know much about this yet. Both oxaliplatin and Avastin are fairly new. Long term effects haven't so much happened yet. We're the ones they're happening to. Exciting in a way.

[RobinS]

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. I started Folfox in December. I've always had sinus issues, but now have a dried blood clot every morning to blow out and a daily bloody nose plus the dripping. The oncologist doesn't seem concerned and thinks it is just allergies and the cold weather.
Robin

[Magnolia]

Anybody ever heard of a Neti pot? It's a thing from India that's used to irrigate the sinuses. I've heard it's wonderful. Anybody ever tried it?

[Guest]

I had problems on Folfox with both a runny and a bloody nose. While receiving my infusion in the chemo room I would *sniff* the entire time. Most of the nurses thought that this was an odd reaction. By my 10th treatment I had a full fledged allergic reaction and had to discontinue the Oxaliplatin. I've often wondered if my infusion sniffles were related to the Oxaliplatin, as they seemed to stop once I discontinued the drug.

Not only was my nose bloody during my chemo treatments, but so too were my gums and just about every other orifice. The doctors didn't seem terribly concerned and my bleeding subsided once my chemo dose was lowered (due to low blood and platelet counts). Oh yes, I was told NEVER to take Aspirin while receiving Folfox. I hope that everything works out for you. These side effects can be really annoying.

Monique

[Frank G]

I have been taking Avastin,Oxiliplatin and Xeloda every 3 weeks for 6 treatments. I am 23 days from IV's and 11days since Xeloda pills.Bloody boogers stopped 2 days ago and drainage in throat was not their this morning.

Holidays are nice.I get petscan reults next week.Will probably drop oxiliplatin for a while.I actually had a drink with ice today.

[Becca]

I'm having the same problem with the nosebleeds & the running. I also had it the 1st time I was on chemo. My onco says that it's the Avastin. I can tell you that the issue went away after the chemo was done. Also keep in mind that you probably don't have any nose hair. I know it sounds gross, but it's true. Unfortunatly that hair is what filters out all the crap that we breath in & without it all I do is SNEEZE!!! I use a brand of saline called "Simply Saline". It stays totally sterile the entire time you use it. That reduces the risk of sinus infection. (I am prone to them) It's a little more expensive thatn the regular stuff, but TOTALLY worth it. Good luck to you!!!

[Bryan S]

Try to Google "nose bleed" Most of the references that come up are related to colon cancer treatment. Mostly they refer to Avastin.

If the nosebleed is bad enough there are 2 products I know about that help.
One is called the "Seal On Nasal Sponge" These are a flat cloth thats compresses to be about 2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide. When you put the sponge in your nose it expands and soaks up the blood kind of like a tampon, the only problem is that you must take them out after an hour and sometimes the blkeeding starts again. They are however very convienient to carry (I have one on me at all times)

The second product is "Nosebleed QR" or "QR Nosebeed" depending on how it is listed in th ordering book. This one is a brown powder that you put on a long Q-Tip and place on the bleeding area it is suppose to stop bleeding on contact. It works well when it works. The problem is it burns and you do not always get it on the right area. You may need to use it 2 or 3 times before it works.

The other problem I have is that both of them require 2 hands to open and you can just spew blood allover the place when you let go of the bleeding nostril. The Sponge wins on this one because even though you need 2 hands once you get it open it is a one hand deal.

Most Pharmacists have never heard of either of these products, trust me I am a pharmacist and I never heard of them until recently. If you want to try them ask your pharmacist to order them for you.
Nosebleed QR www.biolife.com
Seal On Sponges www.seal-on.com

I make a joke of my bleeds by telliung my wife that I am going to disappear and if they suspect fowl play if they spray that Luminal stuff( too much CSI) around the house the bathrooms will glow. LOL

[momof2crazyboyz]

I had bad nose bleeds, but I was only on Folfox -- they told me it was from the Oxi..I would lean over, kiss my kids good night and my boys would say -- a ..mom your nose is bleeding all over my bed... The good thing is that as soon as I stoped with the chemo.. The nosebleeds stopped..Good Luck.. CAthy