Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
Comments
-
I haven't posted for a while because basically I've been exhausted. They warned me that the "after-effects" of radiation would whoop my butt and by golly if it didn't!
My skin is healing, but that was an ugly process. Thanks to everyone who gave me home-remedies and suggestions. I finally found a way to wear my bra/prosthetic without it irritating my skin too badly, but for the last week, I've simply gone without both. It's just more comfortable right now.
I'm moving at the end of the month, and am taking on the arduous task of packing. This is the part I hate, but I am so looking forward to moving into my new place! I'm throwing tons of stuff out so it's kinda hurting my heart as an unrepentant pack-rat, but its getting done.
I'm absolutely in LOVE with the crochet projects I've taken on this holiday season! They are keeping me sane! I look forward to formalizing a crafting ministry in my church next year and teaching others who wish to learn how to crochet/knit in the coming year.
I've decided I have 3 major goals for 2010:
1. Learn Spanish (Rosetta Stone here I come!)
2. Take harp lessons (I've always wanted to learn how to play the harp)
3. Live in joy and not fear#3 is especially important and I'm going to need your help. For the most part, all of my "formal" treatment for breast cancer is completed. Yes, I have Herceptin-only treatments through 4/2/2010, but those are easy. The tough stuff, chemo, surgery, radiation, are done, and I have responded remarkably well to all 3! Thank God, I can truly say I'm "cancer-free!"
But now, I have to think about recurrence and doing everything I can to prevent the cancer from returning. The fear can be all-consuming if you let it. But I refuse to let it, but admittedly, I've had some sleepless nights thinking about a future I don't want to imagine.
Whatever happens, I know I'll get through it. After this year, there is nothing I figure I can't accomplish!
I don't believe in resolutions, but what are your Goals for 2010?
Share them with me!
0 -
I had TCH on 12/7. I am still having nausea today. I also have stomach pains. Did you all have this too? I also have bone pain from the neulasta. Interested to see how long these things lasted for others.
Thanks
0 -
Shadow2356 - I don't know if I had neulasta but I had really bad bone pain with the first treatment. I'm on meds to combat this after my 2nd treatment last Wednesday. They only lasted 2 days the first time but I'm still taking the meds.
I had really really bad pains in the bowel for over a week. Bad indigestion as well. My doctor gave me Somac to take this time. I started taking it the day before treatment and so far I'm ok 4 days out. BUT I haven't had a BM yet. So I'm not looking forward to that.
0 -
Shadow, for many of us the SE's of TCH would last, to some degree, 10-12 days. My bone pains from Nulasta only lasted a day or two though. I finally learned to start taking the nausea meds the day before tx's. The trick is to stay ahead of it and not wait until you feel bad. And keep taking them for a day or so after you start feeling better. Hang in there gal.
0 -
Hi all, had my first treatment on Thursday 12/10. Worked 12/11, But yesterday and today I have mostly slept! Had several bouts of diarhrea (sp?) and stomach cramps.
Alaina? I LOVE your attitude! I have always been a "the glass is half full" girl. If I get up in the morning and my car won't crank? I try to be grateful it didn't stop in the middle of the freeway!! My goals for 2010 are just to finish treatment, and get my others "stages" of my reconstruction done. We will all get there. Hold those wonderful thoughts!!
0 -
Suepen and Shadow I didn't have much nausea at all but I took emend for 3 days a day before and then every day for 2 more days it was a god sent ....I did have some leg pain and my legs twitched alot at night from the chemo and the steroids but it all passes a few months after chemo everything gets better and before you know it you have your energy pretty much back and maybe hair ....just hang in there...
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
Maura
0 -
Alaina, as you said, you are done with the hard part - you are cancer free. There is ABSOLUTELY no reason to dwell on the possibility of a re-occurance. Look at it this way - when you were 13 years old and starting to mature, did you spend every day worrying that you get breast cancer? The same thought applies today. You are cancer FREE. Live in the moment, not in the "what might happen".
Lisa
0 -
Lisa~ I hope you are feeling better. It sounds like Neratnib was evil to you
Love the new pony, your DH has to be thrilled. Christy CCbaby if you come over to check in please know that I am thinking of you and I wish you a speedy recovery.
Still not ready for Christmas Holiday's
It's not a good thing when you have 2 little ones. I gotta get on that this week 
0 -
Lisa 1964...........Pretty horse!!!! Glad you got off that study.. you have been through enough torture.
Christy .... we are all thinking about you and your surgery tomorrow.... good luck and say hi when you're able.
Alaina.... You do have a great attitude.... I too may be moving, though I don't know how soon.... I will be losing my house due to short sale or foreclosure... I am hoping to hang on to everything until the summer when we will probably move to Washington state to join my husband. He had to go ahead of us due to a job transfer. I wanted to stay here in CA to finish treatment and so the kids could finish school. I have a senior in high school and would not want to pull him out now. I have had so much to deal with in the last year that I hope 2010 has to be better!
0 -
Good News! My biopsy came back clear. WooHoo!!
Thanks for your well wishes and prayers.
Cheers!
Cloud
0 -
Christy - I'm sending you good vibes, prayers, and a candle lighting for your surgery tomorrow.
Cheers!
Cloud
0 -
Cloud Awesome news!!!
I went today for my herceptin followed by an ENT appt because I have been dizzy (lightheaded really) off and on since the end of August and then I was sent for a brain MRI. So now I am stressed because of the test
The good part is I can call in the morning for the results. Did I mention how much I hate Breast Cancer ?? 0 -
Cloud! Wonderful news! Glad to hear it!
0 -
Hello TCH'ers. I'm really hoping one of you might have either experienced something like this or heard of something like this happening to someone else. I could really use some insight and some calming influence. I'm pretty much freaking out.
My background is as follows: I was diagnosed back in March of this year, had a lumpectomy and SNB in April (2cm IDC, no node involvement, Her2+++, ER/PR negative), finished chemo July 22nd, finished Rads 11/12. Am just starting to get some energy back.
I went to my BS on Wednesday for a 3 month checkup and had an ultrasound of both breasts. Everything looked fine and dandy. On Friday, I went for a Muga Scan. Today I got a call from my Onc saying that the MUGA came back fine, but the Radioactive Isotope they used to "light up" my heart "lit up" my Sentinal Lymph Node ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE of my cancer. She's sending me for PET Scan "just to make sure" and needless to say, I'm freaking out. I'm thinking mets or something really nasty!
I'm wondering if the Radioactive Isotope just lit up the node just as it lit up the heart and its nothing to worry about OR it's something new. That's when I think calmly, which I'm having a hell of a time doing right now.
Has anyone had something like this happen with a MUGA? Any info or opinions you guys have would be greatly appreciated!!
ETA: Had a tumor marker test recently as well. It was perfectly normal.
0 -
hi everyone, I am new here. I will be starting TCH 12/21. I will go every 3 weeks for 6 rounds. I do not get herceptin every week, from what I see, everyone gets H every week?? I wonder why I am not.
I had a MUGA today and brain MRI, tomorrow is a PET scan and putting in my port. Thursday is a CT scan of my chest, abdomen and pelvis.
I know everyone is different but what SE did you all have and when did your hair start to fall out?
Thanks in advance
0 -
allisonttoms911 if at all possible not trying to scare you but Christmas comes once a year and my down days were alway 3-4 days after and I am so surprised they have scheduled yours like this you might ask about it. I had Herceptin every 3 weeks I never heard of it every week until I heard some ladies on this thread mention it and I never had a MUGA test didn't know what it was until I went on google but I did have blood work and pet scans and all the rest. My side effects were not bad until the 4th chemo and I took emend which helped allot and the side effects were just a few days then it gets better its all worth it. I started to loose my hair after the 2nd chemo then I shaved it and you really don't want to discuss my hair not like the other ladies my hair has been a problem coming back so we are here for you if yours gives you a problem. I am sure you will be fine just make sure you tell your doctor about side effect just about anything they can give you meds for it looks like they are speeding along with you which is good. If you just got diagnosed on 12-8 did they do surgery and put you on chemo so quickly that has me a little puzzled.We are here and there is allot of remedies for side effects here too so just ask away I sure did and still do every day I want to learn something about it and you will feel alone no more here.
Maura
0 -
allisontom - The NORMAL IS herceptin every 3 weeks for 11 treatments. If you read back thru this thread, that is the pattern you will see. There is the ocasional diviation, but it is rare.
Sorry you are here, but we are here to help.
Lisa
0 -
enjoylife - No surgery yet for me. They want to shrink the tumor in my breast and lymph node then do surgery then radiation.
Thanks for the welcome. I look forward to comparing notes with everyone!
0 -
allisontom911: Sorry I have to disagree, that normal Herceptin treatment is every three weeks for one year or about 17 to 18 treatments. If you go to the Herceptin website it will also give you this information that states most treatment is for one year combined with chemo.
Everyone here is here to help even though we may each have a slightly different experience. Best of luck to you! We have all walked the same road and everyone here is very helpful. This a great group of ladies!!
0 -
Hi everyone,
I just wrote a long, long post, but before I submitted it, I went back to the previous page to look at something someone said, and when I came back it was gone! Too tired now to try and rewrite it, but I'm thinking about you all!
Becky
0 -
I had herceptin weekly during chemo, but now that I finished with the chemo I will get herceptin every 3 weeks. It doesn't matter how often you get it (every week or every 3 weeks) because it has a 28-day half-life. (It has to do with how long it stays in your body) The only difference is when you get it every 3 weeks, you get 3x the amount at one time as you do when you get it weekly. But either way, you end up getting the same amount. I think in the original studies they used to do weekly because they thought the half-life was much shorter. Now that they know it stays longer in the body, most places give it every 3 weeks due to convenience (and probably monetary reasons, too.)
0 -
shadow38 - I was recently reading about calcifications and came across a post about a PET scan lighting up because of an inflammation--not cancer. I still get radiation recall, so if inflammation can light up a PET scan, then I am sure it would be possible for me to also set off some alarms. Don't you absolutely hate how these tests can turn your world upside down and inside out? Recently, however, I found myself needing to re-framed this torment as a blessing to have modern medical technology looking after me.
Jaimieh - I frequently lose my balance--just a little wobble here and there--and have for months. Last week, I had vertigo to point of getting sick to my stomach. What a crazy experience! Thankfully, I had some left over Ativan. I was certain I had an ear infection and I asked about it when I went for my Herceptin, but my ears were clear. I am glad that you will get your results immediately.
Allison - I am happy to report that the memory of my side effects is becoming dim. What I really remember is having cotton mouth after my first session. I learned to bring a gallon of water with me and drank it over the course of my infusion. I also remember becoming terribly constipated--even though the ladies warned me to take precautions. If you find yourself in same boat, I would ask the oncologist if you can take a Fleet enema. I think my hair started to fall out before or just after Chemo number 2. I cut it short, then shaved it, and finally used the lint roller when my scalp was itching and I found bits of hair everywhere. Funny, but I think the worst side effects came at the end when I lost my eyebrows, eyelashes, and my finger nails.
Be sure you drink plenty of water and know that we are all here for you.
Bold - I am thinking of you and praying for you, your nephew, and family.
My Winter Break (aka Christmas vacation) begins at 3pm on Friday. Oh my stars, I think I am looking forward to this more than my students! I have every intention of unplugging my alarm clock and putting it the drawer for two glorious weeks!
Cheers!
Cloud
0 -
Correction. I had herceptin for 12 MONTHS not 11 treatments. Sometimes the fingers and the brain do not connect.
Herceptin every 3 weeks for 1 year is the normal procedure.
Lisa
0 -
Hi California Cloud,
Thank you so very much for responding to me. I absolutely feel as if "my world has been turned upside down". I was just beginning to feel a little bit like myself and I've been really looking forward to the holidays too. This situation felt like a punch in the stomach. The whole situation is just plain weird. There's no swelling under my arm, the ultrasound I had 2 days before the MUGA came back completely clear, my tumor marker is at 15 and my blood tests are perfect. To top it all off, it's not even on my cancer side!! I have no pain. No discomfort. Nothing.
I think what bothers me the most is the thought that tracer they used for the MUGA scan highlighted that single node, so what's to stop the radioactive tracer they use for the PET from highlighting the same node. Is one tracer different than the other?!?! Why not just forget about the test and send me for a biopsy? I just have this sickening feeling that ultimately, that's what it's going to come down to anyway.
Is a PET scan more sensitive than other types of scans? I've never had one before so I have no idea.
Again, THANK YOU for responding. I posted this on two boards and no one has responded or offered any encouragement but you. I know I'm not the biggest poster around here, but I kinda hoped someone would have heard of something like this. You're a peach for responding!
0 -
ALLISON- Like Weety said. I also get my herceptin ever week. My onc is still going with the old rx of giving it every week for 30 min and does not do the 3 week schedule. At this point it is just a preference. Sometimes I just let the doc do what he wants when the outcome is really all the same. I am fine with it, i get in and out so fast since the drip is only 30 min long. and it is nice to see my nurses and the freinds i have made at the office each week.
0 -
shadow38: Sorry I could not offer any information to you on this subject. Hope you get some answers. I had a PET scan done after I had already had an MRI because they said it showed more detail than an MRI.
I noticed today that I have just recently lost my eyelashes. I have been done with chemo since mid October. Still continuing on with Herceptin. Has anyone else lost eyelashes, hair...after chemo ended???? Is this being caused by the Herceptin or just residual of chemo???
Thanks for the help!
0 -
blessedby4 - Eyebrows, eyelashes, and nails all went kaput after my last chemo treatment. Fortunately, Lisa and some of the others had already posted their experiences so I wasn't shocked by it. Because of Lisa's willing to share her experiences, I am also not surprised that I am losing my eyebrows and eyelashes again. Well, they aren't completely gone, but, oh boy, are they thinning. Ugggh!
I do not know what is causing this, but I receive Herceptin every 3 weeks and my infusion time is 30 minutes. The weekend after is Herceptin is pretty low key for me.
Jaimieh - How are you doing today?
Shadow38 - Have you tried using a few key words to search within breastcancer.org? That's what I did for my research on calcifications. I must say, it wasn't all that helpful, but it gave me something to do and gave me ideas for searching the worldwide web. Keep us posted on what you find out.
If anyone hears from Christy, please post and let us know how she is doing.
Cheers!
Cloud
0 -
shadow38: A PET scan uses radioactive glucose. Tumours attract glucose. So if anything lights up during the scan then they can suspect it's a tumour. PET is the most accurate compared to any others.
When you think about it, during a sentinel node biopsy they inject radioactive isotope to light up the sentinel nodes so they can remove them during surgery. That doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with that node.
I hope you come through this OK.
0 -
Anybody out there with Parkinson while undergoing HCT? I've had Parkinson for about 5 years and it was under good control. I had been exercising regularly. However, now after 4 cycles of chemo, I've slipped dramatically and find routine chores to be very difficult to perform. One of the chemo oncologists said that taxotere can cause neurologic symptoms and that they probably will go away after the chemo treatments. Has this happened to anyone else? I just received my 5th chemo, get a treatment every 3 weeks plus Herceptin every week, and have one more cycle of chemo to go.
0 -
Regalbee, I am sorry you have more problems to deal with than cancer and I also had other problems but not Parkinson's. I do know Taxotere can mess with a lot of things in the head but the Carboplatin was the hardest on me and my brother. Hang in there and keep the onc aware of anything wrong. Also keep drinking your water to wash this stuff out of your body. the sooner the better for you.
I had TCH every 3 weeks but the weeks in between I just had H and then once the hard stuff was over I went to H every 3rd week and it was 3 times stronger to keep me from coming in so often. I had problems with it that was so we had to slow the drip down to last an hour the last 3 or 4 of them. I had to take Benadryal everytime for side effects.
I never had anything show up on my non operation side during all my tests. My sentinel node was as big as my tumor though. I also had 4 nodes with cancer. I was told I was stage III at first and then the radiation onc told me I was IIb. what is the difference? anyway I do know all doctors do different things.Even the ones at the same cancer center it seems. Maybe has to do with what they had had luck with. I had my mammogram for the surgery side but boy did they work it over! My shoulder and back and breast is really sore today.I lost my hair about the second treatment and so I had it buzzed to try to keep hair out of everything. I lost my eyelashes, eyebrows after TC and while I was still taking H. Not sure why but this seems to be the norm.
Shadow38 they use glucose for some cancers but others they use the radio active dye and your blood to do others. I do not understand all I know about this. google as much as you can to help but don't let yourself get overwhelmed.
So happy for all that are getting good news and hope for those who are just starting or are in the middle. We have lots of experience here for sure and you can always type in a search for a certain topic and it will bring it up on the website and tell you what was said about it. Drink water or any liquid you can get down. Jello can be a liquid too and I got to where I had slushes some just because the water tasted so bad I could not get enough down to keep from getting dehydrated. Do not go into a chemo constipated and if they ask tell them. they will give you something. Miralax is great and saved me a lot of times and then I would need Imodium later after chemo. It is a roller coaster but it is doable. This is a word so many come to hate but afterward can agree. it is doable but not fun for sure. come here for info and just to rant about anything. We will do our best to help and listen.
Carolyn
0
