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Is extreme weakness common se of Carbo & VP-16 What is this ?

 
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sroberts
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Joined: 12 Apr 2008
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 11:17 am    Post subject: Is extreme weakness common se of Carbo & VP-16 Reply with quote
Hi,
I'm new here. My Dad was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with sclc with bone and liver involvement. He just received his first course of Carbo & VP-16 this past Tues, Wed & Thurs. He is extremely weak and at times seems a little confused. His brain MRI was normal from 2 weeks ago. My question is this: Is the extreme weakness normal? All he does is lie in bed and gets up a few times a day to eat. Thankfully his appetite has improved over the past couple of weeks and he is eating and drinking instant carnation breakfast shakes we make him. If the weakness is a normal side effect how long is this going to last? He is getting more and more despondent and I want to be able to lift up spirits and let him know how temporary this feeling is.
I should also inform you that my Dad is 69 years old and he has been lying in bed for about 8 months now due to complications from neck surgery he had back in July of 07. He developed pain, numbness & tingling down his left arm after the surgery which now is all secondary and doesn't seem to bother him.
Also, he is on 60mg of Oxycontin every 8 hours and 4mg of Dilaudid every 2-3 hours for breakthrough pain which he has gone as long as 8 hours without the Dilaudid. The pain control is improving but the weakness is not.
Thanks for your help.
Sue.
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brainman
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Joined: 13 Oct 2005
Posts: 3787
Location: Tennessee
PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 11:36 am    Post subject: Re: Is extreme weakness common se of Carbo & VP-16 Reply with quote
Hi Sue. I am very sorry about your father's struggle with cancer. It sounds like he is having a very hard time. His weakness could be due to the chemo but it could also be due to the cancer itself. What you describe is someone who is in his last days/weeks. The good sign is that he is still eating. Your father is in my thoughts and prayers.
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1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
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pbj11
Site Admin


Joined: 12 May 2007
Posts: 1031
PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:57 pm    Post subject: Re: Is extreme weakness common se of Carbo & VP-16 Reply with quote
Hi Sue,

I'm sure sorry about this nightmare for your Dad. SCLC is one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. I'm glad his pain is being controlled because bone and liver mets can be quite painful.

Look at his history -- he wasn't a "well" man to start with because of his prior surgery. Laying around for these past months has lowered his performance stats, so he will struggle more with the chemo than someone who was active beforehand. His body is hurting, on heavy pain killers, fighting cancer, and now it's been whapped with some serious chemotherapy. This is extremely tough on a body that has that much going on! Sounds to me like the typical chemo reaction, but enhanced, and it should let up in a few days to a week. When in doubt, call the doctor! That's why they earn the big bucks.

Depression over a cancer diagnosis is fairly common and your Dad has been fighting health issues for awhile now, so you might want to contact the doctor about anti-depressants.

Please make sure he is being kept hydrated with plenty of water and Gatorade type drinks. Dehydration can lie behind so many odd issues that come up for a cancer patient undergoing treatment. Also, lack of fluids isn't going to help with the typical constipation of pain killers. Make sure he is taking a mild laxative or stool softener to ease problems in that area.

I hope once the chemo takes hold and starts fighing the cancer that you will see him come around to some of his former self and you'll still enjoy good times together.

My best wishes and keep us posted.

PBJ
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Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
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