Hi, I've completed 6 cycles of chemo for my bladder cancer and last two scans have shown no visible cancer. I am now about to start radiotherapy in January (20 treatments)
The consultant I spoke to last week "offered" extra chemo at the beginning and end of my treatment, consisting of a PICC being fitted and chemo being injected followed by 4days of wearing a pump and carrying the chemo treatment while it is slowly pumped into me. Apparently, it is intended to enhance the action of the radiotherapy with no guarantees that it will make a difference or stop the cancer recurring etc etc. I do not want this chemo but feel I am being guilt tripped into it as my husband obviously wants me to do everything to get the best result and is disappointed that I am "not keen" to have it. My original chemo , or the side effects, was very unpleasant with extreme nausea , fatigue and not able to eat or drink properly for example.
The consultant sent me home with the consent form, which she had signed and today I have received a letter with the dates for the PICC fitting and first chemo. While I understand it is probably to hold the dates , I do feel very pressured and upset. The chemo is not to treat the cancer per se but to slightly improve the effectiveness of the radiotherapy.
I'm feeling very torn about this.
Hi Tykico . I had this treatment. I had a chemo pump on weeks 1 and 4 and the chemo didn't really have any effect on me. Usually a cocktail of Mytomycin and 5FU. It is infused slowly over a long period and doesn't have the same effect as the one day big chemo hits. PICC line is painless going in and most of the time it is taped up. It needs to be flushed once a week but this is also painless. The chemo pump is fixed when in use and cannot be taken off. More of a nuisance than anything else but as you say it helps the RT to work better. My treatment was ten years ago and so far so good. Happy to answer any questions. Best wishes.
