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Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin

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Comments

  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    edited January 2011
    dragonflysmerf Great news! I bet you'll be sleeping fine by the end of next week.
  • Iamstronger
    Iamstronger Member Posts: 102
    edited January 2011
    Lago-I'm scheduled for DIEP surgery on 3/2, so they will take my port out when I have my surgery. 
  • IowaSue45
    IowaSue45 Member Posts: 422
    edited January 2011

    Vmarie- I just had a consultation with ps yesterday for diep, I will be waiting until Oct. Are you unimx or bimx? It is just a little scary how major of a surgery it is. I have bimx and she said it will take between 10-12 hrs. to do the surgery. I am positive the results will be worth going through. Good luck to you, please keep us informed on your surgery and recovery.

  • PhotoGirlOH
    PhotoGirlOH Member Posts: 2
    edited January 2011

    Hi..I've been reading your posts for a while now. I started TCH on Dec 10. I asked Dr about the bloody nose and a record bad heavy period and was told it is the Taxotere. Just thought I would share my info.

  • IowaSue45
    IowaSue45 Member Posts: 422
    edited January 2011

    I had 2 months of a steady period then stopped all togather, and it is one thing I am hoping not to get back, I could have sworn just a month after being done with TCH I was having pms symptoms, but no period.

  • stlcardsfan
    stlcardsfan Member Posts: 227
    edited January 2011

    Welcome PhotoGirlOh!  

    I too also believe Taxotere was the cause of my bloody noses. It was listed as one of the side effects on the chemo sheets I got. Once I got to Herceptin only, never had another one. I did notice during TCH how extremely dry my nose got, and found that saline spray helped. I still got the crusties, but as long as I didn't blow to hard, no more bloody noses. By the end of treatment I was anemic, and my platelets were down to 55. I also got the Neulasta shot. By the time of surgery in June, all my levels were back up. I waited 7 weeks from last chemo to have surgery. In the 7 weeks between last Chemo and surgery never got my period back either.

  • Iamstronger
    Iamstronger Member Posts: 102
    edited January 2011

    IowaSue-I am having bilat DIEP.  Yes, it a LONG surgery.  I am excited and also nervous.  I am hoping that this helps me to move on and get on with my life.  And, since I have some extra fat, it is a good time to do it! 

    V

  • Basia
    Basia Member Posts: 345
    edited January 2011

    Zlota, I will be having my port removed about a month after finishing up with TCH, the remainder of the herceptin will be done thru veins.  

    Dragonfly, can't believe the nurse didn't know what a smurf is...too funny.

  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    edited January 2011
    Basia - why are you having your port removed?
  • Anniemomofthree
    Anniemomofthree Member Posts: 370
    edited January 2011

    Hi Basia, just wondering, too.  My port has been in for 5 days.  Chemo begins tomorrow.  Can't wait to get this port out.  Seriously!  

  • Basia
    Basia Member Posts: 345
    edited January 2011

    I have had nothing but problems with my port from day 1. The port placement was a miserable experience and I don't think I gave it enough time to heal properly. I have 4 year old twins and they have been head butting and bumping into every day, the darn thing just hurts! So between the misery of having it placed poorly and then the kids aggrevating it daily, it just seems like the best thing for me is to remove it.

    I spoke to the PS about how uncomfortable I am with it and he said if the onc agreed he would have no problem removing it for me when he fixes my implants, which will be a month after finishing up TCH.  

  • michcon
    michcon Member Posts: 121
    edited January 2011

    I hear ya Anniemomofthree! I've had my port since August and I never get used to it. 

    Does anyone have trouble with their port giving blood? The nurses told me it was common for it not to want to let anything out, but no trouble with things going in. 2 nurses tried to get blood last week and finally went to a vein and had to call a 3rd nurse over to do it. They poked forever and my hand still hurts! I thought that was the whole purpose of the port, everything could be done from there. I start Radiation tomorrow and they told me they would want to check my blood too. I'm not sure my veins can handle getting poked every week! 

  • Ang7
    Ang7 Member Posts: 568
    edited January 2011

    Hey Basia~

    My twins are 14 years old!

    I do remember the "head butting" days.

    We butt heads with attitude these days...Wink

  • EngTchr
    EngTchr Member Posts: 74
    edited January 2011

    Hi everyone, I haven't been on in a long time, but keep reading.  For all of you who are new, hang in there and drink lots of water!  This time next year you'll be the "old ones" and looking back on it all.  As miserable as you may be at times, you will get through it.

    I had my port in throughout TCH and all of Herceptin and never had a single problem with it.  I have difficult veins, so was very happy to have it.  Everyone is different.  I think that's an important thing to keep in mind as you read through everyone's thoughts and advice.  Some people seem to have every side effect in the book and others hardly anything.  Some oncs have all kinds of rules and procedures that others don't. 

    One thing you'll always have here, though, is support.

    Becky

  • Basia
    Basia Member Posts: 345
    edited January 2011

    Ang, Not looking forward to 14! They are crazy now, I can only imagine what they will be up to in 10 years.  I pray that I will still be here to complain about them in 10 years! 

  • Anniemomofthree
    Anniemomofthree Member Posts: 370
    edited January 2011

    Too funny - it is my wonderful 7 year old who keeps on wanting to sit on/near me and then he ELBOWS me and it hurts!!!  I had to laugh when I realized that this is the source of the pain....gotta love these sweet wee ones!!!

  • nora_az
    nora_az Member Posts: 391
    edited January 2011

    Well I made it through round 3...yeahhh!

    This time was different. I was very tired but absolutely no stomach upset or anything, just tired with a couple of daily naps. Felt kinda good after the last 2 where sleep was a rare commodity.

    One step closer for all of us  Smile

  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    edited January 2011
    Glad to hear it Nora!
  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    edited January 2011

    So far I've had no problem with my port. I've had it since October 4th. I have a juvenile size because according to the docs I'm so small. I remember saying to the nurses in the pre-op "Why do they say I'm small, most Asian women are much smaller." The nurses start to chuckle… then the resident walks up and introduces  himself. Yes he is Asian with a slight build. He heard my comment and was also laughing.

    Anyway I'm glad to have the port because I have nodes removed from both sides. At port surgery I had the IV on my foot. Granted I've always had good veins even in my feet.

  • webu
    webu Member Posts: 44
    edited January 2011

    Hi. I am starting TCH on Friday. (Lago, I run into you everywhere!).

    It sounds like some of you automatically got the neulasta shots. My onc says he likes to wait and see if there is a problem before using it, because it can cause body aches. My only concern is that I work part time in the office of an internal medicine practice. I'm in the back office and don't have direct contact with the patients, but still, there must be a lot of bad stuff floating around in the air, especially at this time of year. Just how bad are the Neulasta SE's?

  • imatthew
    imatthew Member Posts: 69
    edited January 2011

    webu,my wife has had two TCH treatments and she gets a neulasta shot the day after her infusion. She has the infusionson thursdays, the shots on fridays.  She has said the worst part of the neulasta is the shot itself, she said it hurts going on.  Other than that, she's had some headaches/body aches around 48 hours after the shot, but Aleve is a big help.

    BTW, she made it about 1 week after her 2nd treatment (4 weeks overall) before losing most of her hair, she still has some left but it is pretty thin.  The hair loss has been the hardest thing on her emotionally so far.  She can't bring herself to shave what's left off. 

     Good luck to you. 

  • imatthew
    imatthew Member Posts: 69
    edited January 2011

    hi all, question for you that have completed TC but are still on the "H".  What happens after TC concludes as far as tests?  I've seen some mention PET scans?  I assume another MUGA as well?

    Also, my wife is looking at stage 2 for her breast reconstruction about two months after finishing TC (but still on "H"), have any of you had any surgery while still on herceptin? 

  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    edited January 2011

    imatthew Check out this thread:
    Herceptin | reconstruction
    http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/80/topic/762237

    webu Tongue out

    I have no pain getting the Nuelasta shot. You need to take it out fo the fridge for 30+ minutes to warm up to room temperature. If you don't it will sting. For me the Aleve helps with the bone pain. Right now though I have muscle aches from the build up of the chemo (I've done 5 of 6 so far) that I am a bit more achey then. Still I rather have the neulasta than get sick. Even with the nuelasta I still have this infection under my thumbnail that required an antibiotic. So far my white counts have been normal. Also many take Claritin too. I'm already on Zyrtec so I assume it helps too.

  • Anniemomofthree
    Anniemomofthree Member Posts: 370
    edited January 2011

    Hi everyone - I first day of TCH yesterday (1 down, 5 to go!).  I wrote some of this on the other discussion board...so feel free to ignore.  I thought you ladies would have the best insight on TCH.  I did cold caps too, so my day was long - 8 hours.  I got home at 4 and had diarrhea all night.  I went right to bed, had dinner, then took a bath to get my temp up (it was 96.4).  I felt absolutely exhausted.  My mouth already had sores - I used Biotene all day - but made the mistake of having a piece of pineapple at lunch, which always messes with my mouth.  I had to use the A&D, too.

    Any idea what is happening?  I did  have steroids, Avatan and Zofran in my drip.   I thought day #1 I would have a steroid high.  No such luck.  I felt like I though I would feel on day #3.  I read about too much of taxotere, too much of other stuff...I don't want to be the high maintenance patient, but I thought I would feel bettere.  I am loaded up (but have not yet taken) any meds last night or this morning.  MY body feels so heavy and I fell really fatigued.

    Any ideas?

    Love the peas for the fingers...could not handle the ice for the fingers, too cold on top of freezing my head with the cold cap. 

  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    edited January 2011

    Anniemomofthree: Sorry this is happening to you. The 1st is the scariest and in some ways can be the worst because you don't know what SE you will get and don't know when to start the medication to combat them.

    Next time suck on ice during Taxotere. It worked for me the last two times. tx 4 the sore (my tongue gets sore) was less and tx5 it wasn't sore at all! Doesn't work for everyone but it did work for me. In the mean time stay away from spicy foods and acid foods like tomatoes, vinegar and pineapple. 

    I never got high of steroids either. They did keep the fluid down but that's it. Be sure you don't become dehydrated. If you lose more than 5lbs in a day and still have diarrhea contact you onc.  Take the meds to relieve your symptoms. That's why you have them. The longer you wait the longer it takes to get relief.

    First few days you can feel like a zombie. It was about 2-3 days at first for me. Now its 5 days (I have now had 5 of  6tx). Just relax and sleep if you need to. 

    BTW I also put a facecloth over the peas. You can also do the zip lock bag of ice but you have to put a facecloth or something over it or it will be too cold.

    I was told by my onc if my temp got to 101° F to call. Most oncs it's 100.5° F
    __________________________________________

    Bottom line is don't worry about being a PITA patient. They want to know about all your side effects. They also want you to be comfortable. Make sure you note when you get your SE so next time you can medicate before you get them. I don't get diarrhea, I get constipation. 1st round was awful but after that I started to take Metamucil the day before the symptom started… what a difference. I also write up a list (in a word doc) of my SE. That way when I go in to talk with my onc I can let her know of all my SE. I will only contact her prior to my visit about the bad ones that require meds.

  • Anniemomofthree
    Anniemomofthree Member Posts: 370
    edited January 2011

    Thanks Lago - you are right - not sure what is happening or when to take the meds.  I just popped an Atavan.  The funny thing is that I am a constipation girl!  I expected to feel OK and then mess with the days and days of discomfort.  So this was a surprise.  Also, surprised about the exhaustation.  I slept from 10:30-5:30.  Then up with the kids to get them off to school.  Now, back to bed...I am going to try to get some soft oatmeal in me.  I hate oatmeal!  And water.  I hope this is not how it goes day after day....for the next 4 days.  

    I really appreciate your insight!  Have a good day!Smile 

  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    edited January 2011
    Annie - If the infusion is day 1 then on day 3 I pretty slept the entire day.  I think that was steroid withdrawl, my schedule was 20mg night before, 20mg morning of and 10mg in the drip.  So I crashed on day 3.  Also, I got very very chilled with icing head, fingers, toes and mouth.  15minutes after the tax was done I was usually still shaking and would ask my husband to get me some hot decaf and that REALLY helped warm me back up.  Also I would drag my IV pole around the clinic to move a bit.  If you aren't already, you may want to keep a journal list of your symptoms, it helped me to refer to it with subsequent treatments (though each one was a little different!).
  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    edited January 2011
    Hi Lago - Only 1 more for you - YAY!!  I saw your post about not everyone's breast density decreasing after menopause. I guess the comparison to the previous mammo is perhaps the most important - ie, looking for changes.  I don't know, I found my lump manually.
  • bbryant04
    bbryant04 Member Posts: 33
    edited January 2011

    Annie, I had diarrhea, too, after my first treatment, though it did not start till day 5 (day one being treatment).  As it turned out in my case, the taxotere dose was too high and it was messing with my liver.  They lowered the dosage on #2, and I have done much better as far as that's concerned.  Still have some diarrhea, but generally one dose of immodium will get it under control.  As Lago said, don't be afraid to call your doctor.  The first couple weeks I felt like I called every other day (I've NEVER been a high-maintenance person).  They were wonderful, kept telling me to call if I had questions or SE's that I couldn't get under control or was unsure about.  Remember, this is uncharted territory for us, and we can't know what we don't know. 

    Question for anyone...I had a lumpectomy instead of a mx.  Since it's healed, I'm quite disproportionate - like probably a size smaller on that side, and not "straight ahead".  Does anyone who had a lumpectomy plan to have reconstruction?  I have an appt. with my BS tomorrow and will talk to him about it.  I decided that if my ins will pay for it, I want to do it.  I've always been small-breasted (like probably an A-and-a half).  I think I'd like to be a "C" - seems like an acceptable consolation prize after all the negative stuff!  Any insight or advice?

    Lago, one more to go!  YAY!!!!!!!

    Omaz, how are you doing?  Are you doing rads?

  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    edited January 2011
    Hi bbryant04 - Yep, doing rads, number 2 today.  Keeping the breast lubed with miaderm and emu oil.  Really like my rad onc.  Rad staff is not very chatty but professional, kind and efficient.

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