Just about to start chemo

[chris0]

Maybe rather than "stage II," you were told "pT2" as part of the staging information? That would mean vascular or lymphatic invasion, which increases the likelihood of, but doesn't guarantee, metastasis.

Oh my god Excellent, see i had a hard time understanding the doctor, cause he kept on drawing pictures of the testicle and the location of the tumor, so basically this would be very good news to a confused me! I will get this all cleared up tomorrow morning then!

Hopefully this is very good news! Thank you

Edit: The doctors Enlgish is so so, and i think he managed to confuse the translator as well (Living in poland if i havnt mentioned it before)

[Scott]

Well the doctor told me that the TC was stage 2 due to the location of the tumor in/on the testicle??

Maybe rather than "stage II," you were told "pT2" as part of the staging information? That would mean vascular or lymphatic invasion, which increases the likelihood of, but doesn't guarantee, metastasis.

[Scott]

Well the doctor told me that the TC was stage 2 due to the location of the tumor in/on the testicle??

Stage II means spread to retroperitoneal lymph nodes. It does sound as though you are stage I and receiving adjuvant therapy. (Carboplatin would be for stage I seminoma.)

[chris0]

Well the doctor told me that the TC was stage 2 due to the location of the tumor in/on the testicle?? Well looks like i should meet up with an oncologist in perhaps england or sweden since i will be visiting both places in the next month or two then!

Thanks for all the help, its very much appreciated!!!

[TSX]

Another thing is that there is no sign whatsoever of tumors etc in the CT scans, X-Rays, and like i said my hCG levels are back to non existent. Could this have anything to do with the doctors choice of only 2 cycles?

If all of your tests came out clean after the orchiectomy, then you should have been diagnosed at stage I. Am I missing something here? Why would this be considered stage II?

If you are in fact stage I, the chemo is considered adjuvant treatment and two cycles is probably correct. Normally, you read about two cycles of Carboplatin being used in this case, since it is much less toxic than BEP.

-TSX

[chris0]

Chris:
Click here for a list of tc experts. I think it would be a good idea to run your treatment cycle past one of them.

Thanks, sounds like a good idea, i'll do it right away!

[dadmo]

Chris:
Click here for a list of tc experts. I think it would be a good idea to run your treatment cycle past one of them.

[chris0]

Ye i had a slight suspicion about the 2 cycles. However they had spoken to my insurance company and their doctor whom had agreed on the 2 cycles and said it was standard in Sweden as well?? But i will bring it up with my doctor tomorrow.

Another thing is that there is no sign whatsoever of tumors etc in the CT scans, X-Rays, and like i said my hCG levels are back to non existent. Could this have anything to do with the doctors choice of only 2 cycles?

Last thing, if ive understood everything correctly my cycles look like this:
CYCLE 1:
June 7th, 8th, and 9th to start it, then June 14th, and then the last one on June 21st.

CYCLE 2:
June 28th, 29th, 30th to start it, then July 5, then July 12th, and then im supposebly done... So im a lil worried since it seems really out of the normal procedure?? perhaps i should call a doctor from sweden or possible England and check what they say??

Also i still feel fine, still quite tired, but eating and drinking is not a problem, and my girlfriend keeps on coming in with water every 20 minutes hehe

thanks for the support!

[dadmo]

chris:
I checked every resource I could think of and Scott is correct. You may want to speak with your oncologist and find out why he wants to go with two cycles rather then the world standard of 3-4 cycles.

[Scott]

I've only seen 2xBEP as adjuvant therapy for stage I non-seminoma.

[dadmo]

Scott:
Is 3-4 standard in Europe also. I was under the impression that they went with 2 cycles.

[Scott]

I've been told i will receive 2 cycles of this, hopefully completing the treatment in ca 6-7 weeks. Does this sound ok as a treatment for Non-seminona stage 2?

No, standard treatment for stage II non-seminoma is RPLND or 3xBEP or 4xEP. See these guidelines for more details.

[dadmo]

chris:
Do what BeachTech told you. Take the anti-nausea drugs, don't wait until you feel sick. Once the nausea get ahead of the drugs it becomes hard to control. Also with the food, eat anything you want, don't worry about any specific diet, you need protein, calories and lots of fluid. Avoid alcohol and herbal teas, they may interfere with the chemo.

[BeachTech]

Im not sure how you normally feel after the first dose, but it hasnt effected me at all (5 hours after completing the does) except for some slight tiredness. Can i expecet it to get a lot worse?? I went in there expecting major nausea and basically hell, so far ive been plesently suprised though =)

Typically, BEP is done 5 days (Monday-Friday) and then you are given 16 days to recover. Days 1-3 will be OK, on 4-5 you get a little nausea. I was sickest on day 6-9. Days 16-21 (right before the next cycle) will be your BEST DAYS, so be prepared to accomplish 3 weeks of work, etc., into those days.

Be sure to get the anti-nausea drugs from the doctor (Zofran, Ativan, etc.) and USE THEM. Don't try to "tough it out". The anti-nausea medication they have today is very effective. I think I only threw up twice, but you will be nauseous. Also, most oncologists will prescribe ANYTHING you need

Each cycle usually gets worse. Although they give you 16 days to recover, you actually need 21-28 days to recover fully. So you always begin the next cycle "in debt". Since you are only getting 2xBEP, you should be fine. The end of cycle three and especially four are bad.

Here is a secret among TCers that went through chemo. Please don't tell non-TCers. All people are different, but usually, chemo (BEP for TC) today is not as bad as other people think, if you work with your doctor and take the anti-nausea medication. If you have read Armstrong's book, he talks about it being almost unbearable. However, he had a different kind of chemo (VIP) because his cancer was more advanced. That was also 10 years ago before the modern anti-nausea medications of today.

When you are sick and don't feel like eating, think of this. If you have a choice between an apple and apple pie, take the apple pie since it has more calories. Drink lots of water (I know, it taste awful when you are on chemo, but you need it to protect your kidneys.) When you are done with chemo, just remember to reverse your thinking, or you'll get fat quickly, especially once you can taste the apple pie again. After chemo, my favorite sport has been eating .

Keep us posted. There are a lot of people here that have been there and can give you hints to get through it. And when you are done, come back and help others get through it.
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VAPORIZER

[athena]

Hi sorry, my girlfriend just signed up on the forum as well, and im using her laptop atm, and i forgot to log her out, so this is\was really "chris0" writing hehe