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What other therapies are recommended with folfiri chemo - Stage 4 CRC
What other therapies are recommended with folfiri + bev chemotherapy?
My boyfriend (age 42) was diagnosed with stage 4 CRC in Dec. 2022. (KRAS g13d) Tumor has metastasized to mainly to liver, lymph in abdomen, stomach lining, etc. I would say median size for the tumors in liver are 7cm x 5cm, and there are a lot of them. We don't know how big the initial tumor in colon is, the scope could not go through during colonoscopy. We started with folfox chemotherapy which seemed to have worked in the beginning, but after about 8th session, the tumors in his liver stopped responding. We just received folfiri for our 12th session... and his doc says he is eligible for a clinical trial that uses folfiri as the base, but with the shortage of chemo medicine, not sure if this will happen. =(
His condition lately: Stomach looks and feels very bloated. We also had paracentesis (for abdominal ascites) done last week because he couldn't eat or sleep from the fullness of his stomach... this went on for about 3-4 weeks before getting the paracentesis. Afterwards, his hands and feet started swelling up. Doc told him that it's because he doesn't have enough protein and advised to take protein shakes. Swelling has gone down a bit after keeping his legs up and lymph massaging. But they still look huge. I think his liver is leaking a lot still. He hasn't been urinating much for the past month, but that has improved today. His bowel movements are on the both ends of the spectrum, either constipated or "going" every hour. Low energy on most days, naps 4-5 times a day.
I just want to know if there are any other therapies that can be combined with his chemo so that he can live... at the least, without pain. Is it too greedy to hope for a cure...?
Thank you in advance.
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Goodness... what a rough schedule.. I can only imagine what you and your husband are going through. I know it's going to be hard for your husband, but us caretakers to watch our loved ones go through this is just as hard and feel helpless.. be sure to take care of yourself too. Chemo doc should have changed the chemo drug to a different one if it stopped responding. =( Hope this functional doc can provide better care.
Well you are 100% right
Not taking folfox taking xelox
No more bag for 2 days
Low dose chemo and chemo pills
I never thought I would neglect my own health but my doctor said “what are you doing??”
You have to eat
I was so focused on Jim I skipped it
😞
I will post a picture of book that is a must read for anyone going through cancer
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3 ReactionsThank you so much! Please do share the book! I'm sure whomever reads this thread will benefit from it if it helped you.
Yes.. please do take care of yourself. I also couldn't eat or go to the bathroom freely because it made me feel guilty.. because he can't do simple things like these. It makes you think of all the small things we take for granted in life. But you know, we have to be healthy to help our loved one come back to healthy =) let's hang in there.
What’s the book?
I wish I knew the answer but I can send you my love and prayers. Thanks for posting.
Been on chemo w/figuring for 10 weeks. After infusion I wear a computerized pump for 48 hours. I need to find something that will help me get back on my feet after the pump is removed. Suffer from chronic diarrhea, fatigue and heartburn. I’ve lost 20 pounds since this last March and am having difficulty maintaining my weight. By the time I do feel functional I have 4-5 days before my next infusion. The treatment seems to be working. My markers have fallen from 20.2 to 4.4 over the 5 sessions of chemo I’ve had. Hard to believe I will be doing this for the rest of my life.
The chemo is:
CH Folfiri + Vectibex
For Pete’s sake. Is anyone els besides me on this site? I’m looking to talk to anyone that is struggling with advanced colorectal cancer and chemo every two weeks.
mogwa823: I saw your post. I just don't have any advice for you. I've been getting chemo with the 48 hour pump every 2 weeks for over a year now. I also have an HAI pump implanted in me which shoots chemo directly into my liver. It's no fun. I also had chronic diarrhea, but mine was from gall bladder surgery, not chemo. I take something called cholestryamine (sp?) which removes excess bile from my digestive tract and slows down the diarrhea. I doubt that would help you bc your diarrhea is due to chemo drugs. But I do understand how awful that chronic diarrhea is. I dealt with it for a few months after my surgery before I got the cholestryamine. My weight kept dropping and I was unbelievably weak and tired from it. You can't go anywhere or do anything. You have no energy and so you can't get any exercise. I couldn't recover from my surgery at all. (Colon resection, gall badder removal, and HAI pump implantation). I wish I had some idea that could help you. Well, there is one thing that helped me: When I cut gluten out of my diet my diarrhea slows down precipitously. I'm more of a gluten avoider than an absolute no gluten person. But when I have gotten off track and had quite a but of gluten, the diarrhea gets much worse and I have to take more doses of the cholestyramine than I had been taking previously. (I hate the stuff, so I try to take it as little as possible.) I have also noticed that I get acid reflux sometimes after I've eaten gluten. So maybe there's a chance that cutting out gluten would help you. It might be worth a shot...Many Drs pooh pooh the gluten intolerance thing, but lots of them believe it's a thing too. Good luck! I hope you find a solution. I know it's hard to go through treatment when the treatment is taking away your quality of life in big chunks. I just don't see any other way. I want to live!!! Fingers crossed that you find something that helps....
Is there a support group at the hospital? Maybe talk with them and get some more help. I did have chemo every 2 weeks and carried a pump home for 48 hours when I was getting my chemo in 2019. I remember it was such a pain in the ---. My chemo was Folfox. But I had Chemo for what seemed like about 3 or 4 months if I remember. I still am experiencing the peripheral neuropathy in my fingers but not as bad as it was during the chemo. I also have peripheral neuropathy in my feet and legs although I had that before due to my diabetes but it has gotten worse. I guess I can live with this because I am living without the rectal Cancer I had. Then I had radiation therapy for a month. Check with the hospital though. They might be able to help.
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