i wanted to report on my sister's current treatment plan. consider this also as a follow-up to the thread about erbitox.

she's on day 10 of 2nd round of radiation. treatment plan: irradiating 2 spots on the neck where new tumors are located:
tumor 1: 200 cgy/day for 35 sessions
tumor 2: 160 cgy/day for 35 sessions
to max dose: 70 gy

she's also getting erbitox infusion once a week at her oncologist's office. she's had it once already. side effects:

in addition to nausea, she's also running a fever (higher on the first couple of days and decreasing later to about 98.5). she's also getting frequent headaches that we associate with erbitox although it's not listed as side-effect in official literature.

overall, my sister's conditions have sadly deteriorated. she has 2 open abcesses right over the tumors and pain management is quite difficult. she's determined to continue fighting.

please keep her and us in your good thoughts.

gita

Gita,

Thanks for the update. I am sorry things are deteriorating but encouraged by her renewed spirit to battle. You are always (as is your family) in my good thoughts!

Ed

Hi Gita,
Thanks for the update. I'm sorry and sad that her condition is what it is. Hopefully the doctors treating her can slow it down or cure it.
She should not have to endure any pain as there are meds for everything. Ask her doctor about additional (stronger) pain meds. My best to both you and your sister.

Danny Boy

Gita,

Sorry to hear the status of your sister. You mentioned two open abcess in the general area of radiation. Are the abcesses oozing anything? My father began Taxol with Carboplatin (no radiation this time)three weeks ago. After 2nd treatment, the area of the original radiation became inflamed. It looked like he had undergone radiation. The next day a lump appeared. The following day the lump had what looked like a puss formation on the top. He said the pressure hurt, so he poked it with a pin. Puss came out of it like crazy, drained for the next 2 days before I spoke with the nurse. They put him on Leviquin and Diflucan orally. Also Roseffin (sp) intraveinously for 5 days. Seemed to work. But as quick as it disappeared it returned again. Doctor looked at it two days ago, and said he has not seen this before. Suggested Roseffin (sp) for another 7 days, and still allowed his weekly Chemo treatment. Said that if it doesnt clear, he will have to go back to the throat specialist and have him cut it. Has anyone had a similar experience?


Vickie M

Gita
Thanks for keeping us all informed, as always you are both in my prayers
Sunshine.. love and hugs
Helen

Vickie & Gita,

It sounds as though the abcesses you have described might possibly be fistulas. Heather had 2. At first, they acted like abcesses.....filled with pus, drained, filled up again. But eventually, they opened and didn't close, then proceeded to open wider and wider until she had 2 gaping holes in her neck.

A fistula is an unnatural pathway in the body. In Heather's case we know that one of her fistulas led directly from her throat to the side of her neck because of a swallowing test. When she swallowed, instead of going down her throat, the blue tinted apple juice ran out through the hole in her neck.

Heather's fistulae never healed because the cancer was never controlled. Fistulae sometimes clear up on their own and sometimes they can be surgically corrected, but probably not until the tumors are shrunk and the cancer is in remission.

Of course, this is just an assumption on my part. It is very likely that you are dealing with abcesses and not fistulae.

Rainbows & hugs,
Rosie

rosie, thank you for that explanation. it fits what i see on my sister's neck. hers were surgically drained a few weeks ago, but they're still oozing some clear yellow liquid. one of them is literally a hole. i used the term abcess because that's what her oncologist used. i'll see if i can get him to be more precise when we see him today. and, yes, it doesn't seem like these are getting any better soon.

with regards to pain management, the problem is that pretty much everything makes her nauseaous. including the patches, tylenol with codeine, the 2 different antibiotics, radiation and chemo. this is why pain management has become so difficult.

be well.

gita