Bowel Cancer

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I was diagnosed with bowel cancer last year - after successful surgery the cancer was completely removed - bowel resection.

Unfortunately my results came back showing I had a positive lymph node - 1 out of 22. - which meant a course of Chemo was required, over 3 months. Of course I was going to have the treatment, there was no question, giving me a chance to reduce the risk of any cancer coming back.

I started my CAPOX treatment on 12th January with major side affects. Ended up in hospital for a week on a drip due to extreme diarrhea and dehydration. Treatment had to be stopped due to a diagnosis of chemo induced colitis.

The cramps and diarrhea has finally started to subside but even now 3 weeks after discharge I am still not back to what I would class as normal. And not where the doctor wants me to be before starting any further treatment.

My question is what to do now. I don't want to take the risk of not having any further treatment, but if I go back on CAPOX the chances are I would end up in the same position I was in four weeks ago.

I have been given the option of going onto FOLFOX, extending my treatment over 6 months.

Has anyone else been on this particular treatment, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Spider56 over 1 year ago

Hi Katz

I’m so sorry to hear that you had such horrible adverse reaction to CAPOX.

I began 12 cyles of FOLFOX in January 2022, following the successful removal of a rectal adenocarcinoma, with ileostomy, in November 2021.

My pathology report came back with 11 of 23 lymph nodes showing signs of cancer along with an EMVI positive result. Both my oncologist and I decided that adjuvant chemotherapy was a no brainer.

I’ll not sugar coat it, 12 cycles of FOLFOX was a challenge, but was doable, and I’ve no regrets whatsoever. The dose of Oxaliplatin was reduced after cycle 5 and discontinued after cycle 9 due to peripheral neuropathy side-effects. I still have these side-effects, but they don’t massively affect my quality of life. It is important to let your oncology team know of any side-effects as soon as possible so they can adjust doses and offer medicines to help you get through treatment. The worst side-effect for me was fatigue, which got worse with each cycle. After cycle 12 tiredness reduced almost daily and I was back to normal energy levels after a month. Cold-sensitivity, hair thinning, and damaged to nails were really only minor irritants.

I am now 28 months post-op and had a routine monitoring colonoscopy last November, which was clear. They don’t want to see me again until 2026! Last annual CT scan was clear and CEA blood results are good.

Having a positive outlook together with patience and adaptability are my top tips.

Katz over 1 year ago in reply to Spider56

Thank you for your reply and positive encouragement. it does seem to be the best option for me after the reaction I had to CAPOX. My consultant did say they wouldn't have offered it if I hadn't had the reaction I had.

Thank you

And congratulations to you on your positive results.