Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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nmoss - crap! Are you thinking about a total hyst? Which biopsy was not good - did they check you a year ago when they found your BC?
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Darlam, glad you are doing ok.
Lisa0 -
nmoss it seems there are several ladies on the illinios ladies thread that are having terrible issues with Femera and are switching to Aromisan. I know several of us (myself included) are on Anastrozole and are not have too much of a problem (stiffness in the morning and 1 l ady having some hair thinning). I wonder if Anastrozole (generic Arimidex) would work for you.0
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Hey Special K and Lago, SK the biopsy was the breast a year ago. I get my uterine biopsy this weds. Lago, my onc said next H he is going to the Arimidex next. I just can't imagine if this is a repeat of last year. Thank you ladies
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Hi. I started Taxotere, Carboplatin, Herceptin on Nov. 29. I do the herceptin weekly and the other two every third week. When they gave me taxotere, they had to stop it b/c I had really bad chest pain. Since then, I have felt like I have a lump in my throat. Is this normal, and is there anything to relieve it? Thank you!
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thank you
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Welcome slgarcia! I had a sore throat off and on during chemo. I used biotene spray to help out, you could try spraying that in the back of your throat to see if it helps. It could perhaps be heartburn as well. Several of the women here know about heartburn and can help with advice. How are you feeling otherwise?0
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slgarcia - Also, I figured that I didn't know which symptoms were important so I pretty much told them all my symptoms at each visit before chemo and called when something came up and was troublesome inbetween visits.0
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Thank you so much. I am not feeling well at all. It is so much harder than I could've imagined. I have had major tummy issues and feel nauseas all the time. Thank goodness for zofran and compazine! I have done the maalox/benadryl drink, and have been using biotene mouthwash. I didn't know there was a spray. I just hate this lump in my throat! I am also taking Prilosec twice a day. If the sensation there was something there would go away, I could handle this so much better!
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slgarcia - You could call and ask them about it. Do you have a physician assistant that responds to questions or a nurse to help?0
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slgarcia Just wanted to say welcome and that I hope the SEs settle down soon. I don't know about the lump in the throat sensation but as Omaz said it could be some form of heartburn. I had heartburn terribly during TCH even though I never had it before and have not had it since. They started adding Pepcid to my premed infusion and I took the omeprazole/Prilosec daily during week one to calm it down.
TC is very hard on the GI tract so it's not surprising if you are having some issues in that department. I felt like I always had a gnawing feeling in my stomach even with the meds-uncomfortable but manageable. Whatever you do, stay well hydrated and eat what you can. The first week is a bit rough and then generally you'll turn the corner and start feeling better. For me, I felt rough from day 1-10 every cycle and then rapidly improved. Hope you get some relief very soon!
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Thank u ladies! I see my onc on tuesday, so i will be asking her about all this. just didn't know if there was some other form of relief in the meantime. thank you for everything.
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NMoss,
I am so sorry to read this!
My Ob said I won't have a period on Tamox, and GUESS WHAT? Last week I spotted just like you described in your earlier post. I was just going to blow it off, but now will call for an appointment. My uterus got really bloated, but it seems to have settled.
I hope everything goes well for you. Please keep us in the info loop.
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slgarcia - what you may have experienced during tx is an esophageal spasm - feels like chest pain. The lump you may be feeling may be a result of that spasm. It is kind of like a cramp. They may need to pre-med you with extra reflux meds, but you may want to discuss taking them daily during chemo to keep the acid out of your esophagus.
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specialK, you are always so good about ideas and suggestions. i start radiation on tuesday. what did you use for cream? my RO is adamant about not using anything other than aquaphor or lubriderm. they sacred me about the reactions i could have with other creams or lotions. i'm so confused.0
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Hi yaya - Good luck with rads! There is some good information here on this website that you might be interested in if you haven't already seen it
http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/radiation/skin/care.jsp
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yaya - Oh, thank you! Unfortunately, lots of my suggestions have come from things that have happened to me! I had reflux surgery in '95 - even though I did not fit the profile (middle-aged and overweight man!) and I had the spasms - thought I was having a heart attack. I didn't have rads due to BMX and axillary node dissection, but omaz has a combination of stuff that worked well for her along with some layering of clothing. I am sure she will let you know what she did - or send her a PM.0
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slgarcia if Prilosuc isn't working (never works for me) you need to ask your onc for a prescription of something like Protonics or Nexium. I agree that the throat thing could be due to acid reflux so ask for a better drug than Prilosuc. Also be sure not to lie down at least 1-2 hours after eating.
I too told my onc about everything SE. I remember not telling her about an issue with my toenail early on. Eventually I mentioned it and she sent me to a podiatrist. Good thing. I ended up with big issues with all my nails. I actually kept a diary of what SE, the day it started and the day it ended. I brought a print out with me at every appointment. Trust me you won't remember everything especially if the SE had resolved. The oncs really want to know everything.
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You ladies are so awesome! The SE diary is a good idea. I chart everything else, so why not that too?
I am feeling a little better this evening. I do believe I will ask for something other than Prilosec since I have been on it for almost 3 months now and it is not working. Thank you all so much. God bless!0 -
The American Cancer Society has these handy dandy SE tracking sheets. I used them and thought they were good. I tried to copy and paste but it didn't work
Yay! Now it works!
www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@nho/documents/document/acsq-009502.pdf
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Hi all - I have been sick from this last tx and have stayed away. Still having digestive issues and a slew of other SE's, but I am optimistic that I will improve day by day.
NMoss, I am so sorry to hear about the recommendation for biopsy. Keep us posted and please don't worry unless you have to. I know it's easier said than done. Chances are your doctors are only being extra-careful because of the bc diagnosis. Hang in there.
Slgarcia05, welcome. I too had that sensation of something in my throat that you described. It didn't last long, maybe 3 to 4 days. My throat would be a bit scratchy as well. I didn't start having both sensations until my 3rd tx and they both usually went away by the second week. I am not sure if it's the same thing, but I thought I'd share my experience.
Yaya, good luck with rads. Keep us posted. I see my RO in 10 days for my stimulation. In addition to the skin creams, I am curious about clothing. I've read a few posts where people mention buying t-shirts to put underneath their bras... Sounds a bit uncomfortable. Let me know what you are doing about that.
Lago, it's good to hear from you again. Ana, I hope you are recovering from your surgery. Did you get your pathology report?
I have a question for you ladies who are ahead of me in this process. How long did you wait after chemo to start hormonal therapy? My onc says it's okay to start now or wait a bit. I was thinking of waiting until I started with radiation, which may not be until the first week of January. Is that too long?
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waves. I don't post as much because I've been working full time till today (on 1/2 days now because its slow). Also my last chemo was in January. I just pop in to answer question and help out if I can when I can.
I do want you all to know that it really does get better. You will be back to your old self (with a few changes of course). I never thought that stiffness would go away or all that bloat. Holy crap you should see me now. I think I look better than before and I was in pretty good shape before all this. New haircut, new boobs! OK the LE sleave ain't pretty but not a big deal.
hang in there. I know the feeling of "I don't want to play anymore"
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AmelieRose My MO recommended starting hormonal therapy after I finished Rads so that there would be no overlap and confusion about SEs. I know others here have started hormonal therapy at the beginning of Rads so it can be done both ways...
Lago It's always so encouraging to read your posts-keeps me looking forward to better days!
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Mine also wanted me to start at the end of rads.
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amelie, i asked my MO just today when i'd start arimidex. he said it was the least important part of my treatment. #1 is chemo, #1a is herception, #2 is radiation and #3 is arimidex. he said he usually waits until after radiation, but that i could start now if i wanted to. he said no matter when i start, i'll be taking it for 5 years. duh. sometimes i wonder if he thinks i'm dumb. really dumb!0
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Hi ladies, Slgarcia05 sorry you had to be a member of this club.But I am glad you found us. Hang in there and I hope you feel better soon,
So today I had the ultrasound, tommorow is the biopsy. I still have not gotten my CA 125 results and it's nerve racking! But fingers crossed and hopefully this time next week I'll be doing the happy dance of relief! Good new is my FSH shot back up to 99!0 -
Yaya ... I finished 35 radiation treatments on Oct. 12. I used emu oil from Naturals New Zealand that I ordered from Amazon.com. That is all I used. I lubricated every morning after my shower, after my radiation treatment and before I went to bed. You have to make sure that you get all the area that is being radiated. If they are doing your lymph nodes ... make sure that you go high up enough under your arms. I started lubricated that area a little late because I didn't realize that's how high they went, and that area did get burnt but I kept lubricating, and eventually the burnt skin just peeled away and I had beautiful unblemished skin under it all. In my Oct. 4 post on my blog, I have a picture of the burnt area if you want to see how bad it was.
The thing with emu oil is that you use a couple of drops a time and work them into your skin ... it just gets absorbed and and is not greasy and does not stain your clothes. I asked my RO about using it and he was ok with it although I was his first patient to ever use it. I did so well that he is now recommending it to other patients.
I would recommend wearing seamless, wire-free bras ... the ones from Warner's worked best for me. I stopped using my Victoria Secret bras because they were rubbing under the breast. My recommendation is oil every area well including under the breast because that is a tender area and according to the RO will get burnt. Start oiling before the first treatment ... don't wait till you start to see red! My skin started turning red after the third treatment.
It was tedious having to go everyday but this is what we need to do, and before you know it, the treatments will be over. Yesterday I had my follow-up with my RO and he is very pleased with my skin. I have two tanned areas and those are the only evidence that I ever had radiation. You will get to this point too.
Radiation does cause some fatigue so be prepared for that ... it's not too bad. I worked through it all.
Good luck!
EvelynMarie
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NMoss,
Ugh. I'm spotting again this week....my Onc put in a referral to the OB...I'm sending good thoughts and prayers your way...
I'm officially done with Herceptin...won't get the last 3 because my heart has no improvement. However, I did get a fill yesterday and it went well!! I only need a couple more, then when my heart bounces back (see how positive I am..lol) I can get this TE swapped.
Also, Onc said I can have my port removed ASAP!!! WOO HOO!!! So all I have to do is schedule it with the surgeon. Most awesome. (the chemo nurses tried to tell me I had to keep it 5 years!)
Of course this makes me really happy, so it will probably bite me in the butt.....
So I am OFFICIALLY DONE!! Thank you Jesus!
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