Post Chemo Pains, etc. ..

[tccancercop]

Well I finished up 4xEP During the last week of February. I was really sick and fatigued after round four. My last visit to my doctor i explained I was still having lower back pains (occassional) and feeling tired, etc. He said that its common to have problems from chemo for several months after ending treatment. He says trace amounts stay in the body for quite some time. As I write this I again have lower back/stomach discomfort. It just started yesterday and I feel tired.

My AFP was <5 and BHCG <2 after chemo was completed.

Question: What things have you guys experienced after chemo? Is this normal to feel like this from time to time after chemo or is my cancer coming back already? My hair is just now growing back in!

[Mom]

Sometimes my son felt worse in the months after chemo then during chemo. He was very tired, couldn't make it past 10:00 PM. Then all of a sudden he snapped out of it. Give it a little time. Dianne

[tccancercop]

anyone else have any feedback?!!

[johnseed]

My Chemo aftermath

Hi There,

From what I have heard, the way people respond to chemo can be quite individual. My chemo, which did not include bleomycin (looks like yours did, right?) definitely wore me out, but I made a good recovery over a few months time.

When I ended chemo I was very anemic. Transfusions were recommended, but I said no and took iron supplements instead. So, after the last cycle I had very little energy for maybe 2 weeks. I did not have back pain, but I did vomit a day or two after ending the last cycle.

I went into chemo in good health for a 44 year old, but a few months after chemo when I began to feel closer to normal I began jogging daily. First, I would just go one block, but over time I built up my endurance and have been jogging for over three years now.

Should also mention that I came out of chemo with very high cholesterol, and learned that this can be a side effect of cisplatin based chemo. Jogging and careful eating brought that back to normal.

As far as your worry about "is the cancer coming back" your doctor should be doing followup work to assess how your cancer was affected. Mine was a best case scenario, as chemo was very effective and I didn't need RPLND and have remained cancer free.

I hope this info helps you. Keep optimistic, and be ready to exercise in any way you can as your health returns.

JS

[JimmyDean]

im in better shape now than before chemo. You'll bounce back!!

[Kim]

Two years out and still having problems.

My husband is two years out and still not the same. His back still hurst, Sweats profusely, feet hurt and extreme fatigue. So, you are not alone. Does this last forever?

[BeachTech]

Everyone is different, but I will share my experience (first see my signature for the chemo details).

During chemo, I was as to be expected. Nausea, fatigue, no hair, etc. The last week was the worst. I was feeling so weak. But that Friday when they pulled the needle out I felt great. Now it?s just up from here.

Wrong. I leave the chemo center minutes later. My mother-in-law picked me up since I could not drive safely when on chemo. I am walking out to the car when I feel like someone is standing on my chest. I decided to go back in and have my oncologist check it out. I didn?t want to wait in the ER on a Friday night if something developed.

I go back in and he listens to my lungs and hooks me up to an EKG machine. I am not really worried. Then he thinks I am having a Pulmonary Embolism (a what?) and calls 911. The paramedics come up and the first thing they do is give me a spray of nitro glycerin in the mouth. I instantly start to feel better, so now I am VERY WORRIED. Nitro usually only helps if you are having a HEART ATTACK.

They took me across the street to the hospital. Several tests later I score positive for a Pulmonary Embolism. I spend two days in the hospital.

Five days after I am released, I need to go back because I am extremely anemic (I can hardly sit up without feeling I was about to pass out. I can hear the blood rushing in my ears. When I get to the ER and they set me up for a chest xray, I pass out for a few minutes and have a seizure. Fun times! After five days and four blood transfusions, I was good enough to go home.

It?s been eight months since the last day of chemo. Here is a timeline for me:
1 months post chemo-Good enough to go back to work. However, I?m a complete emotional wreck. I am crying about a dozen times a day. Testosterone check shows levels down to 25% of the post-surgery levels. My doctor was very much against a testosterone supplement because of a fear that it might stimulate any minute tumors that may be hiding in my body. Also, mentally work seemed so insignificant after everything I had been through. Lots of hot-flashes (Fun times!)
2 months post chemo-Hair back, but I start to develop tingling/numbness in toes and finger tips. Still a bit of an emotional wreck, but getting better.
3 months post chemo-Taste back to normal. Eating is my new hobby. Emotions are under control.
4 months post chemo-Able to exercise again.
8 months post chemo (now)-Still dealing with the neuropathy in the toes and finger tips. The neurologist warned me that it might take a long time for this to get better. I still don?t feel like my digestive system is 100% of normal. I can?t eat spicy foods and there is a general but mild irritability in the bowels.

Sometimes I feel that I recovered much more quickly than I thought with much less long-term side-effects than I should have experience. I attribute this to a very positive attitude and a strong will to survive. You'll get back to at least 92% of normal, so just relax, take care of yourself, and be patient.
I hope this helps.
________
LIVE SEXY CAMS