Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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mtndawn - Sorry you have to be here but this is a great group. I just finished my TC on 4/7 and have my H until December. I am having my surgery in 2 weeks.
ccbaby - I will say a prayer for your nephew, that has to be awful for his parents and all of your family.
Keep fighting the fight everyone!
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Ladies - Well, I am PORTLESS as of this morning. I was there about 90 min but the actual time in the procedure room was maybe 20 min start to finish. I did get some last minute jitters/anxiety last night but it really turned out to be no big deal. The port was bigger than i realized, when they held it up to show me when it was out. (They wouldn't let me take it - I asked. They said it was a biohazard. And once I saw it, I really didn't want it anymore anyway so it was fine.)
The nurses made a big fuss and said it was a day of celebration. I am happy and relieved but more tired and more ready to rest than celebrate. When i was leaving, one nurse said "I hope this is the last time your life is ever inconvenienced due to cancer" and I thought - ME TOO!
Cakelady - how did yours go?
Thanks to everyone for the support. It has been a hell of a year.A.
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Congrats Amy! Mine is coming out in August, as part of my prophy-mastectomy on the right side, followed by DIEP flap reconstruction. They didn't want to schedule me for more than one "surgery" this summer, so it will just come out when they do everything else.
Plus this way, I get to visit my fav chemo nurses every 6 weeks to get it flushed. Crazy, but I miss them!
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WHOOO for being deported Amy
Glad it wasn't so bad. I am cheating and mine is coming out this Thursday during my Stage 2 surgery. Alaina~ I miss chatting with the nurses at the center that I go to. Now even my quick appointments take a while because I talk to everyone.
Christy~ Your nephew is in my thoughts and prayers.
I am off in a little more than 24 hours back to NOLA. I am excited, nervous but all in all just ready to be done with drains, surgery etc. I know I do not have to do this but I really want to get everything looking right. I know that on Wednesday I will be all on Board after my appt. with Dr. Sullivan. There is just something about him that makes me feel safe. So anyhow I am off to pack...I guess I shouldn't put it off for too long.
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Hi ladies,
Amy-congrats!
Jaimie-how exciting to be done with surgery! YEAH
Quick question for you all. While you were doing all the chemo-tax/carb & herc, did you notice a "chemo" smell. This smell really grosses me out. It is kind of a sweetish icky smell. I can smell it all over me. Especially when i go to the bathroom or exercise. My husband says he can't smell it. Only me. It is really bad the first two weeks after my treatment, and then the last week it is almost gone.
Please tell me that when I go to only getting the herceptin, that smell will be gone.
Thanks,
V
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V~ I also smelled the smell that you are talking about and it does go away (I think) or you eventually become immune to it.
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V - All I know is that my pee smelled like burnt rubber for 3-4 days after every herceptin treatment. *blech*
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Amy: Congratulations on getting deported! Wow, so exciting to see so many of us finishing this long road we have been on! What a great feeling it must be!
Jaimieh: How wonderful to hear yours will be coming out this week also! We are all moving through this and getting back to a life without cancer!!
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blessedby4: No surgery yet, they want to get the good drugs to the cancer anywhere it may exist as quickly as possible.
Thank God for benedryl and probiotics! I have a nasty itchy rash on my neck which is calming down with the benedryl. I have been so burpy, but the probiotics have helped (or it was psychosomatic). I almost feel like myself again.
Alaina, my good luck charm angel. It's good to see you here. I'm so glad you are so close to the end of this well-fought, deservedly-won battle.
Dawn
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Thank you everyone for your prayers for my nephew. His surgery went very well yesterday and the doc removed all of the tumor off of his brain. He has a horseshoe incision on the top of his head and they also put his port in for when he starts his chemo. He is in pain today and should get out of ICU today or tomorrow
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Christy'
So sorry for your nephew, he is so young to deal with all that. I hope he will be fine.
My surgery turned out to be a little more complicated than originally thought. They were going to replace the one leaking expander, and take my port out. Once I was in the O.R., already knocked out, the doctor found that my left expander was also squished up and not right, so they had to get permission from my mom to replace that one too. So I have 2 new expanders now. That is probably going to be much better because I always felt that the left one was poking out in wierd places and seemed bunched up. So , I am deported and feeling much better today than I did yesterday. I am sore, and have to sleep in that uncomfortable semi sitting position again, which I hate, I cant sleep like that!!! But glad that is over and I can start the fills again, hopefully with no more problems... Congrats Amy, on your deportation too!! cool we did it on the same day.
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Nice to meet you all, I just finished today my last & 6th round of carboplatinm taxatere , will continue though with herceptin through December of this year , her2 protein rigth breast n lymphnode under arm Diagnosed 12/18/2009. started chemo on 01/08/2010 , port in left arm
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I am so happy for all of you getting finished and deported. I do not know when I will get mine out so I will have to keep going to get it flushed but I also have to get shots for low red blood counts. I do enjoy seeing the women that took care of me and also some who are still in treatment. I am not sure I could go 8 years like some have. I guess we do what we have to do. I am off the trial now and that was not fun. I guess I am the only one to have such horrible side effects. I did give it my best and wish for all of us I could have done it. A lot of women are doing this though and hopefully some day they will have more meds to fight this.
Carolyn
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I just finished my sixth and final round of TCH today!!
Now, just need to get thru the next 6 to 8 days and things will be good.
Blood level slightly down, and the notation by nurse was slightly anemic, but I still had Chemo.
All other levels were good.
Start Hercpetin only on 5/19. Surgery set for 6/21, that will be 8 weeks PFC so hopefully all blood levels will be good.
CCbaby - sorry to hear about your nephew, and glad to hear surgery went well!
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stlcardsfan - CONGRATS!!!! on finishing chemo. what a great feeling it is. My numbers are still horrible. My platelest are down to 50k. I am to have surgery May 10th and they need to be over 100K.
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What a lot of celebration going on! Deportations. Last treatments. I'm halfway through the cocktail, with #4 set for next Wednesday. This last round felt like the SEs lingered a lot longer. VM -- I too smell that awful smell. I hate it!
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Thank you everyone again
Stl Cards Fan...Congrats on finishing chemo!! YAY! Hey, were you at the 20 inning game a couple of weeks ago? My husband and I went to the motocross race at the Rams stadium that night and the Cards game got out at the same time as the race. What a madhouse getting back to our car in the parking garage!!
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stlcardsfan: Yeah, Congratulations on finishing chemo!!! What a great feeling!!
valeriemiller: Welcome and good news to hear you are done with the chemo, congratulations! Herceptin is easy compared to the chemo!
cakelady: Sorry to hear that your surgery involved more than you had anticipated but sounds like a good fresh start with new expanders and hopefully no more problems! Hope your getting the rest you need...at least the port is gone!!!!
Carolyn: I know I am so use to seeing my chemo nurses (I guess now their my Herceptin nurses) that I am to the point where I look forward to going to treatment and wonder what it will be like when I am not seeing them in a couple more months. I can understand that it must be nice to see some familiar faces when you go in for the flushing and your shots.
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Sooo happy for those finishing TC and yes the H is easier but it may not be without side effects. I always felt sick and achy the day of the Herceptin and had a horrible taste in my mouth for a few days but nothing like the TC smell was. You can do this after TC for sure. They had to slow the drip down to an hour for me the last few treatments because it was making it hard to breath. I am not sure it was the medicine or the fact it was going in so fast. With the Herceptin they push you so they can get more people in to have heavier duty meds but this is just as important as the other too. without it we HER2 women would not make it more than likely so if you need to slow it down do it. You pay the same and not there by the minute. I had one nurse (she is gone now) that wanted to rush everyone through.
Carolyn
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CCbaby - My thoughts and prayers are with your nephew...such a horrible thing to be going through at his age.
Cakelady - I hope you have a speedy recovery and getting stronger by the hour...woohoo no more port!!
gramma23 - they increased my weekly 30 min. Herceptin infusion to 90 min every 3 wks infusion. But now that I am on Herceptin every 3wks and daily rads...my energy has been zapped out of me and my joint pain has gotten worse. Anyone out there with some tips or advice as to how to control this?
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ccbaby - no we weren't at that marathon game on I think 4/17. We actually went on 4/16 (my birthday) and I only made it till the 5th inning (I had treatment on 4/7 so I was just starting to feel halfway normal again) I was the designated driver, and told my hubby if he wanted to get home and me drive, then we need to leave now, I was getting really tired. We had tickets in the Cardinals Club which includes all food and drink. Part of my b-day present from hubby.
Allison - good luck with your upcoming surgery - hope your blood levels bounce back! I still have most of my eyebrows, although right side is less than left. And all eyelashes. I also noticed black hair poking thru my scalp, I sure it will get zapped with the chemo I had yesterday - but that is a good sign! All 4 doctors have given me ok to start taking Biotin. I read about that on the hair, hair, hair thread. There was also a comment on 70% or higher dark cocoa for hair regrowth. To bad that is on my no no list due to chemo heartburn.
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Congrats to all those who are finishing the "hard stuff" (TCH) and going on Herceptin only. Also congrats to those who have finished the "big H".
I am scheduled for deportation on Monday. The surgeon will also fix a minor flaw on the right incision line that did not heal smoothly (a lump that looks like a second port).
As I was celebrating my one year treatment anniversary tragdy struck. My sister Libby's son (Jason-31 years old) was shot and killed by my sister Mary Kay's husband (Pat). One dead nephew and two devestated sisters. Pat has always been a loose cannon and the family tolerates him because Mary Kay loves him, but he's one of those people who always walks on the fine edge of "normalicy". To date he has not been arrested. There was no malice or premeditation, just a stupid dumb drunken gun accident that he won't own up to. He fled the scene and left Jason on the floor for others to tend to. He's a convicted felon and should never have had a gun in the first place. All we (family) are asking for is for him to man up and take responsibility. Let the chips fall as they may, but I'm thinking he should serve time for manslaughter.
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Oh my god swampy , how horrible. Things like that should never happen. I'm so sorry for you and your sisters.
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Swampy!! OMG!! I am so sorry that happened! I sure hope he is arrested soon and they throw the book at him!!0
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Congratulations to the deported and all those with good news here. So sorry Swampy about your nephew.
I haven't been on the boards for quite a while. For those who are newer, I finished TCH in February 2009 and finished Herceptin in September - Lisa and I were on pretty much the same schedule. I've been just getting on with my life and doing fine. Sometimes treatment just seems like a bad dream or something that happened to someone else.
I just had my first blood test in almost 6 months. On the previous one, I was still kind of anemic - not terribly low, but all the red blood cell numbers were a bit below normal even though I felt okay. I'm pleased to report that now all the blood counts were in the normal range.
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Weety I read back a few pages and saw you were worried about chemo-induced leukhemia. It is Adriamycin and other anthracyclines that are linked to a small increased risk of leukhemia (about a quarter of a percent develop it after treatment with them). We didn't get those drugs and there is nothing suggesting any link between TCH treatment and leukhemia.
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swampy - I am so sorry to hear about your nephew. That is awful. My prayers are going out to you and your family.
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Thanks Bluedasher, and it's so good to hear from you after all this time! I'm so glad that you're doing well now and the blood counts are back where they belong.
Swampy, I am so sorry for such terrible news. Not exactly the way you wanted to celebrate your treatment anniversary.
Allison, you've got a bit of time to get those platelets back up. Rest and eat well, hopefully that will help.
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I want to thank you all for your prayers and kind thoughts for my sisters and family. It has been an ordeal and still more to come, I'm sure. I have a cop friend of mine checking with the detective on the case to find out what the status is. He will probably get more information talking cop to cop than I would.
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Swampy: So very sorry to hear of the loss of your nephew. What a tragedy for your whole family!
Bluedasher: Glad to hear your getting on with life! I believe that's what all will need to get back to as we each finish up treatment and we put this bc road behind us!
I know some have commented on this before but I would like to raise this issue again.
The aches I have in my knee's are just awful! When I try to bend down or try to get up...oh my goodness! I know some of you have said this is from the Herceptin, I know I never had this before treatment started. Will this go away as you get done with treatment? I believe I have 3 more Herceptin treatments to go and so look forward to being free of these aches and pains!
Thanks!!
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