Caelyx(doxil) side effects

[sam in the UK]

Hi my mum is due her 3rd tx of caelyx on Friday. She is suffering terribly from fatigue, hardly out of bed. She has no appetite and has lost a lot of weight. Anyone suffered similar side-effects and got through it ? I really need some encouraging words right now. Many thanks for letting me vent. Love Sam x

[Jatoo]

Dear Sam:

Caelyx is Doxil in the US. If you check the archives of this forum, there are tons of info. on this drug and its side effects. Please check her WBC and RBC, she may need Neupogen and Procrit shots. Doxil was the easiest chemo for my wife. I have heard patients stay on it from two(2) to five(5) years. But again it is different for each one. Just do a MUGA test for her heart. Let's pray that she feels better.

Jatoo

[rmarie]

I second Jatoo, I am doing doxil caelyx) and got very tired, my cbc showed that I was anemic.  I have completed 5 shots of Procrit and feel like a new woman.  Other than the anemia I have done all right on doxil.    Good luck to your mom

[SimplyStar]

We learned too late how to prevent one of the bad side affects of Doxil, cooling applied while getting the infusions to the infusion site, the ankles and ice chips in the mouth prevents the foot, hand, mouth sores. She wasn't told about this and 1 week after the second infusion , she developed this side affect, it delayed her third one by a full week, Now she will be getting the cooling with each treatment. The cooling is said to prevent 94% of this happening.  Doxil is a very predictable chemo drug they say, if it is going to happen , it happens on schedule. Wearing loose clothes is important, cool showers, no rubber gloves, no washing dishes in hot water.  She takes COQ10 to prevent the heart damage,  make sure the infusion is done by some one that can hit the vein and not let the tissue  around get infiltrated. Leslee takes many suppliments to help, Vit C 4000, ginger tea, green tea, now has added the cranberry capsules, a good multi vitamin, gets her calories from fresh fruits, especially grapes,   veggies and yogurt, thrives on watermelon and cantalope, fish, turkey, fish oil, flax seed, sea salt mouth washes,  her energy levels are good enough that she is able to work 1/2 days and her counts have remained good.   the sea salt flushes are good,  she gets a scan in 2 weeks, that will tell us where we are.  Last CA125 was 285.  they are going to reduce her dosage from 90 to 70.  

[ihaveoc]

[lucymullis]

Glad to hear that Leslee is able to work.  I do hope her scan is good.  How much COQ does she take?

[SimplyStar]

Leslee gets the 100 mg and takes 3 per day   they are very happy at the clinic  with this dose

[sam in the UK]

Thank you so much for all the advice. It means a lot to be able to let off steam and chat with people who know what me and my family are going through. You are all in my thoughts. Love Sam x