Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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Michcon - I thought my throat had swollen during TCH, but I guess the better description for me was it was very hard to swallow like bread or anything "bulky" I usually ate soup or soft things for about 2 weeks after treatment.
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michcon - please let us know how you're doing! I thought of you as yours was the last post I read before heading off to do taxotere myself. The nurse was very clear with that if anything came up, I should go to 24/7 cancer center downtown and not an emergency room for allergic reactions, etc. Don't know if you have that option. I wish they were more helpful to you and what is a very scary SE.
I had my first round today - very uneventful. No naseau at all so far. Fingers crossed.
Marm - i've read briefly that if your heart function decreases too much on herceptin, they will stop it. maybe they're waiting to see how fast you heart will recover. I am worried about that for me, too. Please keep us posted.
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Michcon...after my first tx with Taxotere, Cytoxan and Herceptin I did have a very funky sore and 'swollen' throat. I thought I was coming down with something and didn't realize for a couple of days that it might be the chemo. DUH! But that round was when I hadn't been fully hydrated and I had all sorts of SEs, the worst being the headache from hell.
As far as STEROIDS go, the MO said he gives everyone Dexamethasone tablets to take bid the day before, day of and day after Taxotere, plus with each tx I got Dexamethasone IV to ward off inflammation.
I just had my 2nd MUGA this week. Don't have the results yet but think it is OK. Here they do a baseline MUGA and then one every 3 months while on Herceptin. Was told that if the ejection fraction gets to 55% or below they will stop giving Herceptin.
PS/ They sent Mom home last night! She is happy to be out of hospital prison and away from that dietitian who wasn't helping anything. Mom is still pretty weak but eager to get back to her routine. I'm working with her GI doc to give her a very restrictive and controlled diet until the diarrhea stops and the inflammation is down. Then we will slowly reintroduce certain foods. I'm grateful you allowed me to vent here about this for the last 8 days and am grateful for your prayers and concern when I was terrified for her...and for me. Thank you. And Mom thanks you, too.
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Thank you all for your concern. I did end up going to the ER because I was afraid to fall asleep with the tight throat. I'm so not that kind of person to run off to the ER! Turns out it was silly I guess. They couldn't see anything, said it seemed "irritated", but not overly swollen. I guess better safe than sorry. I still felt like doctors didn't know much. Why would it look irritated if I didn't do anything to it? ha. This Cancer thing is really annoying!
Anyway... I'm alive and well. I'll just keep an eye on it and definitely keep hydrated.
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Michcon-i had throat swelling with my chemo. it was almost as if my throat were numb and/or there was like it felt like something small was stuck there. It only felt that way for the first few treatments. I either got used to it or it stopped.
V
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Bon - So glad to know your Mom is home. Have been wondering how she was doing so glad to hear the update.
On the throat swelling - I didn't have that but the lining of my mouth would shed in large pieces. I had been warned about that possibility so I had filled a liquid RX mouth rinse that really, really helped. I also noted that the lining of my colon would shed too - ugh!! How Gross!! The only consolation was the belief that if the TCH was doing that to the fast producing cells of my mouth and colon, then it must be working on the cancer too. Also had slight nosebleeds throughout which was really annoying - as you said Michcon, the cancer thing is annoying. I am just so grateful for this site to vent, inform, share, learn...
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You know, Lilylou, My 'peeling' mouth just got feeling sort of normal today. It would start with the tip of my tongue feeling burned about two days after each tx. And within the next couple of days my whole mouth would feel raw and have a funny taste. And I am still having nosebleeds a week and a half after my last chemo tx. I guess I had adjusted to those things since they were part of every treatment and took a backseat to the rest of the SE that came along, too. Gosh, I am so glad to have the chemo behind me now, but don't know how long it takes for the poison to out of your system. Someone told me that it takes at least a full month. I bet that's true. The rash I got from Taxotere didn't even appear until day 12 after a chemo tx and it didn't respond to the steroids for another 5 or 6 days,
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I read somewhere that Taxotere stays in you body for up to a year. Wonder if that is true? I wouldn't doubt it.
After I was complete with all the Tx, I went through a period of really severe, dibilitating depression, fright, & worry. Don't know if this is a common SE after the chemicals have been in your system for a length of time or not. I mention it in case anyone else experiences this. It took me several days to figure out that the anti-depressant I had been taking during chemo was not working at all. I believe most women experience depression when hormones change and I had been on an anti-depressant since a complete hysterectomy a few years ago but this extreme sadness and fear was way beyond what I had ever experienced. Knew it had to be the chemicals in my body but it was still truly awful. I changed to another anti-depressant and all those symptoms went away within a couple weeks. A SE I hope to never experience again for any reason and hope this alerts others that it is possible & to do something about it as soon as you recognize it.
We are truly warriors - what we go through as we battle this disease is mind boggling!
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I am almost 5 weeks out of my last TCH. I am really feeling great! My arm is still swollen from the clot, but we are chasing the INR numbers to get my clotting factor just right. I was a little too thin last week, so I skipped a dose and halved the next one. We'll see what the next test says.
My bmx is scheduled for the 16th of this month. I'll have immed recon with alloderm and TEs. I will have rads afterward. LilyLou, do you have any advice on the surgery and recovery?
I saw my BS Thursday. He did an exam and actually said it was a complete clinical response. Yippee! Now, I hope they find a pathological complete response as well.
The last few days, my head has been itching. I think I may have felt some head stubble in the shower today. I'll let you know if my hair is really coming in, or if I'm just imagining things.
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Congrats, Dawn!!! Fantasic news on the complete clinical response, too!!!
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Dawn, Congratulations on completing the 6 courses of chemo and on the happy news that you've had a "complete clinical response". Wishing you all the best with your upcoming surgery.
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anyone have any tips for the awful abdominal bloating, distention? 3 days post first TCH and I can hear it gurgling so much in my belly but can't seem to alleviate the discomfort.
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Oh my Emster, I had the same thing! I thought I would explode! I think about day 4 it started to resolve. I was wondering if it was from the steroids, what do you think?0
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Omaz: I haven't got a clue! It is just quite uncomfortable. Don't know if I should just make myself throw up or deal with the bloating. I have been sucking on gum in my mouth to try to get rid of the awful taste. Hope it goes away by tomorrow
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I think I ended up putting ice packs on my abdomen for a while.
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Emster - I've had some bloating gas feeling, too. I'm trying to just eat very, very small bites all day long. Yesterday was awful as I was in a fog all day too, today is a lot better. I have to go to work tomorrow. I don't know if I can do it.0
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I don't know if it works for everyone, but I took probiotics for my burpy gas. It helped almost instantly. They say you can take gas-x, too. But sometimes, only time will do it. Good luck.
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I'll try the gas-x next time, add it to my bucket of SE meds! What probiotic did you use?
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I just tried some gas ex so hopefully it will help some. Hopefully it will subside by tomorrow.
taranebraska: i will be thinking about you at work tomorrow. Hopefully it will not be too long of a day for you. the third day thing is not as smooth as I would have hoped it would be!
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I used nutrasumma probiotic (20 Billion CFU activity per serving). A serving is 2 capsules. It doesn't require refrigeration, and was a dose I could take twice a day, instead of a huge once a day dose. It was also cheaper than the others at my health food store. The chemo nurse told me I could take it "IF it helps you, but you probably just have to burp and fart it out." Well, fortunately for me it worked.
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Thanks!
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Day 12 Post-Op Update!
Hi Everyone! I could not stand being cooped up a minute more, and my BFF Steph came to get me so I could drive my car back to my Mom's house. I will most likely get cleared to drive tomorrow, so let's just keep this our little secret, ok? LOL!!!Anywhoo...I am making a quick pit-stop at my apartment, to use my computer and check in and update folks...so here goes...
Cathy (my other BFF) and I arrived at Mercy Hospital at 9:30am. By 9:45am I had had my first needle-stick for a test my plastic surgeon needed pre-surgery.
Shortly afterwards, I was called back and prepped for surgery. I was told surgery would start around noon-time, but it turns out my breast surgeon was running behind, so they didn't actually take me back until 1:15pm. Some of you may have seen my drive-by comments on Facebook (I wasn't supposed to have my cell-phone back there, but that's what BFF's are for!)
Dr. Chang came back to "draw on me." I told him the results of my Facebook Survey on CupSize, and he just laughed. He said, well, you have enough tissue/fat to give you Full B's or Small C's depending on which way you look at them. Fair enough, so that's what I have, Full-B's/Small-C's. And they are LOVELY!
Ok, so they take me back. My breast surgeon first does a skin-sparing prophylactic mastectomy on my right breast. This took about 2 hours. Then Dr. Chang came in to do my reconstruction. It only took 6 hours!!! He said the blood vessels they needed to locate were just sitting there saying, "HELLO, HERE WE ARE!" so the normal hour or two they take to search for and find the right vessels, they didn't need to do with me. 3 hours on each side and we were DONE! PRAISE GOD! Nothing but the grace of God and ALL your collective prayers! I was under general anesthesia for only 8 hours! Even the doctors were estimating 10 hours at a minimum, so I consider this a HUGE blessing!
I wish I could say the rest of that day went as smoothly. I woke up, and the first words out of my mouth were "I'm scared!" And then I kept asking if I was breathing. Cathy asked the recovery nurses why I was so agitated (more than normal when coming out of anesthesia), and they said that it's a common side effect of this new general anesthetic they are using. Apparently, the anesthetic they USED to use regularly, Propofol, is in short supply (post-Michael Jackson I suppose), and they are now using this other drug (whose name I have yet to get...) Well, apparently nearly EVERY patient who gets this drug wakes up verbalizing fear and having varying levels of panic and anxiety as it wears off.
I had panic and anxiety attacks all night long! It was MISERABLE! Intellectually, I knew I had nothing to be afraid of, but I could not shake the feeling that if I closed my eyes and fell asleep, I would die. The nurse sat with me for 3 hours, God Bless Her. Finally I agreed to have them give me something to MAKE me sleep.
The next day, they moved me to a private room and the nurses got me sitting up in a chair within a few hours. I had on-demand Dilaudid via IV, could take Percocet whenever I wanted, and had the On-Q Pain Pump continuously bathing my abdomen in Marcane. But sitting upright for the 1st time was the most pain I'd ever felt in my LIFE! OMG!!! I could hardly believe it!
I slept in the chair for 3 hours, and the nurses finally took pity on me and put me back in bed. But then the dopplers for my new breast flaps went wacky. Get this, I had electronic doppler-monitor-thingees attached to the new girls, and my plastic surgeon has an I-Phone App that lets him check the blood flow into my new breasts 24 hours a day from wherever he is! There truly is an APP for EVERYTHING! I told him he had a Boob-Alert!
So apparently, the dopplers aren't happy when you move around, so my flaps really weren't failing. Dr. Chang said to remove the dopplers if the nurses were going to keep me moving around.
On Friday, I started on solid foods (somewhat reluctantly), and they stopped the Dilaudid (which was making me itch something terrible!) They also insisted I sit up in the chair again. I was in that chair 20 minutes before everything started going dotty and purpley. Basically, I passed out. My blood pressure plummeted to like 60/44! Back to bed, and they started pumping over 1000 mL of saline to bring my p[ressure back up. That worked! Essentially, they sat me up too quickly after taking me off the Gold-Star narcotics, and I was a bit dehydrated, so...*swoon*
I peed 12 times in 60 minutes! At some point, I stopped calling for the Nurse Tech and just got out of bed on my own. That level of moving around and eating solid food was my ticket OUT of the hospital the next day! Whoo-Hoo! All things work together for the good...right?
Painwise, I'm amazed at how much better I feel each day. 12 days post-op, and I haven't had ANY painkillers in over 72 hours! I'm still a bit sore and achey, and still have 2 drains (1 VERY stubborn!), but again, each day gets better and better!
I have to send a huge Shout-Out to Cathy who was there when I woke up (even though I couldn't see her, she kept talking to me and sitting with me, and answering my crazy questions!) She even got a hotel room right across the street from the hospital so she could be there when I needed her. And another Shout-Out to Stephie who kept you all updated, checked on my cat, collected my mail, and basically ensured I did not climb the walls too terribly. I have the BEST best friends in the WORLD!!!
And for each person who made a point of coming to see me while I was in the hospital, while I was looking like the Heat Miser's long-lost black sister, I THANK YOU!!! You have no idea how much those visits meant to me! I truly love and appreciate each of you!
Each phone call, card, visit, prayer, email, they mean so much! And I just thank you all from the bottom of my flat-bellied heart!
I still have some recovery milestones to make, but I'm meeting/exceeding each of them so far! I'm on target!
Anywhoo, I've got to get back to my Mom's before she freaks out too much. She's taking extremely good care of me, and I will be there until the end of the week.
Later!
Alaina "I'm Too Sexy for These Drains!"
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They will be gone soon Alaina....hang in there... I can tell ya how to pull them.....lol....
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I love reading your posts, Alaina--you have such a great attitude and inspire all of us! So happy to hear your surgery is finished and was successful. Crossing my fingers you lose that last drain soon.
Emster, I popped a lot of Tums the first week after a tx. They helped.
Congrats on your great news, Dawn!
Have a great week everyone!
Becky
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Alaina - Loved your detail & sounds like you are on a good path. Hope all continues to go well for you in this step of your battle
Emster - Had a lot of colon problems so had a lot of experience trying to get my whole digestive tract to work correctly. Two things recommended by the hospital doctor were 1) At least 1 pack of Mucilax a day in a 8 ounce glass of water plus the addition of a probiotic. Walmart Pharmacist directed me to one she felt was a good choice. I was afraid both his suggestions would either do nothing or cause even more trouble ...I was wrong - they worked beautifully to even things out, gets rid of all the bloating and puts you on a more regular/normal status. I am now past the SE from the chemo but continue to use both and hope this will help with my ongoing colon problems.
Mtndawn - My whole surgery experience went very smoothly. The hospital and all the staff were great. I made it clear to all of them going into it that certain reliable surgical painkillers did not work for me & I had to have something else. I had experience of a stomach surgery a couple years ago where I apparently did not make it clear to the right people and I woke up in excruciating pain because they didn't listen to what I said and gave me the med that didn't work. So this time I was very CLEAR with everyone connected and they listened so didn't have any pain problems. I came home with 5 drains and they gave me the things I would need to care for them but I still needed bactracin, large square bandaids, surgical tape if you have to keep the drain lines in place. I had the one stage imlants which are the permanent ones rather than stretching then putting the final implats in. In hindsight, this was a mistake. I'm approaching 5 months post BMX and am still having prob.
Louise
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thank you all for all of your help!
Mtndawn: My BMX was the easiest part of this whole thing. The only thing that I could not tolerate was the morphine after so I made them turn it off right away but nausea was bad the first night at the hospital. 3 days post op I felt great and did not take one pain pill the whole time. I hope your experience will be good and it will be!
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Thanks for checking in, Alaina. I'm glad the surgeons had an easier than expected time. I'm sorry about the anesthesia side effects. It doesn't sound like fun. I am glad your recovery is going well now, and I'm glad you are happy with your new girls. Do you have new names for them?
Thanks, everyone, for the congrats. Thanks, LilyLou and Emster, for the surgery insights and advice. How big are those drains? I am thinking about making pouches that have velcro to attach to the insides of some button front blouses I bought.
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mtddawn-Nordstrom carries a camisole type thing that has little pockets for the drains. Insurance covered one of them. I spent the $$ and bought an extra one. Worked great for me. But, your idea also sounds like it would work too.
V
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My breast surgeon gave me a "Softee" surgical camisole immediately after my BMX surgery. It has a pocket in the lower inside half to hold drain bulbs (I think it will hold 3 or 4, but I only had 2 drains). The Softee is covered by Medicare and most insurances. It also comes with small poly boob forms to give you a little shape. I loved mine and ordered more, without the "roo pocket" because they are cool, soft and great for lounging or under a button up shsirt, a quick trip to the store.
http://www.softeeusa.com/home/st1/page_268
There are other name brands available, but of all the ones I've tried, I like the Softee which comes in a variety of pastel colors as well as black.
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mtndawn: I only used my cami for few days. you can just pin your drains to any shirt. I could also mail you mine since I barely used it. that way, it can save you some money also. I have a size small. Drains are not big but a nuisance to keep with you. I kept mine for a week. Let me know if that helps. I really don't mind.
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