Why no more chemo?

Hi

That seems very strange to me that your onco didn't say how many cycles you would be having. I have a blood cancer, so I'm not on chemo, however I've been in this group for 2 years and I have seen and read many posts where members have said they're going to receive x amount of cycles. 

Did he say how much the tumours had shrunk? Maybe they have shrunk so much and maybe they are slow growing and every 3 months is enough. Where are your tumours and have you been told you're incurable? There will be a specific group for people who have cancer where you have it. You'll get much more knowledge about your cancer Ina group where others have it. In here, we're all incurable and we support each other no matter what kind of cancer we have.

If you contact your onco's secretary you can ask questions to him/her and try to get your onco to contact you or give you a number to contact your onco directly, but I don't think that's going to happen. Ask many questions, write a list of questions in case you forget something.

Good luck Janet and keep in touch with us please. We'll always try to point you in the right direction.

Tvman x

Hi

I am so sorry you’ve been left in limbo like this, not understanding why treatment decisions have been made and unsure about your future. I am not a doctor and I can’t give you medical advice but here, for what it’s worth, is my understanding. 

Chemo is basically poison. It works by stopping cells dividing. Cells that can’t divide can’t replicate. Cancer cells are dividing rapidly so if you stop them dividing, they die. The aim is to give you chemo at intervals that kill off the cancer cells and allow your normal cells to recover. Clearish so far? 

Cancer is a tricky beggar though and eventually it develops resistance to any drug you throw at it. So using a drug for too long will give more chance for the cancer to get resistant. 

So doctors aim to kill as much of the cancer as they can without harming the rest of your normal cells too much and to give you as long periods of treatment-free life as possible. 

Does this make sense to you? 

However, you shouldn’t take my word for it. It’s certainly a good idea to call your clinical nurse specialist to ask why your chemo has come to an end and what the plan is if your tumours start growing. I think you could also usefully call the helpline and ask to speak to one of the nurses to see if they can help you understand. The number is on the Macmillan home page. It’s free to call. 

I hope this helps. I can see you’re upset and angry and it’s not right you should be left like this. 

xxx

Thank you Daloni.I am double upset because nobody communicates with me.Last week I had chemo and the nurse asked me when booking that if this is my last chemo.I was shocked.My oncologist are so rubbish that I want cry same as the breast cancer nurse.I dont even dare to ask anything anymore because they didnt help me few occassions.If I say something i was told to go to a different hospital.I am meeting a GP on Monday and I will ask for referral.

Thank you Daloni.I am double upset because nobody communicates with me.Last week I had chemo and the nurse asked me when booking that if this is my last chemo.I was shocked.My oncologist are so rubbish that I want cry same as the breast cancer nurse.I dont even dare to ask anything anymore because they didnt help me few occassions.If I say something i was told to go to a different hospital.I am meeting a GP on Monday and I will ask for referral.I am worried if i stop tteatment it will spread in to my brain.I have nightmares about it now

Thank you for your reply Tvman.I dont know anything.I have a bad relationship with my oncologist.They send me away after 5 min in the office just asking me about side effects or booking for chemo.

Hi

That sounds very difficult and very upsetting. I hope your GP is helpful but do give the Macmillan nurses a call too. They are so expert and helpful. You’ll feel better for it, I’m sure 

xxx

Sorry to hear about your problems with the oncologist. I had a few problems at the beginning but we get on really well now. In that he knows I will not stand for any rubbish and I will take things further if needed. He also knows I will chase him up as he is quite forgetful. It is hard work but it is working well now. Early on I asked for a second opinion re my cancer and care and the person I saw was able to explain things better and pointed out that although my oncologist was not the best people person he was a good clinician and my drugs were spot on at the time. However he wrote to him and for a while he made more effort when I saw him. 

My oncologist always says the body needs  to rest from chemotherapy so he only does a few cycles then stops to assess and only continues if needed. If the cancer stays as it is he does not give you more ( poison). Quite alot of my family have died from cancer and my mum always said it is the meds not the cancer that kills you. 

I think we sometimes forget how bad these drugs are. 

However he should be explaining things and if he is very busy then he should make sure a nurse is following things up. 

Do take care and don't be afraid to ask questions. 

I have found it very useful to speak to MacMillan and put some questions on paper before I see him. It is difficult for them to fob you off when they can see a list I front of you. 

My hospital has a PALS team who help patients get answers and sometimes a MacMillan representative on site who has also been helpful. Unfortunately you again have to look these out yourself as the NHS seems not so good at signposting. 

Hope things get better for you.