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.