Recovery From 5Fu

It's been two weeks now since I finished my 5FU and radiation.  I am still soooo tired, how long does it take to start feeling energetic again?  I feel like I've just lost my  umph and can't get it back.  I'm also having terrible hot flashes from the radiation frying my ovaries, does anyone know of a natural remedy for these?  I refuse to go on hormone therapy I think that's why so many of my husbands relatives got breast cancer.

Terry

Terry:

 I did six rounds of 5FU (and a few other drugs that don't come to mind right now) but no radiation.  About a month after the last round I noticed the total tiredness slipping away and a slow increase in energy after that.  Now at four months out I feel like I'm back to 95% and probably won't go much past this level.  During the late stages of the chemo I struggled to make it past 2:00 PM at work.....now a full work day followed by a trip to the gym is a snap!  Hang in there!

 TerryC

Thanks for your reply!  Actually, about two days ago I started feeling a little better, I even took a long walk which I think helped even more.  I've been trying to push myself instead of letting it overtake me.  It's to bad I have to feel better so I can have surgery and feel lousey again to feel better again to have six more months of chemo and feel lousey again.  What a viscous circle.  Oh well it's worth living right!

Take care!

I actually started feeling more energetic about 4 days ago.  I'm feeling pretty good all day and then start to fizzle in early evening but it's getting much better!  I still have to do the 5FU, oxi and Luecovarin yet, I heard it's not fun.

Thanks for your reply.

Terry

My husband has colon cancer and just finished 28 radiation treatments and four courses of oxiplatin, 5-FU and leukovorin (every 2 weeks), he will be having surgery in about 2 weeks.  They gave him these treatments to shrink the tumor which was about 10 cm when discovered.

His tests for the "tumor markers" were all negative and initial CT scan just showed a thickening of the colon wall.  It took the doctors quite a while to decide if it was really cancer or not.

Anyhow, after the radiation treatments, his butt looked like an overcooked ham, just almost burned.  And the chemo makes him very sick.  He threw up for three days continuously after this last one, and that's in spite of the "anti-nausea" two drugs which only helped a little bit.  He has a lot of pain, caused in part by his hernia which will also be repaired when they take the tumor out.

The side effects of the cold sensitivity lasts about 2 days after the chemo is taken off.  He has a chemo pump that he wears for about 22 hours x 2 days, plus the 4 hour infusion at the cancer treatment center. 

One think that amazes me is the great variation in the number and duration of people's treatments.

I talked to one lady who had been diagnosed with stage 4 and had cancer practically everywhere.  She was absolutely sold on the chemo, says last exam showed she was nearly cancer free and she feels great.

But another guy, a former police officer, had to discontinue the oxyplatin after a while because the cold sensitivity and numbness began to last longer and longer.

My husband was supposed to have 2 more sessions of chemo (about a month's worth), but after his last treatment, he decided he just couldn't take it anymore.  His surgeon says if it was him, he wouldn't take those last two either, says it wouldn't make too much difference.  Surgery should remove the tumor, but the surgeon left it very open as to what exactly my husband will wake up with....a few inches of colon removed or a bag.  Pretty scary.  I wish we knew more.   

I don't know if I would continue chemo either if I puked for three days!  I did pretty well with the continuous infusion 5FU, minimal nausea, no metallic taste, just tiredness. 

I know it's scarey to think about the possibility of ending up with a colostomy bag.  I have to have one permanently and at first I was really depressed.  I'm a nurse and I've cared for patients with them in the past so I know they're not that difficult to take care of, it's just the whole "stigma" of it.  I've thought about a lot of positives, especially after radiation when I could barely make it to the bathroom with bouts of diarrhea.  You don't have to worry about that anymore.  Save money on TP;)  Try and find the positive.  There's a website called www.ostomyland.com and you can ask any questions you may have.  Hopefully he won't end up with one but maybe it will make you more comfortable with the possibility.

Good LUck!

Terry

My mom finished her treatments in January. She's doing great and so far cancer free. She is 80 years old. She opted to do a transrectal excision, then  radiation with chemo and then 8 weeks of the 5FU. She made it through the surgery, chemo/radiation and 2 of the 8 chemo treatments. It was too much for her, she had too many health problems. I don't know how old you are....but you can do it. Just look to the future. Next year at this time, you will be cancer free! Best wishes.

PS: my mom is never home, she's constantly riding around town on her scooter going to birthday parties and eating out! What a difference a year makes! 

A local musician came to our house (friend of a friend) and talked to my husband about his surgery (he had a similar procedure).  My husband is pretty scared about the surgery itself. 

We just have to trust the doctor.

Terry,

I am writing on behalf of my husband.  He has just completed 6 weeks of xeloda (5fu oral form), radiation and avastin.  He suffered very little nausea or fatigue and feels quite good.  His doctors seem surprised, but we are not quite so surprised.  First, we believe in the power of prayer and in God's desire for each of us to be healed.  We thank pastor Joel O'Steen for his encouraging messages while we have been at MD Anderson in Houston.  Secondly, Matt is taking many nutritional supplements.  Three of them are currently being studied in clinical cancer trials.  I will tell you these.  The first is probiotics, specifically bifidobacteria, a beneficial bacteria that resides in the colon.  It has been shown in studies to inhibit colon cancer cell growth by 10-50%.  He takes approx.  600 billion live units a day (9 pills).  The second is glyconutrients by Mannatech.  It is harvested from the aloe leaf and enables neccessary cell to cell communication and increased stem cell production.  His platelets actually went up during avastin treatments after taking this supplement which is unusual.  The third is Juice Plus, which is fruit and vegetable juice encapsulated.  It supplies antioxidants and enzymes and encourages detoxifying and healing. 

 Obviously, anything you can do nutritionally will help you detoxify from the chemo, increase health and energy, and help you fight cancer.  When you begin to make any nutritional changes it is very empowering.  You will begin to feel as if you are actively participating in your healing and fighting the cancer.  God bless you.