Oxaliplatin 100mg Inj, 1 Vial: Chemotherapy for Colon and Rectal Cancer - Experiences and Advice? How do you minimize side effects?

I’m sorry you have to go through this, but hang in there! 💪🏻

This is going to be tough, but you're not alone. I went through it last year. Talk to your doctor about a pre-medication plan to try and minimize the side effects. I used a combination of anti-nausea drugs, anti-diarrheal drugs, and even some steroids to keep my appetite up. Also, don’t hesitate to ask for pain meds for the mouth sores. I had some really bad ones, so be prepared for that.

I found that ginger tea and peppermint oil helped with the nausea and vomiting. The ginger tea had to be cold because any warmth exacerbated the symptoms. Regular exercise also helped keep my spirits up. Stay positive, it gets better! I found that a lot of the side effects went away after a week or so. Drink plenty of water too, dehydration makes everything worse.

The GI symptoms hit me hard, but I found that eating smaller, more frequent meals helped. Avoiding spicy or fatty foods also made a huge difference. My oncologist also gave me a prescription for a nausea med that I took regularly. If you can, try to plan your meals and hopefully your body will tolerate them better. Stay hydrated throughout the day too!

This is going to suck, but you can do it! I had some bad reaction to the drug, but I fought through it and beat cancer.

Sorry to hear you’re going through this. Oxaliplatin was tough, but I managed by staying on top of my meds and listening to my body. If something felt off, I called my doctor right away. They were always ready to help. I also found that talking to other cancer patients helped me cope mentally. Stay strong, you got this!

Good luck, buddy. You got this!

One thing that helped me was keeping a food diary. I tracked what I ate and how I felt afterward. It helped me figure out which foods were triggers for my symptoms. For example, dairy made me seriously nauseous, but a lot of meal replacement shakes are milk-based. It was a game-changer knowing what to avoid.

I hear it can be awful, but you’ll get through it. You’re stronger than you think!

The nerve issues were definitely the worst for me. I had to wear gloves in the winter and even then, I felt like I was walking on pins and needles. But my oncologist recommended using a straw for drinks and that really helped with the mouth tingling. I also got a bunch of different anti-nausea and anti-diarrhea meds and took them religiously. It's tough, but worth it to get through chemo.