On 7/18/2008
Joan l wrote:
Hi BJ,
My husband, diagnosed with PC 11/06, had Whipple 12/06 followed by radiation and simultaneous 5FU. After about 5-6 wks of that he had a short breather followed with 6 months of Gemzar, 3 wks on and 1 wk off. He did have a deep vein thrombosis below the knee during that period, treated with Lovenox injections daily but now every other day. Lovenox does not require the close blood monitoring needed if Coumadin is used. He also received multiple injections of Aranesp due to CBC issues. He hasn't had any untoward effects from the Lovenox. He injects himself at the same time he injects his insulin dosage. Hope this helps.
By the way, there is lots more activity on the Johns Hopkins support site; there are both patients and caregivers, all knowledgeable and willing to share experiences and answer questions.
Peace and prayers to you and your mother.
Joan L.
Thank you for the information and suggestions. I knew that Aranesp increased the chance of clot formations, so we opted for the lower dose, once a week shot. They tell us it can take 4 to 6 weeks before you get a response to upping the RBC. It would be nice if we could avoid the transfusions again. My hope is that your husband is doing well, and you , too. My Mom, in addition to the usual cancer patient woes, has extremely painful edema from her feet to her knees. They are telling her it is part of the disease and also her low serum albulmin level. Did your husband have any such problems? This is really getting her down. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you again, BJ