Olga,

I think you will learn soon that this is quite serious and will take most of
your full time attention for about a year. It is generally not something you
will squeeze in between normal life. Your question is the wrong one. It
isn't just a question about how you feel that determines the possibility of
going to mexico. There are many other factors beyond "how you feel" that you
need to be aware of.

In addition to the chemo being given every 21 days and having a large
physical and mental impact on you, you will have to have other appointments,
checks and follow-ups during the treatment; you will have many side effects,
possibility of hospitalization, many drugs to take. The treatment is heavy.
It does damage. It needs to be monitored. The treatment itself can land you
in the hospital any time. There are administrative things that are
important. Typically you will have a doctor's appointment 7-14 days after
chemo--not something to cancel, they will check that you are safe, you will
have blood work taken at a lab to check on things like your liver function
and overall toxicity from the chemo, you will have a shot during your cycle
to boost white blood cells. This is serious stuff and has to happen on
schedule every time to be sure they can read your patterns consistently.
There's much to do, much to monitor and lots of events that happen and can
go wrong DURING the chemo cycle. It isn't like getting a shot and then you
run.

At around day 10-14, chemo will lower your white blood count to their lowest
and you will be open to serious infection--something that can hospitalize
you if a fever hits 100.5--and an infection is something that can kill you
if untreated in this state. During that time you can't eat certain things,
need to avoid crowds (like airplanes), you will be rinsing your mouth
constantly, disinfecting your hands, staying in. It's probably the exact
wrong thing to do to be in an airplane, around crowds and exposed to the
known bacteria in mexican foods, at day 10.

Everyone reacts differently to chemo. There are stages you move through
within the 21 day treatment cycle. You need to do it a few times to know
your typical pattern. Probably a bad idea during the first treatment BEFORE
you know your cycle to be faraway and in mexico.

Here's the program and how I reacted and the timing. You may have a
different reaction on different days. You will be on 3 drugs, several
anti-nausea medicines, steroids and a drug to boost your white blood cells
(eventually):

*Day 1-2: Most of these days lost/full time getting chemo injected (feel ok
but poisoned)
*Day 3: doctor appointment to get neulasta shot (white blood cell booster)
*Day 1-8: BIG fatigue, mentally not very sharp, feel overall poisoned, no
vomiting but lots of stomach burn and cramps and hiccups (side effects from
steroids and anti-nausea meds). Able to walk and talk and function but feel
crappy. First time it was the worst probably because i didn't know what to
expect.
*Day 10-14: white blood cell nadir (low point) for me it's day 10-12,
physically feel worn out, low fever going up and down, avoiding people and
crowds, and uncooked foods...Mouth sores show up. Coughing from flem in
mouth throat.Very typical time to be hospitalized due to side effects.
*Day 12-15: starting to feel normal again...(usually for me it was day 11),
white blood cells coming back, chemo mostly out of my system and doing ok.
Mouth sores dissipating. Coughing decreasing.
Day 14-21: pretty much feel TOTALLY normal and able to do anything.

The above can vary. Your toxicity level cumulates. AS you take additional
treatments, you will develop new risks and new problems. Toxic cumulation
will impact everything from your heart to tingling in your hands and feet.
You will lose your hair, even your eyebrows and eye lashes starting around
the 2nd treatment, you will find your endurance falls and you got out of
breath easier.

I tolerated chemo very well. I went out to restaurants, walked and talked,
did email/phone work, saw family and friends, made a road trip by car 800
miles and even played tennis through it. I did most of this after having
solid knowledge of my cycle/timing and body reactions. I avoided
hospitalization but got close twice. It is all possible but requires a
serious approach and lots of planning. For me, mexico 10 days after first
ever treatment sounds like a really bad idea.

Best regards,
Scott

Scott



From: katochek13 <no_reply@yahoogroups.com>
Reply-To: ewingssarcoma@yahoogroups.com
To: ewingssarcoma@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Ewings Sarcoma] Re: Soft Tissue Ewing Sarcoma
Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 02:28:17 -0000

Thank you for your response.
Where is your tumor?
Lower area in the leg.
How big was it?
I think that I so on X-rays, that it looked as 25 cents(quater)
Have you had a PET scan/CT scan...do you know if you have any visible
metastasis?
Not sure about that!
Are you being treated in a hospital with a dedicated Sarcoma
Unit/where?
I'll have my first appointment with oncologist only on Tuesday.
My question is: How did you feel after first chemo treatment??
I'm wondering because I'll have first treatment and then in 10 days
after that we will go for vacation to Mexico for 5 days, and I'm
wondering how I gonna handle this???

Best regards,
--- In ewingssarcoma@yahoogroups.com, "Bernice/Scott Alcott"
<scottbernice@...> wrote:
>
>Hi olga. Sorry you've had to join us. Many people here care. I'm
like you,
>an adult with a childhood disease. I'm 40 and i have the soft
tissue variety
>of ewing's with no relation to any bone. I've done the surgery and
4 rounds
>of chemo and i'm starting radiation therapy followed by 4 more
chemo
>treatments. I'm happy to share what's been and what will come. It
won't be
>fun. You have hard treatments to do and it will all last close to
a year if
>it all goes well. You can beat this completely, or beat it for
awhile and
>have a recurrence, or unfortunately, too many people fail
relatively
>quickly. We all remember the first few days. It is beyond words.
>
>Where is your tumor?
>How big was it?
>Have you had a PET scan/CT scan...do you know if you have any
visible
>metastasis?
>Are you being treated in a hospital with a dedicated Sarcoma
Unit/where?
>With these answers, many of us can offer you constructive and
useful advice
>and lots of experience and emotional support.
>
>Best regards,
>
>Scott (dx 3/06 with tumor on cheek, clean scans so far)
>
>
>
>
> >From: katochek13 <no_reply@yahoogroups.com>
> >Reply-To: ewingssarcoma@yahoogroups.com
> >To: ewingssarcoma@yahoogroups.com
> >Subject: [Ewings Sarcoma] Re: Soft Tissue Ewing Sarcoma
> >Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 21:44:10 -0000
> >
> >Hi,
> >My name is Olga. And I'm 28 years old. I'm diagnosed with Ewing's
> >cancer just 2 days ago. Of course I'm shoked, and what I know that
> >I'll have chemo, surgery and then again chemo!!! And I don't know
too
> >much about cancer and I don't know that even I want to know. I
just
> >pray and hope that everything is going to be fun. And I'll
survive!!!
> >May be you remember your first couple days and you can share with
me
> >some helpfull advices!!!
> >
> >thank you!!
> >have a great day!
> >
> >
> >
>