Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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Started taxotere, carboplatin, and herceptin Nov. 23, 09 - finished March 8, 10. Some dates stick with you. 1 week on, two weeks off. This was before my bi-lat.
I had constipation problems from the 1st treatment to the last. The first cycle I tried the "natural" route - prunes, lots of water, stool softeners, etc. I went 6 days without being able to go. I thought my stomach was going to explode. My chemo nurse said to immediately start using Milk of Mag. So, from then on, for at least a week after each cycle I'd slug it down at night. Max dose. Usually by the 3rd week I'd be fine.
Body aches, like the flu, usually started around the 4th day after the treatments and would last for about the next week. I was also giving myself Neupogen shots, usually about 5 per cycle. I had a lot of deep bone pain in my sternum, hips, and legs mostly from those. I HATED THOSE SHOTS! It wasn't the "giving them to myself I hated" it was the after effect. Once again, by the 3rd week, I'd feel much better. Lots of ibuprofen and Aleave helped, a little bit.
The first two cycles side effects weren't too bad. Three got a bit worse. Four - Six were rough, didn't even feel much better on the third week.
My hair started falling out about 3 weeks after the 1st treatment. I actually had a bit of fun with that at work. I'd walk into someone's office and say this job is making me pull my hair out and I'd grab it and pull out big hand fulls. I had very thick hair. I know, I'm strange. I only did that for a couple of days before it was so thin I just shaved it. My eyebrows got very thin and so did my lashes, but I didn't lose them all.
I would often feel sick to my stomach but only actually got sick once when I had a really bad acid reflux attack. I had ingestion through the entire treatment and Gaviscon became a very good friend!! I avoided acidic foods. Never really lost my taste and only occasionally had that metallic taste. I did develop an extremely sensitive sense of smell. I don't know what that was all about but certain things just smelled soooo much stronger than they ever had before. The smell of certain cleaning products, especially Clorox, made me feel sick.
I started using Tom's Natural mouthwash with baking soda day one and used it the entire time. I never had any mouth sores.
I almost lost four fingernails. I soaked them in ice at work daily and they never came off. I still have one toenail that looks like I shut it in a door.
I started have a rash on my face somewhere around cycle 4. It got really bad. Itched like crazy and sure didn't look too good. I used Eucerin moisturizing lotion and it helped a little. The rash didn't go away until about a month after the last cycle. I joked with my hubby that I looked like Pippi Longstocking and that I hoped when my hair grew back in it didn't come back red and in pigtails sticking out like hers.
I worked through it. I think I missed 7 days - 2 were treatment days. After my second cycle the company I work for was getting hit hard by the state of the economy and cut everyone's hours to 32. My day off was Monday so I was able to schedule all my appointments for Mondays.
Edit ... Just read the last post. I forgot to say my periods stopped in Jan. Sorry yours have come back, allisontom911. Mine still haven't. Best Side Effect EVAR!
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I thought I was in "chemopause". I had my last period one week after chemo started on 12/28 and I got my period back a month ago...grrrrrr. Granted I was 37 at the time chemo started and 8 weeks post partum. I have not missed having a period. So I got my period back about 6 months after I stopped TC...still doing H until December.
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Hello all,
Herceptin # 15 out of 17 now complete. Yea
I noticed a few people asking about eyebrows and eyelashes. Eyebrows for me hung on until the 5th treatment. I lost the outer edges, but the inners never fell out. Eyelashes - lost most of them around this item as well. Really noticed that as I wear contacts and they kept falling in my eyes. I never lost my arm hair either.
When doing the Taxotere part of this, my onc nurses had me put my fingers and toes on ice. This helped me avoid the black spots, and I never lost one fingernail or toenail.
Mouth issues - I used biotene mouthwash and toothpaste during Chemo. Also used a warm water, baking soda and salt gargle the first 5 to 7 days after each cycle. Never got a mouth sore and believe this helped.
Hope this helps!
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stlcardsfan - When did your hair start growing back?0
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bbryant04
by about 6 weeks after last Chemo, I started to notice some sparse growth. By early June, I had dark stubble all over my head - all the new hair poking thru. I was hoping to have somthing on my head when I went in for my surgeries in June and I did. By August, my head was completely covered again with very short hair. Hope this helps
ps - I also took Biotin 10,000 mcg's every day for two months afer last chemo.
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Hi ladies, I am between 4th and 5th tx and for me the flu like feeling lasts a little longer and is a little strong after each tx minus nausea and vomiting. Fatigue and bone/muscle pain gets a little worse. As for work I went to part time 5 hrs a day 4 days and I just missed my first day due to fatigue. As much as I'm looking for to the end Dec. 3rd I am so dreading feeling like crap for a week again. Wish you all the best.
I don't like to read that someone got their period back, I am hoping that is one of the bonuses, lol.
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iowasue - I am between 4 and 5 too, gotta ask you - do your forearms feel heavy and get tired easy when doing things?0
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I feel it in my legs more so then my arms.
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Do you get kindof out-of-breath too?
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Omaz - My arms and legs have been feeling heavy this go around. I'm 5 days out of round 4. My hands and part of arm have been falling asleep easily too. I can't tell if it's because I'm resting more or if it's a symptom!
When did everyone get another MUGA scan? I asked my onc and because I asked.... we scheduled one before my 5th treatment.
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I don't think they will do another MUGA on me till after chemo or maybe as long as there isn't a problem not till I'm done.
Anyone experiencing the eyelid twitching yet. Really annoying. Seems it does happen with Taxotere.
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Lago - absolutely have the eye twitching from taxotere.
Michcon - I asked about another echo and she said after I was done with chemo.
Its a pretty fall day today!
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I do think I get out of breath easy, and I have the eye twitching and also the side and back of below my arm. I don't know when I get another echo, I will ask on Fri. when I see the onc. and have chemo again.
We have had a wonderful fall in Iowa this year, 65 today. Last year was bad we had snow in Oct. made winter last 6 months way to long!
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Eye twitching here too! I was told to expect this.
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Ladies, I never would have expected that this annoying eye twitch is from the chemo if you hadn't enlightened me. Thank you. I'm 10 weeks post my last taxotere/cytoxan tx and two days post 33 rads tx! Delighted to finally be on this side of tx vs.the early days of panic after dx..
Has anyone else been plagued by leg and foot cramps? Mine are so bad that you can see my feet contort and my toes splay out and curl upwards. It's just maddening and incredibly painful. I'm constantly jumping around trying to get the darn cramp to release. It's most often my right foot so it really makes driving fun! I've been taking 99mg of extra potassium every day and eating bananas, but nothing has helped yet.
Oh, and as for my MUGA schedule, I'll be getting one every three months during the Herceptin tx. So far my ejection fraction went from something like 65 to 62 or maybe it was 60. I'll get another in December and if all goes as planned, also in March and June of 2011. But I'm scheduled for a stress echo in 10 days. My pulse is rapid and EKG wasn't 'normal' so they want me to do the treadmill. Should be interesting since I can hardly walk to the mailbox or from the car to the office these days.
Big hugs to all. I sincerely hope you have a great week. You deserve it.
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I'm having some leg cramps and foot numbness on the left as well as other muscle soreness but nothing is slowing me down. Not that bad. I eat dried apricots daily (lots of potassium) so maybe that's why mine aren't so bad.
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Bon, are you drinking enough water? I have issues with my legs from an accident and I notice when I am dehydrated I tend to get more cramping, swelling and general discomfort.
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Basia,No, I'm not drinking enough and you are probably correct. I need to get back to the hydration schedule of the chemo days. Thanks for the reminder.
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I noticed a few of you mention Potassium. My levels are low and they put me on potassium pills, but I'm still on the low end of normal after the pills. Does chemo do this? I asked my onc to check my bloodwork again so we can see if I need a higher dose pill as he laughed when I said I was eating a lot of bananas to help. Guess that doesn't do it.
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Hi all, my wife got her regimen today - taxotere, carboplatin, herceptin - 6 treatments of TC over 18 weeks, and a year of herceptin.
She will get a port next week, then will likely start chemo the week after that. wish her luck.
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Best wishes to your wife Matthew, I really hate to hear anyone else having to join us.How did her healing go after DIEP? To me it sounds painful. I had decided to wait for reconstruction til after treatments, surgeon made it sound like they don't like to radiate on reconstruction or implants, so I am hopefully going to get tram flap in the spring.Plus I don't know if they are even going to do radiation on me.
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the DIEP healing has been pretty good, the biggest problem she has had has been regaining mobility in her shoulder due to scar tissue from the ancillary node dissection. She really didn't have any complaints with the DIEP, the surgery was 7 hours and she spent 36 hours in ICU and 4 days total in the hospital, but her flap and abdomen have healed very well so far (it's been a bit over 3 weeks). She doesn't like the way it looks, but her PS assures her that it will look much better after stage-2 in about 4 months.
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tarenebraska- I am also a hodgikins survivor. It is amazing how many of us are on these boards.
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Just a note to you all taking Herceptin... my wife saw a cardiologist last week to do a follow up echo to make sure her ejection fraction was still good enough to continue Herceptin. Thankfully it is... he did see that her Magnesium levels were quite low and prescribed magnesium.
So, you may want to have a conversation with your Onc/Cardiologist about whether this is something you might consider having tested. Apparently low levels can have many adverse affects...
(BTW, we just saw the Slamon movie, "Living Proof" the other day, and recommend it for all family members and friends who really want to get a better understanding of how important Herceptin is. Having met Dr. Slamon a few weeks ago it was also great to finally see the movie)
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My mag has been low & I've been on supplements ever since I went through this regiment of chemo and I finished it March 8, 2010. I also did another type of chemo (Navelbine) after that round so who knows if that wasn't also part of it. Anyway, yes ladies - you might want to have them check your mag level.
SunDiego ... I watched "Living Proof" about two months ago. It is an incredible movie, but I don't think I could have watched it early in my treatment. For me, it was a very emotional movie, and I would caution folks to be prepared for that.
How wonderful that you were able to meet Dr. Slamon. I would so love to meet him and thank him for all he and others did to bring herceptin to us!
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Hi Everyone, I got through tx TCH #5 today feeling fine so far, can't wait until day # 3,4, and 5 ugggg the dread. I really can't wait for the last one Dec. 3 Yippee!!!
Today my onc. felt the lump again that I found a month ago, she said we'd keep an eye on it. It less than an inch from the original tumor and she said I should go to my surgeon and have him investigate so next Thur. I go see him. Really hoping it is nothing but inflamed tissue or something very simple. Onc. says it feels usually, so she did n't give me big hopes. But I keep telling myself it can't be cancer because I am getting treatments. So wish me great luck next Thur. I really can't believe I even have to think about this so soon. Then at treatment today there was a lady starting chemo because of 3 new spots and she just finished chemo in July. cancer Sucks!!!!
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Sue, wish you best luck next week!! I will be thinking of you. Hope it is nothing! I am her2+ too. Please keep us posted.0
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Hi all,
I wondered if any of you might have an understanding as to why some of us get 4 rounds of TCH and some get 6 rounds? Had a conversation with my oncologist and he really did not have a good answer. It seems that it is preference of the oncologist. I would love to know of some scientific evidence to back up 6. I am low grade her2+, which is rare, and am wondering what benefit chemo really offers anyway although I do agree that I need the herceptin.
Iowa sue I am also from Iowa. Just thought that I would give you a little shout out.
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Kadyann - Did your doctor suggest OncotypeDX? I wonder if that would be helpful in your case.
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Kadyann there are so many things to consider. Yes the stage has something to do with it but I'm sure it's the details in the stage, your age, menopausal status at time of diagnosis, HER2, PR/ER status, nodes and lots of other stuff. Have you asked your onc this question?0
