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Water Retention

SB1977
  • 2 replies
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Hi, my wife has been on Ribociclib and Fulvestrant since February. They lowered the dose of the Ribociclib due to a consistent low neutrophil count and ending up with pneumonia. She is now suffering with considerable water retention, which is seriously stressing her and making her feel very low in mood. Her doctor has up the dosage of a diuretic drug she is currently on, but does not appear to be having much effect. The nurses looking after her, have said it may be something she has to live with. But that's not something her doctor has said, nor her oncologist. Do you know of a specific type of diuretic/ dose which is particularly effective when taking Ribociclib? Any help would be very gratefully received.

Best Regards,

Stuart 

  •  

    Hi SB1977,

    Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to the Online Community. I’m Kate one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists here on the Macmillan Support Line.

    As a support line we do not have access to medical records and are a separate service from the NHS, so are unable to answer specific questions regarding individual treatment.

    With any new, changing, or worsening symptom we always recommend that you contact your GP or 111 to be assessed.

    I am sorry to hear that your wife is struggling with water retention (oedema). This can be one of the side effects of the ribociclib.

    It can be an emotional time when you are diagnosed with cancer. It can also have an emotional impact on you too when you are supporting your wife through her diagnosis and treatment.

    Every treatment can affect the person differently and sometimes if someone is struggling with side effects the dosages can be reduced. We would advise to speak to your wife’s oncologist and make them aware how much this is affecting her mood and quality of life.

    You may wish to chat with one of our nurses on the support line, so we can explain more, and you can ask any further questions you may have. We can talk to you both together, or separately, whichever works best for you. 

    I hope this information is useful. Please don’t hesitate to get back in contact by email, webchat or phone, if you need further information or support.

    The Macmillan Support Line offers practical, clinical, financial and emotional support. You can call us free from landlines and from most mobile phone networks* on 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week, 8am – 8pm.

     

    Take care

    Kate,

    Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

    Ref KE/LzM

     

     

     

  • in reply to Kate - Macmillan

    Thank you, she has gone back to the doctors for a different type of diuretic and hoping to speak to the oncologist today. Hopefully this will work.

    Best Regards

    Stuart

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