Cancer Chemo & Radiation Treatment & CPAP

[Guest]

I'm about to begin chemo/radiation treatment for some cancer in my esophagus, and I wanted to know if any others out there have any tips/suggestions/experience going through the chemo & radiation treatment and also using their CPAP. I understand the body's immune system is virtually gone during the treatment and one needs to be extremely careful not to get some sort of infection during this time.

[nxnla]

I posted the above question - turns out I wasn't logged in before submitting. Oops.

[robysue]

I would talk to your doctors about this.

Chances are they'll tell you to keep using the CPAP (bad sleep is not good for the immune system or your body's reserves for fighting illnesses) but they may tell you to be much more scrupulous about cleaning and disinfecting your equipment. Clearly the idea of "topping off" the water in the humidifier tank each day is a bad idea under these circumstances; it's worth dumping the distilled water each morning and making sure the hose and tank have a good chance to dry out. The docs may suggest a much more frequent replacement cycle for the hoses, mask, filters, humidifier tank, etc. They may suggest using a bacterial filter with your CPAP. (See https://www.cpap.com/productpage/Respir ... -pack.html)

Best of luck on your chemo and radiation.

[Maniac007]

First good luck with your chemo and radiation treatments. Been there and still doing it, but for lung cancer. Use your CPAP and it want hurt anything. Only thing is be careful that your straps or hose doesn't irritate your neck if the radiation burns your skin. I used mine through out 34 rounds to right beside heart, 18 rounds to brain and 20 rounds to right lung. You'll be okay.

[SewTired]

There was a member on the other board that found she could not use her nasal pillows or face mask during chemo (swelling or something). She used the Circadian masks instead. Otherwise, they just told her to clean her mask weekly and let wet parts dry completely several times a week (i.e. drain the humidifier and let it dry).

Be aware that you are far more at risk of getting sick from children, their parents or teachers if you clean your equipment with any regularity. Because a family member is at risk this year (can't get a flu shot), I keep Lysol wipes by the door so that not only my hands are getting clean, but so are the doorknobs. When I walk in the house, first thing I do is wash my hands. This SIGNIFICANTLY reduces the risk of my family member getting sick since your hands come in contact with just about everything (this suggestion came from home health nurse). It's a little bit neurotic, I'm sure, but hey, it's not that inconvenient. I can't keep him from getting sick going to the doctor's but at least I'm less likely to be the disease vector by doing a little.

[rebe]

.Re: " I understand the body's immune system is virtually gone "

This is a misconception.
You may be more susceptible to infections for a while but the doctors will be watching this and treatment will be adjusted according to the white blood count and the likes. Some people have no side effects but that is highly individualized.
Let us know how you;re doing from time to time .
You'll be fine.

[avi123]

Guest
Also Posted As:
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(grillhead)
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(nxnla)

What kind of infection are you worried about? Is it pneumonia and such? 2 years ago I head 4 cycles of chemo but I never paid attention to cleaning my CPAP and mask more than usual. Those poisonous medications that I was infused with also protected against getting infections. I don't remember if I used the CPAP machine when I came home after the chemo and slept for about 3 hours till 5 p.m. Afterwards I was back to normal.

[WickedLoki]

I went through chemo and radiation for lung cancer not long ago. Had to be careful because the immune system does get compromised. Used CPAP the whole time. Washed my humidifier tub every now and then and my mask on an even longer every now and then. My hose has yet to be cleaned. Never came up with any other diseases.

I am not necessarily recommending this cleaning schedule to you. Just trying to make the point that, in terms of CPAP, it is not as dangerous healthwise as some people might think. It is a worse idea to spend much time in large crowds, like a concert or a crowded shopping center or flying in a commercial airplane. Just maintain your normal cleaning schedule and you will be fine. On the other hand, if you feel really compelled to, increasing your cleaning schedule will not hurt anything. Go with whatever suits you best.

[SewTired]

Those poisonous medications that I was infused with also protected against getting infections.

Actually, they don't. Cancer treatments generally don't do anything about bacteria or viruses, but the treatment does often lower your white blood cell count which reduces your body's fighting mechanisms against those culprits.

Also, when you say you didn't change your cleaning schedule, could you be more specific and describe your cleaning schedule since there is a lot of variability. Was that your decision not to change it? Did your provider make a recommendation?

FWIW, you can get pneumonia whether using a cpap or not. Be sure to find out from your doctor when you should call their office and when you should just go to the ER.

[Grace~~~]

Hello nxnla ~~~

I am wishing you complete success with your treatments and encouraging you to fight strong and hard and not back away from anything during your treatment. Go anywhere. Do anything. Don't take no for an answer ... EVER!

It's too easy for doctors to reduce doses when patients complain about feeling terrible, but I looked at this as the fight of my life ... and I stay in a constant state of prayer that it is enough.

It's great that you are thinking about what you need now. Preparation is important.

It's very important that you get rid of the chemo and dead cells as quickly as possible after treatment. That means drinking a LOT of clean water (and maybe even taking a colace for some people). I began sleeping with two sports thermoses of water each night and was able to drink laying flat in bed in almost a sleep state. Super hard to do with a cpap mask but flushing, flushing, flushing was my mantra. You want that stuff out of you and you want to keep your kidneys flushed.

I had the neulasta shot after every third treatment. It's painful and expensive at $7500 a shot (x14 for me) but really helps to keep your white blood cells up. One tip to help with the pain of this shot is to take 3-4 Claritin pills 'loratidine' (not Claritin D) about an hour before the shot. I also used Kwan Loong (white flower oil) topically especially along my spine and hip areas ... but that pain is your bone marrow making white blood cells so I knew the higher the pain the higher my WBC count. I never missed a chemo for having low counts. I am eternally grateful. You want that chemo hitting on schedule any time those cells are dividing.

I also participated in the glutamine program taking a heaping tablespoon of the powder three times a day. I just mixed mine with cranberry usually and did it as a shot. I couldn't stand the grittiness of drinking it mixed in 8 ounces. I experienced ZERO neuropathy. I was the only one in my 30 person chemo group to not have neuropathy. However, I was also the youngest and healthiest going in ... but the glutamine probably doesn't hurt and I give it the credit. You can ask your doctor or read the MD Andersen study.

Lastly, I used fresh aloe (scooped from an aloe plant) after every radiation treatment. I also had a 100% aloe gel that I would use in times when I didn't want to be as sticky.

Take you nausea meds before you need them. I am anti pill myself. I never smoked or drank. I never even took aspirins before this but I learned that it's hard to control nausea once it's out of control and once you're vomiting getting any medicine 'in' is quite unpleasant. Once you have gone through a few rounds you will be able to back off if you need to. I found the zofran / lorazapam combo was the winner for me. Though I don't think they give lorazapam after age 50? It's stupid (imo), but they didn't at the Florida Hospital Cancer Center? It totally made me want to be a drug dealer and give it to those in need. I'm not sure how old you are?


OK, that's all the tips I can share that I wish I had never learned.
I've never shared my cancer tips before ... so this post was kinda cathartic.
(maybe that will excuse the rambling lengthiness?)

Stay positive, and stay strong and ask for help when you need it.

We need all the long term survivors we can get!
Let's touch base in 10 years. OK

All my best
~~~grace

[avi123]

deleted

[SewTired]

I don't understand what you are asking. I did the chemo 2 years ago. Every session before infusion the lab in the cancer center checked my blood count and if necessary the nurses gave me Neulasta medication. The chemo lasted 3 months. I used my CPAP as usual. I usually don't clean the air hose. In my opinion if the hose dries during the day then dryness kills bacteria. Ditto about the mask. I rinse the humidifier chamber with faucet water daily when I fill it up with same water. The nurses and Docs at the cancer center never discussed my CPAP.

You answered it, thank you. I was trying to ascertain what your actual cleaning schedule was. In other words, you never or rarely wash your air hose or mask and you rinse the chamber daily.

I don't know why they didn't discuss cpap use. A lot of stuff is buried in your chart and the doc doesn't even know about it, so I would hope you brought it up. If not, well, it was 2 years ago.

The OP should mention cpap use and not just assume that the doc will see it in the chart. We've had instances where new docs have changed care plans because they didn't see an important issue that apparently got buried in the charts.

[avi123]

I'm about to begin chemo/radiation treatment for some cancer in my esophagus, and I wanted to know if any others out there have any tips/suggestions/experience going through the chemo & radiation treatment and also using their CPAP. I understand the body's immune system is virtually gone during the treatment and one needs to be extremely careful not to get some sort of infection during this time.

Comments:
I had chemo 2.5 years ago for bladder cancer at a cancer center. I agree with you about the chemo effect on the immune system. Yes, I was careful about getting infection and took all the steps that I new about it. Urologists who checked my tumor afterwards could not say if the Chemo eradicated it. So I, on my own, after researching the subject matter, decided to contact a reputable urologist surgeon MD and arranged a meeting to discuss the removal of the bladder including the cancer. This was done 2 years ago and I have been doing fine since then. I don't know if you can do any surgery on your esophageal cancer after the chemo. What about Proton Therapy? Check this:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-c ... gQod9wEL5w

[Mgsnorer]

I had chemo and radiation about 4 years ago. Mine was for thymic carcinoma (thoracic area), so I was radiated in the same area. I was not on Cpap until after treatment, so I have no knowledge of that, but: after radiation, I had pulmonary fibrosis that made breathing feel like I was breathing through a rigid straw mat. I was not recovering. I was put on cpap, and my pulmonary fibrosis reduced to levels the docs had not seen before. I think the cpap's gentle stretching of the air sacs, along with the humidity, really helped my lungs recover.

I was super careful about cleaning and disinfecting the cpap, as I had pneumonia 6 times in the year after cancer treatments. More than a few cpaptalk folks told me I was being silly, but I did it anyway. I used Control III and scrupulously cleaned my cpap. I had been hospitalized for all my chemo infusions because of an autoimmune disease that reacted violently to chemo, and I had seen so many folks on the oncology floor with neutropenia. Getting sick during chemo is a disaster that is best avoided if possible!

Good luck. I had a year of treatments, and it took about a year to recover from the treatments, but it was all worth it.

[DreamStalker]

FYI

Fasting triggers autophagy and also frees up immune system from the gut environment to fight pathogenic mechanisms in other parts of the body.

Ketogenic Diet & Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Cancer as a Metabolic Disease wtih Dr. Thomas Seyfried

Best wishes with your mitochondria.