Question about side effects.

Some chemo treatments side effects are high fever, such as INTERFERON, causes flu like symptoms.  If not a side effect all patients with a 101.5 fever should contact doctor immediatley. You must find out all side effects, you can never take for granite it is something else.  With this you don't have other chances if you are wrong.

INFECTIONS CAN BE DEADLY, Belive me I can testify.  A lot patients fighting cancer lose their life by infections, not cancer.  Chemo brings down the white blood counts(white fights off infections) after treatment the white counts can be extremely low and this is when the infection can jump in. In my situation it went to the heart causing endocarditis.

I would agree that SOME patients loose their life because of infections but not always from low white cell counts. My Oncologist reviews my blood tests every 2 weeks prior to our meeting before proceeding with folfox infusion.  He then adjusts levels of chemo or delays chemo for a week to assure the platelett and white cell counts rise to an appropriate level to guard against infections, etc.  I would suggest that all patients assure that their Oncs are accomplishing this review.

Yes, they are tracked, however if you are on 4 different chemos at the same time, on very strong chemos, even though you are monitored, you can still get an infection.

Well he feels really good now. Playing with our 4-year old in the back yard. I absolutely HATE that he has to go back to that place in a week and a half.

But the infection won't be because of low white cell counts if it is monitored properly.  I have had three different series of chemos and the latest one with a mix of 4 chemos and have never had a infection.  My concern here is that some will not agree with certain chemo regimens because of the potential of infections.  It is somehing to be aware of and guard against but not to the point where you are overly cautious.

Your husband sounds like he is going through the exact same thing as my husband Terry. He's only made it through 5 so far and the last one made him sick as a dog. He can't do every 2 weeks. He does it every 3 weeks but this time I believe it will be 4 weeks because he still isn't fully recovered. Just starting to eat better and he is just to thin and weak. He took some of the treatments pretty well. he has a colostomy and seems to be having alot of trouble with blockage or something. He's going to a gastro specialist tomorrow. he wants a recection before any more treatments and is very insistant about it. They did a scan before his last one and the tumors are shrinking so I hope he doesn't give up.

This is princess-I was responding to mardilove with my post. Just wanted to explain. Thanks