Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
Comments
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imara - Big congrats on finishing chemo!!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all - thank you for being here, it means so much to me!
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I am very grateful to you all for your help, advice and hugs etc. Happy Thanksgiving.
I do seem to be having a few more SEs this time, typical for the last time I guess. Red face this morning! More nausea despite meds, and oh so tired! BUT, I will make it thru this too.
Praying for all of you still going thru this and for those facing surgery too.
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Thank you Lago. I thought my tumor was 4.5 but when we went back for the second MRI they said it was 7 cm, but mostly in-situ so I am hoping that it is all gone. I trust my oncologist. She has been wonderful and has been great about being very up front with all the information.
Thanks for your support!
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on this thanksgiving day, i'm so grateful for dr. slamon and herceptin. not that long ago, those of us who are Her2 positive would have a grim prognosis. i cannot get this fact out of my mind.
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Amen YaYa!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am grateful my recurrence was caught early and that it is local. I am grateful I get to go on a relaxing vacation before gearing up to battle the beast once again. I am grateful for all my wonderful family and friends, the best husband on the planet and women like you all who get where I am coming from. Happy happy all!
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I am also very greatful for herceptin
My last chemo was Sept. 21, They stopped my herceptin until I finish radiation, then I will start up the weekly herceptins, now through the end of August. I just finished week 5 of 7 radiation daily treatments, and I am getting very burned , but I have been gooping on aquaphor, and I hope that prevents it from getting alot worse like the rad nurses keep saying it will. I will also be starting either tamoxafin, or the other pill depending if my test reveals if I am truely menopausal . I think I am with the lack of cycles since June, and the never ending hot flashes. 0 -
zumbagirl - I put on an aloe gel right after tx and also used miaderm and emu oil. I liked the emu oil (from Progessive through amazon) the best.0
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Hey Ladies! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I have a question. Chemo nurse went over side effects and treatment plan with me last week and told me I would need a Neulasta shot after each tx. Asked her about Claritin to reduce bone pain since I have read that many of you took it. She had not heard anything about Claritin but promised to look into it. She said they give a hefty dose of Benadryl with chemo, but since the Neulasta shot isn't until the next day after chemo, I wouldn't think that would help with bone pain. Can anyone tell me anymore info about Claritin and why it seems to help? Thanks, Judy.
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Judy I was told they don't know why it works. I didn't take Claritin and I had terrible back bone pain with the first neulasta (couldn't stand up straight it hurt that bad) for about a day then got better. The other 5 shots were not as painful. I took Aleve to alleviate the pain. I have read that the first dose is the most painful. Here's a thread that might help you: linky
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Judy - I think SpecialK said that the claritin reduced edema associated with the expansion of the bone marrow in response to the neulasta shot.0
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Judy67 There is actually a clinical trial looking at the use of Claritin (Loratadine) in reducing bone pain from Neulasta (Pegfilgrastim). I'll try to import the link for the Phase II study that runs until June 2012. Here's a quick summary: it says that Neulasta is a myeloid growth factor that stimulates neutrophil precursors and may induce back and leg pain in 20-50% of patients. The exact mechanism of neulasta-induced pain
is unknown but may be related to histamine-mediated inflammation. Anecdotal reports have suggested efficacy of anihistamines for this indication (I wonder if we are the anecdotal reports?) As such, they are testing the use of 10 mg of Claritin x 7 days beginning on the day the Neulasta is administered.
http://clinicaltrialsfeeds.org/clinical-trials/show/NCT01311336
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judy67 - the antihistamine properties in the Claritin are thought to reduce the edema that occurs in the marrow as it expands in response to the Neulasta, as omaz said above. Some MO's are aware of it and don't endorse it because it is off-label usage, but mine said I could take it if I wanted to - he was aware of patients using it OTC prior to Neulasta. I have read of some MO that are now telling their patients to take it so it seems to be an idea that is gaining ground. I think research studies will lend the concept some credence and help usage to become more widespread. It is one of those things - can't hurt and might help, so I would try it as long as your doc says ok. I started it with my first tx but forgot to take it tx#3 until 30 minutes after the shot - too late and I had a lot more pain.0
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I was on Zyrtec the entire time on chemo so I didn't think I should add the Claritin as well
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lago - I think the mechanism would be the same with Zyrtec. I have often wondered why Claritin seemed to be the chosen one - unless someone tried it with Claritin and word spread from there!
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hey, has anyone thought about proton therapy for breast cancer? they're doing it now in loma linda. wonder if i should check into it and maybe have radiation there? thoughts, anyone?
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yaya - I don't know anything abou it! What is it?0
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omaz, proton therapy is a veryprecise kind of radiation that targets only the tumor while sparing healthy tissue. it's been around for a long time, but it's mostly used for prostate, head & neck, and pediatric cancer. it hasn't been used much at all for breast cancer yet. google loma linda proton therapy to learn more. it's the only place i know of that's using proton rather than regular radiation for breast cancer. it's faster, safer, and i'd LOVE to have it.
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yaya - that looks great! Two weeks, targeted to the tumor bed, much less rads to others areas - Sheesh! Is there a downside???0
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Is this different from Mammosite? If I had opted for lumpectomy my BS preferred it over standard radiation.
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omaz, i don't know of any downside other than they haven't proven it with breast cancer yet, although the folks at loma linda have had success with it in a limited number of patients. we actually have a new proton center at my cancer institute, but they aren't doing breast cancer there yet.
specialK, yes, it's different from mammosite. it's just like external radiation, but so much better because it targets only the tumor and no other tissue. there are basically no side effects.
my brother-in-law just finished proton therapy for prostate cancer. he had no side effects other than getting tired of the drive back and forth.
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Thanks guys. I will definitely be taking the Claritin.
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Hi all,
I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. I count you all among my blessings.
Grimbol and Imara, Congratulations on being done. I am so happy for both of you. My last tx is Tuesday and I can't wait.
Starella, thanks for responding about the timing of radiation. I see my BS shortly after my last chemo and she has me scheduled for a baseline mammogram. I'll see the radiation onc after that. Omaz, thank you for the emu oil recommendation. I am starting to worry a bit about radiation, but I guess I'll get through it as I have sugery and chemo. Yaya, interesting update about the lomu linda proton therapy. I'll have to ask my doc about that. Let me know if you are eligible for it as we seem to have closely similar diagnosis.
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YaYa5 and others - Loma Linda was where I went through my diagnoses and lumpectomy this past spring/summer, but I wouldn't have been elegible for the proton radiation because of my being BRCA positive. At that time a few months ago, you had to be part of one of their clinical trials (and couoldn't be BRCA+). But if it had worked, it would have been just 2 weeks of radiation!
Diana
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Ccurious if anyone began taking prilosec after starting Chemo. I needed to take it last round and was planning on starting it today the day prior and continuing for the next week and a half. My onc said to start to take it everyday now. Is that what you ladies do?
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I took Prilosuck everyday for the first 2 weeks and it didn't work (and never does with me). I then was put on Protonics but eventually that wasn't enough. Added Carofate (I've had this before for reflux). Then my insurance changed so I had to go on Nexium because they wouldn't cover Protonics.
But yes I was on some kind of proton pump inhibitor every day on chemo then had to be weaned of it slowly after chemo ended.
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OK, ladies. Advice please. Starting TCH on Thursday; will have Neulasta on Friday. Have stocked up on all the OTC stuff to help handle SE's. So, question is this, do I take laxatives and/or Prilosec ahead of time or only if I have trouble? If before, how much, how often, and starting when?
Claritin for bone pain. Take starting Wed, take through Monday? Do I have that right? And how much how often? Please advise!
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darlam, it's recommended that you take the claritin (NOT claritin D) an hour before your shot and then several days afterward. i only took one claritin a day. personally, i wouldn't take a laxative until you know you need it. diarrhea can be another side effect, so i usually wait and see which one i have! i think some of the ladies here take prilosec (i talk zantac) a few days before chemo and then as long as they need it. i didn't start zantac until the day of chemo. other women here will tell you what worked best for them!0
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I was instructed at chemo training to take Prilosuck/Protonix every day starting the day before my 1st TX.
Some people get the Big C, some the Big D, and some get both. You may be able to control the big C with diet and prunes, dried apricots, probiotic and eating high fiber foods. I know when that didn't work for me then I tried Milk of Magnesia. When that didn't work I took Metamucil. I have IBS so constipation was an issue I had before chemo. You may find the diet or MOM will work. Personally I find the laxatives very bloating and crampy so I never use them.
The Big D can be handled with diet too. It's just the opposite of what you would eat on the big C.
I was on Zyrtec continuously starting the day before chemo so I never took Claritin.
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DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT, take a laxative until you know which way you will go - constipation or diarrhea. I never had a day of constipation throughout the entire chemo experience but I did have the Big D for 10 days after each tx. My BIL, the gastroenterologist, recommends Miralax for constipation. I was not instructed to take anything for heartburn/reflux and did not have any problems until tx#5. If you are prone to it I would start with the first tx though. For Neulasta, take a Claritin (regular, not Claritin D) an hour prior to the injection, then for a few days after, at the normal 24 hour interval from when you took that first one. I used the kind that dissolves on the tongue so I did not have to take yet another pill.
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I agree with SpecialK.
I had diarrhea so badly after my 2nd TCH. In fact it hit me DURING that treatment before I even left the infusion room. I could hardly leave the house for any length of time because I was afraid of when it would hit me and would I be near a toilet.
I discussed with with my ONC and was given 2 anti-diarrhea tablets as my premeds for number 3-6 TCH. I never had the problem since.
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is unknown but may be related to histamine-mediated inflammation. Anecdotal reports have suggested efficacy of anihistamines for this indication (I wonder if we are the anecdotal reports?) As such, they are testing the use of 10 mg of Claritin x 7 days beginning on the day the Neulasta is administered. 