Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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Just popped by and read the last few post. I have had 4 Herceptin only (after chemo ones) and it only takes a 1/2 hour no benedryl. Badda Boom Badda Bang. I can taste it though Ugg! That stays with me for some reason. I only have 4 more rads to go. I am on the boost. So far so good. I have a little itchy rash and tenderness. I am pretty tired but hey not to bad. I feel very lucky. I hope all the best to those who are about to finish and those that are still in the mist of recovery.
Peace and health
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Hi everyone (too many to try to name)
I am on day 3 of tx#2. Drinking, drinking, drinking water! Last time the fatigue hit hard on the fourth day. I'm hanging in there during the day, but fading fast in the evenings. I haven't had benedryl with any infusions (TCH or H only). They did do my first H in 90 minutes, then changed to 30 after that when I was okay with it. From reading through all these posts from all over the country (and world) what's routine in one place doesn't always seem to be in another. I remember several women writing about restrictions on fresh produce and my onc disagrees. Maybe it depends on where you live. Also the different drugs for nausea seem to vary a lot.
It is great to read the posts from all--just starting, in the midst, nearing the end, and finished! Sio much to learn.
Becky
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I had to have double benedryl before my THC because I was allergic to Taxotere. I asked my onc about what pre-meds he will put me on for H only next time and he said benedryl again.
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I never had Benedryl either. My chemo premeds were oral steroid (Decadron) started the day before chemo and a Zophran pill taken an hour before chemo. My infusions were just the 3 chemo drugs, no IV pre-meds. I don't have premeds for Herceptin - just the Herceptin IV but they use a 90 minute infusion time. Only 4 or 5 more for me. I can sit there for an extra 60 minutes with my laptop to work on. It is so much easier than chemo.
My creatinine improved some during my break from Clodronate. It is just slightly elevated now so I'm going to try starting the Clodronate again and see what happens to it. My PCP agreed that that was a good idea. He got a second radiologist to review my kidney ultrasound and the second opinion said that the cortex wasn't thinned. And it wasn't "supported by echogenicity" (which means that sick kidneys reflect ultrasound waves more than healthy ones and mine is reflecting like a healthy one), so my kidneys are okay.
Bold, They told me to try hydrocortisone cream when I got an itchy rash on rads. That did the job pretty quickly. Glad to hear rads is going pretty well for you. And 4 post-chemo Herceptin plus 6 with chemo means you are more than half way through!
Cupcake, you right winger!
I'm about as liberal and as women's lib as they come, but my husband is important to me and contributes a lot to our partnership/relationship. I expect him to consult me about serious things. Of course I considered his preferences as well as my own when deciding which surgery to get.We both enjoy our sex life and keeping that as rewarding as possible for both of us was a consideration. It would have been different if there was a significant medical reason to chose one over the other such as improved survival (and he would have agreed - keeping me around is more important to him too) but there wasn't. And going through this as a diabetic makes the whole thing more complicated to manage. Have fun in Florida - do take an umbrella - it isn't like here, it can rain any time. I'm such a Californian that I sometimes forget that it rains in the summer some places.
All the best to our new graduates and almost graduates. Those who are finishing now started after I finished chemo which feels like a milestone to me too - I've now been done with chemo longer than it took to get it. I know that it feels daunting to those just starting and those on the last couple of cycles can be feeling pretty rough, but the 4 months or so of chemo does end and you can start the path to feeling better.
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Swampy: I just had my Herceptin infusion today. It was 90 minutes. I take a Motrin from home and that is all as I do tend to get a little headache. I will rest the rest of the day and be fine tomorrow. It is no big deal...no S'E's. Be sure to take something to do to pass the time. I bought a portable DVD player from Target and take along some home dvd's.fun to watch. Thanks on the weather report. The next Herceptins I will have some movies of our trip to watch. I did a lot of water before my tx of TCH but just couldn't get it down on the days I didn't feel well. I went back in the next day and got a bag of plain IV to hydrate me and it worked good. You don't have to eat and drink when your not feeling well. A couple of days of not eating a lot rest your digestive system and you won't starve. That is why I ate in between tx cause the days of I didn't.
Charm: Lisa is right. Those are after tx meds and you won't take them now. Tamoxifen is for pre menopause and Femera or Arimidex is for us post menopausal gals. You won't have any problems with Herceptin at all, just a slight headache the day of. I got my fake boob FOOB we call it and it is heavy but I was big so it balances it out. No problem though,. The lighter ones won't hang like my natural one so need the weight..lol They won't do my reconstruction for a year as it takes that long to heal and besides if they put something in there it could cover up a cancer cell. I want a clear few for a few months to make sure it is all gone. Write out all your Q's for your appointment cause you will forget them. My Jack Russell layed right beside me all through my chemo, but has made up for it since. Like a wind up doggie. You'll be on that beach in short time...this is just a side track for a bit.
Blue: you made me laugh girl
After infusion today I needed that. For sure if there was a decision of my life he wouldn't care...he would choose me over any ol rattle to play with.0 -
Amy, congrats!!! One more to go!!!! I do not get pre-meds for my herceptin only, but my nurses prefer to do everyone at 90 minutes. Ocassionally I will grumble and have them speed it up, but then as Bold says, you get a very icky metallic taste that stays with you about 16 hours or so. But if you have stuff to do and need to get outta-there, the taste is not bad.
Cupcake: I just spent the last 72 hours in either a truck or a horse trailer/RV combo with TWO Jack Russells! They are the "girls" of my friend whose horse had to go to the hospital. I can report that the girls need attention, but they were angels! During travel, they were in the back seat in a soft sided carrier with their chew bones, while we were in the horse hospital, they stayed in the horse compartment of the trailer with the windows open and a fan on and they were fine. At night they slept in the queen bed in the trailer with me and their mom. I will travel with them again anytime - next week actually.
Lisa
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Lisa, sorry to hear about Miracle...hope he will be okay after the surgery!! I have a Jack that is 13 years old now...and has been my best friend through these trying times.
Bold: I have had a really bad rash from my radiation to the point of getting little blisters...the dr. prescribed me xclair cream and hydrocortisone...after using that for a week, I had to resort to using pure aloe with my Aloe plant..and it is healing up very quickly. two more weeks of rads and I will be done....except of course the H for the rest of the year. They give me benadryl before my H...I dont mind it, I get my nap in for the day
!!Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend....drink pleanty of water and get lots of rest!
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Hi Ladies. I have a question. I met with my oncologist yesterday (I am 4 weeks out of chemo) for a brief "check up". I told him that my insurance company had declined my request for the BRACA test. I have no family history of breast cancer and am 41 years old. We got to talking about the test and what it would mean to me if it came back negative. Honestly, I am very concerned with ovarian cancer down the road. We discussed the options and I am seriously considering having my ovaries taken out. Has anyone else thought about this or done it? There is just no test like a mammogram for our ovaries and many don't find out they have ovarian cancer until it is too late. Thoughts???
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Magnola, I was 44 at dx and 45 now and I did have a history of breast cancer - my mom. I had the Braca done and it come back negative. I have spoken to my onc about having the ovaries removed. My first thought was I could avoid tamoxifen if I had the ovaries out and he said it did not work that way, if I have the oomph he will just switch the tamox out for a post-menepause drug that is similar. For now, I will keep the ovaries, but next year after I have had time to settle down physically and mentally, I may go ahead and have the surgery. You are right, no mammo for the ovaries. I had a bilateral mast, why leave the ovaries in.
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Magnola, my insurance declined to pay for Braca test too. I'm fighting it. My sister and my daughter need to know their risks. I'd pay myself if it wasn't over 3,000 per test! I have an appt with a genetic counselor on July 21, will see what that brings. Ask your doctor if there is that option for you. I thought there was no cancer in my family, my father was one of five males. My mother is 90, one of 10 and 4 of them had different types of cancer. I think they only consider breast and ovarian cancer in your history.
You can also contact the company that does the testing and they will set up a payment plan, company name is Myriad.
Good luck,
charm
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I just absolutely love my Jack Russell. He is the best little dog ever! Smart? Oh my gosh it is scary how smart they are. He doesn't have the usual jack Russell face with the white, but he is a purebred just the same. My whole life I wanted a dog that was all my own. Oh we had family dogs and most ended up with rescue pets, perfectly ok, but I wanted a puppy I could raise all my own. After my kids raised, after I graduated from college and now after retirement I could get my dream. I did a whole lot of research before I decided on a Jack and I knew what I was in for, but he has turned out to be the best dog ever.
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Cakelady.....I know it is your last chemo tomorrow!! Congrats!! I hope your SE's are minimal.
I am now officially 1 week PFC!!
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Way to go, CCBaby! Congratulations!
Hang in there Cakelady! Last of the bad stuff. Bright future ahead!
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Has anyone had the tingling neuropathy in hands, feet and legs that I've been warned about? I know they have to tell you about side effects but Good Lord! Scared me to death. If someone has experienced that please let me know how you handled it. Also heard Neulasta shot makes you ache for a day? One day ok, but I need to know if I'll be able to work. So what am I missing, oh yeah, chemo fade, think I have that one already.. Did anyone chose to sleep during infusion? Sounds like a sweet option to me. Did anyone get to chose how long infusion takes? What are the pros and cons of fast vs slow? Help! The more I know the more I fear, should be the other way around...
Well I'm off to my prechemo margarita party at the beach! Any suggestions would be appreciated.
charm
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kauaicharm... I don't know if I will be much help to you or not, but these are my experiences, and everyone is different. Yes, I have had some neuropathy. I have tingling in my feet and weakness in my muscles, but not real bad. I am hoping that it will go away eventually now that I am done with chemo. I take Claritin for the bone aches that Neulasta causes and it works great for me. I always took off the week after chemo, but it was because of the chemo making me so tired and weak, not because of bone aches. Then I worked half days the following 2 weeks until next treatment. I slept this last time during infusion because I only had one hour of sleep the night before and the nurses give me double benadryl. They give a slow drip of Taxotere because I am allergic to it with many pre-meds before.
Good luck!
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I know this has come up before in the thread (wish I'd just printed the whole thing out as I read) but I don't remember who answered or all the advice. It's day 5 of tx2. Constipation and hemrrhoids. (No problem with tx 1.) I don't want this to ever happen again. Please let me know what works for you!
Becky
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Kauicharm, I find the day of the infusion to be pretty easy. I didn't get Benadryl so was easy to stay awake. I have felt pretty good days 1-3, then really nose dived on the 4th. They told me my Herceptin would be 90 mins the first time and if it was okay, 30 after that. Taxotere and Carbopltin are an hour each.
I've noticed a little neurapathy in a couple fingers on one hand, but it's not too bad.
I've been getting 5 neupogen shots (days 2-6) rather than neulasta. Not too much problem with bone pain.
Wish I were at the beach! Don't drink too many margaritas before chemo. Don't want to dehydrate yourself. Good luck!
Becky
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Becky - are you only getting the neupogen if your blood counts are low or do you get it regrardless? I think my onc is going to watch my counts and then decide. I have my first chemo tomorrow - nervous but ready.
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Hello ladies,
I finally learned how to post pictures, I just posted some pix of my hair. I had my last TCH on 5/4, my hair is growing back already, I started seeing hair 2 weeks post chemo. I've lost 4 of my fingernails. Hope everyone is doing OK!
Cil.
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Becky - drinks gallons of water and take stool softeners. Avoid banans and peanut butter. Drink water, water, water.
Charm, you really need to take a deep breath and read. Alcohol before an infusion is a bad idea, You must face the fact that you are getting chemo and take responsibility for all that that entails.
Lisa
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Charm, to give you some reasons why alcohol and chemo don't mix - alcohol is dehydrating (your body uses water to process it) and it is hard to keep hydrated enough to help your body deal with chemo without adding that. Chemo is hard on your liver so you don't want to make it deal with alcohol at the same time.
I had mild numbness and tingling in my fingertips during chemo. It was not serious enough to interfere with my typing. After I was done with chemo, it gradually subsided and was gone around 2 months post chemo.
I had Neupogen (it is like Neulasta but shorter acting and about a tenth as strong) 3 shots per chemo cycle. I didn't get bone aches - some don't get them from these drugs. Unfortunately I got nausea and vomiting from it - a more unusual side effect. I think I'd rather have had the bone aches (easy for me to say). backagain, my onc doesn't give it for TCH unless WBC count shows it is needed - mine went almost to zero the first chemo cycle, I got a neutropenic fever and felt really awful so for the rest of the cycles, she prescribed it proactively for me.
I was wide awake for my infusions and chose to work on my laptop. Some people get Benedryl to counter reactions to drugs. If you get Benadryl you are likely tosleep through chemo. If you don't, you are likely to be wired from the steroid and be very awake.
They didn't let me chose the infusion time. The first time is usually longer because they start the Taxotere running very slowly then speed it up in steps while they watch to see if you react. For me, the first time took about 6 hours and the later ones took about 4. That includes the time to get hooked up but not the time for the pre-chemo doctor's appointment.
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Charm I have neuropathy but for me it's there but livable. The worst was about 5 days after treatment and my teeth were numb. They actually felt like I had novacaine (sp) but it went away quickly. I also worked on my computer (okay so I posted here) during my infusion because I was always so wired due to the steroids.
Becky~ I took colace to combat the constipation. Try your best to avoid the hemroids.
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Thanks Christy and Swampy. for the nice comments............off to my last TCH tomorrow. Doctors appt at 11:30 and chemo at !:00. and they usually are running behind because there are so many people in there. That waiting room is not big and can typically have 25 people in there on a Monday. The actual chemo room only has about 14 chemo chairs. My chemo usually goes like this.... Tylenol, Benedryl, Decadron, Herceptin for 30 min, Taxotere for about 60 or 90 min, and Carboplatin for about 30 min, I can't remember exactly. Either way it is always a LONG day. and I am starting a little later than I usually do. I am hoping for a good week with minimal SE., as my husband is out of town for work, and my Mom and my sons will help me with whatever I need. It does not help that it has been 100 degrees every day and I get mini hot flashes off and on .... My electric bill is going to be sky high..
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Cakelady - I feel your pain. My electric bill has gone up 25% since I started taking tamoxifen.
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Nancy, my onc prescribed 5 shots of neupogen on days 2-6 for each tx before I started. Side effects seem to be minimal for me so far with that. You really find out who your friends are going through this. One of my nurse friends has come to my house after she gets off work each day to give me the shot because I'm so chicken to try and do it myself. That is a real friend. I'll be thinking about you today. I think the hardest part is the anticipation and not knowing how it will be for you.
Wendy, last treatment tomorrow! You must be so excited!
Jaimieh and Lisa, thanks for the help. Taking senakot s and drinking so much water I think I'm going to float away. Little better today.
Everyone have a great day!
Becky
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Wendy - I am cheering you on! What an awesome day for you. (Can't wait till it's my turn!)
Rough weekend with SE's but feeling better this morning so far.
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Hi - I have been reading and learning from you ladies!
I am a 5 year BC survivor and completed chemo with AC and Taxol. My mom was recently diagnosed with Stage III BC, and will be beginning TCH on Thursday. Two questions - how long is it before the hair goes? (with the AC, they were pretty good at forecasting day 14) And, what were the other major side effects? My mom is 77 - but she is ready to fight!
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EllenFitz - I am so sorry to hear about your mom. Most TCH folks lose the hair around day 12 after the first tx. Constipation followed by diarrehea seems to be a common SE. Also, food tastes really bad. Nausea seems to differ greatly from person to person. And of course, there is accumulated fatigue. Good luck. Keep us posted.
Lisa
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EllenFitz, sorry to hear about your mom. I started losing my hair at day 15 after tx #1. I didn't want to deal with clogged shower drains and clumps of hair on the pillow so decided to get a buzz cut and "go natural". I also had the feeling that it was something *I* could control and not the cancer/chemo.
I'm 10 years younger than your mom, but hopefully she is in good health otherwise. Going in strong is a big advantage because the cumulative effects of chemo and fatigue can really wear one down.
Drink, drink, drink!!! We all preach it, but we have to do it. Get an AM/PM pill box for her to line up all her side effect meds. Make sure she takes the meds even if she's feeling good. Stay ahead of the side effects.
Taste buds will go whoonky!! I would find that I would think something would taste good and by the time I took the first bite it didn't appeal. Get some hard candy lemon drops for her to suck on to help cut the metallic taste. Have some popsicles on hand for times when even water may make her feel sick. I found some crazy things to eat that you would never think would taste good...like Lays Vinegar and Salt potatochips, corn with lots of butter and salt, pretzels, even German potato salad. (For some reason vinegar tasted good).
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Becky: I had Collace/Serna stool softners to use for constipation and Imodium AD for diarrhea. You will have one or the other, or sometimes both. Just remember this is chemically induced and is not like the norm. Take until you loose or slow down the process. Lots of water before hand to be ready for it. Also with any advice you receive in here or else where be sure to discuss it with your onc before taking.
EllenFitz: I also chime in with others in hearing about your Mom. You are a survivor and that will be her strength. You better than anyone knows the fears, the unknown, and how the love and support pulls you through. Tell her I was a stage III also and after treatment doing just fine and no more cancer.
Wendy: Hooray for you! You have earned your merit badge in courage. Remember to reach back to the new campers coming in. They are scared like you were and needs your insight of having gone through it.
Charm: You are right on schedule with fear and questions. It is ok...take a deep breath and breathe out slowly. I got some Neuropathy, but it went away after the steroids cause that is what causes it. Steroids help with S.E's so the trade off is worth it. It is up to you if you want to sleep or not...some do. I took things to do to keep me busy, plus always found someone to chat with that passed the time. Everyone is different , but still the same. The fatigue was the biggest for me. Emend kept the nausea away. I learned to control the digestive system so it became just a count down of each infusion until you were done.
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