Showing posts with label Side effects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Side effects. Show all posts
Monday, November 16, 2009
In the Hospital
Ma's in the hospital. She's been having severe pain in her abdomen and diarrhea and vomiting. Turns out she's anemic. Probably a side effect of the chemo. She was given two units of blood. They did a CT scan of her abdomen today. No results yet. Don't know if she'll be released tomorrow. But her symptoms are under control. She's a bit bummed that she's not allowed to eat.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Ascites
Ma had her CT scan Friday. She did have fluid in her abdomen, and they drained 2.5 liters from her.
Correction to her weight. She had told me she weighed 159. Turns out she meant 129. Big difference. Anyway, she was down to 123 after the procedure.
She's been having cramps and diarrhea and takes Vicodin for the pain. Pa thinks it's all due to the Xeloda. Her last dose is Wednesday morning. Maybe her symptoms will be relieved after that. She sees Dr. Irwin on the 25th. I think he plans on giving her a break from the chemo.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Lip Sores
Chemo #4 Day 6
Ma still doesn't have leg pain or canker sores. I'm amazed. She does have sores on her lips, but the pain doesn't stop her from eating. Her appetite is still good. She was complaining of feeling weak yesterday though. And her blood sugar is too high.
Ma still doesn't have leg pain or canker sores. I'm amazed. She does have sores on her lips, but the pain doesn't stop her from eating. Her appetite is still good. She was complaining of feeling weak yesterday though. And her blood sugar is too high.
Friday, August 29, 2008
High Blood Sugar
Ma's blood sugar has been pretty high lately, over 200. Pa has been giving Ma insulin every morning (she didn't need insulin before) and doubling her glipizide. Ideally, her blood sugar should be checked before every meal, but Pa has been checking it only once a day.
If Ma walked around the house a little bit more often, I think it would help lower her blood sugar. But she's so sedentary and always has lots of excuses as to why she can't move around more often.
Oh well, at least she's eating a lot.
If Ma walked around the house a little bit more often, I think it would help lower her blood sugar. But she's so sedentary and always has lots of excuses as to why she can't move around more often.
Oh well, at least she's eating a lot.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Chemo #1 Day 4 - Fever
Ma still had leg pain. It was worse when lying down, so she spent most of the day sitting up. She didn't bother taking Vicodin till evening to help her sleep. She still complained of difficulty breathing, though she said she could relieve it by taking deep breaths. In the afternoon she developed a slight fever (99° F). Pa started her on antibiotics (Cipro) as a precaution. Ma also had hyperacidity.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Chemo #1 Day 3 - Pain
Day 3 did not go well. First of all, Ma couldn't sleep last night. She didn't fall asleep till 5am. I'm guessing the Decadron she was given before the chemo caused the insomnia.
Second, Ma forgot to take her Zofran (anti-nausea drug). She blames Pa for not remembering, but she really needs to remember it herself instead of relying on Pa. When I asked her this morning, she said she had taken it. She recanted later and said she thought I was talking about another drug. I have no idea what the other drug could be since she's taking only one drug related to her chemo. Anyway, she didn't take her Zofran till 6pm. Thank goodness she didn't get nausea in the meantime.
Third and most troublesome is Ma started having pain in her knee last night. By evening tonight, the pain was severe and required Vicodin. It's not clear to me where the pain is; it might be in her entire lower legs. I asked Ma why she didn't take Vicodin earlier before the pain got bad. She said she was afraid of the nausea Vicodin gives her. I told her that Zofran will take care of her nausea IF she remembers to take it. She said she didn't know that's what the Zofran was for. When I spoke to her at 10pm, the Vicodin was just starting to relieve the pain, and she reported no nausea.
The pain, I believe, is a side effect of the Taxotere. It's supposed to be an uncommon side effect, but I see frequent mention of it on the web. The pain can last 4-5 days, but I hope it's severe for no more than a day. I also hope the pain doesn't get worse with each chemo session. I'll have to ask the oncologist about this. Ma has a follow-up appointment with him on Wednesday. In the meantime, I'm logging every side effect Ma gets so that I can report them to the doctor. Also, a lot of chemo patients see a pattern in their side effects. If this holds true, Ma will be fine on Day 1 and most of Day 2. By the evening of Day 2, she'll start having pain. On Day 3, the pain will be severe. I hope Day 4 will be better.
I almost forgot -- the fourth side effect is difficulty breathing. It's not clear to me what Ma means by this. Is it shortness of breath? Is she out of breath like when she walks at the mall? She did say she breathes better lying down, and she's able to take deep breaths. She also said she had the same problem after her surgeries. Whatever it is doesn't seem to be an emergency.
Second, Ma forgot to take her Zofran (anti-nausea drug). She blames Pa for not remembering, but she really needs to remember it herself instead of relying on Pa. When I asked her this morning, she said she had taken it. She recanted later and said she thought I was talking about another drug. I have no idea what the other drug could be since she's taking only one drug related to her chemo. Anyway, she didn't take her Zofran till 6pm. Thank goodness she didn't get nausea in the meantime.
Third and most troublesome is Ma started having pain in her knee last night. By evening tonight, the pain was severe and required Vicodin. It's not clear to me where the pain is; it might be in her entire lower legs. I asked Ma why she didn't take Vicodin earlier before the pain got bad. She said she was afraid of the nausea Vicodin gives her. I told her that Zofran will take care of her nausea IF she remembers to take it. She said she didn't know that's what the Zofran was for. When I spoke to her at 10pm, the Vicodin was just starting to relieve the pain, and she reported no nausea.
The pain, I believe, is a side effect of the Taxotere. It's supposed to be an uncommon side effect, but I see frequent mention of it on the web. The pain can last 4-5 days, but I hope it's severe for no more than a day. I also hope the pain doesn't get worse with each chemo session. I'll have to ask the oncologist about this. Ma has a follow-up appointment with him on Wednesday. In the meantime, I'm logging every side effect Ma gets so that I can report them to the doctor. Also, a lot of chemo patients see a pattern in their side effects. If this holds true, Ma will be fine on Day 1 and most of Day 2. By the evening of Day 2, she'll start having pain. On Day 3, the pain will be severe. I hope Day 4 will be better.
I almost forgot -- the fourth side effect is difficulty breathing. It's not clear to me what Ma means by this. Is it shortness of breath? Is she out of breath like when she walks at the mall? She did say she breathes better lying down, and she's able to take deep breaths. She also said she had the same problem after her surgeries. Whatever it is doesn't seem to be an emergency.
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