kbienapfl
kbienapfl's Cancer Blog
February 25, 2008
| The Ride Continues | Views: 811 |
Did I say something about having to jump back on the roller coaster? We have been on the ride for a week now and it hasn’t slowed down.
I am in the hospital. There have been complications from my last treatment. Evidently my body could not tolerate the Irinotecan/Erbitux combination.
One always expects side effects from treatment. The scary part about experiencing a new treatment is that you don’t know what to expect. It’s a given that you will have a few down days. You then bounce back and are thankful those days are in the past. That didn’t happen this time. Instead of getting better, my body seemed to be getting more worn and tired.
One of the side effects this treatment alerted me to from the beginning was diarrhea. I prepared myself for that. Just the opposite occurred for me…but I won’t get into those details. It’s what happened this morning that scared the…well, you know….out of me.
A few days late, but I did experience the expected side effect. Unfortunately, it included bloody body tissue as well. (Ewwwww….I know!) That would be parts of my intestinal tract sitting in my toilet. This is not good….not good at all.
I took it on a good friends advice to get a ride in the back of an ambulance to the emergency room. The emergency room confirmed my fears. My insides are torn up from treatment.
Quite frankly I am very scared. My body has been compromised. I am physically weak. I have no idea how long it will take to repair my torn body and bring myself back to healthy levels. I am dehydrated and hooked up to IV’s right now. Evidently my potassium levels are cranky.
Dick left for California this morning not knowing what the day would bring. Eileen has been such a trooper. She has been at my side this entire day. I love her dearly. I just wish she didn’t have to grow up so fast.
More updates tomorrow. Let’s pray for better news.
06.22.08 - 
Chris and Jaime 
Brian Aagaard 
Thanks for your support -
kathy i am so sorry i will be praying for you
love soledad
So sorry to hear of this latest issue…. I am new to the site, my husband has rectal cancer that was stage III and now he is stage IV as it has spread to his lungs (6 tumors).... he was on Erbitux and CPT-11 from October to January but had to discontinue due to the rash. Do they think it is the Erbitux that did this internal stuff or a previous treatment? If previous, forgive me I am new to the site, what treatment was it? Did they tell you that was a side effect?
Hang in there, I know it is very tough to get through each day… I am hoping to give you a little smiling knowing that I am praying for you and praying you are healed and out of the hospital ASAP!
Wendy (wamo888)
Kathy – Hang in there girlfriend. We are cheering for you. Please update us tomorrow if you can.
Kathy,
I am sorry to hear about the hard time you are having. I also had a problem with Erbitux and had to stop it immediately. Not as bad as that though.
When I quit chemo almost a year ago I thought I would die pretty quick but it has been a year and the tumor growth has actually slowed down since I have been off of chemo. Has the chemo made your tumors smaller? It did mine at first but by the 3rd time going thru chemo the tumors seem to be immune to all the drugs and they were growing pretty fast. I think it is strange that with no chemo the tumors are growing at a smaller rate.
I hope you feel better soon, keep us posted.
Donna
Kathy, I am so sorry. I can only imagine how scarey it must be. I will be praying that soon you will be doing better and home again. Love and hugs, Joyce
Kathy,
Bless your heart, how frightening for you. I too am praying for you. It is wonderful that you are able to keep your sense of humor, it will go far. Is Eileen your daughter? If so, how old is she? My 18 year old daughter has also had to face up to a lot of responsibility in the last 14 months. She has amazed me with her maturity and comforts me so. Daughters are such a blessing. Love to you. Keep us posted.