Prepareing For Chemo And Radiation?

So what do I need to do to prepare myself? It is gemcitabine/oxaliplatin .I have a tumor on the head of the pancreas and I will do 2 cycles before surgery and 2 cycles after.I am 46 female and very healthy otherwise hahaha.I am in phase 2 of a clinicl trial.

karen

thanks for all info advise.

I don't know where your located, and i've only had the "chemo" experience at one hospital.... but on chemo days, you should expect to have your blood drawn every time. Nothing major just a standard CBC to ensure your blood counts are acceptable for chemo.

After your lab work is back, then the order for your chemo will be submitted to the "chemo pharmacy". at my hospital they have up to 2 hours to "create"/fill the chemo order. Sometimes it doesn't take that long, and some days it does....

While they are waiting for the chemo order to be filled, you will likely receive some fluids (standard iv) and possibly some premeds (usually sometime of anti nausea medicine, via iv as well).

Once your chemo drugs are ready, they will hook them up and set the drip for however long it's supposed to take. Since your receiving a "combo" and it's a trial (my mother was in one with ixabipilone & erbitux) you should expect to receive one, then the other; and may have to possibly sit around 1 hour after the 2nd one is finished for observation etc. your trial paperwork should tell you how many hours it will take for each drug.

If your doctor suspects you'll be in chemo for awhile, you should consider the  mediport.

My mother had her tumor removed the 1st time. They got everything. But she had a bad reaction, to 5FU and her doctor didn't bother to find another drug and keep her on chemo for the 6 months like her sugeon recommeded. He told her it would be fine to forgo it. We suspect because she didn't have insurance. Although pancreatic cancer has a high return rate, I can't help but think maybe we wouldn't be doing this again if she had gotten the chemo she was supposed to the 1st time.

I hope this helps.  

On 3/26/2008 missrenee wrote:

So what do I need to do to prepare myself? It is gemcitabine/oxaliplatin .I have a tumor on the head of the pancreas and I will do 2 cycles before surgery and 2 cycles after.I am 46 female and very healthy otherwise hahaha.I am in phase 2 of a clinicl trial.

karen

 

thanks for all info advise.

My husband was never on the combo,  but "gemzar"  by itself had none of the major side effects,his hair thinned only and is coming back now wavy sort of and really thick. He was given a "nausea " shot with each treatment and then some pills, but never did get vomiting sick. The fatigue was the worst thing, got pretty bad at times.He started out 2 weeks in a row, then skip a week. When the fatigue got so bad they went to every other week. He had COLD feet(his legs would be warm but not the feet) on the 3rd day and that was the day his temp would try to go up-(and what ever was happening it would be on the 3rd day except for the fatigue.)however temp never got to the point of calling the dr.

Including the nausea "shot" he was never in longer than 1/2 to 3/4 hour.

The gemzar had a tendency to burn so they would slow the drip down and that's when it took longer. He always had a bag of fluids after to push the gemzar on through.

I agree if you are going  to be on it long term seek the mediport. My husband had a PICC line which was better then just being stuck each time-he has rolling veins-He said if it comes back-He is in remission now,but being stage 4 to start -the dr does expect it to come back.He will get a mediport so he can "sweat". The PICC line had to be kept dry and we had to put some heprin in each day and the dressing changed each week.

God Bless You and don't let the fatigue get to you, the dr said it would  come even tho there were several weeks in the beginning when it wasn't there.

Jan

Hi - I had the Whipple Procedure done August 9th, 2006 and started chemo in October 2006 after 6 weeks of radiation.

I am still on the original chemo (gemzar and 5fu) and last week started taking Xeloda.

I get chemo once a week and then vitimans and they take blood every 4th week (cbs tumor markers et all).  Really, the only side effects that I have is being really tired chemo day and maybe the day after. The rest of the week I am just tired..... Naps help me