Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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Amelia - thank you, it's been hard but I am doing ok. I have done 16 rads so far and it's just starting to feel a little ouchy, like a sunburn
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Thanks ladies, I eat a banana a day, drink a smoothie of super greens, coconut water, brown rice protein, coconut milk. So ok on nutrients. On another note, my onc just told me 1/2 dosing tamoxifen is like taking a placebo. Anyone else here of this?
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One of the Illinios ladies is currently taking 1/2 a pill per her oncs recommendation. Her hot flashes have been so bad. I don't know how long she'll stay on a 1/2 pill though.
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Ok, me to with the hot flashes and joint pain... I wonder do placebos have SE? I really dislike my onc.
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Can you change oncs?
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Hello ladies!
Well its been quite a week. I had my 4th tx a week ago this past Wednesday - we did just the Tax and Herceptin as, if you remember, the TC combo was really kicking my butt. Also we had hoped that doing just the Tax would lessen the probability of neutropenia thus allowing me to skip the neupogen shots which had caused that lovely, incredibly rare SE known as Sweet's Syndrome (horrible painful red burning itchy lesions on my hands). Yeah well that didn't work so well. Woke up this past Tuesday morning with horrible diarrhea and a fever of 102.4. Went into my onc's office, he ran a CBC - and my WBC was at almost zero.
By the time I got to his office my fever was at 103.5. Never felt so sick in my life. Off to the hospital for me. IV antibiotics, fluids,neupogen shots (yes the Sweet's Syndrome is back and lovely as ever) - it was medication party time! Blood cultures were negative so that was good. Spent three days in the hospital and got home yesterday. Oy and vey. I am SO DONE with chemo. Herceptin only from now on. 
Now if only my hands would stop feeling like they are on fire I'd be a happy camper 
Have a great weekend everyone and I hope your week was better than mine!! LOL!
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Relda, as you know I'm aware of your "adventures in chemo" this week. Good grief girl. I am SO, SO glad you are ok! What a nightmare you have been through...and somehow you still find humor! So happy for you to be moving on to Herceptin only...looking forward to being on that track as well! Stay well friend and enjoy being home!!!0
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Relda, I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing weekend! Sounds like you have been thru the ringer! Take care of yourself, and I hope that the rest of your treatments are more tolerable.
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good to catch up with everyone again. I quit the bank four weeks ago, but I seem busier that ever.
I work more at the gym, spring cleaning around the house, got a 10 month old Boston , Wipet mix dog, we rescued and she is high energy
I am taking my anastozole (generic arimidex) and going to my weekly herceptins. My last herceptin should be the first Wed. in August, then I hope I can get my port taken out the next week after that.
I have my first ever tattoo scheduled for August 29th. It is going to be on my left shoulder, the side of my breast cancer, and it is going to be a fierce rhino busting through a pink cancer ribbon. I am nervous and excited. It will in my mind forever signify this long journey
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Relda, (hugs) so glad you are a bit better. Try to enjoy the rest of the weekend. much love to all.
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Hello Ladies,
I was diagnosed May 24 and will start my TCH treatments this Fiday June 1. Everything is happening so quickly ,which is good because my docs are being very active, but I am really feeling a bit overwhelmed. Any hints or recommendations are very much appreciated. I know it's a bit vain, but I am worried about loosing my hair and I have these beautiful nails, which happen to be acrylic that I'm worried about. Should I have them removed before starting chemo? My natural nails are thin and will be more so when the acrylics are removed. Also, do you receive your anti nauseous meds at the same time as the chemo and I've heard a lot about steroids, but don't recall the onc talking about that. Like I said, I feel a little confused because it seems like everything has gone so quickly.0 -
Good morning mom24boyz,
Welcome to the forum. There are so many experienced wonderful ladies here to guide you and comfort you in this journey.
You didn't include all the details of your diagnosis. Losing our hair has been a very big deal to virtually all of us. I and many others cut mine very short about a few weeks prior to chemo so it wouldn't be as messy and traumatic whenit came out. I didn't lose mine noticeably till about 6 weeks into chemo but most start losing it around the 2 or 3 week mark. I had a wig t the ready. It was actually cute. There are lots of nice wigs. I am now 3 mos PFC and have about 3/4 inch of a buzzcut!
I had no nail issues whatoever and I have long strong nails but many ladies had issues.
For most of us nausea was managed very well by meds and for me t hankfully it was a non issue. The steroids cause other SEs like constipation and inability to sleep for a few days.
You will get steroids in your iv premeds at infusion and usually several prescription steroids to take after hemo for a few days.0 -
Thanks Ashla,
I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma grade 3 HER2+. I don't have a stage yet. I will be having chemo before surgery. Hoping to save my breast, but honestly I told my girl friends I'm so vain I'd rather loose my breast than my hair or my pretty nails. LOL! Somehow I've managed to keep my sense of humor. I hope that continues!0 -
I had neo adjuvant chemo too and although I was seriously onsidering BMX all during chemo despite the outcome, I chose lumpectomy. now doing rads
The Her 2 forums have the most wonderful ladies.
We're all here for you.
I can't even remember much of my first two months post dx. Thankfully I had the best, best BS in the whole world and these ladies to guide me thru!0 -
mom24boyzs I was one of the rare one who had really serious nail issues (both feet and fingers). They still have not fully repaired. First of all get rid of the acrylics nails. You will be more prone to infection once on chemo and acrylic nails, I would think wouldn't help. If you have issues you want your doctors to see the issue. Wear clear nail polish. Also try icing your fingers/toes during taxotere infusion. It didn't work for me but it does work for many.
BTW my nails look fine with polish but not so great without. I still have a few fingernails that are slightly lifted. I won't even discuss my toenails. Foot model career has now ended.
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mom24boyzs, welcome! There is an option to try saving your hair, but it is NOT cheap, and it is labor intensive. Plus, you need your onc's approval. It is called cold caps - scalp cooling keeps the chemo from going to your hair follicles. It is certainly not for everyone so I don't push it at all - just letting you know an option exists in case it is that important to you. There is a thread for it:
Cold Cap Users Past and Present, to Save Hair
Regarding nails, I would also ditch the acrylics...too risky for infection. I use Sally Hansen Hard As Nails regularly, and I ice my nails 15 min before/after and during the Taxotere infusion.
You will get antinausea meds in your premeds, and they also should give you something to take at home afterwards. Nausea typically is very well controlled by meds. I get Emend and Aloxi in my premeds, and take Zofran afterwards at home. And yeah, the steroids will happen. They are needed to preven an allergic reaction to the chemo.
Keep posting here - these are some fantastic ladies and boy have they helped me!!!
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Mom24boyzs, Your apprehension about losing your hair is actually not entirely about vanity. It is also about privacy. It is about not wanting the constant reminder that you have cancer every time you see yourself. I used Penguin Cold Caps and kept all of my hair. My doctors and nurses told me I had an incredible attitude throughout treatment, and I attribute that attitude to keeping my hair and looking like myself.0
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Mom34boyzs I did loose my hair but I too had a great attitude through chemo. I swear I was the healthiest looking person in the chemo room. My onc would always remark how wonderful I looked.
If you can go to a looks good feel better program… go. Knowing how to take care of your skin and put on your make up properly makes a huge difference. I even had this lady come up to me after my last treatment in the grocery store and tell me she loved my look. I was wearing my favorite long scarf. BTW my avatar is after my 4th chemo in my wig (that I wore twice).
If you can't go do read all the beauty, hair style guides. Also there are lots of videos on youtube that show you cool ways to style a scarf.
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Thank you everyone for all the advice and encouragement! I have purchased acolyte of hats and a scarf. I d on't think wigs are for me. I'm just going to embrace it! Bald is beautiful. It means that the meds are working and I'm going to think of it that way!
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Hi Mom
I too lost my hair (for the second time as this is a recurrence for me, first diagnosed in 2006) and I actually kind of like being bald. I know I must be crazy right?? LOL. I love the freedom of it, I like how I look and on days when I am just too tired to do much of anything, not having to deal with my hiar (its thick and curly and takes a lot of work) its a blessing to just be able to shower and get dressed and back to the couch! No muss no fuss. And everyone tells me I look great as well. I have a very upbeat personality and attitude about all of this, and when I look in the mirror and see my bald head it makes me more determined to fight this fight. And I am here to tell you as someone who has been there - that it comes back and it comes back exactly the same way your hair was before.
Just as an aside - I asked my oncologist about the Cold Caps as I saw one of their freezers in the infusion rooms so I assumed he was OK with their use. He said he only "approves" them (he said of course his patients are free to choose what they want to do) for his patients who have brain mets. He feels there just isn't enough data yet on their usage to make him comfortable enough to recommend them to patients who don't already have issues with mets. He just doesn't have a good feeling about someone with my diagnosis using them. That and their high cost made it a non issue for me. Obviously there are oncs out there who disagree, haven't thought of it this way, whatever the case is - that's how he feels. He's one of the top oncologists out here in Los Angeles and the only reason my recurrence was caught so early was because he had a nagging feeling in the recesses of his brain and ordered an ultrasound for me last year during my annual mammo appt. My tiny recurrence was not seen on the mammo, only the ultrasound. So I'm very comfortable listening to his "feelings" LOL.
Just wanted you to know about a great head covering I learned about here - buffs, like the ones they wear on survivor. They are AWESOME! Great selection, very versatile in the choices on how to wear them and not too pricey - cheaper than scarves! Also they are made of a really light comfy material that helps prevent excess head sweats. Check them out! http://www.buffusa.com/collections/5?gclid=COGot4PyqrACFccBRQodT09-XQ
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TOTALLY second the vote for the buffs. i didn't find them till way after my hair had grown back in, bought one for hiking - love how versatile it is. But when I first got it, I said how I wished I had had it back when i was bald - SO EASY and looks cute.
I didn't mind being bald that much either. It is definitely a shock at first. I will tell you this - the night we buzzed my head down, I had a little cry. But then, i went to the back door to lock the house up for the night. I saw my reflection in the glass and thought someone else was standing there - I jumped a mile high - scared the crap out of myself! It was pretty funny!
But after I got used to it, it really WAS easy. Just wash and go. I felt like I learned this secret that men have - jump in the shower, get out, ready to go! That's why they're always ready to go places earlier than we are! I tried to look at it as an interesting experiment.
Good luck. You WILL get through this.
Amy
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Relda, I shaved my head when my sister was going through her chemo and found it very liberating. We, as women, are so focused on our hair; growing it, coloring, cutting, styling, etc. I was so completely freed when I shaved it. I understand that this time, it will be different. I've had short hair most of my life, so cutting it short was not even a hardship for me. My daughter is going to bleach it and next week and then the day before my first chemo, color it pink and cut it into a real mohawk! Fun.
Thanks also, for the Buffs link. They look so fun I think I will order one to start, this weekend.
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Vicki just so you know… you have a few weeks after your 1st chemo before your hair starts to shed. You'll be wearing a pink mohawk for more than a day. 0
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I say rock the pink mohawk Vicki! I wanted to do that, let my girls cut my hair into some crazy style but when it came down to it, I was too emotional and ended up shaving it when no one was home. I cried like a baby. If I ever have to do this again, I will be more prepared about how I will feel....and I will be rocking some crazy style beforehand for sure!
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I tried to rock a blue mohawk but didn't realize you had to bleach the hair first to get the blue to stick LOL! So I just rocked a plain mowhawk instead - if you look really close at my picture you can see it A few friends came over, my husband broke out his shaver and we had a fun evening. Usually your scalp starts to feel sore when the hair falls out so I didn't keep the mowhawk for long cause my head hurt, but a good time was had by all.....making lemonade! For me it felt better than crying over the lemons...... 0
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BTW Jello does a great job dying hair.
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Iago, I am ready to own the pink mohawk until my hair starts falling out. I figure it will only be a couple of weeks. My sister started losing hers at the 10 day mark and it went quickly. I know everyone is different. My daughter said that since I'm doing the mohawk, my hair won't fall out.
Relda, since my daughter is a cosmetologist, she will do the bleach and then the pink. And I will be ordering a Buff today.
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So I picked up my two nausea meds from the pharmacy in anticipation of chemo. I know they are not going to be theonly ones, but they are the first. I still have pain meds from left over from the mastectomy; the bottles are just sitting in a drawer. Here's hoping these new ones get added to the drawer, having been barely touched. 0
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Vicki I still have all my nausea and pain meds in the draw. Never took any except for 1 norco I tried when I got shingles. Never took anything stronger than an Aleve (back pain from nuelasta). I need to get those dumped properly 0
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What did they prescribe for you for nausea Vicki? I had Emend for the day of chemo and 2 days after, and Kytril for any days after that. Plus Zofran and Decadron in the IV drip. Took all the Emend and took Kytril for maybe 3-4 days after that. I had queasy issues for a full 10 days after chemo, but never any full on nausea. My leftover meds don't fit in a drawer, I have to use a basket that I keep under the coffee table in the living room LOL!
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