chemo?????????

Question

my brother (17) is startng chemotharpy soon and he is quiet nervous as am i and the rest of the family my question is....
what is it like to have chemo wat are the side effects how long do they last after a session. we all would appreciate your help any past experiences or nething thankx.

also i amfinding it hard to cope how did every one else cope when a family member had cancer thankx x

Answer 1

My son was diagnosed at 17 with stage IV abdominal sarcoma so I think I know exactly what you are facing and going through. It's a rare cancer that predominately strikes boys and young adults. He underwent 8 months of high dose chemotherapy and was an inpatient for the treatment. The treatment ran in cycles every 21 days. So, he would have 3-5 days of chemotherapy in the hospital and than come home for three weeks. He had significant response from this treatment and he had multiple tumors shrink or disappear (there were no guarantees that this would happen). Because of the chemo he was able to undergo a debulking surgery (they removed 75% of visible tumors). Unfortunately the tumor had 'seeded' the diaphragm and peritoneal lining of the abdominal cavity and this could not be surgically removed. He had a second experimental cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemoperfusion that bathed the abdomen in heated chemo. This worked for my son and he had no evidence of disease for over 8 months. We are now preparing for a stem cell rescue.

As for side effects of the chemotherapy, everyone handles it differently . . but the good news is that kids and young people seem to handle it better than older folks. My son had five different chemicals at very high dosage (Vincristine, Doxirubicin, Cytoxan, Etoposide, Ifosomide). He lost his hair after 2 or 3 months. During treatment he felt nauseous and towards the end of treatment he always wanted to sleep. During the three weeks of a .break from treatment though he was fine (except for no hair). He also had plenty of anti-nauseous meds which he took round the clock when in the hospital. Ativan worked the best for him and he was allowed to have it pretty much on demand. He also used Zophran and benedryl.

My son is amazing. He copes well with cancer and has never been angry about it. Its more of an annoyance in that it interferes with his plans. That part he does not like. He was able to complete high school, graduate, hang out with friends, and attend a local college. He has cancer, but he's still been able to continue with his life.

As for how you may cope with your brother being so ill . . it's extremely difficult. I do not know what type of cancer he has or the stage or grade . . but I can tell you how I coped. There were many days of pure hell . . there still are, to tell you the truth, because the pain of not knowing just never stops . . but there is always hope and that is what we focus on. In the early days of the diagnosis we had no idea if the chemo would work or not and so we learned to live in the present. Stay in the moment. Do not look ahead. Do not try to imagine anything. Hear the truth and concentrate on that. How is he doing right now, right in the moment that is all you can think about.

We also determined very early to remain positive, face the fear, deal with what ever the truth turns out to be . . no matter what that truth turned out to be. We are prepared to fight the disease but are also aware that a point may arrive when difficult and heartbreaking choices must be made. We'll deal with it if it ever happens.

Stay strong. You will find your courage.

Answer 2

It depends upon what type of chemotherapy you get, and other factors that are not in your control. Generally, getting chemo is not the painful part. I am undergoing chemo right now for breast cancer, and I can tell you first hand, it sucks. I think of it as a hangover, rolled up with the flu. Everyone has their own experience (I am also a physician and have polled my patients who've gotten chemo). I hope it's better for you than it has been for me. The tips that would matter for you depend on how you do with side effects. My tips would be - cut hair short early, be prepared to not like all the foods you normally like, and not tolerate the foods you normally like. Follow the mouth care tips (you'll see them online) asap. Do not be surprised if constipation, diarrhea, nose bleeds, daily headaches, take over your life. Keep in mind, it will end--it will end-- it will end.

Answer 3

My Fiance's mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer a few months ago and she is almost done with her Chemo. She goes once every few weeks and has lost all of her hair. She says that for a few days after she goes for a treatment she gets sick to her stomach and weak. Everyone is different just tell him to take good care of himself because his immune system will be down. I took it harder then my boyfriend did. When I saw her with a hat on and could see from the sides of her head that she was loosing her hair I just burst out into tears in front of her and SHE conforted me...she is a very sweet person. It will be hard but just be there for him. Good Luck and God Bless him.

Answer 4

considering that there are many types of treatments and many different medications for treatments it would be hard to say much. however, there is one specific that many do not understand when doing chemotherapy and it can cause a tolerable amount adhearence to medictions and that is WATER.
sufficient water intake is a must-at least a gallon of water a day. (no more than that). sip on ice water, sucking on ice cubes will help keep the medications and the toxins from the disease itself flushed out of the body, in return keeping it all from building up in the body.

the other thing i can tell you is that your brother needs you at this time-he will have days he wont feel like getting out of bed, to days where he feels okay. just let him know that no matter what happens on chemo he has you to lean on.

Answer 5

chemo can have different side affects depending on the person and the type of cancer. some people get very sick at their stomach, hair loss, they can become very weak and very depressed. the side affects like sickness usually last a couple days after treatment the hair loss well it grows back., and for you sweety nothing can prepare you for how this will hurt you. Try to remember one thing your brother is going to need you to be strong if he sees you hurting it will affect his ability to heal. so be strong, seek your family and friends for support. good luck and may god bless your family.

Answer 6

He'll feel like he has the flu afterwards. And, as you probably know his hair will fall out.

The nausea will probably last the whole day if not more.

The way to cope with loved ones with cancer is to look on the bright side and not dwell on the negative. Pray (if you believe in that) and reassure yourself and him that there's always hope. God bless :-)

Answer 7

your best bet on finding info about the effects of chemo is to consult a reputable site like webmd.com or such. as for the interpersonal side of the matter, i don't have any experience in dealing with cancer but more than likely most local hospitals and possible even the place where he will be receiving his chemo probably have support groups for people and thier families who are suffering with cancer and i have heard many possitive things about these groups so please look into this. all the best, and let's beat this cancer : )

Answer 8

my first treatment was a little scary. after that it was ok. you have to keep in mind that everyone reacts differently, but i will tell you how mine went. had chemo on friday. went out afterwards to eat, saturday i felt great. sunday i felt like i had the flu. monday and tuesday i was sick in bed the whole time. wed. i started feeling better. thursday i was fine again, same with every treatment. i lost most of my hair. i got used to being poked with needles. i met a lot of very nice people while sitting in a chair for chemo for 4 hours every time. i did not lose my appatite, in fact i ate like a little pig. i got really cold in the treatment room, so i asked for blankets, they give you warmed ones. family support meant a lot, but it upset me when they treated me with kid gloves. don't baby your brother. don't get upset with him if he has mood swings, or if he yells at you once in a while. that is normal. i think it was harder emotionally on my family than it was on me. good luck, you will all get through it. my prayers are with you.

Answer 9

I would say first try this before starting your therapy. you can purchase it at www.6236592.my4life.com. Please you must try this it is natural and look at the Dr's feedback.

Duane Townsend, M.D. OB/GYN & Oncologist "I'm a cancer physician. I primarily treat female cancer and certainly encourage my patients who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy to take Transfer Factor™. It helps to modulate the immune system. I have patients with chronic herpes infections who are taking Transfer Factor™ on a regular basis and it's reducing the number of outbreaks. I've also had patients with chronic yeast infections, and the Transfer Factor™ has reduced their infections as well. Transfer Factor™ is a science-based product with excellent data from a variety of researchers,"

Mary's Story: "I'm a 49-year-old woman and my cancer started when I was 17 years of age. And today I can finally say thank you to God and 4Life for giving me back my life. In February of 1999, I was diagnosed with cancer once again and this time it was in my lungs. I had decided not to take chemotherapy. I had already had two bouts of it aggressively and I didn't want it any more. And I opted not to take any of the cancer drugs. Then the cancer decided to attack my bones and spine. In September, the doctors told me that my days were very limited. I had heard about Transfer Factor, and in October I had started taking it. My normal days consisted of 18 hours in bed. Walking and eating were very difficult for me. I ran high fevers constantly, with vomiting maybe 8 to 10 times a day. I had started taking Transfer Factor and Transfer Factor Plus in October. Linda Holston and Dr. Rob worked together and they said to start out on 3 Transfer Factor and 2 Transfer Factor Plus, which I did. I began to see an immediate improvement, then when we received the press release from Dr. See, regarding the increase of the NK cells, I bumped up the dosage. I became ill again and Dr. Rob said to cut back down. I went back down and decided to increase daily, which I did. November the 18th, 1999, I went to the doctor and I received a phone call that evening telling me that every x-ray and every blood count test that they took was completely normal, and there were no signs of cancer. I asked him if he was sure that it was my test and he said yes, and that everything had been tested four times by three different doctors. Today I have my life, my family and my son is going to have a mother that he is going to be able to grow up with. I thank Transfer Factor and all the doctors for everything that they have done, and I advise anyone who has any type of disease to get on Transfer Factor and Transfer Factor Plus immediately. And for children, keep them on Transfer Factor just as an extra protection with so many diseases around." Mary L.

Answer 10

I have a friend whose son who went though this . He was two years old. HE 11 now and cancer free. it took about 3 yrs. She has 3 other children . healthly. Confess that he will heal in the name of JESUS. Don't have doubt. No negatives. I know it's works for some people. I'm sorry . Watch movie (Dying Young) If your parents let you.