… are kicking my butt. I have my third round next week. I’m more fatigued than with chemo, bone pain, can’t eat, constipation — all the stuff.
I’m even more concerned now because I was Rx-ed oxycodone and have increasingly been turning to that for temporary physical relief. I’m starting to think maybe I’m relying on that too much, and I definitely don’t need any more problems.
Has anyone found a way to manage symptoms?
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Arel8
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I've been on Lu-177 one dose, 5 weeks prior had Actinium. Constipation, some nausea, fatigue I have experienced. Best treatment for constipation has been daily prebiotic fiber- Sun Fiber (guar fiber) and sometimes psyllium combined with Accupuncture(this really helped, had instant relief following treatment). Am drinking lots of water- Dr. recommended 2 1/2 to 3 liters/day. Ondansetron for nausea helps a lot.
Sympathies, Arel8. I - and others - have been there. A few things based on my experience:
- Nothing really worked for me long term - anything I did only took the edge off. Sorry.
- The constipation is almost assuredly from the narcotics. Bowel movements are so important to me that I avoid them.
- I took Liquid IV to supplement the washout from all of the water.
- I took aspirin - chewable, of all things. Every few hours during the day I chewed 3 -4 81mg tablets during the day. Since it is absorbed (mostly) in the mouth lining, I was able to keep the dosages in line with aspirin recommendations. The maximum dose is an incredible 4000 mg (!... 4 grams!) in 24 hours. I never got close - maybe 16 tabs in a day, so about 1300 mg, or two maximum strength aspirin.
The only side affect my Joe has had is fatigue. He takes 2mg dexamethasone in the morning to combat that.
Preparing for third dose of Pluvicto next week. After 1st dose, PSA was almost 13. After 2nd dose it was almost 6. Blood test this week to prep for dose 3, PSA was up again to almost 8. Still low numbers, so doc suggests continuing and sees no need for scans at this time.
Look into dexamethasone for the week of the injection. You start with a large dose and then taper off over a week. I just have a little upset gut and, of course, some fatigue. No pain! I was considered high risk for rebound pain due to the extensive mets throughout my pelvis, hips and spine.
The regime worked out between my Radiation Oncologist and a Medical Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering is: 4 two milligram tablets with breakfast before injection, 4 on day two; 2 on days three through 5; 1 on days six and seven.
I will be asking for less next time as I was way too hyper and the effects lasted for almost an additional week. But I got a lot done!
Hi saw your comments and note on upcoming chemo. Here is my experience with chemo that may be of help/interest to you..................... Side effect from my 1st chemo session was pure hell. For 2 days after the session, things seemed bearable, then from 3rd day onwards the side effects were unbearable. Even my teeth seemed to ache. That lasted for another 2 agonising days.
After the 1st session, my wife did some research and came across article supporting the idea of undergoing a Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) just prior and after each chemo session. You definitely need to check this topic out on the internet. The theory is that by fasting (actually it seemed more like starving yourself), this would cause the good cells in your body to going into a hibernation type mode, whilst the cancer cells in the body would continue to stay in high-active mode (since this mode helps the cancer spread aggressively within your body). Then when you start the chemo infusion, the drug works primarily to destroy the high-active cells (i.e. the cancerous cells) whilst doing only minimal damage to the hibernating cells. That’s the danger of chemo; it can cause damage to good as well as bad cells.
Anyway, I drastically limited my food intake 2 days before my 2nd chemo session and continued it for the day after the session. Just like before, the 2 days after the chemo session, everything seemed perfectly normal. On the 3rd day, I felt a bit bad but nowhere in comparison to the effects from the 1st chemo session. Essentially, the chemo side effect where much milder and my recovery period was much faster. Also discover that taking Anti-histamine tablet the day before, the day on and the day after the chemo session also helped to sail through the session. Following the routine, each chemo session become noticeably easier and easier.
The FMD involved a fasting diet (target is about 700 calories/day) taken during the week of chemo (3 days prior + day of chemo + day after chemo). I hope you have the same success if you decide to try this routine. Please let me know the outcome of your session.
The chemo did work to reduce my PSA but don't get too hung up on only the PSA score. Keep monitoring overall health readings/scores.
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