radiation complications

Hi Aimeth,

Just wanted to share my mom's bout through radiation/chemo also...last summer my mom had 7 weeks of radiation and chemo. About 2 weeks into it she "bottomed out" I call it. She spent 7 days in the hospital with an infection that the doctors couldn't find, and along with that she was receiving potassium and magnesium every day by IV. She too had transfusions due to low blood counts. Now my mom has been fighting this darn bladder cancer since April of '06. She also has a neo-bladder, and her cancer returned 1 year ago in January to a location just to the left of her neo-bladder. Through all that fight, when she was going through radiation and chemo, I saw her in her worst state so far. (And I stress "so far") When she was put in the hospital, she was so disoriented...she couldn't hear me even talk to her, and when she did hear me she acted as if she couldn't comprehend a word I was saying to her. Her breathing also got to be very fast and labored. That did last for about 4 days of her 7 day inpatient stay. YET...she still received radiation each day. Finally her counts came back up, her infection cleared up, and she was back! With the radiation being targeted at her pelvis, she experienced more problems with bowels than her neo-bladder, but that all depends on where the tumor is. My mom was fortunate enough to have IMRT and Tomotherapy, 2 newer more precise forms of radiation, but she still had those side effects. Now for the good news....

We went back in the fall for a CT scan, then 2 weeks later a PET scan. The first CT scan revealed about 1 1/2 to 2 cm shrinkage of her largest tumor. The PET scan done a couple weeks later revealed another 2 cm down.

She has had her trials and tribulations, especially the last month with starting chemo again, but to know that radiation works, and keeps working for many weeks after the course is completed, can be a definate comfort and ray of hope! I do hope things get better for your husband, and hope you had a wonderful Holiday Season!

Hi Aimeth,
Familiar with the anti-nausea meds and yes some of them are outragously expensive, fortunately my dad's were all covered by the insurance. By the way, day 3 after cisplatin for him was the worst and he had to carefully time the anti-nausea meds a day or so ahead of the wave so to speak, taking upon sensation was not as effective.

For the all the suffering he's been through, he's been having some bouts of nausea and vomiting. He's getting injections of Reglan up to 10mg a dose. He's calm now. This is day 70. There's not much if anything to give up since he hasn't eaten for nearly 3 weeks. I took my wife and his grandson to see him today during my extended lunch break. Ever so brief to awaken him from deep sleep but he did perk up to see his grandson - he's so worried they can't sit on his lap.

He complained of some more pain as I was told earlier in the day, which I think is going to earn him yet another increase in the morphine dose. The emaciation of the body is becoming obviously more severe and I expect he'll slip into a coma soon. I can speak somewhat calmly about it now whereas early on things were coming at us too quickly and too overwhelming to comprehend. I was ambivalent about the rising morphine dose, but like he said, he just wants to go to sleep now and I wish for him the same. He's been an amazing fighter though.. surprising drs and staff.. my next overnight with him is scheduled this Friday.

It still seems strange to me that you haven't been given a prognosis which should come from the oncologist. If they aren't giving it to you, then ask, that's not fair to either of you. I hope they didn't just hand you the cancer booklet to look it up yourself. We got handed all that info, but it didn't come without the verbal explanation from the oncologist and the typical awkwared moment of silence, but then it was back to the business at hand to schedule all the chemo appointments. My dad had to take an immediate forced retirement and file claims for disability insurance, social security, etc.. All that business paperwork had to be signed by the doctor, sharing that if any applies in your case. My dad was 62 at the time and he really wasn't prepared for an immediate retirement. His workplace was so toxic that his oncologist wouldn't let him even walk onto the company property, my exaggeration, but he didn't want him within miles of the place.

Hi Karen...The Reglan can cause dizziness...its one of the lesser side effects of the drug unless you're experiencing it! Pat

Hey Karen, How was your New Year's celebration? Hope you were able to relax. My husband has been taking zofran and compazine. Yes the zofran works really good for him. He also experienced some dizziness this pass week but we think it was because his counts were low.

I hope things work out with your husband's MRI. I will be thinking of you!

Thanks for the tip, Aimeth

Aimeth,

I wanted to let you know that if your husband is having stomach or nausea issues, my husband was just put on Zofran (Nausea), and Reglan (Stomach)...They have worked wonders on the constant stomach pain he was having and the waves of nausea (one of them we are paying almost $40.00 a pill for, so we didn't fill the whole prescription yet...we wanted to make sure it worked before shelling out over $1100... some insurance co. will cover it.) It seems as though as soon as we address one problem another arises. We got rid of the stomach pain, and nausea, and now he is having severe dizzy spells...he had an MRI on Friday because they were afraid that the cancer may have spread to his brain (so scary)...but thankfully we got the all clear on Saturday...It must be medication related so we are checking that route now...his kidney function numbers are rising, so that is being monitored too. I think they are at a 1.9...we are told that we shouldn't worry too much (yeah right) until the numbers go to and over 2.5...

Please keep in touch...it seems we are travelling very similar paths...

All My Best,
Karen

Charlie, his doctors have been monitoring him very carefully since the very beginning and we can't ask for more dedicated, caring and compassionate doctors/nurses. They have also been informative with all the meds/chemo/treatments. And I have been active in learning as well. But they have not gone over the prognosis and I really not sure why.

In the meantime we are just, as mentioned doing our best to keep up with the treatments they recommend. I know they are trying their best to take care of him and I guess that is what counts.

I hope things are well with you and your family. How is your father holding up? Hope for the best and again thank you for taking the time to reply. Aimeth