[surbhijain93]

Severe chest infection - should treatment be stopped?

by surbhijain93 on Wed Aug 20, 2014 8:47 am

Hello Everyone,

I hope to find you all in the best of their health.

From the past 6 days, my father was having fever, cough and acute chest congestion. We had went to a physician and the fever has subsided mostly, but the problem is that he has a very severe chest infection.

He had an X-ray of the chest and the physician told that, although it might not classify for pneumonia, it is severe.

The mucus is not at all coming out and it feels like it is stuck inside. I have attached today's hemogram report.

My question is: Should his chemo be stopped currently?

He is on bortezomib [Velcade], dex, and lenalidomide [Revlimid].

On asking our oncologist, he said to continue the chemo but also on taking a second opinion. Another oncologist he told to stop the chemo.

Please tell your opinions on the same and please tell any tips.

Thanks a lot.

Attachments

HEMOGRAM,ESR 20th August, 2014.pdf

(57.86 KiB) Downloaded 88 times

[mikedavey09]

Re: Severe chest infection - should treatment be stopped?

by mikedavey09 on Wed Aug 20, 2014 9:14 pm

I am on Velcade, dex, and cyclophosphamide. Contracted pneumonia early July 2014, stopped chemo immediately, 13 days on antibiotics. Eight days of recovery, then Velcade only, less than 24hrs back in hospital with severe colitis and appendicitis.

The surgeons do not like to operate on chemo patients due to the chemo causing brittleness in intestines and bowel and they can not guarantee their surgery. More antibiotics -- weeks of it. At home recovering from the onslaught, very weak and immune system-compromised, now have influenza.

My oncologist and the drug company say they have no record of Velcade causing my stomach issues. I am now left to make a decision for the 1st of September to restart chemo. We were winning and my blood was showing that we were winning.

I do take lots of supplements and believe I would probably be dead if I wasn't supplementing. Mainstream medicine hates hearing that, but you must throw everything at this illness if you want quality of life and to support the immune system. Almost every time I have chemo I need a blood transfusion.

Have altered my diet as more meat seems to sit well with my metabolism, lots of vege.

Is your father a vegetarian. I have read that myeloma does not affect vegetarians and a higher component of red meat is beneficial for fighting myeloma.

Cheers Mike

[Dr. Prashant Kapoor]

Re: Severe chest infection - should treatment be stopped?

by Dr. Prashant Kapoor on Thu Aug 21, 2014 12:34 am

Dear Surbhi,

I am sorry to hear about your father. Myeloma patients, as Mike has noted, are immunocompromised to begin with. Anti-myeloma therapy can depress the immune system as well.

In general, we avoid giving anti-myeloma therapy to someone with an active infection as the infection can flare up and can cause more problems. The infection should be aggressively treated. Anti-myeloma agents can be resumed after the infection has resolved.

All the three drugs that you have mentioned can severely depress the immune system.

I wish your father a speedy recovery.

[surbhijain93]

Re: Severe chest infection - should treatment be stopped?

by surbhijain93 on Fri Aug 22, 2014 1:52 am

Dear mikedavey09,

I am so sorry to hear about your problems and I pray for your early recovery.

You mentioned that you were taking supplements which really helped you. Can you please mention which supplements are you taking?

And yes, my father is a vegetarian. Please also tell about your diet.

Dear Dr. Kapoor,

Thank you so much for your advice and wishes. We will ask our oncologist to stop the chemo till the infection has resolved.