5 more radiation treatments left! I had my 3rd and last chemo Tuesday and I am doing OK so far but my 2nd chemo I got very sick on the 3rd day after so we will see. I have that horrendous shot today but the 2nd one didn't put me out of commission like the first so fingers crossed! My radiation was cancelled yesterday due to the Tornado and some damage to the water treatment plant and I missed a day after my 2nd chemo due to sickness. Maybe I was being naive or didn't want to think about it but I didn't realize I would have to make up the days I missed, lol.
1st question, I receive steroids prior to chemo, I noticed they always make me feel so much better, this time particularly. My throat was so swollen and the sputum so thick I was gagging until everything came up and unable to swallow pills, everything is going in the PEG tube. It is so bad I have no voice left either. I believe the steroids help the swelling go down and make this all a bit more tolerable. I even ate a bit of pudding yesterday and that is the first food I have eaten in weeks. Has anyone heard of offering steroids during tx? Is there any reason one shouldn't take them? I am thinking of asking the doc for a weeks worth in case I get very bad again just to help me get thru the end of tx.
2nd question. My oncologist ordered my follow up PET scan on 8-1-13. Does anyone else think this is to early. I would hate to get back news of something being questionable due to being swollen and then have to wait for a CT scan as a follow up that might not be as reliable. I am sure the insurance company would fight a PET scan to soon after the first one.
Thanks

I received steroids along with fluids, cisplatin and something for nausea every treatment. I always thought (maybe incorrectly) that the steroids kicked the anti-nausea into a whole 'nother gear. I felt so good my first treatment I went on my normal training run. The last one for a while it turned out...

My first post-treatment PET showed the tumor 80% gone. I was devastated. I fully expected it to be completely gone. I was then told I was right on schedule and that my next scan should be clean, and it was. Would have been nice to know that ahead of time. So my prayer will be that yours is clean first time out but in the off chance it's not please don't panic. These things take time.

BTW, my last day of treatment was May 13 and my clean PET was Oct 28. Don't know the exact date of the first PET (the 80% clean one) but I'm guessing July something. How does that match your timing?

The first check up scan should be at least 3 months after you have finished rads. Swelling and mouth sores can show false positives if its done too early.

Hang in there! Make sure your fluid intake is at least 48 oz per day of water. If not, ask the doc for a prescription for hydration in the chemo lab. That will make you feel much better. I always felt like a new person when I got hydrated.

Guess there are different protocols... I voiced my concerns about swelling before the scan. They know there will be swelling so I guess they were looking for something else.

I have coached 5 people through this mess for a total of 6 different treatment plans. None of us were the same

The steroids, are corticosteroids, antinflammatories, usually decadron, aka as prednisone, which are different than anabolic steroids. It does have a euphoria effect, Increases appetite, weight gain, reduces inflammation, and is given along with some chemo infusion to reduce side effects. I had it with Taxotere. It is prescribed post treatment too, maybe for a short duration, for throat inflammation, other reasons. I had it decades ago for tendinitis, heel spur. Side effects can be a "Moon Face" and osteoporosis, others.

Some Drs., surgeons, do scans earlier than 3 months, and it has been studied that PET scans are 90 percent accurate by 8 weeks. Anything less than 6 weeks was found to be unacceptable. The belief is if there is still cancer, it is best to be treated, have surgery in a specified time, less than 12 weeks or within 100 days for the "whole treatment package" for optimal results. 3 months post treatment Pet scans are more accurate, 4 months is even better, and a year is almost, it not, 100 percent accurate.

I think most of us get steroids with the chemo... and yes those make up sessions are not something to look forward to. I so wanted my radiation to end when it was supposed to I made them double nuke me twice. Once the machine was broken so the next day they cooked me once in the morning and once late afternoon. The same with a holiday monday... got a double dose the next day.. YES I am a sucker for punishment.

Agreed!!!! I ended up getting a rotation and a half one day. I asked if that one counted. You know the answer to that. Throw in a power outrage and I had to move the big 'x' on my fridge calendar two days further away. That was tough

Not to be a downer, But remember, the three weeks after treatment, at least for me, were the worst. It is easy to peek at the calendar, I did too, take all the small victories you can and get thru the next feeding. Hour, turn to day, which turn to weeks.

As for PET, not only do they look at the neck, they go all the way down to your thighs. It's a little creepy when you watch it. So even at three months, a pet scan has value at least with distant mets.

Good luck and keep going.