Getting ready for 5th round chemo: Anyone has vision issues?

Thanks for sharing. My husband just had his first chemo for this esophageal cancer stage 4. Your post was really scary to read. Hope it gets better for you.

@camead815 I didn't mean for it to be scary. Thank you.

The good news... hopefully you truly are stage 2... as this means you have a fair shot at beating your EC (remember, clinical staging is a bit of a guess, more is known when post-op pathology comes in). What you are experiencing with your eyes is a bit rare (any immuno in your cocktail?). But when nerves in our bodies are affected by chemo induced neuropathy... this can also include our optic nerves. Hang tough as you should be scanned shortly to see if you are ready for surgery. I went thru this shtshow in 2020... nasty. But I'm pretty much back to normal now, at age 67.

We run twice-weekly free EC and Esophagectomy Zoom calls... if you are interested. Be well.

Gary,
Southern California

I made sure that I drink minimally eight glasses of water a day before during and after chemo and I didn't suffer very much from the chemo, but everybody is different

Yes sounds very familiar. Be sure to let your care team know all the things you experience. Hang in there. I'm starting my 2nd year of chemo for esophagus cancer. It started stage 2 than spread. Now stage 4 and still fighting. It's been a trip. But I'm enjoying the entire ordeal. No need in getting down. I know Jesus has it so I win either way. Praying for you and everyone on here and that's fighting cancer. God loves us all.

@jmreed1958 where did it spread to? And what was your journey? My dad Esophegeal Ca dx 2/24 chemo/rad/surg
Did immunotherapy … Dec scan showed two tiny spots in liver… biopsy inconclusive… spots grew… chemo 5FU, and Vyloy started …

I experienced blurry vision with 5FU Chemo as well. You can get some thick eye drops, ones that keep the eye moistened longer, that seems to help. Warning, when you first put in the thick eyedrops, your vision is actually worse for a about 10 minutes. You can also get gel eye compresses that you can keep in the freezer or fridge. It helps to put these on the eyes once every hour or so, if you are working on the computer. This helps to refresh things a bit. Some medicines also mess with vision. Gabapentin also blurs the vision, so I asked to be put on oxycontin instead, even though this made me itchy. I took this with an antihistamine to help with this. Everyone is so different, and the medicines prescribed are different. Work with your doctor to find a solution. I don't know about the muscle twitches, but maybe your doctor has a solution. Best of luck to you. You are tougher than you think.

@rybar8 it spread to liver and one on rib. Going tomorrow for a CT and see what's next.

@naoshapiro1 I will try that thank you for info. I appreciate it

@jmreed1958 your words mean a lot. Staying strong. Open communication with my team for sure. They started me on eye drops to help. Everyday is a win.