I have thirteen days of treatment left, assuming I don't miss a day by accident - which sometimes happens at the weekends when our normal routine goes to pot. I have started taking the capecitabene and the steroid drugs- and was awake until 4.30 this morning :-(
We went to see the genetics councillor today, at SHJ - and found out that her son is in Claires' music class - small world.
The main thing to come out of today is that the kids have a slightly increased risk of this, but because there is no family history apart from me, there is not a major problem. They will be offered a colonoscopy in the future - probably in their mid-thirty's so there is no rush.
I am going to get them to check my blood for a particular marker which may indicate something hereditary, but even then the kids won't need to be tested for another ten or fifteen years. I suppose that my brother and sister may be interested, so I will get them the information when it comes to me.
I have started to get the main symptoms now. I have the tingling in my hands and feet when I come into contact with anything cold, like the laminate flooring! obviously I have had problems with sleeping (caused by the steroids). I am hoping that taking the second dose in the middle of the day will mean that I don't spend the entire night awake again. I don't think I have been overly grumpy this time, but is is early days yet - that could arrive any time until the beginning of next week along with the tunnel vision and other side affects.
well, that is enough just now. I will update again tomorrow.
god bless
Graham
1 comment:
Hi,
Funnily I am a Graham too with primary colon cancer (surgically removed in 05 and non recurrent)and liver tumours (surgical resection in 06 but returned and inoperable in late 06) and v small pulmonary mets(cropped up in 08). I am currently on my 4th long course of chemo. The last 2 have used capecitabene - 12 session last year with Oxaliplatin and now 9 out of 12 linked with Irinotecan.
I know we are all different but one on my more unusual side effects is a hoars/croaky voice on days 2 to 5 of my 14 day cycle. My consultant has never come across this before but another friend on the same regime is also experiencing this. I wonder if you (or others) may have come across this??
Besides that I find the IroCap mixture just about bearable - 5 days crap and 9 days average. I hardly sleep on the first 2 nights (it is now around midnight on Day 2) which I put down to the steroid given IV on DAy 1 but this settles down.
The treatment seems to be keeping the liver mets at bay; not shrinking but static at least. I hope yours goes the same and I wish you all the luck in the world.
Graham
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