Moving from ABVD to escBeacopDac

Hi Sarah! 

Sorry to hear your scan was not as good as you’d hope, it’s a difficult thing to hear for sure. 

I ended up sticking with ABVD and had my last chemo a week ago now. I have my final scan mid-May. 

My consultant actually had a meeting with some specialists and they all concluded that it was best for me to stay on ABVD in the end as they predicted that I would most likely spend a lot of time in hospital with neutropenic sepsis if I went onto BEACOPP (I had already been hospitalised with this on ABVD) and they know I have a baby so they took this into consideration too. 
I guess it just depends on your circumstances and what you think will work best for you. Perhaps if I didn’t have a baby I would have made a different decision but I have no regrets as I know I did what is best for me and my family. To be honest, the last few cycles of ABVD were tough enough. I can’t really imagine how it must feel on a more aggressive chemo. 

All the best, Harriet 

This is happening to me. How did yours go? How did you find the treatment?

Hey Doris77,

I’m on cycle 3 now of escBEACOPP after 2 cycles of AVBD. The hardest thing is logistics as I live 2 hours away from London hospital. So I stay locally in an air b&b. The amount of drugs and fluids is quite shocking and I had a lot of fluid retention, however I was drinking a lot of water orally on top of all the drugs. So I adapted the water intake and much better now. 
how are you?

when do you start?

Most of mine had responded well, just one part left that needs to go. Is that what you found? Are you able to remain active through the cycle?

Yes mine had all gone apart from in my mediastinal mass. I walk, swim and clean the house. I try to be active everyday even when I feel I don’t want too. I always feel better afterwards, even just a short walk. I do saunas, eating well and hydration.

how are you coping with it all?

It’s hard as I hoped the abvd would work and I feel so good. I start on Monday. That’s great that you’re able to remain active. DO they do the pet scan at the end of the 4th cycle? 
I’ve heard bone pain from the injections is really horrid. Do you take painkillers?

Yes I felt good on AVBD after the first 2 cycles, I was even weight training and didn’t lose my hair.

Yes that’s right, a scan after cycle 4. They wait 5/6 weeks after your treatment for your scan, so any inflammation can settle down.

The bone pain is annoying. I feel like a 90 year old with arthritis:-) for me I’ve found saunas, hot baths and walking help ease the pain. I haven’t taken any pain relieve yet.

I did lose my hair on day 12 after my first cycle of escbeacopp, I decided to shave it all off.

where are you having your treatment?

Oh that’s a long wait for the scan! 
You said you manage the fluid intake now - do you drink less on day 1 than you were because they’re also giving you fluid through the drip? 
I have a picc line - do you? I’m in Basingstoke 

I’m actually looking forward to the wait. 6 whole weeks of not getting poked and prodded and sitting in the chemo chair. I’m looking forward to seeing how my body recovers with decent time off.

Yes I was drinking 2-3 litres on top of the fluids they gave me. I put on 4.5kgs overnight in water weight which made me feel rough. This time I just sipped water and had one fruit smoothie. I put on 2kg overnight and it was all gone by day 4 to my normal weight again. Ah I live in Essex and travel to UCLH in London.

You'll do great.