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Chemo every two weeks for the rest of my life?!?
Hi,
I got a Stage 4 squamous cell esophageal cancer diagnosis on October 2. The tumor is near my stomach and cannot be removed surgically, while the cancer has migrated to my shoulder bone, a lymph node in my neck, and a spot on my liver. My MD told me just yesterday that I will have to undergo chemotherapy for about 48 hours per session once every two weeks for the rest of my life, however long it may last.
He says the cancer will resurgence if they let up at all on the chemotherapy. I am in shock. In two weeks I will have finished five weeks of daily radiation and the chemotherapy sessions will ensue.
Has anyone else been told they must have chemotherapy every two weeks for the rest of their life? Can such a treatment program even be tolerable? Please reply if you have any thoughts or advice.
Thanks,
One sad lady!
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Hi again,
I started chemotherapy later than Bill, who began in August, and have had just six 48-hour take-home rounds of FLOT infusions, with the last two with Opdivo added in as immunotherapy just last month. I am 72 years old, had always been in good shape athletically until this cancer and treatment, so the weight loss and weakness is a new thing. Almost no appetite with this chemotherapy and so I keep shedding pounds, which I need to stop doing! Haven't done PT but try to take walks and move around. It's a challenge to keep the meals going. My son doesn't even feed himself well, which bugs me because how can I look after him now too. He is on antipsychotic meds which dull his incentive to accomplish much, and I've made feeding him a priority, which is nuts.
Anyway, have to take things day by day now, week by week, and aim to get through one way or another...
Hang in there!
Marcia
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1 ReactionYes I have..Not thebest to hear.Stage four gej adenocarcinoma and 3 lymph nodes.Just had 5th session flot plus Imfinzi immunotherapy.Sixth treatment in 2weeks then some ct and ct plus contrast.fingers crossed for some stability or shrinking I pray.Depends on results,might do alot more research.Best of luck and prayers to you.will keep posted.Good thoughts.
Yes I have, too. But it's for a different cancer and the schedule is every three weeks for the rest of my life. This inconvenience is further exacerbated by the fact that I have to fly to the clinic, stay in a hotel for two days, fly back home, and then face a 7-14 day recovery from the side effects. That leaves 1 good week or so before it starts all over gain. Do I think it's worth it? I don't know. I try to stay positive and thing of the trip as a vacation away from home. But the monotony of it all does wear on me. I also struggle with how to live in limbo. I can't make any plans and feel unmotivated to continue my research: I'm a field linguist who works in Mexico on an endangered language. This makes me anxious and very depressed to not be productive. I have been thinking about cognitive therapy to see if I can change my outlook and help me deal with this living on a hamster wheel. other than that, I find ways to do activities that I like even when I'm not feeling my best.
@cookercooker sorry for your situation..Evidently you are a very strong person,don’t forget that..prayers and the best to you.
@maraca love and prayers to all of us on this site,ill be 1 year post, surgery beginning april,none of it is easy,but love hearing all the positive 🙏 ❤️, you get going on the chemo and ,I got great feelings its gonna shrink like crazy 🤪, keep us all posted..
Hi all,
Marcia here to say no Petscan in sight until April 17. Very weirdly last week Social Security informed me that they had terminated my Medicare Part B. "A glitch" I was told that cut off lots of people from January, 2026 onward. Not my doing, but SSA could only restart coverage as of April, so the scan I ought to be having tomorrow, March 25 is nixed along with past three months medical coverage unless and until the appeal I had to file fixes things.
Just sharing in case anyone here has had the same problem with SSA.
Marcia