Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
Comments
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Nan...
No rads for me! Thank God. I had a mastectomy with clean margins and no nodes active, so they said I didn't need it. So the next thing is boob implant/nipple reconstruction/symmetry surgery (he said all at once), and we're going to talk about doing my herniated belly button at the same time. I wish I could do it all right now and have it done! I don't know how long they'll make me wait, but I'm doing the San Diego 3 Day in late November, so hopefully, it'll be soon enough that I'll be completely recovered by that time. I sprang back physically from the other surgery pretty quickly, so I'm hoping he'll do it as soon as my body is functioning like a terran life form again:) (Sorry if I talk like a sci-fi fan. I look like a character in a sci fi novel!)
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Nan: Thanks for checking in! It's always good to hear from someone on the "other side." Love the boob cake - I want a boob cake. Think I'll make one for my bf who was diagnosed about 6 months ahead of me.
Aly: I can SO relate to the double eyelids - the puffs on top of the bags is such a lovely look, all set off by my patchy brows and very sparse lashes. Nice look! I do use brown/black liner top and bottom, and try to fool myself into believing that it looks just like eyelashes!
Shel: Abdominal twitches??? Have you seen "Alien"? If you see a little hand poking out, time to start worrying. My PS's nurse (and his wife) told me that I'm almost done with fills, so I can have the exchange surgery over fall break (mid-October.) How nice it will be not to have a rock-hard foob that extends from my clavicle to my armpit but only fills up about half of my bra since it's so high. He also does the nipple at the same time as the exchange, so that's good - one less contact with a member of the medical profession makes me happy.
Everybody still in treatment - hang in there and do what you can to ride out the side effects. Herceptin-only was easy and no after effects - yay! Now I'm just dealing with the anemia - down to 8.4 last week, but I don't want a transufsion or Aransept. So more blood work this week - yuk.
Everybody have a good week -
Sue
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Hi all! Well, tx #4 is down the hatch! Please pray for me that my side effects are as mild as they were last time. I'm soooooo tired I'm going to take a nap now but I just wanted to say hi to everybody and hope you are all doing well.
2 more to go. 2 more to go.
Aly.
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Nan,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,heyyyyyy a big hi to you. I was so glad to see you post and that life is going great for you. When is the wedding day? Awesome girl. I know what you mean about the hair,,,,,,,,I have been going wigless for several weeks now. Its about a little over 3 inches and still playing with it to figure out what to do with it exactly. But it just looks like I have short hair on purpose. All good,,,,,,,,,,,its hair.
I, like you, obsessed about the hair loss. I remember it being such a big issue for me. But to be honest ,,,,,,,,,once I shaved it and wore the wig for a while,,,,,,,,,,,it didnt bother me. Although I really liked my wig, so that helps I guess. I remember when the Dr. told me I would have to do chemo,,,,,,,the first thing I thought of was being bald. Wasnt even thinking about being sick and all. Funny how us women are, huh?
Congrats Shel on your last one. Before you know it will feel on top of the world
Good luck all you other gals still doing treatment. Keep those side effects at bay.
Cindy
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Thanks, Cindy. Yeah, I ran 3 miles today without having heart palpitations. But it was a slow one. And Sue--yeah, I've seen Alien, but there wasn't anything coming out of my abdomen. But that could be why I have a herniated belly button. Maybe it's TRYING to come out. I'll keep you posted. Maybe I'm just an incubator for extraterrestrial life forms. At least that brings some extra significance to my life.
Aly--I'll keep you in my prayers. My main side effects (nausea, headache, "hangover" feeling, mouth blistering) were totally mildest the 4th time. But then I got the twitches. And I think I'm tearing out my eyes more than I'm urinating. But I finished my mucus cell painting today. My next painting will be healthy hair follicles.
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Shel: I finally got around to taking a picture with my webcam. You can see how LONG my hair is eight months after chemo. Sorry to depress all of you nice people. At my PCP's office I'm known as the person with the really cute short haircut. Next month will be a year since my last haircut....
I obsessed about hair after my last treatment so much that I had dreams almost every night about hair. I also notice other women with short hair to see if mine looks especially boyish. At this point, I just remind myself that I'm saving tons of money on haircuts and hair products.
The eyebrows are retuning from their vacation in Vermont. The middle part of the brows have decided to stay on vacation a bit longer. My avatar has eyebrow pencil enhancements.
Terri.
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Hi Sue! I think the double eyelids were Donalee's. I've lost 90% of my eyebrows now (they've gone off to Vermont to visit Terri's) and quite a few of my eyelashes. I was kind of hoping to keep them but it wasn't to be. I've learned the eyebrow pencil trick (when I wear makeup) but my poor remaining eyelashes do not look good with mascara. Got about 6 hairs left in my nether regions too which is actually kind of funny to see. At least it's not on my face!!
)Shel, thanks for the prayers. I hope it's OK this time too. Last time was a breeze compared to the first two. Thursday afternoon and Friday I was down - laying on the bed staring at the wall was the best I could do - but by Saturday morning I was already getting better. By Tuesday I was back to 100%, although "sewer mouth" lasted most of 2 weeks (blech!!). That's what I'm hoping for this time (not the sewer mouth part!). I've already gone ghost white from the chemo. Anybody else have that happen immediately after treatment? It's like a vampire came along and sucked all my red blood cells out. By tomorrow I'll be the opposite - bright pink, particularly around my lumpectomy site. Ah the joys of chemo.
Aly.
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Hi all, Donalee -- my eyes were puffier after TX 2 but not as bad this time....so maybe they will settle down....cucumbers? teabags?
Gina, wondering about your blood test.....hope all was ok.
It's good to hear we're mostly all doing better with the s/e's each time. And, the thought of the last treatment and seeing them fade away sounds better than chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. (which I wish I had right now in bed)
Shelby, no doubt you already know this, but my onc said that if my eyes --which burn and twitch-- start streaming to be sure to let her know so that she can prescribe steroid drops -- I guess to discourage the scar tissue from forming over the tear ducts....
Why do eyelashes want to go to Vermont? I'd kinda like to join them there right now myself -- away from this very hot summer we're having in Austin. Rain is on the way!!!!
Sue, I hope your RBC comes back up a bit w/o the transfusion or treatment. Are you feeling breathless....? Best wishes to all, Bethany
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My eyebrows are leaving too- I thought I was done losing hair after earlier treatments since hair was actually growing back- but end of July I develped staph in my PICC line and spent 9 days in the hospital- eyebrows started falling out again- dont know if it was the staph or continuing chemo but they are fading. Eyelashes are still here and chemo is done so maybe they will hang on!
Kristy
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I'm heading into Tx 3 in a few hours (passed my blood test!). I'll still be getting the reduced dose (by 15%) and this time they'll add my first Herceptin, so it will be a loooong treatment. I started losing eyelashes after Tx2 and it continues; I don't need to tweeze eyebrows anymore but they are still there at the moment.
Wishing minimal or no SEs for all of us!!!
Gina
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I'm wondering if anyone out there did NOT lose their hair from TCH. It's been 2 weeks since my first Rx and I haven't lost a hair yet. I realize it will probably happen later this week or next, but I've heard there are some of us out there who don't lose it. Wishful thinking on my part!! Rose (Boston)
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Hi everyone! I have only posted a couple of times but have been reading everyones posts everyday since I started in March. You have all helped me so much. I finished the Tax and carb on June 17th just herceptin now. I am feeling great all most back to normal. Hair is coming back maybe by Christmas I will have enough to go without the wig. Praying for all of you.
Mary Anne (Maryland)
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Gina;
I'm happy you passed your blood tests. You studied really hard. (yuk, yuk) Tx 3 is when I had much milder s/e's. Good luck.
Bethany;
I didn't hear anything about steroid eye drops. I was told to just use a lot of regular eye drops.
Hey you guys, I might even have to shave my legs before I go to New York next week..maybe. I just wish my eyes would stop snotting all the time, though. I'd love to wear some make up!
Here's to health and good spirits for all of you. And I think there is a chocolate receptor in the brain that our treatment activates. I've been feeding it liberally. Antioxidants, you know.
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Gina, I am taking my 3rd tx I hope, on Wed. They had said I might have to have a blood transfusion and I don't know if they will do that separate or if I will get the tx and the transfusion together. Keep fingers crossed no transfusion!
I teach a Sunday school class and mostly just have 1 little girl. She is so funny! we had said we we coloring someone's hair on our coloring sheet and she looked at my scarf. I said I still have hair and she wanted to see. I showed he a little sprig and she wanted me to take my scarf off. I said you won't scream will you? she is a screamer when she sees a bug or something and she promised. I told her it was like a boy's hair.I took my scarf off and she looked it over and then said turn around and I did and then she said "put your scarf back on" I thought about that all day and would crack up. She is 5 and they are so honest at that age. I do think she needs to know what is going on though. Her aunt works as a nurse in the chemo department.
Shel: I have had twitches for years with this fibromyalgia. My stomach started that about a year ago when I am asleep usually and my eyes or mouth does it and my legs and arms will do it too. One day I was trying to help a customer and my arm kept coming up like it wanted to hit him and I had to lean on it to keep it down. He thought I was crazy so I just said I had a disorder that made my arms and legs twitch. He said Oh and I never seen him again. Mine do not hurt just not fun, especially when other people can see them. I don't want some old man thinking I am winking at him!
A lady at the grocery store that I don't really know very well but I guess she knows my story since we live in a small town asked me how I was doing and I said fine how are you doing? She just looked at me strange. I had to laugh to myself. Some just stare at me like why do you have that ugly scarf on or are you riding a motorcycle? I try not to get offended though. Some just have those faces you can read like a book though.
I am dreading tomorrow though. I do want to take the steroids though because my shoulders are hurting so bad. I am not sure if it is because I need my arthritis shot or the WBC shots making my bones hurt or a combo with the rain too. I am going to get a thing to put on my bed to make it softer. My husband's shoulder is hurting too and I think our bed is too firm and thought that when we bought it. If he does not like it I am going to sleep in the other bedroom since it is softer.
I was wondering if anyone had the radiation the same time they were taking the Herceptin for the rest of the year after chemo. I am going to try to remember to ask the doc tomorrow.
My sister in law had a wreck a while back and now she had a blood clot go through her heart lung area. Not real sure just where but they almost lost her. Please keep her in your minds even though she is not a bc member.
Carolyn
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I never lost all of my hair- thinned to about 40% after tx3, what was left started growing around tx5 and then the lost hair started coming back in around tx 5. I buzzed it off short when it thinned so much but I had a fuzz layer all through treatment.
Kristy
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Gramma - I had rads during Herceptin. Typically, I think they want to wait until you are out of that last three-week TC cycle, and then rads will start. I have heard a lot of different treatment periods. I got the whole enchilada - no Get Out of Rads Free cards for me! The worst days were when I had rads and Herceptin - too much time in that clinic - but that only happened twice, I think.
I finished in January and it is becoming a distant memory....it is nice when what was once your daily life becomes a memory!
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Kristy, the whole Vermont thing was just a joke I made a while back to try to make Terri laugh when she was sad about her eyebrows. You know they always talk about artist's colonies in Vermont and things like that so I made up an eyebrow and eyelash colony for all our chemo lost hairs!
)Aly.
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Hi, Just decided to change my Avatar to a picture of me with Hazel, my first grandchild. Her 1st birthday is 9/16 -- she's lately changed her hair from Pebbles to Boo. Maybe when I get enough I can go through the same phases -- maybe next Spring>>>/?? B
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Hello gang. Well today I went for the big slam. Might as well get it over with. I think the hesitation was I grabbed that electric fence once and got a big shock and not apt to grab it again as the sting was pretty powerful the first treatment. I am now one behind everyone else that is just doing there number 3 and I just finished number 2. They did cut the Chermo down 20% so maybe it won't be so hard this time. I guess my surgery opening that WAS healing so well will now slow to a crawl and the constipation that began this whole mess from the Zophran will block me up again. This time it won't blow a bowel, but maybe a bag..lol
Rax welcome to our little corner of the world. Nice to have you on board even though camp chemo is not the summer camp you remember. The bond we share no one else can understand . I am sure you had great compassion for your patients as an Oncology Nurse but now you have a totally different view from this side of the chair. I know as a counselor I have a different perspective on an ill person than I did before I am ill.
I will come in daily and post how I am doing. This one will probably finish off the hair, but most of it is gone from treatment number 1. I got the Neastla shot ready for tomorrow. Going to be a challenge to stick myself....ewwwwww. Well tired from the long day , but at least no more wondering. I sure hope I am well enough to attend the big even on Labor Day weekend. I have worked on this event for over a year and had to turn it over to someone else. I would at least like to see it come together. Goodnight my dear friends....Brenda
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Hi Brenda - Glad you're back on track! The reduction in dose created MANY fewer side effects for me, and I have been pumping myself with Colace and Senekot to avoid the constipation (just had Tx3 yesterday). I also had to give myself the Neulasta for the first time after the last treatment - it didn't hurt at all - I gave it as per directions in my abdomen, Had some bone pain on and off for about 5 days, but mostly manageable with extra strength Tylenol. Keep us [posted and good luck!
Gina
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Bethany;
I love your picture with Hazel! What a little doll.
Gina;
What I don't get is why so many doctors make you self-inject the Neulasta. They just gave it to me in the back of the arm right after my infusions. No muss, no fuss. I think if I'd had to self-inject, I would have just not and said I did. I'm a weenie about stuff like that. Wishing you all the best for this treatment. Keep those bowels moving. My husband (the pharmaceutical chemist) told me that the main route through which the body eliminates the breakdown products of chemo drugs is the bowel. So just think of it that way!
Brenda;
Good luck with this treatment! It's great to hear that you're back on track and in good spirits!
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Hi Gina and Shell. I guess they made me take the home shot is they want it 24 hours after the chemo began. A little twinge of nausea this morning, but not sure if it is association with no sleep as I was deprived of it from the Decadron. Could be that the Chemo was more towards the evening and I never took the mass water like I did the time before . I had heard if you drink a ton of water it helps flush out the chemo. I only got 3 glasses down. Took some Zofran for the nausea.. The Senna/Colace is working ok as I have had 3 bag fulls to empty this morning (the colostomy bag). I definitely need a nap this afternoon....
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Brenda, I don't know if it will help you, but I've been requesting an extra liter of fluids right after my chemo treatments to help flush out the nasty stuff since I almost never can drink enough when I'm not feeling well from the chemo. Then I go back in every other day for the first week for another liter. I don't know if it's responsible for how much better my last treatment went, but I've convinced myself that it is, so I'm gonna keep doing it. I do know that fluids help because that's what they always tell you....fluids, fluids, fluids!!
After my horrible experience with Neulasta after my first treatment, they switched me to Neupogen. I take injections for 5 days after chemo (my hubby does it for me) and I cannot even begin to tell you how much less pain I've been in because of it. Just a few achy pains here and there, and my blood counts have been absolutely perfect. Maybe this would work for others experiencing bad bone pain from Neulasta as well. My chemo nurse told me today that nobody she treats likes the Neulasta and that everybody is always really happy when they don't have to have it any more.
Well ladies, I'm 2 days out from chemo and haven't crashed yet. I'm expecting it tomorrow as Thursday and Friday were my bad days last time, but I'm still hoping that maybe it won't happen at all (wouldn't that be nice!!). Everybody take care, OK!!
Aly.
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Brenda,
So glad your back with us!! You sound in much better spirits!!
Aly,
I love your picture! I just got a pind baseball cap too. Over the weekend my family and I went to a Pittsburgh Pirates game and I got one with a pink ribbon and a large P on it. I hooe the week goes well for you. I'm next week.
I saw the onco. today. Sometimes I wonder why they even schedule the appointment? I have a total of 6 treatments and have two left. He walks in and says "so your done with chemo, have you met the radiologst yet?" I'm like WTH? I told him I'm scheduled for two more. He looks at the folder and says "oh".!!! Then he asks me if I have any side-effects and I repeat what I've told him the last time and what I've told the other 3 nurse practitioners. He says "it's from the chemo". No shit sherlock!!! What a freakin waste of time. I switched oncos. after the first guy didn't know anything about my case after a scheduled appointment. Now I get this? It almost seems like they don't really give a rats ass about their patients! Anyone else have this problem?
(Sorry to bitch and moan!)
Oh well. Hugs to everyone!
Donalee
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Sorry, can't spell or type!! hahaha I meant PINK baseball hat!!!!!!
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Donalee: I'm sorry to hear about your problems with your onc. I agree, his behavior is not acceptable. He should at least take time to read your file before walking in the room! I'm glad my onc is more personable. And she doesn't mind prescribing meds if she thinks there is something that might help (unfortunately she had nothing for "sewer mouth").
Good luck to all those who had treatment this week. Aly: I remember Thursday and Fridays after treatment well. I hope you manage to get through them with fewer side effects.
I go for my second-to-last Herceptin on Monday. I think they are taking blood this time. Seems like I'm due for CBC, chem panel and tumor markers. No visit with the onc. I don't see her again until October.
Terri.
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Donalee,
I personally think you're kicking a## with your treatment! I am always so relieved to see how well you are handeling all this YUCK every single day of your life! I couldn't tell your eyelids and eyebrows were affected at all (the makeup or whatever you are doing is workin', Girl!) Thinkin' you look awesome and taking this all in stride! I only hope all the members are doing as well as you!
Hang in there and keep being an inspiration to all who are around you!
Love Ya, Sis!
(Sorry, I'm not going through Breast CA but I wanted to be in on what you're having to do with all this and be there for you as much as I can!)
Desi
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OH I HATE SEWER MOUTH!!! And what really SUCKS about it is that it starts almost immediately after treatment! I tried to eat a bologna sandwich today and it was absolutely awful. I'm learning what I can and cannot eat for the week and a half or so that I have this nasty taste in my mouth after treatment. Mostly I can't eat sweet stuff (what a punishment!).
Donalee, thanks for the compliment. My friend in Missouri was diagnosed about a month after I was, and she's going through hair loss right now and having a horrible time. Last night she was so depressed she said she thought she was going to be an ugly bald person and I told her no way and finally took some pictures of my bald head and sent to her. She said it made her feel so much better to see that I still looked OK. My hubby says I look really cute, but I know he's biased (lol). As for that onc of yours, I can't believe it!! Mine spends very little time with me during my pre-treatment appointment, but she still knows exactly what's going on with me when she walks in and she'll check out anything I ask her to. Had her check my lumpy boobs on Monday and she said she thinks it's just the edge of the breast tissue that I'm feeling and that they're likely changing as far as the way they feel, because of the chemo induced menopause. Joy of joys.
Terri, I really hope tomorrow and Friday are even better than the last time but I guess we'll see. The first two treatments I was down for I think 5 days or so, so I'll take 2 days down over 5 days down any time! It's just a blessing from God if you ask me!!
Hugs to you all,
Aly.
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Donalee;
Sorry about your experience with your oncodoc. The Royal High Poisoner didn't even show up the last time I was in. But the nurse is awesome. I think he was playing tennis or communing with his golden retrievers or something. I guess when people are doing relatively well, as you and I seem to be, it becomes really routine with them. Not that it justifies their behavior, but the education of physicians in this country, unfortunately, still selects in favor of those who are more in love with concepts and ideas than with people. Fortunately, though, many of us still have the option of voting with our feet!
Aly....
Cute picture!!!!
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Thanks Shel!!
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