Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
Comments
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Congrats on your last one! I am so far away from that (next March, I hope), but you all give me hope that there is an end to this particular issue.
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Dear Frosty - Hang tough my dear; in spite of our various ups and downs the year does indeed pass quickly. And I am amazed at how much better I feel just one month out from my last Herceptin. For months I thought I was incredibly out of shape because I had limited flexibility and I ached each time I bent my at my hips or knees. In fact, I had become a grunter!
I have always been an energetic, upbeat person, but during my cancer therapy my standard reply to "how are you doing?" was "hanging in there." And then last week, practically overnight, it all changed: Once again my heartfelt proclamation of feeling "wonderful!" has returned. I am not making it up when I say that I feel fantastic!
Alaina - Congratulations! Ain't life grand?
Cheers!
Cloud
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Alaina... congrats on finishing Herceptin!!! yay..
Frosty ... I am going to be in your neck of the woods this weekend. My kids and I are flying into Seattle in the morning to see my hubby who is working there. I hope to get to Bellevue too and go to the doll museum. I will be staying in Kent. I'm probably going to fall very far behind on reading these posts, unless I can sneak onto someones computer!
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Alaina!! WhooHoo!! Ya made it, gal!! I did my last Herceptin 2 1/2 weeks ago, but I still feel like I'm in the "3 week cycle". I know I will be on the road to full recovery when I get by this last 3 week mile marker next Tuesday. From there on it's all down hill!!!
I was not allowed to take any vitamines or supliments either. My onco said she didn't want any false positives showing up on my blood work. She did, however, let me take a probiotic for a week or two (starting the day before chemo) to help with the digestive (mostly diarrhea) problem.
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Alaina...Congratulations on being PFH!!!!!! It is a great feeling!
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Geez, PFC, then PFH--let's hope that's our last PF EVER!!!!! Yay Alaina! Congrats!
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Allison, Five years ago I had been suffering from sciatica for about a year when the Dr. began with epidurals of a steroid. Over a year I had about three. They would give some relief but in the end I had a laminotomy between L4 and L5 also between L5 and S1 which fixed the problem completely. I hope that you can get some relief from the epidurals. This is no time to be in pain.
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cakelady -- welcome to the Northwest! We are having some wild weather today. I'm hoping it will calm down long enough to enjoy Easter with the family. The doll museum is pretty incredible. If you get a chance head over to the Bellevue Art Museum and see the shoe exhibit. The things I've seen look pretty neat. I hope to get over there soon. ANd there are a ton of great restaurants nearby.
Safe travels!
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FROSTY thanks, yes its cold and windy here, we went down to Pikes Place today. We will go to the doll museum on Monday and maybe the zoo. My kids want to go to the space needle and also ride the Ducks. Hubby wants to go to the science fiction museum. Thanks for the info. Downtown Seattle is pretty crazy. I haven't been feeling great, but hope to enjoy this trip anyway.
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Happy Easter everyone. I know for those still taking chemo it is rough but maybe you have a happy time today. After all this is the day we celebrate our Lord overcoming death to give us everlasting life.
Carolyn
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Happy Easter to all you wonderful ladies!
Cloud - OMG your last post describes exactly what I'm feeling right now. My hips, thighs and knees really hurt... I, too, have become a grunter. I finished my chemo 3 weeks ago and still feel like an old lady when I get up from a sitting position or when I bend down.... I guess this must be a SE from Herceptin. I, also, have always been an energetic, upbeat person but my standard reply to "how are you doing" is "hanging in there". Hopefully by Christmas time I'll be able to answer FANTASTIC. I am so happy for you that you are finally in that place.
Cakelady- I pray you start to feel better and stronger... I know how much you've been looking forward to this trip.
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Alaina: Congratulations on finishing up treatment!!
Cloud and CinCan: I am right there with you with the feeling the aches and am so thankful that you both are acknowledging the same feelings. My onc doesn't really say much when I tell him that I feel like I am 90 years old and getting down on my hands and knee's which I have to do alot for my job is so hard. Then of course there is trying to get back up. Just getting out of bed or out of the car is a harder than it use to be and I considered myself in fairly good shape. I want so much to believe that these aches and pains are from treatment so that I can also hope that they will go away once treatment is over.
Happy Easter to all!
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I have a question for you ladies...
I finished chemo 3 wks ago, starting radiation tomorrow and a bit confused on the hormone therapy. I am premenepausal and now medically induced menepausal. My onc wants to put me on aromasin and lupron shots every 3 months to prevent bone damage. I just assumed i would take tamoxifin? I will see him again next wk and will discuss this further, but in the meantime I wanted to rreach out to you ladies and see if anyone was on this regimen or heard of this regimin being administed to premen...women? Thanks
Be well everyone.
Rose
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nanadada, Things have since changed for me (I was found to have a complex cyst on my ovary so now they are recommending hysterectomy/oopherectomy and then of course the AI after since I would be officially post-menopausal) but before this finding, my oncs, too, were recommending that I do the lupron and an AI instead of tamoxifen. I am 39, very premenopausal before diagnosis (just had a baby and was breastfeeding when diagnosed) and also in a chemo-induced menopause. My mother had a rare form of uterine cancer, so I think that coupled with the slight increased risk of uterine cancer on tamox, that my docs decided to skip tamox altogether. I have seen other women on this board also doing the same. Some were poor metabolizers of tamox, others I'm not sure the reason why they went straight to the AI's, but you're definately not alone!
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Rose: A friend of mine over here went through menopause because of the chemo. She's only 40 and she is on Arimidex too. Good luck with the first rads treatment - mine is tomorrow our time.
Sue
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I know it is so confusing with all the meds they give you these days but I think they are finding new things that work better or at least depending on you they prescribe different things. I would ask the onc why they think one med is better than another. A lot of doc don't think we can process all this but they need to know we do and we do our homework. It is our bodies and we should be a part of the decisions. Some people would rather just go along with what the doc says but I am not like this.
Hope radiation goes great for everyone and those still taking chemo hang in there it is going to be over faster than you think. I do hope everyone gets to feeling better with the aches and pains but I had them before cancer so I can't say if it gets better. I am older though but had these problems when I was young. I have Fibromyalgia and you may be feeling a little of this because of your nerves but hopefully it will get better. I know when I first went back to work it was a struggle but I soon got back in the swing of things and my brain finally came back too.
Carolyn
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CinCan. thanks. I am okay . I have some blood tests coming up on Monday and 2 of them are cancer tumor marker tests, and I am quite nervous about them, because I have been feeling off and on bloating, gas, diarrhea, stomach making a lot of unusual noises....... I got my Pap and pelvic and Hpv test done last week. Got back from my trip to Seattle tonight, had a good time. Now I am looking at a busy life ahead with several doctor appointments, upcoming surgery on my expander, work, and taking a second job which I just got before I went on my trip. I hope I can handle all of this
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Cakelady, you sound too busy. I hope you can handle another job too but try to take care of yourself and family first. I know you have had a hard time money wise but just don't over do it. I think stress does a lot of harm to us too.
Carolyn
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Hi Ladies-
Been trying to catch up, looks like lots is going on for everyone! Congrat's to those who are rounding the corner and are now done with parts of your treatmet and prayers and positive thoughts to everyone still on this journey.
Cloud and CinCan - so glad that you both mentioned that achiness, (well not glad that you have it, but glad that you mentioned it!) I've been feeling the same thing. I keep telling my hubby that my 103 yr old Aunt moves faster than me with her walker! YIKES!
I am just 2 weeks PFC. My Herceptin has now changed to the 3 week cycle. I was having it weekly during the chemo. Then last week, they mistakenly gave me a single dose, so I had to go in yesterday to get my triple dose. I still get the chills something fierce the night of herceptin and then again the next day. My temp is actually down to 97 something. Duh, no wonder that I am cold all the time. It was 70 degrees here last week in MN, and I was wearing long sleeves and a sweatshirt!!
Has anyone found anything that helps with the dreaded fatigue? My energy level is no where like it used to be, naps don't seem to be an option as then I don't sleep through the night. I am having a hard time thinking that it is going to be like this until January 2011, when I finally finish herceptin!
My cousin (a nurse) told me that it can take up to a year to fully get your energy back after surgery. great. I had bilat mast in Dec 2009, port surgery in January 2010, with have reconstruction surgery in May or June 2010. Ugh!
I just want to feel healthy again! I think that's the part that really stinks about all of this. Before I was dx'd I felt healthier than I ever had. Now, there are days that I am just trying to make it through. I feel like such a wimp!
If I hear of one more person, who never missed a day of work, during chemo, or sailed through their surgeries and treatment I am going to SCREAM!
Well, ladies, sorry for the vent! Time to take my 47 yr old tired, achy body off this chair and start my day!
-Sher
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Hi, ladies!
Met with my onco yesterday (I finished Herceptin 3 weeks ago). She said I am all done. Since I was ER- and HR2+++ and post menopausal, I won't have to take any other treatments. She did give me three things to do to help prevent recurrence.
• Take Vitimain D and a baby asprin daily
• Exercise
• Limit alcohol to 5 servings per week.
That will be easy enough to follow through on!!! I'm to see her again in four months. WOW... it's really over! The only milestone that remains is deportation and hopefully that will come the first week in May.
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SWAMPY - congratulations. My final Herceptin is tomorrow (!!!) and I know Alaina finishes right around now, too.
My port comes out 4/26 - I am more excited about that than anything else, I think.
Amy
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Amy...Congrats on your final Herceptin tomorrow!! It is such long time coming!!0
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Swampy and Amy - Happy, happy days are here again for the two of you...CONGRATS!
Just-Sher - I feel your pain. I am so sick and tired of feeling sick and tired!!!! I took a medical leave from work....I've been off since October. There's no way I could have continued working while going through chemo. I, too, am always cold... it was 80 degrees today and while shopping at an outdoor mall I wore a jean jacket over my top (and a knit hat) and never took it off. My friend wore a cotton short sleeve shirt and was complaining how hot it was. It felt so good to be outdoors in the warm weather walking, shopping, and eating. But, by this evening I feel like I hit a brick wall...the fatigue really set in. My legs are aching right now. I'm in a sweat suit under a blanket, resting on my couch....hoping that I will make to 8 PM
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Hi Everyone - I finished my 6th TCH...now have just Herceptin until December. I should have my bmx mid may and then start rads mid june.
Congrats to all that have finished H
I also had a epidural for my back and it seems to have helped a little bit!
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Gramma.... thanks for your concern. I know I may be thinking I can do more than I really can, but I will actually have 2 part time jobs, so it should work out. I didn't go looking for it, this other job sort of came to me. It was a job I had applied for about 5 yrs ago but was too late. However I have had the best job over the last 5 yrs, and now it has slowed down and I think the second job will make up for it. They are both cake decorating jobs. One a family owned business and the other a big company.
Swampy... congratulations on being done. I have heard that about the aspirin too, that it helps prevent recurrence.
Amy..... YAY on your last Herceptin.... I have surgery on the 26th too, and will be deported then also.
Cin Can.... sorry you are feeling cold and aching. I am one that is too hot in the warm weather. I get hot and can't stand it.... I dread summer.....and its coming fast.
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CinCan, I used to always be too hot but now I can't get warm except on some occasions I get to where it is so stuffy and I can't breath. I think the reason I can't get warm is my low red blood count. that may be your problem have you looked lately to see what yours is reading?
I am so happy for everyone finishing and seeing the end to all this. It is hard to get your energy back. I find that if I get some exercise like walking or doing something enjoyable I feel better even if I am tired. Hang in there you will get back to normal. It may be a new normal but you will get better.
Carolyn
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Amy and Swampy: Congratulations on being done! How exciting it will be to get your port removed!
Allison: So glad to hear you are done with chemo! You did it!! Yeah for you!!!
Cakelady: So glad to see you also will be getting deported soon!
I have 3 more months to go and then it will be my turn to say I am done and also get deported! What a year for all of us Her2+ ladies! But we are doing this and beating this!!
CinCan: I also did not work during my chemo, took 6 months off but also had reconstructive surgeries after chemo and was just trying to get myself back to a point where I could function without being so over tired and getting myself mentally ready! I am so glad I did it this way and for the first time in my life just took care of me and my needs! I have no regrets with that decision. Hope you don't feel any guilt in taking a leave from your job!
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Actually, I'm DONE! My final Herceptin was last Friday, 4/2. And my 40th birthday was the very next day, 4/3! Yes, I partied like a rockstar!
Hope to see you tonight Amy...I won't get there till @ 630pm though.
Alaina
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Alaina: Congratulations on being DONE!!!! Happy Birthday to you also, what a great bday you must have enjoyed!!!0
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Congrats to everyone who just finished, is getting deported etc.
I had # 5 TCH out of 6 yesterday. As usually I stay home from work on Thurs and Friday, usually start to feel bad sometime on Saturday. Drag myself to work on Monday - St. Louis Cardinal home opener that day, Yea! Probably be out of there before it gets to crazy as the office building I work is is connected to the ball park parking garage.
With me being BRCA2 positive, lump is out of the question now, so spoke with doc about this, and looks like bilateral msx is going to happen. Because of that, and nodes being clean looks like no rads - unless they find something during surgery. Right now they can't even find the cancer mass, and it was over 4 cm when I started. Herceptin kicked its butt!!! Praying they don't find anything on the surgery! Also got a referral for the ooph - which I am going to do as well. I told my hubby, I will be just like my dog, an it, - no boobs, and no ovaries! But, whatever needs to be done to make sure this crap NEVER comes back!!!!
Looks like my surgery will be mid-June sometime.
Hope we continue to hear good news!
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