Sign in

or Register now

MyBreastCancerNetwork.com

See all of our health sites at www.HealthCentral.com
Monday, November, 23, 2009
  • Font size
Featured ContentPJ Hamel On NPR!

Chemo Regimen FAQs: CMF Chemotherapy

PJ Hamel
PJ Hamel
Close
PJ Hamel is happy to be alive. As always.
Author, breast cancer survivor

Writer, mother, wife, volunteer, and survivor: PJ Hamel joins the...

PJ Hamel

Tuesday, July 17, 2007
View All of PJ Hamel's Posts
  Q. I was hoping to avoid it, but no such luck: I have to have chemotherapy. What's this CMF the doctor says I'll be having? A. CMF is an acronym for the three-drug "cocktail" you'll be getting. This particular combination is unusual in that it's been found effe...
  1. Re: Chemo Regimen FAQs: CMF Chemotherapy
    Maria Gifford
    Thursday, July 19, 2007 at 04:00 PM

    Once again, your SharePost is packed with extremely helpful information. THANK YOU.

     

    Best of health,

    Maria

    Reply
  2. hair loss
    karen grantham
    Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 04:16 PM

    Why is the oral cytoxin harder on the hair than the IV cytoxin?

    Reply
    re: hair loss
    PJ Hamel
    Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 05:03 PM

    Sorry, Karen, don't know - this would be a question for your oncologist or chemo nurse... PJH

    Reply
    re: re: hair loss
    aprilfool
    Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at 09:22 PM

    I am on CMF orally (daily) and have not noticed too much hair loss.

    Just thought you should know!  There is a CMF group on

    www.breastcancer.org.  Go to the discussion area, then

    to Help me thru treatment and look for the CMF group.

     

    My side effects have been minimal and I am half way done. 

     

     

    Good luck

    Reply
  3. CMF
    Beth
    Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 02:46 PM

    I had CMF 2 years ago.  I had alot of heart burn & mouth sores.  I was so tired I had trouble walking even 1 block (I used to love to walk my dogs with my husband for a couple of miles).  I did NOT loose my hairLaughing, but it got a bit thinner & lost it's healthy look (split/dry ends).  As treatments progressed, I got worse.  Some people get better, build a resistance, as they go.  In the begining I was sick for 1-2 days, & treatments lasted 2-3 hours.  Toward the end, I was sick for 2-4 days, tired ALL the time, and my last 2 treatments took ALL DAY LONG.  If you feel sick during the treatment, tell them & they will slow the drip, that is why my treatments took longer at the end. 

     

    I wish you alot of luck.  Keep your spirits up, have a support team ready.  I never went to a treatment alone.  My family & friends really pulled together to help.  I felt alot of love, and I needed that more then anything. 

    Reply
    re: CMF
    PJ Hamel
    Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 05:21 PM

    Beth, we all have our own chemo experiences (and cancer experiences), but we al have this in common: the love and care of family and friends is vitally important. It helps us heal. I hope you're feeling better every day. Thanks for connecting here - PJH

    Reply
  4. CMF treatment side-effects
    sally in baltimore
    Friday, November 20, 2009 at 04:33 PM

    This was a good article.  I had that nasty chemo 6 years ago and this time (having a recurrence of breast cancer) I chose this CMF route to keep my hair.  No where near as bad as 6 years ago, that's for sure.  I've had a few symptoms not listed, like the day I get the treatment (in the morning), I am really tired, but cannot sleep well that night - probably the steroids that come with the treatment.  I get very restless legs, arms, etc...and have had hiccups the day of chemo 3 out of 4 treatments so far.  Constipation was initially a huge problem, but nurses instructed me to try Sennekot and Mirilax and that has worked perfectly.  I think the biggest aggravation is the weight gain.  I feel like I'm hungry all of the time and my doctors says the same thing - don't try to diet; it will come off when the treatments end.  But it's not too comforting when my pants are tight! 

     

    Overall, the metallic taste I had with the old chemo lasted much longer than with this formula - I drink as much fluid as I can for the first few days and have not had mouth sores, bladder issues or anything like that.  I try to flush my system as quickly as possible.

     

    Good luck to anyone going through this.  It's no picnic, but I agree that treatment is greatly improved from even 5 years ago.  Thank God for that!

    Reply
    re: CMF treatment side-effects
    PJ Hamel
    Friday, November 20, 2009 at 05:41 PM

    Sally, I hope the rest of your treatments go seamlessly. I agree, drinking plenty of fluids is a big help. Best of luck to you - PJH

    Reply
  • Font size
  • Bookmark
  • Thank you for your input
  • Save
  • RSS
  • Report Abuse

Ask a Question

Get answers from our experts and community members.

View all questions (3920) >