Chemo isnt just for Cancer

When someone hears the word Chemo it is automatically associated with Cancer patients. Well, I have learned that Chemo helps a lot more issues than cancer. With Tim the Chemo meds help suppress his autoiummune system which is what is killing his insides. Tim diseaes Lupus triggered his kidneys so taking this drug once a month will kill the immune system and force to start all over again without previous knowledge of the damage. Although the chances of him getting lupus flares again is against him, this will help with his new kidney and now that we have information about his disease we can catch it first hand instead of finding out he has stage 5 kidney failure. Chemotherapy is treated for a lot of autoimmue diseases such as lupus, wegeners, Arthritis, and I found out today it is also helping someone with MS (multiple scelerosis) Just thought it was interesting. Here is some information on the type of Chemo Tim is taking to give you a better understanding.

-Jackie & Tim

The main use of cyclophosphamide is together with other chemotherapy agents in the treatment of lymphomas, some forms of leukemia^[3] and some solid tumors.^[4] It is a chemotherapy drug that works by slowing or stopping cell growth.

Cyclophosphamide IV drip

Cyclophosphamide also decreases the immune system's response to various diseases and conditions. Therefore, it has been used in various non-neoplastic autoimmune diseases where disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) have been ineffective. For example, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with severe lupus nephritis^[5] may respond to pulsed cyclophosphamide (in 2005, however, standard treatment for lupus nephritis changed to mycophenolic acid (MMF) from cyclophosphamide). Cyclophosphamide is also used to treat minimal change disease,^[6] severe rheumatoid arthritis,^[7] Wegener's granulomatosis^[8] (with trade name Cytoxan), and multiple sclerosis^[9] (with trade name Revimmune).
A 2004 study^[10] showed that the biological actions of cyclophosphamide are dose-dependent. At higher doses, it is associated with increased cytotoxicity and immunosuppression, while at low continuous dosage it shows immunostimulatory and antiangiogenic properties. A 2009 study of 17 patients with docetaxel-resistant metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer showed a Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decrease in 9 of the 17 patients. Median survival was 24 months for the entire group, and 60 months for those with a PSA response. The study concluded that low-dose cyclophosphamide "might be a viable alternative" treatment for docetaxel-resistant MHRPC and "is an interesting candidate for combination therapies, e.g., immunotherapy, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and antiangiogenisis

Many people taking cyclophosphamide do have serious side effects. Side-effects include chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), bone marrow suppression, stomach ache, diarrhea, darkening of the skin/nails, alopecia (hair loss) or thinning of hair, changes in color and texture of the hair, and lethargy. Hemorrhagic cystitis is a frequent complication, but this is prevented by adequate fluid intake and Mesna (sodium 2-mercaptoethane sulfonate). Mesna is a sulfhydryl donor and binds acrolein.
Cyclophosphamide is itself carcinogenic, potentially causing transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder as a long-term complication. It can lower the body's ability to fight an infection. It can cause temporary or (rarely) permanent sterility. A serious potential side-effect is Acute Myeloid Leukemia, referred to as secondary AML, due to it occurring secondarily to the primary disease being treated. The risk may be dependent on dose and a number of other factors, including the condition being treated, other agents or treatment modalities used (including radiotherapy), treatment intensity and length of treatment. For some regimens it is a very rare occurrence. For instance, CMF-therapy for breast cancer (where the cumulative dose is typically less than 20 grams of cyclophosphamide) seems to carry an AML risk of less than 1/2000th, with some studies even finding no increased risk compared to the background population. Other treatment regimens involving higher doses may carry risks of 1-2% or higher, depending on regimen. Cyclophosphamide-induced AML, when it happens, typically presents some years after treatment, with incidence peaking around 3–9 years. After 9 years, the risk has fallen to the level of the regular population. When AML occurs, it is often preceded by a Myelodysplastic syndrome phase, before developing into overt acute leukemia. Cyclophosphamide-induced leukemia will often involve complex cytogenetics, which carries a worse prognosis than de novo AML.
Other (serious) side effects include:

• gross and microscopic hematuria,
• unusual decrease in the amount of urine,
• mouth sores,
• unusual tiredness or weakness,
• joint pain,
• easy bruising/bleeding,
• existing wounds that are slow healing.