Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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nmoss - sorry about the FSH results. All the adjustments we have to make as an aftereffect of BC just really suck. My Mom was ill for 25 years and had to continually realign her expectations to her reality - I was always aware of that but it helps me to think about her when I am frustrated with this. She was very good at doing it and it allowed her to be accepting of what each day would bring. Sending you strength.
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#5 done today, hurray! Amazing to think 2 herceptins, the last TCH, 2 more herceptins...and I'll be on every 3 weeks Herceptin, and the TC nastiness will be done! Roughest day today, even with Aloxi in the infusion, I got nauseous. With a shot of Reglan later, it felt better, but as soon as I stood up...vomit time, yuck, but at least I made it to the restroom and not the bucket in the chemo closet,eh?...Much better at that point, plus a prescription for Ativan should it keep happening. Ok now, 9 hours later - good ol' dexa keeping me awake again. Roller coaster ride, indeed. You know how SOH is sense of humor? Today, it almost became S#%¥ Out of Humor. Okay, I' m better know, thanks for the vent. Here's hoping we're all hanging in there as best we can!
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nmoss my levels are <10! I'm a prepubescent male
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Hello,
I just had my first treatment on Thursday, Nuelasta on Friday and so far so good. I am going through periods of extreme exhaustion, but they last a short time. Food is not tasting so good and smells are starting to get to me. So far no nausea and no bone pain from Nuelasta. I have been taking Claritin and Tylenol as suggested. Today is my last day on steroids, I was warned I may crash tomorrow.
Just wondering if this is how it will be. Do you react differently to each treatment? I don't really feel sick, just tired.
I have noticed I can't see out of my contact lenses. I still have hair, when should I expect it to go? I cut it really short to lessen the trauma, but I know that is going to be difficult.
Any advice is welcome!
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anafoefana - I had my treatment on Tuesdays and on Thursday I slept the whole day pretty much. I kept a log of my symptoms each round and yes I found that they were slightly different each time. Welcome to the group!0
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Thank you Omaz. Good idea to keep a log of symptoms. I will have 6 treatments, then surgery, then radiation and more herceptin. It is going to be a long year. I am hoping all will stay on schedule and I will be able to get through it in a year. I am teacher and have plenty of leave, but really would like to be at work. I work with medically fragile children though, and don't know if working during chemo is going to be such a good idea since I have to deal with feeding and breathing tubes.
One day at a time for now...
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Anafoefana Welcome! Everyone is different but I found that my SEs were very predictable for every cycle. I had chemo on Tuesdays and my crash from the steroids happened on Friday. Essentially, I would become extremely tired for 2-3 days and then it would lift (I always told people at work that I felt like a zombie during those days). I worked all through chemo (I'm a social worker in a hospital ER and on inpatient units). Thanks to the neulasta, my blood counts were good and I never got sick. I just used universal precautions, washed my hands a lot. I had the unfortunate SE of diarrhea/bad cramping day 6-10 and had to go to a liquid diet every time to deal with it but very few people had it that bad. My bone pain from neulasta was really bad the first cycle and was minimal after that (nothing aleve couldn't handle). I definitely recommend icing your nails during the Tax infusion-mine really hurt by the third infusion but are recovering nicely now. Drink a ton of fluids, eat the healthy foods that taste good to you and take care of yourself. I ended up taking 5 day weekends after the last 3 infusions just to allow myself some extra rest. This journey is definitely teaching me to take time for myself and not apologize for it!
About the hair-it's relatively predictable with Taxotere. Mine started shedding heavily on day 16 to the point that I couldn't stand the mess at work and buzzed it off. Some people just let it go and managed to hang on to a lot of it for quite a bit longer but I still think that most of it ultimately falls out. I wear a wig at work 5 days a week and found it easier to just buzz it off and go straight to the wig. I wear hats on my days off. I'm happy to say that 5 1/2 weeks after chemo, my hair is rapidly growing back and I anticipate walking around with short fuzzy hair by 12 weeks:) The hair loss hasn't been as bad as I anticipated but I think having a good wig that has been comfortable helped a lot...
By the way, what part of VA are you from? I spent most of my life in the Shenandoah Valley...Wishing you all the best
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Thanks! I guess everyone is different, but it is inspiring to know that you were able to stay well and work through your treatments. I really want to and my school is willing to let me do what I need to do, so hopefully it will all work out. I should be half way done with chemo by the time school starts up again.
I think I will shave my head as well, I always think of movies when you see people losing chunks of hair, and I really don't want to suffer that trauma.
How did you ice your nails? Should I bring ice packs to treatment? I have heard taxotere will do that to you. Do your toe nails get that way too?
I have been drinking constantly, to the point where I can't be far from a bathroom at any given point. Hope that helps me out in the long run! Food is becoming an issue, everything has an after taste and it is not very appealing. I have been trying to eat small meals and keeping them healthy.. but it is all pretty yucky.. especially today!
I am in Burke, right outside of D.C. We love going to the Shanandoah Valley! VA is a very beautiful state!
Thank you for your response and wish you continued progress as well!
Ana
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Anafoefana I found that the taste alteration was noticeable for the first week and would get better by the third week (just in time to do it all over again). For me, peanut butter tasted horrible and I still can't eat it. Citrus fruit was weirdly bitter and I'm just now able to eat raspberries, blueberries, grapefruit, tomatoes, etc. No wonder so many of us turn to carbs during chemo! Drinking lots of fluids definitely reduced the SEs and seemed to prevent the headaches that I got sometimes.
Be sure to "buzz" your head with clippers on the lowest setting rather than actually shave it with a razor-there is always a risk of infection if you cut yourself during chemo.
Re: icing nails. It can affect your fingernails and toenails as well but I fortunately never had any effect at all with my toenails. By the third treatment I had dark discoloration under my nails along with intense soreness and I now have white and red lines under my fingernails that correlate with the cycles. They have also "lifted" from the nailbed on the end of each nail and I'm keeping them clipped very short until they grow beyond the lifted area so I don't catch them. Some people have had severe reactions (Lago is the member who comes to mind) so icing is a very good preventative measure. I took several quart sized ziploc bags partially filled with frozen peas in a small soft cooler. When it was time for the Tax infusion I would smush my nails into the unopened bags of peas to keep them very cold (does that make sense?). I found that frozen peas worked better than ice because they are so small and pliable. I labeled the bags and kept re-freezing and re-using them until the end.
I miss VA...it is definitely a beautiful state!
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anafoefana there are 2 types of things that can happen to your nails. They can become brittle. Fairly common and nail polish helps. The lifting from the nail bed is rare. Granted I got it in a big way (every toenail and fingernail) but I did manage to get some of the rare stuff. But I never did have any nausau. I also didn't have that flu type fatigue. I would get tired at the end of the day but not feeling like crap tired.
everyone is different. The icing didn't work for me but I might not have started early enough or kept my fingers cold enough.
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anafoefana--It's definitely a very personal thing to go through and the key thing is to do what feels right for you. I wasn't keen to see my hair fall out and I have (had) a lot so it would have gone on for a while. I pulled out a pile when it started and left it for the birds for their nests. Then I had my son do the buzzing. A sticky lint roller was excellent to collect up the bitties that continued to drop. I never lost everything--still had a very thin, but even covering, which is now nearly 1-1.5 inches long (just finished TX 6 this past Wed.) The new stuff is starting to show already.
Like Dragonfly1, I suffered the bigD but my onc said that isn't as common as constipation. I have had to change what I eat for a few days every TX and wait for it to resolve. My taste goes off almost immediately but comes back by about day 10-12. It can make it hard to know what to eat. I find that bitter flavours come forward which makes things like salads nasty. And for some reason sweet becomes insanely sweet and I can't stand it.
I never suffered any SEs from Neulasta, even without using drugs prophylactically. I would have been taking Claritan for no reason. I figure I'm a chemical stew to start with and I don't want to add more to the mix unless it's necessary. But use 'em if you need 'em! There's no prize for being a hero.
Icing the nails isn't the worst thing you could do, although I have to say I'm ambivalent. My nails have shown zero changes and I only iced my hands for a couple of TXs and never my feet. But there's no down side. I'm just a bit ADHD and didn't like not using my hands for an hour so it felt like a waste of time--for me. My cancer centre had blue gel ice packs on hand and would create an envelope for me if I wanted it.
Talk to your onc about what's going on; don't just suffer even if you think it's not a big deal. The one thing that has gotten worse with each TX for me is heartburn. I've been plugging away at with Xantac and Gaviscon and then the onc said,"Oh this is much better." and gave me an rx for Prilosec. It is much better! There's no point suffering with heartburn, or anything else, if they can do something for you.0 -
How could I forget the heartburn?!? I had it so bad throughout chemo-I guess I'm so happy it's gone that I'm blocking it out:) They started giving me Pepcid in the infusion and I also had to take omeprazole during week 1 of every infusion. Otherwise, the heartburn was so bad it would wake me up at night (and I've never had a problem with heartburn)! I totally agree with Pasmithx2-let your MO know what's going on even if it may seem minor-it's amazing what they can do to help.
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I will keep in mind the icing of the nails. My nails are really weak anyway because I had acrylic nails for years and had them taken off only a few weeks ago. So, I may be at a disadvantage there to begin with. They are splitting already. The frozen peas idea sounds great and I will do that. It seems a lot easier than using ice packs.
I will have my husband or daughter "buzz" my hair when we get closer to that two week time.
So far no issues with heartburn, other stomach issues are becoming apparent.. constipation may be an issue soon.
Thank you so much for all the advice. It helps knowing others who have had the same treatment.
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I had the heartburn too. Started with the first tx.
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anafoefana - I lived in Springfield for 9 years while my DH was stationed at the Pentagon - miss it! My son will be transferring to George Mason in another semester.
I did well eating anything having to do with potatoes. I swear they kept me alive. Also Cream of Wheat (the Farina type) has extra protein. Be careful of citrus and tomatoes - I had mouth sores with the first tx, too much Italian Lemon Soda. I also mixed fruit juice with Sprite or Sierra Mist. I ate a lot of soup, it just went down easy, and it was soothing. Even if you are not experiencing nausea take the anti-nausea meds for the first few days, and yes, you will have a steroid crash when you go off of them.
I cut my hair very short but held onto it until day 24, right after the 2nd chemo, then buzzed it. You will probably notice your scalp will become very sensitive and sore. When you buzz the hair off don't drag the clipper accross your skin, cut it about 1/2 in long, otherwise it may irritate your skin.
I iced my fingers and toes with the peas - I lost the pinky toenail on the right foot (it is growing back fine but is still super tiny!) and my wedding ring fingernail is lifted almost to the quick - still dealing with it, but it is still hanging on. I am sure it would have been worse if I had not iced.
Good luck!
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Hi everyone,
I just finished my last round of TCH (6) and am now onto Herceptin for 6 more months. Very glad I made it thru without anything major. The heartburn is worse this time but hopefully the omeprazole will kick in. Neuropathy is worse in feet but hopefuly will now decrease. My problem is that I am gaining way too much weight. 30 pounds since end of January - have had a mastecomy, thyroidectomy which no doubt messed up my metabolism and type of foods I eat have changed due to the heartburn issue. I use to eat a lot of salads and vegetables and it is hard to eat them right now. I crave the white stuff (potatoes, rice, creamy pudding). . Does anyone have any ideas on what to eat to decrease heartburn with foods that are not so fattening ? Also, have people heard that herceptin puts on weight? I am trying to figure out if weight gain is due to thyroid, or herceptin or perhaps both?
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Hi Special K Thanks for the positive thoughts, I sure could use them right now. It's funny you use the word expectations because I think that is one of the biggest hurdles. Lago, thats funny my FSH was 11 when I started.
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Hi everyone,
Here's some good information about breast cancer treatment options including a list of common drugs used in breast cancer chemotherapy with detailed information about taxotere side effects, carboplatin side effects and herceptin side effects. And here's a list of more than 50 breast cancer blogs to read experiences from other survivors. If you have a blog you can add yours to the list as well. Hope this is helpful.
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serenitywisdom - congrats on finishing! You made it! Your weight gain most likely is coming from a combination of Taxotere and fluid retention and the steroids you had surrounding each tx. I hope your heartburn will dissipate with the end of chemo and you may be able to introduce the salads and veggies back in to the diet and ease back on the white,starchy stuff. I had heartburn only with tx #6, but I had reflux surgery in 1995 so I know it is rough. My sense of taste is normal (was about 3 weeks after the end of chemo) and I have gone back to normal eating habits. If you are still experiencing heartburn be careful of coffee, carbonated beverages, peppermint, chocolate, tomato and citrus, or anything acidic. Also foods that are high in fat (example: steak and a loaded baked potato) will stay in your stomach longer since they take longer to digest, so more stomach acid is generated, and you end up with heartburn.
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SpecialK,
Thanks for the suggestions. Carbs and starches do seem easier to tolerate. I am finding sweets mor appetizing than salty things, although everything tastes yucky. I am trying to keep healthy options, but it is not going to be easy. I took the anti-nausea meds today and they may have helped.
I did not crash today, first day off steroids, so all is well. Going to try to get some exercise tonight so I can sleep. I have been having trouble sleeping, probably from the steroids.
GMU is a great school. They have really built it up in the last few years and the campus is beautiful. I got my gradaute degree there.
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I go for #6 tomorrow-YAY-then a little over 3 weeks til BMX. Just got back from Florida today in time to have my bloodwork done. Spent 5 days with girlfriends at Cocoa Beach. Had a fab time hiding under a huge beach umbrella slathered with SPF 50. We had good weather and I got to see the space shuttle go up. When I got home to Ohio today it is WAAAAY hotter and more humid than it was in Fla. Staying inside tonight-too hot even under the shade tree.
Onc is going to do Neuasta this time-for the first time. My counts have been bad for the last 2 treatments so he wants to make real sure I am ready for the surgery. The closer it gets the more nervous I am becoming. Seems surreal to me that someone I have met 1 time is going to do major surgery on me. Just seems like there should be more.
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I had TCH #2 last thursday and I'm hanging in there. Bone pain from neulasta is much worse this time around. I am taking claritin daily and I'm hoping that will help. MO also gave me mobic to help with the bone pain, but it doesn't seem to be helping so I'm thinking of going back to ibuprofen. I've had big D (taking lomotil- it does help), and minimal nausea. Lots of fatigue this time around, infact, I stayed home from work today, which I never do. Also, having a tough time sleeping. I know it's gonna get better- I've just got to get through the next few days.
I had terrible heartburn after TCH #1. My MO prescribed protonix for the heartburn, and after a couple of days it resolved completely. It is a pill that I take once a day, but it is much better than chugging the maalox several times a day. Gross!
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Lilylady Congrats on reaching the end of TC-wishing you minimal SEs for the last round!
Christean Aleve was the one thing that really helped me with the Neulasta bone pain (I was also taking the Claritin daily but the Aleve helped with the acute pain 48+ hrs after the injection)
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lilylady - congrats on the big finish! Hope you coast through the last set of SE's!
christean - some percentage of your bone pain may be from your Taxotere also, and the Claritin won't help, but an NSAID probably will. Remember to take care of yourself - and pace yourself - because you are at #2 and have a ways to go - your fatigue will be cumulative. If that means you take days off here and there be sure to do it.
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Lilylady- Hope all went well with #6. Congratulations!
SpecialK- It is good to know that some of this achiness could be from taxotere. I stopped mobic and used ibuprofen today and it does seem to be a bit better. I agree that the fatigue is cumulative...can't imagine what the next 4 treatments will feel like... can't wait to find out. I guess I am lucky that I can take work off if I need to.
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christean - the fatigue thing is weird - some tx I was very tired and others not as much. For me #1 hideous, #2 was breakthrough nausea and Big D, #3 & #4 not bad except for Big D, #5 was from hell, #6, very tired but not my usual SE. Who knows! I know some folks have rolling FMLA, taking days where they need them, some employers just let you take whatever days you need. I went on FMLA after NS BMX on Nov 1, 2010 and didn't go back until 2 weeks ago! Not what I planned! Neither were the five surgeries though - I thought I would have some time off to recover from the BMX then work through chemo - ha! Now I am leaving for surgery again next week but I don't think I am going back afterwards. Still have too much treatment to do and not a flexible scheduling situation with work. Easier to just bag it and figure it all out when I am finally done.
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Hi All!
I finished my last treatment last week. Went this week to my CBC and guess what? My bloodwork is in the toilet! My WBC is pretty low so the doc placed me on Cipro. Just for precautions. This happened last time but by next treatment the WBC had rebounded. My RBC and my Hemoglobin is still yuck, too. Is there any tricks to the trade on how to get the Hemo up. It was at a 10.
Also, for those of you who have completed the chemo milestone when did you start to get your physical energy back? I used to be a Zumba freak and work out 4-5 days a week. I was to still do this until my 3rd treatment. Then it was like ZAP....legs were weak, tired easily.....I want to start small as I have surgery Aug 4. Any help or guidance is appreciated!
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Tiger_Blood I finished TCH on 5/31 so I'm 6.5 weeks PFC. I had terrible muscle soreness and leg weakness starting halfway through chemo and I still feel it but it's getting better. I worked all through chemo so I didn't have any extra energy to exercise. I have to say that everyone told me I would feel a lot better after 5 weeks and they were right! It's getting better all the time. I feel like the "chemo fog" is lifting and I have more extra energy now so that I'm motivated to take walks and my stamina is gradually improving. I also had a lot of swelling during the second half of chemo which probably didn't help either (I was up 12 pounds from my pre-chemo weight). Between weeks 5 and 6 I easily dropped 6 pounds which has also made me feel a lot better. You should notice a big difference in a few weeks:)0
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Hi,
I finished 6 treatments of TCH last week and now just have herceptin and maybe radiation (still trying to decide what to do) and then another surgery . SE's were worst this final week. One thing that helped me and may help others. My legs had cramps, pain, very fatigued just walking etc. I pushed myself to go to YMCA and after 10 minutes of being on the cross trainer, the leg pain pretty much disappeared. I did a mile on the eliptical (like cross country skiing) and after completing it felt better albeit the first 15 minutes I wasn't sure I could make it. I think if we can even just walk on a flat area, that will help. Now if I could just get my eyes to stop running (taxotears) Anyway I am glad to be done with the TCH and get on with life!!! . To everyone just starting the TCH, it goes by faster than you would thinkl. Keeping busy helped me, started a yoga class for people with cancer, free classes at YMCA for people with cancer, looked around and found free resources like Healing touch sessions, free house cleaning thru American Cancer Society ( that really helped since pushing a vacuum did not feel good) but also tried to keep going with other activities not revolving around cancer. . This is a long journey Thanks to this group for all the support!!!
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I also found that whatever exercise I could do, no matter how slowly I did it, helped. I actually made a path around our property and at the most difficult times when I couldn't be far from the house ! would slowly walk around the house and listen to a book on my player. It was slow going at times but made me feel better.
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