the first chemo i had i got some chest pain when they put the bleo through... i was quite worried then and the dr did an ekg, which came out fine.

there is risk with it,yes. but i think there is more risk with not taking it, than with the actual chance of it causing permanent damage.
i don't recall having a pulminary test at all ( in fact im sure i never had one ), but i had a lot of breathlesness and a very fast hear beat, but i'm still having the full ABVD.

although dr's arn't always the wisest, i think if they say you should have it, maybe its worth considering.

sorry i can't be of more help.
take care.
xx

Thanks so much for replying!

That's really scary that yr heart started beating faster and has breathlessness.... Are you sure that's okay? I know it is a short term side effect but I didn't know you can still take it if that happens.

I kind of think I should start taking it too. My doctor said I could now that I passed the pulmonary test... but I just hope it doesn't cause any permanent damage. All i know is its better any day than radiation.

Good luck with everything and thank you again =)
Valarie

the same thing happend to me.. the pfts and everything, my docs were doing the same thing. i did end up getting it... the risk of going with out it was not worth it. good luck with everything. i know how it is to be in that situation, it sucks. let me know how your doing

thank you so much for replying. yesterday i had chemo and i chose to take the bleomicin. i figure its better than radiation and taking the chance of my cancer coming back anyday. i actually didnt feel bad at all afterwards so thats a plus. thanks again for all your replies! i really appreciate it =)

i was treated for hodgkin with standard abvd for the first 3/4 of my treatment then a poor pulmonary result and my consultant advised stopping the bleomycine and said the latest thinking amongst specialists was that in hodgkin cases this drug wasnt the best way to go. the rest of my treatment was then avd only . in march i was declared free of hodgkin and i feel pretty good now. i would say your best option like me is to find a consultant you like and trust and to follow their advice

wow thats really interesting that yr advisor said for most cases the bleomycine wasn't good. thank you for sharing with me yr information. i just started the bleomycine yesterday (thurs) and so far i feel fine. they told me the symptoms to look out for and i just hope everything goes smoothly. i would really like to avoid radiation if at all possible... that seems to be the absolute worst thing you can do to your body... but thank you and everybody for helping me i told my doctor about your posts to my blog and he said thats the best way to really find out yanno?

so thank you all so much =)
valarie

Hi there! Yes it is okay not to take this drug, but I would listen to the advice of your doctors. They will stop giving bleo to you if your lung functions become to low. My doctors told me that as long as my lungs were recovering from the bleo that I was okay. It was when they didn't come back that they started to treatment. If you are really worried, get a second opinion from both an oncologist and a pulmonology doctor. I was not cured by the ABD. I had ABVD for two cycles and then they had to stop giving it to me. My treatment protocol at that time was MOPP and ABVD with a every month swap. One month I would get the ABD and the next one I would get MOPP. Also radiation isn't that bad.

I do have lung issues now, but I was first diagnosed in 1978, relasped in 1981 and again in 1990. I am 17 years post Bone Marrow Transplant. I am still here, alive and kicking, and very happy. My best to you. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask
janet:-)

I used the wrong letters in my other reply, where I put ABD, I meant to put AVD. So Sorry

Just like padraic, about 3/4 of my treatment was ABVD, but we dropped the bleo for the last few months because my pulmonary tests were getting too weak.

I'm 19 years in remission, but I definitely sense that my lungs have taken a beating, esp when I'm hiking. I'm glad they stopped the bleo when they did.

So, I guess the answer to your question is , yes, I stopped getting bleo, and so far, so good.

I hope you're feeling ok today.

Hi, I developed an allergic reaction to bleo 3/4 way through treatment finished up with AVD and no radiation, was 4B now in remission, so far so good