7 days after my first cisplatin, and I'm reeling. I can't keep food down despite continual anti-nausea meds, dropped 9 pounds. Plus, seem to have already lost my sweet/crunchy taste sensations, so fewer and fewer foods appeal at all. My kidney function started dropping so they juiced me up with potassium and fluids yesterday and today, will do again all week.

At what point would they decide not to try cisplatin #2? As bad as this has been, I don't want to shortchange my treatment. If cisplatin's not tolerated, would they switch to Cetuximab or something else???

Oh I, Hate! Hate! Hate! to hear this. Xo

Sometimes cisplatin doesn't play nice - did they give you meds for breakthrough nausea? Usually if you're sick they don't change - only if you have hearing issues or peripheral neuropathy. Try to stay hydrated and stick to bland foods. hugs.

Thanks NGK and Cheryl -- I can take ativan for breakthrough nausea, is that what you had in mind? Reassuring to hear the bar's high for backing down. Being sick is awful but it's short-term, that I can tough out --

Yeah... Cisplatin doesn't play nice. I take it you're getting the 3 big bags? I got the smaller weekly doses so I dealt with the nasties from the day after for about 4 days. By the time Monday rolled around I was finally feeling better only to do it all over again. Unless your blood work drops really, really low or you start getting some nasty side effect like hearing loss or severe neuropathy, they'll keep you on it. If they have to switch to something else it would most likely be Carboplatin.

Hang in there!

I agree with the above with carboplatin. If toxicities get that severe, wbc, neuropathy, kidney function, hearing, they could even stop chemo altogether, and give radiation alone. When the kidney function is low, the GFR or eGFR on the blood test is low, and believe above 90 is normal kidney function. The creatinine would be high on the blood test. Normal range for creatine is between 0.7-1.33, if you're interested in looking. Good luck.

No there should be another drug given to you.. I was prescribed 3 two were taken within the first two days (my hospital keeps patients for the night - and we are on IV the entire time - helps support the kidneys and hydration.) the third was a breakthrough nausea medication for any time use - I want to say dexamethasone - but I can't remember - Ativan is a sedative - anyone else on the board know why they were prescribed for break through nausea? I would talk to your mo. Hugs - every day is a step towards the end of treatment.

Im so sorry you are struggling! This whole thing stinks, that for sure!!!

Notify your chemo oncologist about everything you have said here. You should have some very strong anti-nausea meds to help combat the nausea. There are even anti-nausea meds that come in suppository forms. Keep taking the meds even if you think you are ok, once you get behind its nearly impossible to get ahead of this.

What you are describing is partly why we stress the importance of intake. Everything that comes out needs to be put back in. Losing so much weight in such a short amount of time is not good and can quickly lead to malnutrition and dehydration. A combo of those things can earn you a stay in the hospital for a few days. Please do yourself a huge favor and push to take in a minimum of 2500 calories and 48 oz of water every single day. Water is especially important to flush the chemo out of your system. I know you are probably sitting there thinking I must be out of my mind but Im speaking from experience. I spent a couple times hospitalized for dehydration and malnutrition. Ive also watched countless others go down that same path after I warned them. Ask your doc for a prescription to get hydrated in the chemo lab several times per week. This will help you to feel better almost instantly.

Usually the doc will lower the 2nd dose before discontinuing it completely. Thats what happened with me. First dose I didnt handle it very well, 2nd cut in half and third cancelled.

Hang in there!

I am so sorry to hear about your situation. I did chemo twice. First was induction TPF chemotherapy (Taxotere, cisPlatin, and 5-Fu
3 week interval and 3 cycles over 9 weeks.

Second time was during chemo-radiation therapy. Weekly over 7 weeks.

Here is some if not the full list of drugs administered to control the nausea and vomit issues.

emend - IV during chemo infusion
decadron - dexamethasone
compazine - prochlorperazine
Reglan - metoclopramide
Zofran - ondanastron

Rather than have the cisplation three times during chemorads I had weekly carboplatin for all 7 weeks of rads.

I guess I am lucky as I never had any nausea or vomit issues over the course of both chemos.

I did get my butt kicked in TPF though. Two of 3 rounds knocked me down for the first week, just true exhaustion. Third round was not pleasant either.

The weekly carbo did not affect me at all during rads. All the problems were related to rads but I guess the mucositis was creating the mouth and tongue ulcers and sores.

The MO felt going to carbo in lower dosage weekly would be kinder and gentler than the 3 bag cisplatin.

You can check out my blog where I listed events pretty much every day as things went along.

good luck, don

There is also Promethazine - Phenergan which I had in pill form and a gel I could wipe on my wrist if I was in fact tossing my cookies and couldn't take the pill.

Hi Mamacita,
Sorry to hear about your continued nausea. I was able to eat a few almonds after being zapped today. They had a little taste and are a great source of protein and magnesium. The dark chocolate sadly was without much favor. I was able to eat a whole can of chicken cheese enchilada soup. I think the creamy consistency is what was good about it. The milk favor seems to be still there and is easy to swallow.
I have this kit for sinus irrigation, which includes packs of salt and baking soda pre-measured, it felt good on my zapped tonsil today. Just slightly warm the water.
The Biotene toothpaste is very refreshing also. And you should be able to taste the mint.
Hang in there,
Steve

Thanks all for the thoughts and ideas. They have been pumping me with extra fluids all week and even ordered for weekend. Also more anti naus meds by IV. To Christine's point, I learned this week that dehydration actually increases nausea. I think I got behind in the first few days and never caught back up. The nutritionist thinks that for chemo #2 they will just set up extra fluids from the start.

T, I am getting the 3 big bags. Glad to hear they won't back down easily, because neither am I! Was reassured to see I am taking all the meds Don had, except Reglen; thanks for taking the time to post the full list. Ativan has anti-naus and anxiety properties they say. It does help at moments but also knocks me on my heels, so will talk to the team about another med for breakthrough queas and also the topical rosy mentions, could have really used that this week but had no idea it existed!

Most of all thanks for the reassurance, others made it through and so will I --

(((HUGS)))

Ask your doc right away for the hydration prescription, do not wait for the next round of chemo. Hydration can make you feel absolutely horrible. When I was dehydrated I thought I was dying. I was positive that what I was experiencing was the signs that someone goes thru before they pass away. Dehydration can be a very serious matter. When you are throwing up and cant keep things down its so easy to become dehydrated. Talk with your radiation nurse and dco right away about getting into the chemo lab for hydration a few times per week. You will be surprised at how much better you will feel when you get that done. you will walk out of there feeling almost like you did before all this started.

Hang in there!!!!

Thanks Christine, I did start extra hydration/IV fluids Monday and will be having every day including Sat & Sun.

Glad to see things are getting taken care of for you. Xo

Good! Im glad you are getting hydrated. I bet it helps to make you feel alot better.

I know this whole thing stink and its not easy to do. You have a whole family of friends right here cheering you on. We are in your corner and will help you get thru all the rough patches.

Best wishes!

Mamacita,

You are exactly correct it is no fun at all. I did three rounds of this many years ago and lost 50 pounds in the process. The one thing I finally figured out in the last round is that I could keep down potatoes I don't know why or if it will work for you but for me it didn't matter what type. I could keep down baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, even scollopped potatoes. I also had many things taste different. For me they tasted mettalic. Lets face it nothing tastes the same after it has come up from below. It will take time but after treatment all those taste issues pretty much went away. They Doc's are no doubt checking blood all the time and keeping a close eye on the kidney function, etc. Keep your eye on the target. Got to do what you got to do to get rid of this pesky cancer. This treatment is only the means to the end. Stay strong and keep taking it if the doc says your blood work allows it. I am living proof you can beat this cancer and have many good years with your children and family afterwards. Good luck on the remaining treatment.

What about Carboplatin?

Thank you so much, your kind words have meant so much to me.

Yesterday the MO told me that if my kidney function/creatinene levels don't normalize, he is going to modify chemo #2 scheduled for Monday by starting smaller weekly doses instead of the big bag scheduled. He said there's less data regarding the efficacy of weekly doses.

The prospect of changing the treatment plan is so disheartening for me. Obviously I can't sacrifice my kidneys, I understand the reasoning, but it frightens me to deviate from the tried and true cancer killing mode we started out in. I know I'm engaging in black/white thinking.

On the positive side I've truly rallied, getting some hours in at work, and as of today I'm 1/3 of the way through radiation.......Yippee!

(((JUGS)))

AKKKKKKKK

LOL

Think I will just let that typo stand.

Mama,

Just think in terms of the chemo being only the facilitator to the death of cancer cells allowing the big gun of radiation to truly kill them. There are a lot of survivors here who got the weekly chemo treatment and stayed healthy enough to finish the prescribed course of both rads and chemo.

It won't do a lot of good to do the three bag method if you are too sick to finish all treatments.

Wishing you strength during this really hard time,

Deb

Maybe they should out you on 24 IV during chemo,

Good to hear that you are getting hydrated and that you have rallied. And you are getting some hours in at work is just awesome!
Here's a list of the meds that were included in my first chemo: (my nausea was minimal)
Magnesium sulfate solution, Granisetron HCl, Palonosetron HCl, dexamethasone sodium phosphate, Fosaprepitant dimeglumine, and the hypersensitivity meds diphenhydramine HCl, Hydrocortisone sodium succinate, and methylprednisolone sodium succinate.
The cetuximab made my face a mess. The second week I developed a very intense rash that would bleed very easily.
I couldn't imagine wearing the rad mask with that rash I had.
Maybe a lower concentration of cisplatin? My doc has me on 75mg per meter squared and my tonsil and lymph are indeed responding. From just looking at it I would say my tonsil is half the size. Your tonsil and nodes are gone. Seems to me a concentration change would be reasonable?
Hope you and your team find a good solution for your next chemo.
Wishing the best for you,
Steve