I am disappointed that my 2nd chemo has to be postponed from tomorrow to hopefully next week. My neutrophils are at 0.8 and they're supposed to be at 1.5. I think this means that I will be getting only 2 chemos (Cisplatin) instead of 3. My chemo doc said there is evidence that 2 chemos is better than 1, but there is no evidence that 3 chemos is better than 2. Is it okay to ask on this Forum if others have heard something like that? I'm thinking of it as a question on other people's experience, not a medical question. He also said that probably 70% of patients only end up getting 2 chemos. He also said that the lower dose once weekly is only really used for older patients. I'm 54, and I guess that means I'm young! There's a smile for today.

On a positive note, tomorrow will be the halfway mark for rads, 3 weeks. Radiation side effects are in full force I guess, significant pain on swallowing, and omg I woke up in pain 3x last night due to sores on my tongue. I've had the Princess Margaret mouthwash just since Monday, and although it's helpful I wouldn't call it magic that's for sure. I also have some hydromorphone pills still from surgery and they told me today it's okay to take them, and they're sending in a liquid prescription for me as well. I do have a feeding tube in but I hope that it ends up being precautionary only and that I never have to use it. I will say though that on the weekend was the first time I thought I would need to use it before this is all done. I am monitoring my nutrition intake carefully, especially calories and protein, and I am just starting to use the recipe for the high calorie chocolate peanut butter shake. It's too hard to eat anything that I can't just swallow right now. The stupid tongue sores make chewing almost impossible so then I chew a bit and swallow and that swallow is pretty bad.

Anyway I've been feeling kind of down for the last few days, but I'll be okay. Tomorrow is halfway there. Yesterday I ordered 3 CDs I wanted, music cheers me up.

That's all for now.

(Edited - maybe this should be in the Currently in Treatment Forum? Sorry, I'm not sure.)

You will find that quite a few people on this forum had to forego the third chemo. My husband had to because he developed serious deep veined thrombosis. His neutrophils were so low at that point that he couldn’t even get the medication fo the DVT. It did recover after a few days. The chemo doctor at Princess Margaret Hospital, who is a leader in her field, told me that he would be alright with only two chemo treatments. I also met other patients at the chemo unit there who could not get the third chemo because of the low neutrophils.

Mine was the six weekly treatments, and I was in my later thirties ... guess that was old? LOL. I may have missed one, though, given weather issues and such, and for sure some got rescheduled.

Congrats on making it halfway!!!

Thank you for that input gmcraft. I am up in northwestern Ontario so chemo and radiation is here but they couldn't do my surgery here. It's nice to hear of other experiences in Ontario since there can be differences between countries. PMH is great, I was glad in the end to have to go there although initially I wished I could have been at home for surgery too. Thank you also for continuing to share your support as a family member; my condolences on your husband's passing.

KristenS yes lol! I'm approaching a cutoff for 'older' now, 55 plus, but late thirties definitely doesn't qualify!!

I’m 23 and also had the weekly treatments, so that can’t be right!

Nah, it's just that we all FEEL old when going through it, LOL. Heck, I was still getting carded if I picked up anything alcoholic for my mom (I don't drink) and I'd be out with my kids and folks would ask me where I went to school, LOL. Like, um, I finished college, worked for a time, got married and have kids ... do you mean their school?

I guess that's just the protocol at my cancer centre 😃