Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
Comments
-
Vicki, try to drink cranberry juice. But remember if you are drinking a lot, you will be peeing a lot too. Just sayin!
0 -
Question, did all of you stop menstruating after your first TX? Did it return?
0 -
Well my story is this: I was 46 at diagnosis and still getting my period like clockwork, regular as can be. No sign of menopause whatsover. It stopped completely after the first tx. I'm now 52 and have not had even a spotting issue, let alone my period again. Can't say I'm disappointed, but I do still have hot flashes, though not nearly as bad or as often as they were the first few years.
0 -
Sorry, one of the few to be post menopausal when Dx.
0 -
My period stopped after my first tx. But when onc pushed back my third tx one week, I had spotting. Nothing like a normal period, very strange. Then after my third tx, I could feel my ovaries twitching, almost like they were shutting down, so I asked my onc and she told me that could actually happen.
0 -
My MO warned me that because of my age (48 at dx) chemo would put me into menopause - boy was he right about that - my last period was a couple of weeks before my first tx, and things dried up like the Sahara pretty quickly. Had my regular annual exam about a month ago, and the pap results stated "atrophic changes", so I guess that makes it official...
0 -
Vickilin: my face broke out terribly too. It was from those darn steroids! I found that neutrogena all in one acne cream works wonderfully. It says it prevents past, present and future breakouts. It really does! I have used it daily throughout my chemo and it has helped those steroid induced breakouts. I highly recommend it. Good luck to you!! You can do it!!
0 -
10 years post-menopausal at dx too (total hyst/ooph)
vicki - try Aquaphor instead of Vaseline, it seems less greasy. Sorry about your fires - we have had Tropical Storm Debby - tornado last night in my neighborhood - crazy! Many houses with damage, we were lucky it stopped a block short of our house.
0 -
Vivkilind if you hve a UTI try drinking cranberry juice. It really helps (but still call your onc and get meds).0
-
I'm only 35 so they gave me a big,"I don't know" in this area. Just wondering what to expect and I'm already a couple days past and waking up with night hot flashes.
0 -
hbb - I'm 45 and was still having regular periods too. I haven't had one since December. I had one after my first tx and nothing since. I hope I'm like Relda and never get it back!
0 -
"I hope I'm like Relda and never get it back!"
By far the best SE from my chemo experiences ;-D0 -
Hbb: I'm 40 and my cycle stopped too. Like you, they tell me it may or may not come back. I have occasional hot flashes too. But unlike the others, I am hoping mine comes back. The reason I want it back is because getting it back seems "normal" to me. Nothing else about this experience has been normal so I'd like to hold on to all of the normal things that I possibly can. Good luck to you In your treatment!!
0 -
My MO's office finally called back yesterday and called in script for Levaquin. Started it last night. And I am well-versed in the cranberry juice to fight a UTI; had LOTS of kidney, bladder issues when I was a kid. But thanks for reminding me. Slept so bad last night due to the "urge"; woke me up at 3 then could not get back to sleep. Going on a whopping 4 hours; I will be so wiped out by the time I leave here today. I did take the time to watch the fire since I was already awake.
Was perimenopausal at the beginning of this whole BC thing, so hoping it will be a "relda" SE that I will like.!
Dianefights, THANK YOU! I was beginning to think I was the only one experiencing this. Driving me crazy. And I will try the Neutrogena. Just good to know I am not alone in my zitdom.
0 -
vicki - see if your MO can give you a script for Pyridium too - it will help with the urge and burning, but it turns urine a crazy color, so don't be alarmed! I had a UTI during chemo and then a drug-resistant one shortly after chemo was over that was tough to deal with because I have a lot of antibiotic allergies - ended up having to take one that could cause a cross-reaction but it didn't, thank goodness. The combo of reduced white count and irritated soft tissue is a perfect set-up for a UTI. The D train doesn't help either!!!
0 -
Diane,I feel the same way about the normalcy. Also, I'm thinking I might still want one more child (I must be crazy!).
0 -
Yes Relda....finally an SE I can live with!
0 -
Hbb I totally understand. I don't have any children and always thought I probably wouldn't but there was something about getting diagnosed with breast cancer and learning it would no longer be an option for me that still made it really sad.
but depending in your diagnosis and what your docs say, you may still have that option.. You should definitely ask about it.0 -
hbb - I'm 44, had my last period a week or two after my 1st TCH. Hot flashes are pretty frequent, but not quite as bad as the first few weeks. Probably get one every couple of hours, whereas it used to be at least hourly. Not looking forward to the getting worse again on Tamox. I don't sweat, just get really hot and my chest and face flushes red. I am now only 13 days PFC, so it is a wait and see what happens kind of thing. Will be seeing ob/gyn next week to discuss this and Tamoxifen/tests I need for baseline, etc. I have mixed feelings about whether I want it to come back as well.
SpecialK - so glad you are ok! Tornados are SO scary!!! I live just a few miles from where the huge tornados went through AL last year. Terrible destruction.
0 -
Vickie I had UTIs as a kid and all through my late teens-20. Then one doctor said to me "I know why you keep getting these. Your urethra is too small. I'm going to dilate it." At 20 YO I didn't give it a second thought. Doctor should know what he is doing. OMG the actual procedure did have pain involved but what the doctor didn't warn me about was how much it hurt to pee for several days! But I will admit I haven't had a UTI since then.
I was peri going into this too. My onc (and I) felt it wasn't coming back given my age and when my sister/mom went through menopause. I went straight to ESD instead of Tamox. She tested my levels for about 5 months. Mine is not coming back. Had my last period 2 weeks before chemo. No more tampons, cramps, moodiness or accidents. I don't want it back but I was pretty close anyway. Maybe a few years early.
0 -
Actually, I did not stop after my treatments! They were actually really heavy and after the 3rd treatment I told my onc that my periods were really heavy.... He was shocked that it did not shut down my ovaries! He apologized profusely and he had just figured the chemo would do that but nope! So now I get a Lupron shot every month, so I am 34 with non functioning ovaries! Not that I am disappointed, my husband and I had already settled on no more kids!
UTI- I always have a uti issue, even before but now it is worse! I asked my onc if I could take a daily cranberry chew, he said it was fine! They sell them at walgreens, it is a chew and it is yummy! I take one once a day to keep the UTI s away!0 -
I have to admit, the one benefit from chemo is no more periods. However, the moodiness still lingers, according to my DH :-)
0 -
I really don't have any mood swings, at all. The day before my period I could be in tears if provoked into frustration. I'm so glad that crap is done.
0 -
I was on this regimen but just had to stop. I was getting the herceptin and abraxine every week and the carboplatin added every third week. It gave me terrible diarrhea and the last time I had the carboplatin it also gave me nausea and vomiting. I had to be hospitalized for 4 days and had 3 blood transfusions in 2 weeks, lots of potassium and magnesium. My body just couldn't handle the combination so I am now having surgery in 3 weeks and will probably need more chemo after surgery. I did lose my hair after the second dose of carboplatin.
0 -
Wow momtoncc...sounds like you've had a rough time! I haven't hear of anyone getting TC weekly and Carbo every third week. I think the majority of us got all three together, every three weeks. I hope they find a gentler combination that works for you after surgery.
0 -
Hi. Just joining in on the TCH conversation. I just had my 3rd treatment last Friday and am so far tolerating the symptoms as best I can.
I have a specific question for the forum: Being 40 years old, Stage IIb (not IIa--a sentinel lymph node is cancerous), HER2+, & Estrogen +, has anyone ever not continued with Herceptin after chemo treatment ends or not gone on Tamoxifen in order to have a baby? I have no children and would like to have one of my own. Just as I was being diagnosed, April 3rd, I was thinking how I was finally ready to settle down in a relationship and hopefully have a baby within the next year or so. Then diagnosis came and my oncologist told me the likelihood of me being able to have my own child would be minimal once treatment fully ends. Makes clinical sense considering I am only into my 3rd chemo (doing neo-adjuvant chemo (before surgery), then minor lumptectomy, and onto radiation) and am supposed to then be on Herceptin for 1 year and Tamoxifen for 5 years. I would be 45-46 by the time I'm done with the tamoxifen. I could see myself having a child at 41 or so, but not 46...and it's a distinct possibilty that I'd never get my menses back anyway. And there's the risk of recurrence so soon after treatment by not moving forward with Herceptin and Tamoxifen. This is a big struggle for me. Yes, I know adoption is perhaps an option, but having my own baby is what is in my heart. Please let me know if any of you have had to make a decision like this and what happened for you. Thanks so much. --Patti
0 -
Patti - so sorry you have to join us here. If it were me, I might defer the Tamox for the duration of pregnancy and delivery. You could do it after that, right? BUT I would NOT defer finishing the year of Herceptin. Herceptin has dramatically changed the outcomes for Her2+ women like us, and I would not do without it. But that is only another 8-9 mo after chemo and would not be too long, right? I don't know anything about how long after chemo one should wait to conceive - def talk to your onc about that (and do your own research as well). But I do know that, for me, I would not skip the herceptin. You don't just want to have a baby, you want to see that baby grow up and be a GRANDMOTHER too! And IMO, the Herceptin is the best way to get there.
Best of luck to you. Stay in touch with us and let us know how you are doing.
0 -
Thank you, AmylsStrong...I appreciate your thoughts!!! And sharing your experience of Herceptin. Helps a lot.
0 -
Patti,
We are the same age, same stage, same triple positive and same meds. I am so sorry you are going thru this and have had to join this "club". I can relate to how you are feeling except I ended a long term relationship right as I was being diagnosed. I had come to terms with the idea I would probably never have a child but something about my diagnosis and learning it was probably no longer and option for me broke my heart. I honestly don't know what I would do in your shoes. But like Amy said, you want to make sure you are around for a long long time no matter what you decide. In my mind, I want all the meds I can tolerate now so I can be assured this beast never returns. Please get all the info you can from your docs so you can make the most informed decision. As a side note, do you watch the show Giuliana & Bill? They struggled with this very thing.
Good luck to you and stay in touch!
Diane0 -
Hi Diane,
wow, I was wondering if I would meet another woman on here with a very similar profile. I hear you on the heart break of learning that having a child may not be an option anymore. That's exactly it--I want to be the one to decide whether or not to have a child...not have cancer or doctors taking that away and deciding for me. yes, I've been struggling with the possibility of leaving a child alone because of the choices I'd be making. Would I survive long term to see my child grow up? Am I being selfish? Would I want my child to watch and experience their mom grow sick were I to have a recurrence? These and a 1000 more questions flow through me. It just sucks. Anyway, time to start diving into the research so I can make an informed decision--like you suggested. I haven't watched Giuliana & Bill but will check it out on hulu...thanks!!
Be well. Patti
0
