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Anyone have experience with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)?
Sarcoma | Last Active: 4 days ago | Replies (77)Comment receiving replies
My husband has recently diagnosed w GIST and also bladder cancer, the 2 being not related cancers.
For GIST he is on avapritinib chemo
pills 300 mg daily. He is having a few side effects but the worst is sour mouth and throat. Any advice will be appreciated on how to handle this uncomfortable side effect. Thanks
Replies to "My husband has recently diagnosed w GIST and also bladder cancer, the 2 being not related..."
Hi I'm sorry to here about your Huband's diagnoses, I'm on 400 MG of imatinib and my worst problem is hand and leg cramps that are so bad that they wake me from a deep sleep in agony!
I do have some dry mouth at night but keep fresh cold water to sip bed side. I'm told that the Imatinib is keeping the tumors from developing so i will continue taking it hoping my body will adjust.Hope this helps , good luck!
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Hello @poppycares and welcome to Mayo Connect. I'm glad that you found this forum where you can share your experiences with others.
As your husband also has bladder cancer, here is another discussion group that might be helpful to you,
--Bladder Cancer
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/bladder-cancer/
While you wait for others to respond to your post about the side effects of chemo, I'm wondering if you have discussed this with his oncologist. Oncology offices often can suggest remedies that will help lessen the side effects and make them more manageable.
Here is some information from the WebMD website about the side effects of this medication. If you read the section about Common Side Effects, it lists bad unpleasant after taste as the first common side effect.
--Avapritinib side effects
https://www.drugs.com/sfx/avapritinib-side-effects.html
Has your husband had any surgeries for cancer, or has chemo been the main treatment?