1st week of chemo

Hi Melodie,

Sorry to hear you're having a rough time too. A 3 drug cocktail is always hard, and Cisplatin is probably the biggest butt kicker of them.

For a woman to lose her hair is the saddest part of chemo. I cut my sister's hair very short before she started. She had high dose chemo for breast cancer, which was 24 hrs a day, 5 days, it was so toxic her hair never came back, she was bald for the rest of her life, and nauseous for the rest of her life. I'm very glad they stopped those trials. More is not better when it comes to chemo, at least for breast cancer.

I see you're also receiving decadron (dexamethasone). Obviously these toxic cocktails call for some big guns to combat side effects.

I wish you well with your treatments. The end point is what it's all about.
Wendy

Holly, I hope by the time you read this that you are doing much better with your chemo. I had my first chemo on 4/16 with no after effects. On 4/17, however, I was in for a six hour session which involved 3 different durgs, one of them being Cisplatin (sp?) and although things went well that evening, the next day I was so sick. I was given Prochlorper and Lorazepam but still everything I ate or drank came back up very quickly. When the doctor called late that day to check on my he wasn't happy cause he wanted me to drink lots and flush those kidneys....he suggested that I take the Prochlorper and put a tablet of the Lorazepam in my cheek right behind it....and that seemed to help. The nurses had not shared that secret with me. I think much of my problem has to do with the fact that I suffer from motion sickness and even those patches they prescribe don't seem to help me. Therefore, the doctor has written me prescriptions for some new meds if the Cisplatin continues to make me so sick. They are: Emend and Dexamethasone.

I was suppose to do chemo this last Monday but my white cell count was down and so I had to return on Weds. The session went fine and I had little side effects until late that night I realized how tender my scalp was....I mean very tender. It was then that I noticed how I had more hair on my clothing than normal and so went to the shower to contain it....decided to wash it and as I ran my fingers gently through it, clumps of it fell out onto the shower floor. I decided to see how much was ready to fall out and about 75% of it left me. I don't consider myself a vain person, but losing my hair was very tough on me. I was told I would lose it but was hoping I would be one that didn't. Anyway, the remaining hair looked so bad that I decided to go in the next day and get the rest shaved off. I was surprised to learn that after iall the hair was gone, the tenderness in my scalp was gone. Now, I am still learning to adjust to my new look but my spouse loves it (he has been bald for years), and my inlaws think I look younger, so I guess there is a bright side to this. I'm sharing this with you just in case you have to go through this experience as well. I was fortunate in that a friend who lives nearby (an ovarian cancer warrior) brought me over some scarves a couple of weeks ago and I was able to go to a salon that provides free wigs for cancer patients. Enough said on this subect. Hope to hear you are doing much better. Take care.

Hi Holly......i was given Phenergran 25mg for nausea and that worked for me....it made me tired but i was sleep deprived away so i didnt care. Also Ativan which is a tranquilizer like Xanax counters nausea but it can knock you out also....i'm so immune to it now that i can take 4mg. and still not even notice i've taken anything. You do build up a tolerance to it. Its a benzodiasapan same as Xanax but for some reason i react to Xanax...go figure!....My son was given 1mg. for his nausea along with other drugs...but you would probably do fine with 0.5 since you've no build up of this drug in your system.
Just ask them why you're getting the various drugs...were they all in the protocal that Mayo sent?...........Pat

Hi all,

  Steroids? Decadron is a steroid? Well, I have no answers here. I was given it thru my port only - no pills of it to continually take. Today is Sunday morning and I am still feeling pretty decent - slept good, ate pretty good, keeping fluids up. I dropped 2 pounds tho dang it - down to 125.4 I was able to visit my Mom and pop some weeds out my flowers even yesterday. Today we are heading to church and then my son should be joining us for lunch before we drive his 2 back to their Mom. I feel up to it.I try to write down what they give me, but the anti pukes have not worked all that well yet. They are trying different ones to find what works - that is how it goes?  

 Thanks for the support and info - I will ask tomarrow when I go for labs and gemzar. Love ya and praying friends, Holly

PS Has any one heard from Clur?

My sister was on decadron throughout the courses of her induction chemo (4 rounds pre-op) and her stem cell transplant post op (5 days of chemo, 24/7, a four drug cocktail, this was for advanced breast cancer in '97).

There are other drugs than Zofran that can help nausea. Also, try taking half a xanex because they do tend to knock you out unless the anxiety level is so high and then you hardly feel it. In my own experience, old fashioned valium works better, I need less and don't have the hangover in the morning I'd get from xanex.

Most drugs for nausea also cause tiredness. Decadron should be giving you a kick in the butt and counteracting the tiredness from the other drugs, but it sounds like that's not the case.

Do you know why you're getting the steroids?
Wendy

Hi Holly...sorry you're feeling punky. The zolfran is a great anti-nausea drug...but i'm wondering why he has you on decadron as that is a steroid and decreases the body's immune response? Also important that you don't stop taking the drug cold..it has to be tapered off. And take it with food or milk so it doesn't make you nautious..its kinda rough on the stomach........Just wondering? Pat