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7 Replies Last post: Dec 22, 2009 2:02 AM by FYE

Judy

4 posts since
Oct 7, 2009

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Nov 19, 2009 6:00 PM

Need some advice.. hubby wants to stop treatment

My husband is currently being treated for hodgkins lymphoma stage 2. He's had 4 treatments (2 cycles) of ABVD and wants to stop. He hasn't gotten ill from the treatments, only his own anxiety. They prescribed ativan, which they said would take the edge off, but he doesn't want to continue treatments. This is his 2nd time w/ this cancer, last time was 15 years ago and he stopped then after 4 treatments. The doc wants to do the standard 6 cycles and a few doses of radiation this time, but my husband is against any more chemo. I've tried reasoning with him, bribing him and nothing seems to work. I'm very afraid for him. He had a PET scan after the 2nd treatment and it came back with much improvement, only 1 area in his chest left and the mass was much smaller then prior to the chemo. I'm very afraid for him that if he stops now it will just get worse. Does anyone have any advice for me? Thanks in advance.

dinerguy

2 posts since
Nov 19, 2009

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1. Nov 19, 2009 6:12 PM

in response to: Judy

Re: Need some advice.. hubby wants to stop treatment

My 20 yr old son has had 2 cycles (4 chemos) of ABVD. He starts the 3rd and gets a PET scan on Nov 25th. He handles 15 credit hours in college and is tops in his math, chemistry, and engineering classes. I have 2 friends at work who beat Hodgkins and 1 friend who beat NHL with a SCT. Please beg your husband to not quit while its working. My son pops Vicodin for a week after chemo and the 2nd week is OK. It sucks but its manageable. Hope this helps.

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Judy

4 posts since
Oct 7, 2009

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2. Dec 7, 2009 11:07 AM

in response to: dinerguy

Re: Need some advice.. hubby wants to stop treatment

Thank you for your response. My husband did go for treatment #5, he took several anti-anxiety medications as managed the treatment just fine, however, he's having another issue with his arm. He doesn't have a port, he gets his treatment through IV. They gave him the 5th treatment in his left arm to give his right one a break and about 3 or 4 days later, he's developed severe arm pain that throbs in different parts of his arm. Advil seems to help a bit, so does ice. I think it's a reaction from the chemo, but was wondering if anyone else experienced this. He had the neulasta shot and has never experienced pain like this from that before, not sure if that's playing a role in this.

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vpark

20 posts since
May 25, 2009

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3. Dec 9, 2009 7:31 PM

in response to: Judy

Re: Need some advice.. hubby wants to stop treatment

Hi there,

I finished treatment for Hodgkin's back in August and I too had the Neulasta shots after every chemo treatment. I had horrible bone pain throughout my entire body starting 2 days after I got the shot until about a week later. Never had such bad pain, I was taking 2 vicodin's every few hours to survive until I heard about taking Claritin (just the normal, over-the-counter alergy medicine) with the Neulasta shot. I'm not sure exactly how the chemistry works, but there has been research showing that Claritin helps to reduce the bone pain caused by the Neulasta. And boy did it work! It cut my pain down by so much that I didn't have to take any pain meds! Just a suggestion, but I was desperate enough to try it to get the pain to go away!

Good luck to your husband!

Victoria

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Judy

4 posts since
Oct 7, 2009

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4. Dec 10, 2009 7:54 AM

in response to: vpark

Re: Need some advice.. hubby wants to stop treatment

Victoria, thank you so much for the suggestion. I will pick up a pack. His pain is a little better today, he went to the chiropractor yesterday and got an adjustment. He thought he might have a pinched nerve, but is also leaning towards the neulasta shot. I appreciate the response, thank you. I'm glad that you finished your treatment, getting my husband to go back is getting harder and harder each day.

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Judy

4 posts since
Oct 7, 2009

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5. Dec 16, 2009 1:34 PM

in response to: Judy

Re: Need some advice.. hubby wants to stop treatment

Treatment #6 is done, yay, but husband had a mild anxiety attack and vomitted again during the treatment yesterday. He refuses to get the Neulasta shot and has basically convinced himself that the cancer must be gone now, and that 6 treatments is enough . He keeps saying, over and over again... "i survived 15 years ago on 4 treatments, this time i've had 6, I'm sure I'll be fine". I'm not sure how he knows the cancer is gone, he had a chest xray after #4 which still showed the mass near his lung, smaller than when he started, but still there. I admire all of you on this board. I've been reading all of the stories and your experiences, and you are all heros in my book. I was hoping that after telling my husband about some of your experiences, would help him find the strength inside to continue, but it hasn't made much of a difference. He doesn't seem to be thinking about the future at all, just what he is feeling at this moment. Sorry for the rambling, i'm just so full of emotion right now... anger, frustration, fear, it's all been such a rollercoaster. I do hope my husband either has a change of heart or a guardian angel. Thank you again for listening.

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Amy Pepper

26 posts since
Apr 3, 2009

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6. Dec 16, 2009 10:57 PM

in response to: Judy

Re: Need some advice.. hubby wants to stop treatment

Judy, I feel for you. I know my husband would feel awful if I didn't undergo all the treatments my doctors have lined up for me. He even gets really upset if I mention that I might die from this. For his sake (and for my own), I just do what I am told to.

I had neulesta shots with my 2nd treatment type (ICE), my counts were high enought when i had ABVD that the shots werent necessary. I definitely felt bone pain and it was awful. I could barely walk my hips ached so much. Like others mentionned, Claritan helped A LOT. When I was on them, I didnt feel any pain. Now I am getting neupagen shots, which is sorta like neulesta, but I have a daily high dose given. I was warned of bone pain but haven't experienced any at all. Good thing too, because the doctor didn't want me taking the claritan as he worries it might negatively effect the stem cell harvest I am doing this week.

I wish you and your husband well. I really hope he decides to finish what the doctors want done. I doubt he wants to go through this again down the road and be burdened with the thought that maybe it came back because he didnt properly get treated.

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FYE

88 posts since
Jun 15, 2009

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7. Dec 22, 2009 2:02 AM

in response to: Amy Pepper

Re: Need some advice.. hubby wants to stop treatment

I agree with Amy. Why risk having to deal with this a third time? Unfortunately he just has to suck it up. I threw up a lot during treatment and from the cancer in the beginning. Talk to the doctors and see if he can get onto paxil or whatever he needs for the anxiety. also, Emend was my lifesaver for the nausea and vomiting. i was still nauseas but not like i had been. i also smoked some marijuana. i was doing whatever it took. i had 16 treatments (8 cycles) of ABVD. I had neupagen everyday while i was in the hospital and got neulasta every time after chemo. had really low blood counts and 13 or so transfusions. i didn't experience any joint pain until after my last cycle. and now i'm having horrible pain. but they said i shouldn't have it this far out from the shots. it isn't going away and i'm confused. seemed to intensify after my bone marrow biopsy 3 weeks ago. ... back to your husband. take it one day and one treatment at a time. if the cancer is still showing up, he does not want to stop!!! I know he can do it. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help!

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