Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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ashla - I checked a lot of my cosmetics on this and have found that Jane Iredale, Boscia, Korres and Bare Escentuals all have good ratings.
I also use Bosley Products on my hair to encourage growth. I am doing the South Beach (mediterranean) diet and power walking/running 4-6 miles daily. I go next week to the LE PT to have a weight lifting program developed to increase strength and range of motion without complicating the LE. Once I have that in place I will return to the gym to do the Livestrong program at the YMCA. i am also taking a number of supplements.
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I use aveeno unscented lotion - anyone heard anything bad about it??0
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Kelloggs..
My mo doesn't scan so I've been trying to sort out whather to insist on them at some point. I was fortunate to have had neo adjuvant chemo and a pCR to it so hearing you had basically the same treatment and same reult on mets eases my mind a bit.
The take way her for all the ladies reading this forum is that chemo works. It may not be complete irradication but those side effects if you're able to get through it are worth the risk. Whoever posted the "chemo is my friend" message in these forums...thank you. It got me through these struggles.
Right now I'm really bummed because my hair is barely a fuzz but Kellogg just remided me that if you gave me the choice between being bald and being alive..I'd choose bald in a heartbeat.
I found this on the Johns Hopkins "ask the expert " forum.
"
Are there any studies or numbers available regarding overall survival and/or distant recurrence
for a neoadjuvant chemo complete response versus a chemo partial response for breast cancer?
Are there any studies or numbers available regarding overall survival and/or distant recurrence
for a neoadjuvant chemo complete response versus a chemo partial response for triple negative
breast cancer?
Thank you.Replied JHU's Breast Center Reply 1/25/2012 not that i am aware of. go to www.pubmed.com however and see if there has been any articles on this that might contain a little stats info. we are always thrilled to see any response however complete response deserves a party. 0 -
Kelloggs..
My mo doesn't scan so I've been trying to sort out whather to insist on them at some point. I was fortunate to have had neo adjuvant chemo and a pCR to it so hearing you had basically the same treatment and same reult on mets eases my mind a bit.
The take way her for all the ladies reading this forum is that chemo works. It may not be complete irradication but those side effects if you're able to get through it are worth the risk. Whoever posted the "chemo is my friend" message in these forums...thank you. It got me through these struggles.
Right now I'm really bummed because my hair is barely a fuzz but Kellogg just remided me that if you gave me the choice between being bald and being alive..I'd choose bald in a heartbeat.
I found this on the Johns Hopkins "ask the expert " forum.
"Are there any studies or numbers available regarding overall survival and/or distant recurrence
for a neoadjuvant chemo complete response versus a chemo partial response for breast cancer?
Are there any studies or numbers available regarding overall survival and/or distant recurrence
for a neoadjuvant chemo complete response versus a chemo partial response for triple negative
breast cancer?
Thank you.
not that i am aware of. go to www.pubmed.com however and see if there has been any articles on this that might contain a little stats info. we are always thrilled to see any response however complete response deserves a party.0 -
Thanks SpecialK..
I use Bare Escentuals now and love them so that's a check. Don't have to switch that one. I basically follow a Mediterannean diet too.I'm not ready for the running, power walking yet but that's my next goal.Longer, more vigorous walks and then yoga.
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ashla - I am tired of being bald, too but today it's all worth it! I am exactly 3 weeks PFC and my DH shaved my head again a week ago Sunday. I had some wispies and it was gray and very fine. I cried again, but it's only been a little over a week and I have some serious growth already. There is a light at the end of the tunnel! HUGS
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Kellogs, so happy for you. Much love to all
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Kellogs ~ Just had to add my good wishes to you as well. So very thrilled to know how well you are doing. TCH is no picnic, but when you have such great results it truly is all worth it. Hoping ALL OF US have the same success! Linda0
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Kelloggs, you deserve to celebrate, so congratulations on your good news. You have a lot of self-control to keep the worst of your diagnosis a secret for so long.
Also, Kelloggs, did they ever tell you why/how the arm pain irritation could be caused by the chemo? Was it the way it was administered?
Omaz, the pain is just about gone today. Thank you for your comment. I've got my lidocane/prilocane gel out and I've taken the dexomethasone today and will take it in the a.m. too.
Msbell, as far as I know I have 6 TCH treatments scheduled. I will have #2 on Friday the 13th. Good thing I'm not superstitious. Knock on Wood.
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Rough night last night, lots of quite sharp stomach pains/gas (scary!) - but thankfully Colace came to my rescue. Yep, I trend toward the constipation side. Now I know. Yippee. I appreciate all the heads up you guys have given me on that. How long is this part gonna last? Is it all from the Zofran? I'm trying to wean myself from it, but afraid of waiting too long and getting sick. Had chemo Tuesday so today is starting my 2nd day off of steroids.
Ears still ringing.
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dance - I had constipation from the premeds or chemo itself. Usually after I got things moving the first time I was ok...sometimes swung the other way too! I took 1/2 a Zofran at a time. Compazine gave me mad dizziness so I took the Zofran and because it has a headache SE I halved them. They worked fine that way and didn't give me a headache. I hope your big C is just from premeds and chemo and not the Zofran.
Alice - MO didn't say what caused the pain but I think it must have been the way it was administered. I have a port and it was my port side. My port looked red and angry but it wasn't infected. It subsided after 4 days or so. Good luck with tx #2 today!
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dancetrancer I had my chemo on Tuesday. I found that the first chemo the constipation started on Thursday and it took till Saturday to get things moving. After that I started with the Metamucil the night of chemo. By Saturday I was fine and stopped taking Metamucil. I never took any pain meds (can cause constipation) or Compazine (never had any nausea) and not sure if I got Zofran in my drip. I know mine was from chemo. Be sure not to over treat the constipation or you'll end up with diarrhea.
Kellog glad they resolved your port issue
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I just started TCH yesterday, my first tx. I already feel a little tired from the 8 hour day yesterday. When will I start feeling what? I am 27 and was diagnosed 22 Feb 12 and had a double mastectony 4 weeks ago. I am married and have 2 girls ( 4 1/2 and 18 mo). I am an RN too. Ant thoughs would be so appreciated!!!! Thank u!
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Hi brittany. Welcome. I found I didn't start to feel things till 2 days… but the first treatment for me was really minor except for the constipation then the pain from Nuelasta. I still did everything although I was a bit more tired at the end of the day for about a week.0
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Dancetrancer Take the Colace only as long as you need it until you see whether you will have diarrhea as well. I had constipation for the first few days following the infusion and took Metamucil for a few days but I also had terrible diarrhea/cramping from day 6-10 of every cycle.
Brittany Welcome! I had mild constipation for a few days following the infusion along with mild nausea that was easily controlled with Compazine. I always had a "steroid crash" from day 4-6 where I felt a lot more tired-I was working full-time so I think I noticed the fatigue even more on those days and I felt like a zombie but then my energy would rebound. I was never hungry during week 1 but I found that drinking a lot of fluids reduced the overall SEs.
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Welcome Brittany. I always try to eat the first day or two out of tx, after that, I get diarrhea and nothing tastes good. I am beginning to hate rice and bananas. LOL. One thing is to drink your fluids, I ended up with dehydration and hospitalized with renal failure. Drink, drink, drink!
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Brittany - welcome to the group no one wants to join. I agree with the drink, drink, drink! My SE's usually didn't start until day 3 in the evening. I took the nausea meds but found after 3 tx that I really didn't need them, never had any nausea. I did have a constipation for a day or two but once I got things moving, no problem. I had some aching but Tylenol helped. Are you getting the Neulasta shot? If so, the first one is the worst as far as bone pain. Take regular 24hr Claritin the day of and for several days after the shot, it helps. I didn't mind the bone pain because that shot kept my white blood counts perfect through all my tx. My worst SE was taste changes, which happened right away. I never had a problem eating, but nothing was appealing or tasted good so I had to force myself to eat.
Everyone reacts differently to chemo so your experience could be very different. Just know that this site is full of women who have been there and we are ready to support you. Come here for advice or just to vent...we've heard it all! Good luck....you CAN do this! HUGS
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Thanks all. I went back to bed for a couple of hours after my post. I have no idea how some of you worked through this, but I guess I do know since everyone says we all respond differently. I am completely wiped out. I did go down to 1/2 a Zofran this morning - wish I would have thought of that earlier. Fortunately, no headaches from it thus far.
Wow dragonfly, symptoms out to 10 days is a long time to be sick. Appreciate the heads up that that is possible. I will be cautious about the Colace. Only took 2 last night.
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DT - I am with you - no way could I be working during this. I had tx #2 a week ago Wednesday and am on day 5 of crippling diarrhea. Can barely eat anything and when I do I have to go to the bathroom 10 minutes later. I seem to be the only person out there with this lovely combination of constipation AND diarrhea. When I cramp up (which is roughly about every 2 hours or as I said, after I eat ANYTHING) I have to go immediately - but it takes 45 minutes to actually go. It's diarrhea, but I'm constipated at the same time if that makes any sense. It's a complete nightmare. This happened to me on my first go round back in 2006, but not this severe and it did not last this long. This happened after tx#1 this time as well, but again, not this severe and it only lasted about 3 days. Seeing my onc today, (third time this week), he thinks it may be a GI infection, had me give him a stool sample yesterday (lovely). I don't think its an infection, I think this is just what my body does based on previous experience. And I can only imagine its going to get worse as I do the next 4. Which frankly, right now I am not sure I can do. This TOTALLY sucks.
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dance - I also had the Big D for 10 days. Not enough to really medicate it but I didn't really leave the house much! Second 10 days I felt completely normal, except for being bald.
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Welcome Brittany!! So glad you have found us. This is a terrific group of women, we are here for you!0
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Ladies with stomach issues - I had some really bad GI stuff - not constipation OR diarrhea, but I'd say around days 5-12 I would have TERRIBLE TERRIBLE cramping and stomach pain. I finally called the onc (should have done it sooner) and they gave me a drug called Bentyl which relaxes stomach cramping. It did make me a little drowsy but I didn't care by that point. It was SUPER HELPFUL, made a huge difference.
So if you have this GI cramping problem, ask your onc about it. I only took it a few times but it really worked.
Reida - if it turns out you don't have a GI infection, tihs might be something to try.BTW, I also took digestive enzymes, probiotics, drank aloe juice 2x/daily etc. during chemo to help my poor stomach. But nothing could touch this cramping except this little blue pill. And it really DID help!
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Thanks Amy I will mention it to my onc this morning.
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Thank you all for the feedback and support. I drug myself into the shower a bit ago and feel somewhat better now. I just feel so exhausted and weak. I did call the doc's office, so they are aware. They reassured me that these are all normal reactions to a very strong chemo regimen and that I should just take it easy. They said I can call the oncall service with any questions over the weekend and that emergency things to look out for are fever, shortness of breath, chest pain, unrelenting diarrhea or vomiting. The nurse is going to check with my onc on whether I should take colace at a small dose daily due to my issues presented thus far.
I just got an email from someone who is an "old friend" who is very anti-chemo, and it was very upsetting. It is so hard to be trying to push through these symptoms and then get an email like that. He said he's never heard of chemo for "prevention" and I am "poisoning" myself, etc, that it is a money racket...all the standard anti-medical establishment stuff. This is not what I needed to see in my inbox today.
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Dancetrancer... Just throw them in the bonfire and move on! With my broken foot , I have nothing better to do than read .... And sit by the fire and toast marshmallows for whoever needs them!
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Dance - agree with VR. When you make a decision, you have to look forward, not back. I question how much of a 'friend' this person is, really. Maybe you can write back to him that you hope he is never in the position to have to make such a decision. Or don't even answer.
Yes, take it easy! Nothing is that important. Rest is very healing. You are going through a lot. Let your body and mind rest and heal. Maybe a funny movie on tv to distract you and make you laugh. Followed by a nap. Then maybe a good book. Hey - that sounds like a lovely afternoon to me!
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Thanks guys. That email was like being kicked when you are down. Man. I so appreciate the support from you guys!!!
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Oh, dance, hang in there. That is NOT a friend. He may not have heard of chemo as prevention, but that just goes to show he hasn't heard everything. To quote my onc, "you are free of the cancer now, the chemo is for prevention" the same thing your onc said! I live in Wisconsin,so they are not the same onc! LOL . My mom died from BC almost twenty years ago. She didn't get chemo for prevention so I am ahead of the game . Please know you made the right decision for you until he has to make that decision for himself. , his job is to support your decision. Much love.
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I can't believe this. I never replied to him, yet I just received ANOTHER email from him saying "can't you get another opinion?" This guy was the best man in our wedding. This is going to end our friendship.
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Ok wait - in HIS OWN MIND, he may be being very helpful and a very good friend. If you don't let him know that he is going in the wrong direction, he may think he is being a hero. We all know that people outside of this awful BC world just DO NOT GET IT (and this is a great example).
Please write/call and tell him you appreciate how much he cares for you, but that you have done your research and made your decision and that what you need now is his love & support. I think your friendship and history owes him that. OR - better yet, have your DH do it. THEN - once that is done - if he persists, then hey, kick him to the curb!
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