Holiday visits and ongoing chemotherapy

[renee07]

Hello - my first post.  My mother-in-law, 78, was diagnosed with Stage 3C primary peritoneal cancer in November.  (behaves and is treated just like ovarian cancer).  She started chemo 3 weeks ago and is part of a Phase 2 study - one day she has Taxol by IV, the next day cisplatin intraperitoneally (IP) method.  After the first 2 rounds (every 3 weeks), she will begin adding Avastin to her regime.

Her first chemo treatments really hit her hard with fatigue, nausea, etc.  She lost all her hair in week 2.  We were thankful when she started feeling better last week, but now she starts another round this Thursday and Friday. She has already lost 13 lbs and looks very frail.  (Prior to this cancer, she was healthy and robust.) Nurse called and got on to her a little bit because her white blood cell count is down, and she was told to stay home, no Walmart, no visiting other people.  (She is in OKC and traveled to another son in Dallas last week due to the massive power outages).

My family lives in another state and we are wondering if it would be wise to visit her over the holidays with the news from the nurse.  One adult son, not going on the trip, has been constantly sick in the last month with severe bronchitis and then tonsillitis.  I (the mom) have just been treated for pharyngitis (tonsillitis without the tonsils) a week ago.  So far, husband and younger son have not been sick, other than hubby having a pretty major fever blister for a week.  

With her age, would we be compromising her success by staying in her home any length of time?  She had planned to travel to Dallas closer to New Year's, but now won't since talking to the nurse.  Our thought would be to go over for the OU Sooner game January 2nd, and probably stay 2 days.  I'm thinking we shouldn't go, but hubby will be devastated not to spend any of the holidays with his mom and dad.

Any advise would be appreciated.  Thanks.

[Jan214]

Last year when I started my first round I didn't have anyone around on Christmas.  My husband and inlaws went to Opryland for dinner, but I was not around any other family because they were all sick.  My FIL has pancreatic cancer this year and we are going there for Christmas.  My MIL has sterilized a sitting room where my fil and I can get away from people and no one else is allowed in there.  There will be small children and they are always sick but they will be kept at a distance and we will wear masks.  My mil just won't take any chances with two cancer patients in her house.   Remember, germs can travel up to 3 ft, so keep everyone away, use anitbacterial hand sanitizers, wipe down door knobs and put a mask on her or everybody else and you should be okay.  If anyone is running a fever though that is a definite no.  Finding a way for an old lady with cancer to not spend Christmas without her family would be the healthiest thing.  Good luck to you all.
Jan

[msjazz]

i am 54, did the cisplatin/taxol ip last yr when dianosed prim. peritoneal. the first round of cisplatin on day 2 sent me to the e.r.. they gave me iv fluids and zofrin iv. after that i had my dr. order home health to come on the day after cisplatin ip and they stayed a couple of hours and gave me the fluids and zofrin iv. that really helped. however i only made 4 complete rounds and switched to carbo/taxol iv only. it is rough. there was a 68 yr old lady in my clinic that did 6 rds. the dr. gave me a rx for the white blood shots, if she has someone who can give her the shots she wouldn t have to get out. it s a short needle, my husband does mine. i have bcbshield, so the drugstore gives me a printout to get reimbursed.
as for visitors, she doesn t need to be around anyone sick , but if not sick, good hygiene and hand washing, could possibly pick up some masks from clinic if necessary, then she could visit some. i am on chemo for recurrence, and i am not having company except close family if they aren t sick. best wishes to you all.