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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side effects got my onc puzzled

mykids2
mykids2
i am on 5fu and Oxali every other week with pump for 46hrs. The day of my 3rd? treatment, I described to my onc that the joints in my fingers became stiff and contracted when it was cold out (watchng my child's soft/baseball game) it went away as soon as i turned the heater on in the car, but surprised that my onc shrugged and said he doesn't know where that came from. Obviously from the chemo!
Then on my 5th tx, when I got up to walk, my right leg felt numb? I was walking like one with "drop foot" would walk. It went away as soon as I got warm.
Has anyone had these type of side effects?
Today is lab day before tx #6 and my blood pressure was 160/90! after 5 retakes it finally came down to 140/80 which is my normal high. my normal average is 130/70 with heart rate of 70. I didn't get to do my normal exercises this week and maybe it's from that. has anyone's blood pressure gone up with chemo?
deleted_user
deleted_user
Yes, my blood pressure was up the whole time on chemo, I really thought I should go to my cardiologist and get it checked, but now since I am off chemo it is back to normal. I had all kinds of weird things happen to me, like I had two incidents where my vision got all wierd like looking through a kaliedescope or something, of course the onc's office had no idea, but it did happen and was quite scary. No matter what just keep telling them when something odd happens. I have a lot of joint stiffness now since stopping chemo although I read this is a frequent occurence, but goes away, my has good days bad days, the more I move the better.
kate1127
kate1127
My blood pressure was actually too low and I had to skip my BP meds some days. I was very weak on chemo and the more tx I got the weaker I got.
mykids2
mykids2
I do find myself feeling more tired, and going for walks help. Now I'm told to wear a mask when I go out because low cell blood count. I'd rather wear a Muslim head cover than a hospital issued mask. Maybe I'll design a more fashionable mask for patients who need to wear them in public. Hmm....well see.
Jcolt it would be scary to have those visions, but I get asked about symptoms including blurred vision or change in vision when I go in. For treatment so I suspect that is normal too. My bp was 142/78?before treatment, but that's high for morning. It's a blank/hate relationship I have with chemo. Thanks gals for making me feel normal in an unfamiliar situation.
jaynieG
jaynieG
hi hun, sensitivity to cold is normal, you said once you were in the car you warmed up and all ok, thats good, take care not to get over cold as you might take ages to warm up, i had terrible reaction to being too cold, also my blood pressure went through the roof at one point it was 180/110, and was put on blood pressure tables, also high blood pressure can cause sensitvity to cold. I got numbness as well, so the symptoms you had i did have, but all improved once chemo finished, is till have a bit of neuropathy(numbness) in my hands, good look and take care, dont get over cold as you might have an occasion where you end up in a lot of pain like i was.
jaynieG
jaynieG
p.s my worst side effect was severe faigue, or as my oncologist described it extreme fatigue, i couldnt even fasten my own bra by the 5 round of chemo, if felt like i was trying to push a bullworker together, and lifting a hair dryer was like lifting a 201b dumbell, but all have got better. i couldnt walk get out of the bath all i wanted to do was sleep.
deleted_user
deleted_user
i know it is hard . after all that side effects now a mask! your strong n as you said style it up razzal dazzle ..... its better than getting sick n then you cant go to baby boy baseball game n he needs you. mykids2 you can do it forget what people out in the world think . wear it with style u are an insperation to all .
deleted_user
deleted_user
The cold is common, we were told. My husband was warned not to drink anything cold, keep his face and hands covered when going out (it was during the winter) and they even provide tepid (ambient) water in the water cooler because it starts almost as soon as they put the stuff in. He used to love chocolate shakes. I'm surprised your onc didn't know!
kate1127
kate1127
my white blood cell count was low at times and sometimes they had to skip tx for a week until my count came up.
I was never told to wear a mask and I was working in a college environment with lots of student contact. I must have a good immune system.
mykids2
mykids2
Kate, you do have strong immune system to not catch germs being around people all day. just spoke with my onc nurse and she did not agree with the chemo nurse about needing to wear a mask. To just stay away from movie theaters or enclosed crowded rooms. And keep hands sanitized and not touch face when out shopping etc. I am a germ a phobe, should be easy to do:-)
jaynieG
jaynieG
it is very difficult to stay away from people, but make sure no one visits who is ill, and try and eat all the red fruits, they have anti oxidents that will help against bugs, eat well in general, plus plenty of fluids so you dont de hydrate good luck
mykids2
mykids2
I had to skip round #7 cuz of low platelets/ blood count and blood pressure was still high, (165/95) then retake comes down to (148/89) which is still high for me and my onc tells me it's/im fine unless I want to start taking Bp meds. Naturally, I said No! But nurse thinks otherwise. Top it off, I get a blister/rash from the dressing near port site all within two days and I'm tired even after skipping chemo. I felt like I was falling apart, until I re read some posts on this tread. Thanks again fellow chemo alumni for making me feel normal :)