Dealing with Side Effects - August 12,2015 Chat

A wealth of information and support was shared during the night's chat on Dealing with the Short and Long Term Side Effects of Gynecologic Cancer Treatment. The lively chat included twenty-five participants including Dr. Matthew Katz, Dr. Anne Becker-Shutte and Dr. Elizabeth Dickson.
We had over 999,000 impressions with 15 tweets per participant.

Here are the questions that guided our chat and a sample of responses.

T1: Let’s start w/ surgery side effects...  Which affected you most? Which do patients say are most impactful? Tips to address?

T1: via MS @smartpatients “worst part of surgery was the pain meds after and the side effects of those, constipation” #gyncsm

— Women of Teal (@womenofteal) August 13, 2015

@edicksonMD: T1: Re pain meds: ask your provider for alternatives to pain medication. Advances in local pain control are happening!! #gyncsm

— Elizabeth Dickson (@edicksonMD) August 13, 2015

T2: Now let's talk about chemo. What were your side effects? Which are common? How aware of side effects are patients before start?

#gyncsm extreme nausea, shortness of breath, changes in mental status/chemobrain, extreme fatigue constipation fear shakiness anxiety

— Denise Archuleta (@Servivorgirl) August 13, 2015

T2: adjusting support meds and even dosing or schedule of chemo drugs can help with side effects. Discuss with your doctor #gyncsm

— Elizabeth Dickson (@edicksonMD) August 13, 2015

T3: What are some of the side effects of radiation? Which did you experience? What are patients most concerned about?

@gyncsm T3: Depends upon treatment type, external beam or brachytherapy, and location of treatment #gyncsm

— Matthew Katz (@subatomicdoc) August 13, 2015

@womenofteal T3. Fatigue, skin redness/irritation, hair loss in treated area common. #gyncsm

— Matthew Katz (@subatomicdoc) August 13, 2015

T4: For targeted therapy (TT) - Oliparib, Avastin, etc. - what are the side effects? Different from chemo?

T4: there can be high blood pressure and skin issues with targeted therapies #gyncsm

— Christina Lizaso (@btrfly12) August 13, 2015

T4: Good general info on side effects for Targeted Therapy from @NCI http://t.co/YjAGKB9Db7 #gyncsm

— Women of Teal (@womenofteal) August 13, 2015

T4: Many targeted therapies are still being studied. Whole side effect profile may not be known. Make sure to ask questions #gyncsm

— Elizabeth Dickson (@edicksonMD) August 13, 2015

T5: What side effects persist? Have you talked to your provider about them? Other side effects we haven't covered so far?

@btrfly12 #gyncsm My PCP manages most of the side effects but requires a lot of communication. I am 6 years out OC, praise God

— Denise Archuleta (@Servivorgirl) August 13, 2015

T6: What impacts are you willing to deal with to get more effective treatment? Have we seen changes in how side effects are managed?

T6: excellent question and one as individual as each woman fighting cancer. Only you know the answer and what is right for you #gyncsm

— Elizabeth Dickson (@edicksonMD) August 13, 2015

To read the complete transcript visit Symplur here.

Remember if you are a patient or caregiver you can join us and continue the conversation on the Smart Patients Platform at https://www.smartpatients.com/gyncsm. 


Our September chat will mark our 2nd anniversary as a health care chat and community on Twitter. We hope you can join us on Wednesday September 9 at 9pm EST . Our topic that night will be Gyn Cancer Awareness Month - Spotlight on Uterine/Endometrial Cancer. 

And as the song goes "See you in September..." .

Dee
#gyncsm co-moderator

Resources mentioned during the chat:

Insights Into Preferences for Psycho-Oncology Services in Women With GYN Cancer Following Distress Screening: http://t.co/7Lb70v9UeZ

Hair Loss: Research with DigniCap presented at #ASCO15 http://t.co/GF5MSXbSb2

Infographic from @NOCC_Illinois https://t.co/fJpNGSBnKh

How To Deal With Surgical Menopause? Helpful questions & answers http://t.co/Xz9UloxXjl

The #NCCN Patient Guidelines for Ovarian Cancer http://t.co/QMxTSiFOTG

Complementary and Alternative Medicine - National Cancer Institute http://t.co/fZuf5f4aMN

Side Effects of Radiation Therapy via ACS: http://t.co/P2ma187CqM

Radiation Therapy from the Foundation for Women's Cancer @GYNCancer http://t.co/2NfK8BvZGQ

Specific cancer information from SGO Patients, Caregivers and Survivors | SGO https://t.co/6pRgApbwyp

Overview page per side effect from @PRPCancerGuide and downloadable guide http://t.co/vMnLWw7ScR

Long-term side effect info from @cancerdotnet http://t.co/nymF9z7fW9

Additional Resources on Side Effects:

Radiation oncology:  @RWJMS

http://rwjms.rutgers.edu/departments_institutes/radiation_oncology/clinical/programs/gynecologic.html#potential

Foundation for Women's Cancer 

Surgery: http://www.foundationforwomenscancer.org/types-of-gynecologic-cancers/ovarian/surgery/

Chemotherapy:http://www.foundationforwomenscancer.org/types-of-gynecologic-cancers/ovarian/chemotherapy/

Coping with Side Effects:

http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/ovarian-cancer/coping-side-effects