on to Chemo
Just got the results of my pathology report. T3, N1. Three out of 19 nodes, no obvious spread to liver, lungs, etc. Surgery last week was a success, everything is moving through my system as well as can be expected. I meet with the oncologist next Friday. I would like to read up on this stuff before then. I HAVE NO IDEA what I am reading most of the time, re: FOLFOX, 5-FU, etc. This is going to be a real education. Also, does it matter what I know about the treatment beforehand? There don't seem to be too many choices for this sort of thing. My goal for right now is to try and just keep my mind in the day, and not to project outcomes. Thanks for letting me vent. Hopefully I will be a bit more positive tomorrow.
Replies
You vent all you want and as often as you want. If you scroll through some of the posts here you will find stories on folfox, 5-fu etc. You can also type into the search engine at the top right of the site and will give you lots of info as well.
G8
Hi Sally,
I can only tell you the 5FU is the cocktail of choice (Ha Ha...as if I had a choice)my oncologist thought would be the one. I chose not to spend too much time checking everything out, guess in my little pea brain, I thought it really would not make much difference whether I know or
did not know about all the stuff I was to go through. I can tell you the 5FU actually had minimal side effects.
My biggest complaint was how tired I felt often and then the ChemoBrain thing. Seems as if there were days I felt fortunate to remember my name. My whole thought process was slowed down and sometimes it would take me a few to process a question or comment. I read that playing brain games such as word search, crosswords or any of those games which stimulates were good things to do. Research
seems to show that dementia/Alzheimers patients fair pretty good at keeping sharp if they play games. I was absolutely hooked on Maj Jong on the computer and still love to play it to this day.
Each of us experiences these treatments differnetly so I will wish for you a smooth journey, do you have any idea how many treatments etc you will undergo? Suppose you will have to meet with the oncologist for all of the answers. How is you family handling all of this? Mine were very supportive. Husband, two sons and a daughter and lots of extended family. The best part is the medical team I had and still have, they all worked together to keep me alive and I felt as if I had a huge safety net around me to catch me if and when I should fall. It was a really nice feeling.
Anytime you need to chat feel free..I am at your beckoned call..and to answer your question, you really should not spend too much time worrying about tomorrow when you have today to live. Don\'t we humans spend alot of wasted time trying to live in the yesterdays, todays and tommorrows?
I love dogs because they live in the moment..how simple they are.
Have a wonderful recovery, and let me know if you want to chat.
Regards,
Pat
Hi Sally, another hurdle over with surgery and another lying ahead with chemo. This will take 12 treatments, but it too will pass yeah. Do the legwork, let God take care of the rest, and we\'ll hold your hand all the way.
I did a bit of research, I found it helped to know as much as possible about \'Adjuvant Chemotherapy\' which is what you\'ll have now with Folfox regime. I had this chemo, plus Oxaliplatin, so have a read of my journal. Remember though, everyone is different, so be sure to discuss it all with your Oncologist. Keep a little pad and pen with you and jot down any questions that come to your mind. I always found when I got into the Onc\'s office, I forgot everything LOL. Moving forward with the journey yeah. Love and hugs. CM xxx
My Dr. just told me what my treatment would be, didn\'t have a choice. So I just read up on those drugs. To me it doesn\'t either help or hurt to know. But lots of folks ask, so I\'m able to tell them what I\'m getting, when and how much. (you can read about me on my profile) I will put you on my prayer list, we all care about you. gg2009
Hi Sally,
I too, like many others here, are going through the same treatment, feel free to read my journal. Nausea, fatigue and chemo brain are my side effects and I\'ve just completed treatment 6 of 12. Everyone is here to listen and pray. Hugs to you. Becky