1st cycle and hubby not coping with side effects

Hi

Sorry to hear about your husband, that’s really tough.  I have had chemo twice and can understand how hard it is! I had chemo for bowel cancer and more recently for stomach cancer- the drugs given are very similar.

I would suggest you discuss with the oncologist or your GP , a different ant sickness medication- Ondansetron is good but they don’t always prescribe it first. It does cause constipation though so you may need to watch for that.

You should drink 2 to 3 litres of water a day while on chemo to flush it through your system, especially if you are suffering from diarrhoea.  Try light foods only, I was advised to eat clear soup - I ate chicken noodle for the first time in years!  I couldn’t face sweet juice but if he can, that might help the rehydration.

I was told that reducing the dose is preferable to stopping altogether so worth discussing with them.

I found it bearable once the dose was reduced and it was effective.

There are other treatments too so it is worth asking and hanging in there!

Good luck!

Hi Jacquiw10

Thank you for your advice. I have suggested soup but he really hates it LOL .Will try again 

I will alsO to his key nurse on Monday about  a different anti sickness and when we go back to the hospital on 23rd for bloods will talk about adjusting his dose 

I keep nagging him about drinking as worried about his hydration but he is sick even with water

Hanging in there 

Emmarc

Hi

He won't take his Capecitabine this morning so very worried about implications of this. He said he can't do this anymore

Help!!!

Emmarc, you are both in a horrible position. I can only tell you what I think I would do in your position and I am not (in your position), so this is just an opinion. If you can get him to the hospital for assessment for dehydration then do so if he remains unable to keep any fluids down. They tend to start them on a high dose and then reduce if you can't cope with the side effects.I was on the same chemo regime and I was reduced after cycle 2. Give him today and Monday morning off the Cape, keep taking the anti nausea drugs and hope that he starts to feel better. Contact the hospital on Monday to make an emergency appointment, with the specialist nurses if your oncologist is not available. Try to get him there wearing a pad if necessary and taking spare clothes. Let them talk to him about what can be done about side effects, he might believe them, there are certainly lots of other anti sickness and diarrhoea drugs and they can usually reduce the dose of chemo or even try a different regime. Tell him he doesn't have to do chemo, because he doesn't, he does have a choice and sometimes telling someone that they have to, makes them dig in their heels more. I would then try to get him to take some counselling, there are lots of cancer centres or charities that offer this and perhaps get yourself some as well because you are both going through hell and you may both need help to deal with the future and if you go, he might.

Finally give him time, let him think it through, see if antidepressants will help, they might not and he might not want them but they are worth considering.  I had a break from chemo when my physical symptoms  were very bad (diarrhoea) and a week off made all the difference and I started again where I left off. He is obviously scared and panicking and you just have to be there and hug him and wait for him to make the decision that is right for him, hopefully after he has considered all of the options and perhaps having talked it through with people who can help.

Hi ,

I totally sympathise with you both as my mum had a horrible time on chemo and ended up getting taken to hospital in an ambulance to rehydrate her . Part of the problem with dehydration is your electrolytes can be knocked off like potassium that can cause the bowels to loosen . This needs treated in a hospital . I doubt they would worry about his tablets today . They dropped my mum’s until they sorted out the underlying issues .

There is so much they can do for him and reassure him adjusting his dose can make a lot of the nasty side effects go away . It did for my mum .

If it was me I would phone your NSH 111 and had this over to them for guidance . They may like a Doctor to assess him at home .

Please reassure him they can help him and make it lots better than he is experiencing just now .

Court 

Hi court and Nicky

Thanks to both of you for your replies .

He is not the type of person who will talk to people about this. Hard enough to get him to speak to me about it. He is convinced that everything was removed during the operation so he , in his mind, no longer has cancer. I have suggested that we get an appointment with the consultant on Wednesday as we know he will be in clinic that day which he seemed ok with.

I am struggling so much with this as i must allow him to make his own decisions but feel he is giving up too soon .He said he is sorry he has disappointed me but he hasn't and it is not about that. I just don't want to lose him. 

The children and grandchildren are all coming down next weekend for Easter and amazingly he said maybe we should all discuss this together. Might help. I am just so very scared .I am going to call his specialist nurse tomorrow to have a chat with her so she is fully briefed if I manage to get him in On Wednesday

Thanks for your kind words and advice from both of you. Good to know there is someone out there to reach out to

Emmarc

Thanks to everyone that gave me great advice .I finally managed to convince hubby that he needed to go to hospital in Monday morning. 

He has neuropenic sepsis with other inflammation issues they are trying to get to the bottom of. His electrolytes are all over the place and He is now quite ill. 

I am hoping that this has given my the scare he probably needed, although a very dangerous one, to go to the hospital when I think he should. 

His next cycle will be delayed until he is much better so by then I hope to have persuaded him to carry on. I have discussed how he is with his nurses and currently waiting to speak to his consultant. 

He has now convinced himself that he does not have cancer so is putting toxins into his body for nothing. Believes all got rid of via the hemi colectomy. Will ask consultant to have a "tough love" discussion with him

thanks again everyone

Well done you . It’s horrible to see them so ill  but you acted quickly and it’s amazing how quickly they get better with the right treatment . 

You caught that just in time . No wonder he wanted to stop . They will sort it out for him and my mum also needed a wee chat from the consultant . She was absolutely refusing to take fluids !! 

Hopefully he will be turned around for your family coming and a good chat from all involved. 

Tough time for you all but hang in there as they will get it all adjusted .

take care,

Court 

Hi Court

Hubby is still in hospital and unlikely to be out this side of Easter. His inflammatory markers are still over 300 but have dropped from around 370 so on the way down. He still has awful Diarrhoea which the consultant has said may go on for another 4 days or so. he hasn't eaten anything for 8 days now so quite weak but on fluids to help.

They have him on Tazocin and also gave a high dose of gentamycin on Monday so these are helping but unfortunately a common side effect of Tazocin is diarrhoea!!! but more important to get the antibiotic into him.

He has had a good talking to from the consultant who has explained that the state he is in now is due to him not telling them early enough what he is going through. He told him that they will adjust the dose or stop the tablets for a few days if he get bad side effects again but hubby must let them know what he is going through.

Hubby has now agreed to do the 2nd cycle once he is well enough so here's hoping that that goes better or he has said he will not do more after that and take his chances.

I have explained that he does have cancer and convincing himself he does not is unrealistic. Think he has accepted this but tough love message are so hard to give them

Hoping everyone in the family are all well enough to come down as so looking forward to seeing my 2 children and 3 grandchildren over Easter.
Have a lovely break with your family

Carol

Hi Carol ,

Children are the best therapy . I hope you get to spend time with them . What a boost that would be .

Your poor husband sounds really rough but getting well taken care off . I am glad the consultant had a good chat . It sounds as though he is back on track once he has found his feet again . He has had a real scare for sure .

Send your husband our  very best wishes and a speedy recovery . Keep in touch .

Have a great weekend ,

Court