I am on my second chemo cycle with the dreaded Oxi plus 5 FU.
My main problem so far is a tight restricted throat, neck muscle spasm, lip spasms plus of course jaw pain etc etc. I am very careful re the cold.
This seems to be an unusual side effect and would love to hear from anyone suffering the same. I am now on day 6 and it is still intermittent.
Thanks
FormerMember
Susan,
My better half saw your post and let me know as I have finished my 3rd Oxi IV and have just had the 4th delayed. I am also on capacetabine tablets.
I do not know how you have had the oxi administered, PICC or cannula, I had mine via cannula and that was rather painful as the arm nerves started firing and the pain lasted for a couple of weeks, lots of Macland have recommended a PICC line which I was resisting as I have a fear of infection after a few infections with a catheter and my wound after the op.
Ref the other side effects, the throat spasms are not nice and I have found that they are the most active in the days after the IV. They do die down after 5 or 6 days, but then catch me occasionally if I encounter something cold in my throat or cold air outside my throat (cold water from the tap is interesting!). In addition if I get wound up I also start having the throat spasms and also feeling sick, not nice and I do not know if I am experiencing a side effect or am thinking myself into a throat spasm.
The jaw pain was always on the first bite of anything, but that died down after about a week. I have numb lips rather than lip spasms, and these do seem to be rather persistent, they keep going almost all the time, so much so I am almost used to them. As for the neck muscles, I have been lucky to avoid that one.
I have just had my 4th session of oxi IV cancelled, firstly it was going to be delayed due to a low blood count, and secondly the oncologist was not happy with my throat spasms so is stopping the oxi and I am now only on the cap tablets when I am allowed to restart.
Hope that was the kind of info you were after. First time replying to a blog, apologies if I have done anything in error.
