Mom going through cancer and chemo

Hi .sorry about your mum and I wish her well.

Which chemo is she having? If you can say then people who have had the same may be able to offer some support and ideas of how they coped.

As you already have ,do read peoples stories as it can help with seeing how people have got through this.

I wish you both all the best

Kath

Hi TinaTina 

So sorry to hear about your mum but it is good news that she is curative .

My first thought is she keeping her fluids up ? Also stress . This is not an easy process . I would have a chat with her team and just make sure all her bloods are looking good . Small imbalances can cause other issues . 
If you are thinking a spread to the brain it is thankfully not something we see too often in bowel cancer .

My mum is a stage 4 patient and has been for coming up to 14 years . It still has a lot of treatment choices and they have taken excellent care of her . So the next time the anxiety soars remember that does not mean the end either . Might help to bring it back down .

You sound a good team . Long may it continue .

Court 

Thank you Court and wow about your mum, she must be a true fighter xx 

Thanks Kath. Good idea, I will look up posts about FOLFOX chemo 

Hi TinaTina,

Sorry to hear your Mum is having such a hard time but good news that she is curative.  You’ve mentioned FOLFOX which I had too.  I was also diagnosed with stage 3 in late 2020 at age 64 and went straight to surgery (without radiation therapy) then had FOLFAX; 6 rounds prescribed but only completed 5.  I’m over 2 years past diagnoses with no evidence of disease.

I did find the FOLFOX chemo very tiring and walking upstairs was sometimes a struggle and left me completely out of breath.  I also lost my appetite and didn’t even want to think about food but did manage to eat small meals if food was put in front of me, along with ‘beefed’ up homemade milkshakes. I was lucky in that my husband prepared all my meals and took over everything else so I could just rest and concentrate on getting better.

I didn’t suffer with headaches but Court mentioned fluids and it’s easy to become dehydrated which can give you headache.  I would however, get your Mum to mention the headaches to her team.  They may also be able to tweak her dose.  They usually start you on the highest dose but people often have it reduced – mine was reduced to 80% and made a huge difference.

I think it’s often harder for the people seeing you go through cancer treatment than actually going through it yourself. You’re being an invaluable support to your Mum – stay strong.  

If you want to ask anything re my FOLFOX treatment and effects please do.

Take Care,

Net77

Hi Net, 

Thank you so much for your insight, it’s always lovely and heartening to read a successful journey. My mom unfortunately was admitted to hospital for the past few nights since, it’s just been a bad reaction to chemo (we hope). 

Take care, 

Hello TinaTina,

Sorry to hear this.  Sending you both a big hug & hope you're Mum's feeling a little better.

Best Wishes

Net X

Oh sorry to hear that . They will be taking good care of her and get her back on more solid ground . Must have given you such a fright .

Court 

Thank you for your kind messages x 

Thank you for that kind message xo