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Deciding to stop chemotherapy
I have been given 6 drugs over a 2 year period for stage 4 cervical cancer. They work in the beginning, then they do not.,my body is ravaged … no thyroid function.., neuropathy … inflammation… taking eliquist etc. has anyone considered stopping treatment and following through? My oncologist says there are no more drugs for me after the current one. Thank you!
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What else does your oncologist say? There must be something that can be used to treat your symptoms, at the very least. It sounds like you need a rest to recuperate. I remember you said you had to reduce the dosage of Enhertu a few months back, too, as it was causing unmanageable symptoms. And that worked for a while. Have you considered getting another opinion? A naturopathic oncologist, perhaps? A clinical study?
Thank you … oncologist suggested a clinical trial because no more drugs are available for me. I’m meeting with some naturopathic people this week. As for ENHERTU, they reduced my dosage and this helped. But I still have side effects … I suppose that is to be expected after 2 years of 6 different drugs going through my system!
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2 ReactionsI have recently learned that palliative care should be offered early in the cancer journey, for help with managing side effects of the disease and treatment. (We tend to think of this for end-of-life care only.) If this has not been offered to you, maybe you can ask.
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6 ReactionsI recently had an appointment with palliative care and I'm not sure how much use they would have been earlier.
I scheduled the appointment while I was having a health crisis, which had resolved by the time of my appointment. But I went anyway. I wasn't sure what to expect. Apparently they were expecting me to ask for oxycodone. (They wanted a urine sample to test for drugs of abuse before prescribing. I declined both test and prescription.). Then they asked if I wanted a medical marijuana card. I said sure, so they filled out the state's form for that. Then they asked all the social questions about family support, housing, mental health etc.
I'm glad to have the MM card. She also said that now that I'm an established patient, I can get an appointment faster. But otherwise it seems like their main function is to prescribe pain meds.I guess didn't find out what they would have done if I had said I was depressed or didn't have enough money for food, or something.
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1 ReactionThank you for sharing your experience with palliative care. A bit disappointing, but good to know. (It’s all about the meds!)
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1 Reaction@ffr
Yes I have a wonderful palliative care doctor!
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