Colon Cancer Support Group

Colorectal cancer, also called colon cancer or bowel cancer, includes cancerous growths in the colon, rectum and appendix. Many colorectal cancers are thought to arise from mushroom-like growths that are usually benign, but some may develop into cancer over time. The majority of the time, the diagnosis of localized colon cancer is through colonoscopy.

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no more chemo?

kate1127
kate1127
I am thinking of turning down the last 2 chemo tx. I had oxy and 5-FU 9 times and then my 10th just FU since the oxy made me very sick the 9th time. Now I feel yucky all the time and I don't eat. I just don't want to do the last 2 tx.

The onc implied that 12 tx is an arbitrary number chosen for a study and current studies are looking at less tx.

What do you all think?
Gr8ful
Gr8ful
What do I think?? I think you should talk to your oncologist about it and get their opinion. They are the people that know your disease the best, understand where you are at and what all the pros and cons are. Then what I think is you should talk to your nearest and dearest about it. Then I think you should take yourself to your special place and make your decision.

Kate at the end of the day you are the one that is going to have to live with the outcome of whatever decisions are made, I believe you need to be accepting of any outcome when you make that decision.

I wish you well and you are in my prayers Kate. G8
deleted_user
deleted_user
You can always skip a couple of weeks to recover then finish your tx, That way you have a little time to feel up to them. It's just a thought..You are the one to make that call. I have went off of the chemo and will live or die with my choice. I have been on the 5fu/leuc. tx as well as a few others for the most of the last 8 years and well..I just can't do it anymore. Some people dont agree with my choice but they havent been pumped full of poison for years.They havent slept on the bathroom floor because they are too weak to make it back to the bed. So really.. who are they to judge my choice? You are the only one to know what your body can take. As long as you are at peace with your choice is all anyone can ask for.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Kate - I'm not sure what you mean by " the oxy made me very sick".Usually the oxiliaplatin is removed from the mix anywhere from the 8th treatment on - but most of the time it is for the neuropathy. Once a patient is having lingering tingling in the hands or feet that lasts beyond a day or two after infusion, that is an indication that the oxy is accumulating in the system and permanent nerve damage is occuring. My husband's oncologist just removed the oxy from his mix for the last 5 treatments. He actually went 13 total on that first round. He just started #14 and it is the Folfiri. Folfori is the same 5-FU & leucovorin but with irinotecan instead of oxiliplatin.

Again, discuss all the possibilities with your oncologist and tell them that you want to identify the source of what is making you sick. Is there anything in your diet that you could change? Are you sick right after treatment or does it linger for days? My husband found that if he brought food to the chemo session and ate little bits throughout the day (raw veggies, salad, cheese, crackers - things like that) he felt much better. Those are things you need to explore until you are confident that you have all the necessary information to make an informed decision.

Hope that helps :)