Treatment, symptoms & side effects
A forum to focus on treatment related issues, symptoms and side effects from treatment.
220 topics in this forum
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Ascites
by toodotty- 0 replies
- 10.5k views
Hi everyone, I have been suffering from Ascites since Christmas and have had 4 tedious admissions to hospital to treat this. In the last month I have had 20 litres of fluid drained off (in total) and now have a rocket drain fitted. I am finding it really hard to eat as I am constantly filling up with fluid. I have had so much conflicting advice that it has all proved rather tedious. Anyone else suffering from this and found anything that helps? Erika
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Begining radiation therapy and chemo
by Undyddarytro- 6 replies
- 12.8k views
Have spent a long day in hospital today where my husband was scanned and marked in preparation for radiotherapy in a week's time. He will also be given chemo tablets at the same time. Has tolerated previous chemo well. We are into month 15 since diagnosis of inoperable p c.All weight lost in first two months has been regained. Main problem is sore mouth and gullet. Any experiences or tips out there?
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Overnight Hypo
by The_petal- 3 replies
- 11.4k views
Last night at 10.00 my blood sugar was 8.4 but I thought to be on the safe side I would have 2 small slices of malt loaf and a small milky coffee, but in the morning at 7.00 my blood sugar was 2.8 ! Recently I have increased my Creon to 6*25000 for my evening meal due to experiencing diarrhea and excess wind~ can it be that it is the Creon is dragging the sugar level down.
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Itchy hands and feet
by Theresa Upton- 0 replies
- 8.2k views
Flipping heck, I have been doing quite well and on Thursday I am due to have round 5 of folfirinox......but...…...yesterday my hands and fingers started to itch and today my feet are also itchy, of course I am seeing this as a bad sign. I am seeing my oncologist tomorrow so will speak to him about it but I must say I am a bit worried. I have no jaundice and very little pain, I remain active, have put on weight and at my last oncologist appointment (2 weeks ago) my tumour markers had again fallen. Does anyone have any ideas. Theresa
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Brownish/black marks on soles of feet
by Undyddarytro- 2 replies
- 10.2k views
Has anyone on chemo 5Fu most recently , had marks that look like tar or dirt that cannot be removed on soles of feet? Any info greatfully received.
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Severe distention and tightness
by Michaela1- 18 replies
- 28.1k views
Hi everyone, I've started this thread to see if anyone can help me with this problem, e.g cause, relief, advice, anything!! Since I was diagnosed really around 6 weeks ago my stomach has been so bloated it looks like I am full term pregnant. I have been constipated since starting meds e.g morphine tablets so Drs have Been trying to get that sorted and clearly think that is the problem with why my tummy is so big I guess. I have been on different meds for constipation and even had an enema, recently there has been movement but tummy is still playing up! I thought it got worse after eating, but really there does not seem to be any pattern to it. It is always bloated (si…
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Constipation
by janmac- 1 reply
- 10.7k views
My mum is suffering badly with constipation. She is very weak with the illness. She has stopped eating weeks ago she will have occasional food supplement. But last few days says she has constipation and feels full and uncomfortable? I have gave her lactulose as prescribed but not helping? As usual it's weekend and no GP available. Any advice would be appreciated. Don't understand how she can be constipated if not eating anything? TIA Jan x
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My 84 Year old mother finally diagnosed with PC...
by Michellemybelle- 3 replies
- 14k views
hi all Firstly I have been lurking through these forums for three months and have spoken to the nurses here a number of times and I am so thankful to see such a great group of people with a vast amount of knowledge willing to share. Thanks in advance for being these people! My 84 year old mother has officially been diagnosed with PC last week after almost 3 months of investigations- 2 biopsies - one came back inconsulsive, a number of CT scans, an MRI and numerous blood tests. It seems to be stage one, caught super early, quite contained at the head of the pancreas measuring approx 1.7cm x 1.7cm. Nothing seems to have spread as yet and the last consultant we met see…
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- 18 replies
- 39k views
Hello, For anyone keeping a track on my situation, here is a brief summary. My 73 year old mother, having been diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer in March 2016, was admitted on Friday 13th May for a Whipples. During the Whipples procedure, they found the cancer had gone to the liver. They said that the CT scan did not pick up on this, and it would not have shown on a CT scan. They said it was common to find such occurrences during the Whipple Procedure. Now we are looking for alternative treatments. I suppose Nanoknife is now out of the question? They said the tumour had increased now to 4CM (avg). What else can we do? Of course the obvious question is wh…
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Creon side effects or PC symptom?
by Christine49- 7 replies
- 17.1k views
Mum's appetite has increased this week as they've given her steroids in the mornings but she's vomited twice, once on Friday and once today, both at lunch time and came on all of a sudden and afterwards she felt fine. Both times they had a real look of mushroom soup (sorry!) and we're just wondering why. We've called the palliative care team and waiting for a call back later today. Mum felt perhaps it was from Creon as that is a sort of mushroom colour itself but is this to be expected as part of PC? Thanks all X
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Radiotherapy on inoperable pancreatic cancer
by Melaniekenworthy- 5 replies
- 14.8k views
Hi. My dad was diagnosed in April this year. He was given 12-18 months with treatment. He started chemotherapy but could only manage 8 sessions as his bloods were too low and he was too weak to carry on. They have just given him 5 sessions of radiotherapy for pain control but the pain seems worse a week later. Has anybody else experienced more pain after treatment and also benefitted from it. Many thank M
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Creon & diarrhea
by mickc1965- 1 reply
- 14.5k views
Hi All, My wife was diagnosed nearly two years ago (December 2015) and is now starting her 3rd different chemo regime (FOLFIRINOX between December 205 and June 2016, then Gemcitabine & Abraxane between July 2016 and October 2017 and now starting yesterday Gemcitabine and Erlotinib) but her diarrhea seems to be getting a lot worse despite taking in excess of 25 plus Creon 40,000 per day, for the record she takes between 4 and 6 for breakfast, and again 4 and 6 with lunch, 2 or 3 with small snacks and between 6 and 9 with dinner. I suppose the question is how much have you had to take to control the diarrhea as she is reluctant to take loperamide due to bloating i…
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Whipples and sore stomach
by worrier- 19 replies
- 48.9k views
I went through a whipples procedure 3 months ago today. Fortunatly the tumour was benign, however over the past two or three weeks I have developed a soreness in my stomach and I cannot understand why. My wife believes that it is probably the stiches healing but I am not so sure. I am eating well but also suffer from some flatulance. The doctor has given me a high fibre drink to try and it does seem to help. Does anyone have any comments? Peter
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Loss of appetite
by SandiMK- 3 replies
- 16.1k views
I had a whipple procedure in February and recently had three months chemo, which I stopped due to the side effects. I lost my appetite but now find that I can't eat hardly anything. I can't stand the smell of food cooking. I live on porridge, cornflakes, soup and fruit. Sometimes I can manage a biscuit or cake. My GP has put me on anti-depressants because of my anxiety. Has anyone else experienced anything similar?
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- 9 replies
- 31.3k views
Hello all. This is my first post in here i found this forum online which i think is really helpful for people fighting Pancreatic Cancer. I will shere my story with you.. My dad was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in May 2015. At that time he was a canditate for a surgery so in July 2015 he has a whipple procedure followed by chemotherapy which didnt give him any problems. We had a wonderful year without any symptoms until September 2016 which he started complaining about back pain. We contacted his oncologist had a CT scan and the result showed recurrence of Panceratic Cancer with no metastasis in any other organ. The doctor suggested chemotherapy with folfirinox. We a…
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Ascites
by violetmia- 4 replies
- 17k views
Can anyone tell me about how best to manage ascites? I'm aware the prognosis is very bad. I just want to help reduce my husband's pain and discomfort so he can enjoy some time with our family.
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- 14 replies
- 29k views
Hello, I've already wrote twice here. I'm very sad to write that my beloved mother has passed away in early January, 14 months after initial diagnosis. Our story is that malignancy wasn't proven until she was too weak for chemotherapy. Moreover, after three needle biopsies and after an EUS biopsy in January 2016 they defined it as it was most likely a benign tumor, though it didn't seem to be a certain diagnosis. She was told to come back 3 months later. At the first CT scan the tumor was 2 cm, but she wasn't able for Whipple as the tumor was on a blood vessel. The scan revealed a spot in the liver, which wasn't sure if malignant or not (well, looking back probably it was…
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Folfirinox / Tolerance/ Dose Reduction
by Dandygal76- 1 reply
- 14.3k views
This is an interesting article posted on Nanoknife Warriors. Something to perhaps ask the oncologist about if there are tolerance issues around Folfirinox. http://www.pancanology.com/the-case-for-low-dose-folfirinox/
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- 8 replies
- 20.5k views
My mum went to have Whipple last year but they discovered the tumour was localised but inoperable. She is due another ct in the next few weeks to see what tumour looks like now, before making a decision on chemo. She doesn't really want chemo, but her doc offered the chance to have nanoknife procedure IF she had chemo first. Does anyone know if someone could go for nanoknife without first having chemo? If not, would it be worth doing the chemo (even though she doesn't want to) to be in with a chance of having it? Would love to hear experiences and views.
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Abraxane side effects
by an_optom- 8 replies
- 24.2k views
Hello guys. Not willing to give up too easily, I'm trying to find out some more information on abraxane. Whats the cost privately if anyone knows? Also how are the side effects? Are they as bad as Florfirinox? All the advice and information would be great. AU
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Irinotecan hydrochloride nanoliposomal injections
by Dandygal76- 1 follower
- 11 replies
- 23k views
Okay, I was looking at a spreadsheet from NICE this week that indicated this will be licensed in UK from January (note to everyone this was licensed in US last year - how disgraceful). I need experiences as I think this is in private healthcare here... (W&M please be reading this in case). So a) I need personal experiences if they are out there b) I want to know is the 6.1 median survival from the point of 2nd line treatment or is it from the start of PC c) is this something to be considered with dad instead of Furry Fox. PCUK nurses... would love some input on this. I think dad is going to come off the trial in December... he wants to nuke the blasted thing …
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NIGHT SWEATS
by Justamo- 6 replies
- 21.5k views
Anybody know anything about these ? Only been happening for the last fortnight or so, no chemotherapy yet so we can't blame it on any treatment. Peter wakes up absolutely soaking wet - we've even changed the mattress and the type of bed clothes to no avail. We've also tried different sorts of T-shirt to sleep in, nothing seems to help. If anyone else has had this, and, more importantly, found a remedy, can you let us know ? I have read somewhere that a tiny dose of an antidepressant can prevent them happening and I'm researching that, but I'd be interested to hear of other people's experience. I've also read somewhere that insulin can cause night sweats, as can …
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Nanoknife on the NHS consultation
by WifeampMum- 5 replies
- 17.9k views
Hi all NICE is currently reviewing Irreversible electroporation (Nanoknife) and has just issued a consultation document about its safety and efficacy. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/GID-IPG10024/documents/interventional-procedure-consultation-document There is now a four week public consultation (until 5 pm, Monday 21 November 2016). The document's first draft recommendation is: "Current evidence on the safety and efficacy of irreversible electroporation for treating pancreatic cancer is inadequate in quantity and quality. Therefore, this procedure should only be used in the context of research." My feeling is this is sad but not unexpected considering…
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Presence of varicose vein in cancer patients
by healthyford- 1 reply
- 15.1k views
Hi, my father has pancreatic cancer and is currently undergoing the treatments for it. For a few weeks, he has severe leg pain. On diagnosis, it was found that he has got varicose veins. The doctor recommended having a sclerotherapy treatment ( http://www.vaughanveinclinic.com/treatments/sclerotherapy/ ) from Toronto. Is it safe for a cancer patient to undergo a sclerotherapy treatment? Will it lead to any complications? All discussions and thoughts on this topic are highly recommended.
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Best cream for itchy skin?
by joshhw82- 7 replies
- 20.9k views
I have been suffering from very itchy / irritated skin? Does anyone have any suggestions of any good creams? Thanks for the help!