Maintanence chemo

Hi Linz80

Sorry to hear that the maintenance chemotherapy has made your father feel so rotten. Sorry, I do not have any direct experience of maintenance chemotherapy. Hoping someone who does will answer soon.

In the mean time, I would suggest giving his lung cancer nurse a call and explain what is going on. All side effects should be communicated to his team. From here they can explore, investigate them and perhaps tweak further treatments, or prescribe things to help with the effects.

I hope you get your answers soon and be led by your father by what he ultimately wants to do going forward.

Hi Linz80

It sounds like the same combo as my mum had - 4 rounds of Cisplatin/ Pemetrexed and Pembrolizumab , and then on to maintenance with the Cisplatin  removed.  She found the first 4 rounds awful, extremely toxic and she felt very poorly and sick, and it affected her mental health terribly.  The first round of maintenance she felt less dreadful but still not as great as usual, the 2nd round  has been totally different I am glad to say.  Hardly any nausea,or  fatigue - she said that she felt back to normal pretty much.  She did have a thyroid issue which was picked up and prescribed medication for, so I'm sure that is also something that has helped her feel better.  Today she has had her 3rd round of maintenance, and I am hoping she will feel ok again.  She had been quite flexible (lax) about taking her sickness meds, but on the second round of maintenance we made sure she took them up until about day 6, and I think this also had a positive effect, as did eating a snack every 2 hours or so.  Also, drinking lots and lots of water has helped.

I hope your dad fares better on his next round. The doctors also said that Cisplatin was a very old and toxic drug, and the removal of it would take a while to leave her system. Do you know what combo he was on, and is on now?

Take care, stay safe.

Nicola