Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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i haven't had many strong se's, but i wonder if anyone has had the one that's bothering me the most right now ... i don't want to move. and i feel guilty for not being up and around. i am so lethargic and down, almost depressed, but not really. i haven't left the house today and i'm still in my jammies. i need to get somet things done, but i just can't motivate myself. anyone else? i know it will probably go away, but i feel a little hopeless right now. ugh.
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Hi YaYa,
Yep - I am with you on this one. The lethargy/dark mood has been my worst SE throughout. I blame it on the sterioids, as it usually passes after the first 3-4 days. It has hung on a bit longer this time, but I have to say, that getting out for a change of scenery does actually help. I went for a short walk this afternoon and visited with my inlaws this evening - I feel a lot better tonight, and send prayers that you will too!
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Hi all.
I had my 5th tx today. As it turns out my counts haven't rebounded as much as they would like so I am having a transfusion tomorrow after all. I am so upset that I need this transfusion and that I had to postpone treatment last week. Oh well, I suppose we often have no control over these things. Thank you to all of you who shared your knowlegde and experience in order to make me feel better about this.
Hope everyone is doing well. Yaya, hope your mood is improving a bit and you get your energy back soon. Hang in there.
Special K, I am so sorry your arm is bothering you so much. I don't have much experience with LE, but it's good to hear that the massages and sleeves can keep it under control. My PS wanted me to have a preventive assessment with a PT after surgery and she had me fitted for a sleeve and advised me to wear it when flying. I haven't had to use it yet, but am grateful to have it as a preventive measure. I hope your arm starts feeling normal pretty soon.
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Amelie,
You will feel much better after the transfusion. The only bad thing is you will be sitting in a chair for several hours. I was there for 7 hours last Friday. The nurse said that it takes longer through the port. The first time it took 5 hours for 2 units and I had the same the second time. Not sure why it took longer.
Good luck to you and I hope you it goes well!
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amelie, i'm sorry about the transfusion and i understand being upset about it. i've heard, as anafoefana stated, that transfusions can make you feel much better, so i guess that's a good thing. i'm glad you got your treatment. please let us know how the transfusion goes. good luck to you.0
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Ana, Thanks for the encouragement. So glad you are feeling better. When is your surgery?
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Yaya, just saw your post. The thing is I didn't think I was feeling that bad so I am a bit surprised to find out that I need it. Oh well. I am glad I got my treatment today though. One more to go, right? How are you doing?
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amelie, i'm doing ok .... just complete exhaustion. my onco said the tiredness would be cumulative and for me, he was right. it took me about 2 hours to change the sheets on my bed today because i had to keep sitting down. but the good part is that i changed my sheets! yay! i'll be anxious to hear how tomorrow goes and again, i'm sorry you have to go through it.0
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Amelie,
How are you feeling? I hope you are better!
My surgery is on November 29th. I have a few weeks to build my stregth!
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Yaya, I have been feeling low too. I think tx just wears on us. Harder to bounce back. I've also been very irritable and am quick tempered. I am hoping that 3 weeks PFC will be a turn around time for me.... I too was very proud to wash bedding for me and two kids before my last tx. It was nearly an all day event. LOL
Amelie, sending good vibes for tomorrow and the next few days as you recover from your SE from tx this week. Hang in there0 -
thank you, izzy. i appreciate your thoughts. i'm still feeling so down and tired. dang.
amelie, i hope you're doing ok today after your transfusion. and i hope you have minimal to no se's from your tx yesterday.
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yaya - I remember doing the same thing - trying to change the sheets on my daughter's bed before she returned from out of town - I kept laying on the bed as I was making it! One more tx to go and you will be done!
amelie - how are you doing? Thinking of you.
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I posted this on my Herceptin article, but wanted to cross-post it here as well since so many have PMed me about this.....
Just wanted to give an in-progress update.
Have met with my cardiologist at length and now I'm scheduled for a few more tests. He said he reviewed the most recent literature (cardiac myopothy from Herceptin toxicity) and there is a 50/50 chance my heart will rebound to normal or near normal within 3 years (if no more chemo) and that goes up to about 75% by 5 years out.
So I may get it all back, some back, or none. Heart problems and heredity have a lot to do with this.
However, in his OPINION if my MUGA next month is above 55% EF I should finish my last 3 Herceptin. (I'm still undecided tho.) If it is between 50-55 he doesn't think I should have anymore and believes my Onc won't offer it anyway (ha.)
I asked about infusion times, if doing it over 90 minutes (instead of 30) might lessen the effects on the heart. He said no. Herceptin is cumulative damage over the course of tx and infusion times likely don't play a significant role. Damage is about the total time the heart is exposed to it.
He put me on an Ace Inhibitor 1/2 of a 5mg tablet. It drops blood pressure and the load on the heart by opening up the arteries. Since my BP is typically around 100/74 this may not be something I can do as it may drop me too far. But we're trying it. He said the lighter load will give my heart the opportunity to recover if it is going to do so.
I asked him about the CoQ10 and L-Carnitine again. He said it "couldn't hurt." lol
About exercise.
NO LIMITS.
Or, do as much as I can. He said exercising won't cause me to have a heart attack (which was my primary worry)...but I may not feel as strong, endurance will change etc (already happened)...but I am safe to "push" my workouts as hard as I can.
All in all, I have more peace of mind, and the remaining tests are more because of hereditary heart problems in my family than chemo.
I'll keep ya posted!
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Thanks for the update TonLee! Interesting that the damage is cumulative, makes sense.0
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Hi all,
Thank you everyone for your good wishes and for caring. A very long day (over 10 hours) at the hospital yesterday but the transfusion went well. I am feeling a bit more energetic today but who knows, it might all be in my head. LOL. At any rate, I am glad it's over and that my body is a bit stronger than it was a few days ago.
TonLee, thank you for the update. Very interesting information. It's good news that he again confirmed that the damage can be reversible. Please keep us posted on your progress.
Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday.
Amelie
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Dear cinrae123 - My wife will start Taxotere, Cytoxan and Herceptin on November 30th. TCH will be one treatment every 3 weeks. The Herceptin for another 9-10 months and Arimidex once a day for 5 years and neulastia for low white blood count. I hope you are doing well. I would be interested in hearing from everybody. TCH can be Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin or Taxotere Cytoxan Herceptin like my wife. Sometimes the "T" can be Taxol. I am not sure about the difference between Carboplatin and Cytoxan except they are both alkylating agents and Carboplatin involves Platinum. I would be grateful for any posts.
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BlairK Welcome! So glad to see you've moved over to this thread:) It's very active and we will all help as much as possible with any questions you have as your wife goes through TCH. Hope she's recovering well from surgery...0
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EVERYBODY - please take a look at the website NCCN.com which contains National Cancer guidelines. There is a great 100 page Powerpoint with details on diagnosis, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy regimens, Herceptin, Tamoxifen, Arimidex and many other things. It is very detailed and useful. Our medical oncologist actually pulled up this website on his laptop and showed it to my wife and I. There appear to be numerous research studies on TCH (in all its various forms). Google "Taxotere Carboplatin Herceptin" and "Taxotere Cytoxan Herceptin" and studies come up. Hope this is helpful. BlairK
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I have done some additional research and have determined the following about Cytoxan versus Carboplatin in the TCH protocol.
1. Both chemo are considered alkylating agents with Carboplatin containing platinum. There action on cancer cells is similar.
2. Cytoxan is used more frequently after surgery for early-stage breast cancer to reduce risk of cancer recurrence. Carboplatin is used more frequently for more advanced stage breast cancer. My wife is post-BMX with 5-6 mm of IDC which points towards Cytoxan.
3. Cytoxan is used for small and large tumors. Carboplatin is usually used for larger tumors over 1 to 2 cm.
4. Carboplatin can have more severe side effects such as kidney damage and nerve damage. Cytoxan side effects are comparatively less severe.
All this information makes me feel that the MO recommendation is correct and that Taxotere Cytoxan Herceptin is the way to go for my wife and makes me feel more comfortable.
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Hi Ladies,
Is there room here for another chemo newbie? I will be starting Taxotere, Carboplatin, and Herceptin November 4. I've been reading your posts since last Wednesday when I found out my regimen. I read back to July and I have to say, you all have been very informative. I've taken a lot of notes and went yesterday to buy some of the things recommended on this thread to manage SEs. I hope I don't need them, but wanted to have them on hand. I'm planning to ice my fingers and toes, and suck on ice chips during Taxotere, per your recommendation. I know you said you used frozen peas, but I haven't quite figured out how to manage that on the toes, yet. Did you put the bags of peas inside some socks to hold them in place? It sounds a bit like a balancing act. But I'm willing to try it, if helps fingernails and toenails. I've searched through a lot of the boards but haven't really found any information about those of us who wear dentures. I'm thinking maybe I should remove them during treatment, but hate the thought of sitting in the middle of a room full of people without my teeth. No one ever sees me without them, except family, and then only glimpses. I'm very self conscience about it, but again will do what I have to. Do any of you know about that?
YaYa, thank you for visiting the November chemo group with all your encouragement. I hope you're regaining some of your energy.
Thank you for reading my post.
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grandma, my wife finished TC back in march and finishes "H" in 2 weeks!
The two things that really helped her get through chemo were drinking a lot of water before/during/after treatments, and brushing with biotene toothpaste (and using biotene rinse). Other than that, she learned not to forget to take your steroids before/after, and take anti-nausea meds as the first sign of a problem. Good luck.
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Thanks imatthew, for those words of encouragement. The biotene was one of things I picked up yesterday. I asked my Onc.'s nurse about the steroids before treatment and she said I wouldn't get steroids until treatment day. So I hope that does what it's suppose to. They did give me scripts for Compazine and Zofran, so I hope also that will do it's job.0
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GrandmaV - Welcome, sorry you have to be here. I also started out with steroids only the day of. I was switched to the before, during and after when I developed a rash. I actually preferred only having them the day of - less meds to take. Also be aware that Zofran does have a headache warning - it did not work for me at all - and it gave me a killer headache. I was given several anti-nausea meds as you have and advised to take the first one (Zofran) and if it doesn't work to move on to the next one. They all work with different mechanisms so you can take them on top of each other if the first is not working. Also, it is better to take them preventively. As with pain, nausea is best prevented instead of treated. I would also advise waiting to see if you have constipation or diahrrea - or hopefully neither - before you take anything. I just laid my frozen peas over my feet (with socks on) and didn't really move my feet for the duration of the tx. Good luck and ask lots of questions - everyone here will help!
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Grandma - welcome. I am sorry you have to be here, BUT since you do, these women are a WEALTH of information, as you have found out already.
I don't wear dentures, but thinking back on my TCH experience, I can't think of any reason why you couldn't leave them in during treatment. You're just basically sitting there in a big reclining chair with an IV in your arm or port. (Do you have a port?) The benadryl in the drip made me sleepy and I usually dozed off for a lot of the time. It took maybe 5-6 hours total. But if you are ok with sitting there dozing with your dentures in, I would think it would be fine to wear them. I'm sure your chemo nurses could reassure you about it.
Remember, the first time is the scariest - you don't know what is going to happen and your mind can run away with you, especially after reading pages of these threads with everybody's side effects. But remember, not all of them will happen to you. For example, I didn't know about the icing regimen back in 09 when I did TCH. And I never had one bit of problems with my nails anyway. So who knows. I also am the world's biggest puker (normally) and was SURE I'd be nauseous and sick the entire time. Turns out I NEVER had any nausea and never took the anti-nausea meds. You just truly don't know. You have to try to relax, take it a day at a time, see how your body reacts and then come here and ask other people how they handled the SE (side effect) that you are experiencing. Or call your doctor or chemo nurse. But I'd come here first - these women know EVERYTHING!
Just FYI - I didn't have any steroids the days before chemo either. Some docs do that and some don't. I just had it in the IV before they put the chemo in. The steroids make you very 'up' and it is VERY hard to sleep the first night or two. DO NOT worry - just read a book or watch tv. Within 48 hours or so, the steroids will leave your system and you will sleep just fine.
Any other questions, just ask. Somebody here will know.
Wishing you an easy time in treatment -
Amy
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Thank you SpecialK, I hope I'm able to sit still long enough. I know with all the fluids, I'll be up and down a lot. Yesterday, I got meds for both diahrrea and constipation, but I'm hardly ever constipated, so anticipate that diahrrea will probably be my problem. I've got Tucks on hand and ready.
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One more thing to say to the newbies - When I lost my hair, I used baseball caps and scarves, and occasionally a wig. I had a soft cotton cap to sleep in - my head got COLD!
So here I am, 2 years later (with lots of hair) and I'm getting ready for a hiking trip (which I did last week and it was AWESOME!). Anyway, I was at the hiking supply store (my guilty addiction) and I came across these 'buffs.' They are like a seamless tube of stretchy fabric and can be used for a neckwarmer, hat, across the face, lots of other ways. So I bought one, because I was concerned about being a little cold on the trail.
Got it home and put it on - and immediately said it would have been PERFECT when I was bald. SUPER EASY to use, cute prints, soft, comfortable. I WISH I had known. So I thought I'd pass the idea along. It was $20, not cheap, BUT I think if I had 2 of them, they would have taken the place of all the assorted scarves I bought. I got mine at Eastern Mountain Sports, but I saw them online at buffusa.com and planetbuff.com
Hope this helps somebody.
Amy
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Grandma,
The one big thing that helped me was the Xanax I took before each treatment. I was relaxed and calm. It also helped me sleep the nights of chemo. I had oral steroids the day before, of, and after chemo as well as an IV steroid the day of chemo. As much as I hated the shakey feeling I got from it, it did help with the fluid retention. Good luck as you begin this journey. You will find a lot support here.
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Grandma,
I also loved the buffs that Amyisstrong is describing. Planetbuff.com also has a video to show you various ways to wear them:) I had a soft fleece hat to sleep in since I lost my hair during the winter-you don't realize how cold your head gets at night without hair!
As others have said you need to wait and see how you respond but also stay ahead of the SEs. You won't experience every SE so don't feel overwhelmed when you read all of the SEs we describe. I have never had GI problems in my life but had a terrible time during chemo. I found that I had to start taking Miralax (dissolvable powder) the day before chemo and continue it daily until things were "normal". I also had diarrhea/cramping from day 6-10 of every cycle to the degree that I had to convert to a liquid diet just to manage. I don't think most people had such severe GI problems. I was given compazine and zofran and found that the compazine was sufficient. I never needed the Zofran. For me, the nausea just felt like an annoying grawing in my stomach and was never terrible. I also used bags of frozen peas for my nails and found them the easiest to manage because they are more pliable. I just labeled them and threw them back in the freezer each time so that I wouldn't mistakenly eat them:)
Consider taking something like L Glutamine or Acetyl L Carnitine to prevent neuropathy and Claritin to prevent bone pain from the Neulasta shot (are you getting Neulasta?) Of course, make sure your MO is ok with you taking any of these...Best wishes as you begin TCH. We are all here to help in any way we can.
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one other note from my wife - Aleve was a Godsend in the days following neulasta.
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Thank you so much Amy,
Yes I do have a port. It was put in at surgery 3 weeks ago. I hardly know it's there. I've been trying to concentrate more on the ladies with minimal SEs. But like you said it is a scary thing to have to face. I had an echocardiogram yesterday and the technician was very young and trying to be nice and break the ice, but he just asked one too many personal questions and I just started crying. He didn't know what to do after that. I think we were both glad when that was over with.
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