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Severe side effects on Carboplatin+Pemetrexed+keytruda
Hi there,
My Mum has advanced NSCLC and has started on Carboplatin+Pemetrexed+Keytruda. After the second cycle she has had a really rough time, Platlets dropped to 20, very low neutrophils, low potassium, vomiting, diarrhoea, and thrush in her mouth and is now in hospital she is on day 15 now after her last chemo. Has anybody else had such severe side effects and were they able to keep having treatment, and did they still see benefit? Looking for some hope and experiences. Thanks
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Hiya I’m Dave. My wife had breast cancer in ‘23. During her first chemo she developed a reaction to Keytruda: went into severe anaphylactic shock. They stopped the k but continued treatment. Together with radiation the tumor shrunk and she’s now completely free from cancer. So yes there’s hope. The drs will most likely switch the meds.Have you call the doctor yet? There are meds available for post chemo side effects.
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3 ReactionsHi Mave,
That's too bad about your Mom's condition! How terrible for her! My husband had lung cancer. He was on Chemotherapy but he reacted so badly to it that he refused to have anymore. Then they put him on Keytruda. A side effect of that is Pancreatitis which he got and almost died. After that he said no to all treatments. The doctors weren't happy at all. Keytruda cost $25,000 per infusion at that time. The insurance company had just approved another 6 months of Keytruda treatment. However, having said all that, everyone is different. Some people have no problems with these treatments at all. What my husband did was to eat healthy, pray and use his oxygen and inhalers. He lived for another 14 years. He died in July, 2024. I'm so glad that we had those 14 years together!
Your Mom may just need a break from treatments for a while to give her body a rest. Discuss it with her doctor. Also it's your Mom's decision. It's her body and her money. The doctor's advice is good and helpful but it's up to your Mom as to what she wants.
I will say a prayer for you and your Mom.
I wish you the best.
PML
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1 ReactionSorry to hear about your mum. It is devastating when the treatment is meant to help them and instead backfires with more pain. My husband was admitted after day 3 of the same combination with a Bowel obstruction and was hospitalized for 7 days... worst days for him.
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3 ReactionsWith my first lung cancer I had to postpone the second treatment for a week to allow blood cells to come back up. After second, third, and fourth treatments I required transfusions. That was almost 15 years ago.
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