My father starts chemotherapy tomorrow...questions.

[Maddy McCall]

I need advice and info on how it will affect him. He will have a treatment tomorrow, and then one every third week after that for, I believe, six treatments.

I have the flu so I will be staying away from him until I am sure I am over it.

But what special needs will he have? How will it affect him?

[lynx rufus]

1. My best friend recovered 100 percent

he will be weak. drive him to and from treatments.
He will have a tendency to choke on his food - watch him.
His hair might change color. He will lose weight.
He will need to rely on you totally. He will pull thru.

[Maddy McCall]

3. Thanks, lynx

my mom will be doing the driving. The treatments are for a gastric tumor, so he hasn't been eating much.

Will he lose all of his hair? Or is that with radiation?

[lynx rufus]

15. He may lose his hair

it may grow back black
it may change his personality profoundly for a while
it is OK
give it time
all is not lost

[SoCalDem]

34. I don't know where she heard this, but my friend

used to put icepacks on her head after chemo.. She did not ever lose her hair.. It did dry out and get dull, so she eventually cut it short anyway.. I think a nurse told her.. Maybe it was just something to take her mind off of what she was going thru..

We used to howl every so often when she would spring a leak and ice water would trickle out.. We were mean friends, we were..

just googled.. found this

http://www.google.com/search?num=20&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&q=+cold+packs+hair+loss

[Norbert]

31. My brother had chemo

and his hair thinned out, but he never lost all of it. He was tired and slept a lot during the time he had chemo. He also suffered from nausia on occasion, which is not uncommon. He got through it okay and that was almost fifteen years ago. One other thing that happened to him is shortly after the chemo he had a bad case of shingles. The doctor said the two events were related. Like some other poster said, each case is a little different.

Give your father our best wishes.

[bratcatinok]

2. It depends.

The funny thing about chemo is that it affects people differently and can even affect the same person differently at different times.

My ex-husband has chronic lymphocitic leukemia and he takes chemo every 3rd week for 3 days. Most times he takes the chemo, he's a little tired but otherwise ok. Other times it can really wear him down for several days to the point he doesn't want to eat or get out of bed.

[Maddy McCall]

4. Thanks, brat

We are praying that pop pulls through just fine. He is a tough fellow, so I think he will handle it well.

[proud patriot]

5. He'll be my thoughts

:loveya:

[Maddy McCall]

7. Thanks, patriot...

We all consider it a miracle that he has stage 1 and that it hasn't progressed beyond the tumor. The alternative had a very poor prognosis, but the type that he has has an excellent prognosis.

The oncology team met today and decided that they did not need to do surgery and could treat it with chemo. Again, another stroke of good fortune.

Thanks for your concern and well wishes. :-)

[bratcatinok]

6. I'll add

your Pop to my list of people I pray for.

My ex is a tough old goat and he handles it well now. In the beginning though he had a hard time and became very depressed. I'd go with him to see the oncologist and would tell the Doctor about the depression. My ex would then go behind my back and tell the Doctor he was fine. Finally the Doctor put him on an anti-depressant and it made all the difference in the world in the way my ex faced all the symptoms and treatments.

[Maddy McCall]

9. I will tell my mom about this...

My father has never had to be dependent on anyone else, and we have seen some depression since diagnosis a month ago. I will keep your post in mind, and will talk to my mom and tell her to watch out for it, and to talk to his primary doc about it if need be.

Thanks and best wishes to your ex. Good that he has such a good friend in you to care about him. :-)

[Lefta Dissenter]

8. I'm really sorry about your dad

My son had cancer 4 years ago - the cancer hotline was a great help to me. Go to www.cancer.org for the phone number and to get additional information, as well.

As far as what to expect from chemo - it's different for everyone, depending on what specific drugs they're getting - and even people getting the same drugs react differently.

The first several treatments for my son weren't that bad - he was pretty tired afterwards, but didn't get sick or anything. They've really improved the meds that are available to combat nausea, by the way. The only time through the whole course of chemo that my son actually threw up was when he saw the dog up-chuck on the carpet! :puke: (couldn't resist)

If your dad likes classical music - or anything else that can help him to relax, then stock up on some CD's. The library is a great source for checking out music. My son's friends gave him some funny movies to watch - just mindless entertainment when he was feeling blue.

Talk to the chemo nurses - they're awesome, and they're a great resource. I never felt like they didn't want to take the time to answer even the littlest questions.

I wish your dad and your entire family the very best.

Feel free to email me privately if you need anything, including a shoulder to cry on.

Katy
[e-mail]

[Maddy McCall]

10. Wow...thanks katy!

And welcome to DU, by the way.

What great advice you gave me! My dad loves nature films...may start taping nova and nat geo shows for him.

I am going to buy him a caller ID telephone tomorrow so that he can get a break from the phone. Since he was diagnosed, he has received calls from his friends and feels he has to answer the phone everytime it rings. That alone wears him out.

I hope your son is well now. What a traumatic thing to have to go through!

Hugs to you. :-)

[Lefta Dissenter]

12. and furthermore... a couple of book recommendations

both by Greg Anderson

The Cancer Conqueror and
50 Essential Things to Do When the Doctor Says It's Cancer

It's hard to know what types of books will help different people, but these two helped me - though my son wasn't much interested in reading them... These books have a good, positive approach, along with some common-sense, concrete things to do.


Katy

[Wwagsthedog]

11. It depends on the cancer and the type of chemo

For now, I'm free of non-Hodgkins lymphoma after a year of chemo. It was caught early so my treatments weren't too severe. Right now I'm on a maintenance schedule of four, one week treatments every six months. I didn't lose my hair but I did lose weight. One thing the oncologists recommend during chemo is to stay away from kids because the loveable little devils do carry more germs. Give your Dad encouragement with phone calls and visits to give him a positive outlook.

[Maddy McCall]

14. Thanks W

I will keep my son away, mostly because he is an energetic kid and Dad doesn't need that right now.

So glad that you recovered! Thanks for your well wishes :-)

[Pallas180]

13. Pls tell him we wish him speedy recovery - my girlfriend who weighed

all of 98 pounds had a tough time with chemo - made her very tired
anemic, dragging, felt she was dying from the chemo, not the cancer,
until she started taking Pepto Bismol, the pink liquid. Apparently
it did something to rev up her iron, bone marrow or something.

Whatever, three times a day,it gave her back her strength. She;s fine
and as a matter of fact flying to California tomorrow for a vacation.
Running around. Moved recently, did her own packing...a regular energizer bunny. I hope the same for your father.

[Maddy McCall]

16. That is very encouraging, Pallas

I will tell my mom about the Pepto. Did your girlfriend take Procrit?

I have seen the advertisements on TV, and thought I would tell Mom to ask the doc about it.

Glad your gf recovered; hope she enjoys vacation!

hugs to both of you.

[bratcatinok]

26. Procrit

was one of the drugs my ex took back when he was having to get blood transfusions every other day. It helps to boost the red blood cell count which in turn carries more oxygen to the body. If I remember correctly, it's only used when the red blood cell count is depressed.

[Zomby Woof]

17. BOTH of you get well!

Since when have you ever argued with me? :loveya:

[Maddy McCall]

18. Thanks zomby

I'm not arguing and will follow orders! Yowsa!

I am much more worried about dad than about myself, though. thanks for the good wishes!

:loveya: too

[qwertyMike]

19. 2 friends now

One for surgery (prostate)
and the other in his 4 th week of Chemo (Lymph, Lung).

No mood changes, no weight loss, Mood normal. But I think he realizes the Lung thing may be terminal.

I'm at a loss. His mood keeps ME aloft.
What can one do? I admire him. He's 39.

[Maddy McCall]

20. OMG! 39?

How sad for your friend and for you. My heart goes out to you. :loveya:

[qwertyMike]

28. he started to use the word 'hospice' today - Canada

Now I can deal with it.

[jus_the_facts]

21. So sorry to hear this....my Dad just relapsed....

...my heart goes out to you Jill...he was in Stage 4 leukemia last year..had a month of chemo treatments and went into remission but relapsed and is now having another kind of chemotherapy...it's affected him much worse this time than it did last year...he didn't have any problems taking it before but had one today and his temp spiked to 103.8 and he has severe muscle spasms too...so bad they have to give him morphine for them. :cry: I'm going down to be with him day after tomorrow...thanks to an Angels help I'll be able to see him and be there for him. My Dad also had a tumor in his lung that they had to remove in March...he had two differnt kinds of cancer...but he rebounded back after the surgery to remove it but this leukemia came back on him and the only way they'll be able to give him a bone marrow transplant is if he goes back into remission...so I can honestly relate to your worries and hope and pray for the best for your Dad. :cry:

I hope he'll be fine after his chemotheapy...since it's only Stage 1 then I'm sure he will have a much better chance of beating it than my Dad has. :hug: :loveya:

[Maddy McCall]

23. Thanks for your post...

It's so sad when it's our fathers, isn't it? I am praying for your and your dad. I am glad you can go be with him.

Your post saddens me so much...it hurts to see our parents suffer. Hugs aplenty to you. :loveya:

[jus_the_facts]

25. It's been very difficult...

.....and hurts beyond words...just be thankful he's close to you and ya'll can be together through it all...that's been the hardest thing for me this go 'round that I've not been able to be by his side. Can hardly contain myself wishin' I could teleport myself beside him right now...but I'll be there Thursday...can't tell you how much it means to me to know I'll get there now. More positive thoughts your way and healing vibes your Dad's way too!! :hug: :pals: :loveya:

[Sacajawea]

22. ZOFRAN ...... remember that word.

My mother was diagnosed with lung cancer back in 1992. Eventually she was started on chemo. and as soon as she got home from the very first session she started puking her guts out.

THEN...THEN....A nurse friend of my sister mentioned the fact that there is a rather powerful antinausea medication called ZOFRAN. I believe that my mother had been given an antinausea medication called "Compazine" at the time of her first chemo. session.

Well, it turns out, of course, that ZOFRAN is a rather expensive drug and the F-ing HMO tried to do it the sleazy way by offering my mom the far, far cheaper Compazine.

So, before her second chemo. session, I told my dad to INSIST that they give her a dose of ZOFRAN before the chemo. Well, the difference was dramatic, to say the least. She still had a little bit of nausea afterwards, but it was nothing like the puking her guts out she'd gone through the first time.

Bottom line: You have to be assertive and aggressive with the "health care providers" (who try to do it as cheaply as possible).
Ask for something. If they say no, say "why not?" Or ask to talk to a supervisor.

One last thing. Because your dad's cancer is gastric and not in the lung, I don't know if the ZOFRAN would have the same antinausea effect as it did for my mom. But.....IT CERTAINLY WON'T HURT TO ASK ABOUT IT!!!!!!

Good luck. I wish your dad well.

Ronni

[Maddy McCall]

24. Zofran...writing it down now...

so I won't forget it. I will pass this along to my father. Excellent advice.

I hope your mother recovered. :hug:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

30. Excellent advice...family DOES need to be pushy and advocate

esp when dealing with HMO's and/or medicare.

[Throckmorton]

35. Kytril (granisetron), remember this word too

A different class of antinausea medication, even newer that Zofran, and very effective with gastric cancers. BTW, Mrs Throckmorton suffers from stage four esophageal cancer (adinocarcanoma of the esophagus), what does your dad have. She had 8 cycles of high dose chemo, spread over 5 months. She only had one bout with nausea, right after her first treatment.

Also, make sure he drinks a lot of water, its vital to quick recovery.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

27. My best wishes for him

and for you!

[Maddy McCall]

32. Appreciate it, GoG :-)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

29. NAUSEA

He will have difficulty with appetite. My administrative assistant went through chemo and that is when she began smoking pot..she survived, thank GOD..and still tokes....I don't drug test employees...besides...she's ten times more efficient high than most people are stone cold sober.

I DO wish you and your father the best. Hang in there...

HUGS :loveya:

[Maddy McCall]

33. Dad is a teetotaler; can't imagine him toking...

Gonna suggest the anti-nausea drub mentioned above.

:hug: back atcha.

[thom1102]

36. There are many different types of drugs that are used for Chemo...

and his side effects will vary greatly depending on the type of drug used, the dosage of the drug, and the type of cancer. If I were you, I would find out what kind of drugs they are using, and check out the American Cancer Society website. They may be able to give you some more detailed information.

My mother has had breast cancer twice, and is currently undergoing treatments for peritoneal cancer (related to ovarian cancer), so she has been through several different types of treatments. The first time she had chemo, her hair thinned and she lost her eyebrows, but she didn't lose her hair completely. Generally, she would get sick within a couple days of the treatment, and stay sick for about a week afterwards. As the treatments progressed, she would get sicker sooner after the treatment and stay sicker longer. Her latest treatment has her sick almost the whole time between treatments.

It is a good idea to stay away from him, since chemo compromises the patient's immune system. Good luck to your father, and for you. I know from personal experience how cancer treatments affect the whole family.

[soleft]

37. Don't have advice but good luck!

[chefgirl]

38. So sorry to hear this jchild..

My own mother was just diagnosed this week with non-small cell carcinoma (lung). Most likely terminal. :cry:
She has had 4 radiation treatments so far and will have her second chemo treatment tomorrow.
I've been kind of surprised at how little the professionals can really tell us about how an individual will tolerate chemo. I can say that Mom handled the first one very well and the radiation also, but like a previous poster said, the nurses did tell us that reactions can differ from person to person and from one treatment to the next.

I wanted to thank you for this thread. I learned a few things, and I sincerely hope your Dad comes through with flying colors.

Wishing you and your Dad all the best.

-chef-