Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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Well, I really just need to shut up because you have had a truly crappy summer my dear. So sorry! And I think you should keep at the hospital; the pt should be covered by them since it was a trial. Here's hoping!
I was on Short term disability for about two months and had my final chemo at the end of Sept. I am back to work full time (yippee). I am still getting my Herceptin till next June and I started my tamoxifen.
I a just waiting for the election to be done; I am SO sick of all the lies. From both sides. I don't understand why we, as an electorate, are not FURIOUS at the reality that no one in DC cares about us; they want our votes and our money. They vote to opt themselves out of all the "great" programs they give to us! Honestly, if they were under SS and Medicare/caid, do you think those programs would be in trouble like they are? We need to find a way to DEMAND they sign a law making all DC have to beunder whatever laws they pass for us!
Now stepping off the soapbox and running to the toilet....
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Well not to get into a whole political thing but at least this President passed comprehensive health care reform which makes it so that all of us can never be denied health care coverage because we have cancer, as well as making it so the insurance companies can never put a cap on how much money they have to spend on our care. The security of that alone is priceless. No other Prez has done this and should he be re-elected he is commtitted to its full implementation. For that I will be FOREVER grateful to him and on that basis alone he has earned my vote for his re-election. I won't even bother talking about his opponent, he isn't worth the effort it takes to type one word about him
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Also glad to hear you are done with chemo and back to life!! YAY!!! That must feel awesome....
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THank you.
Can I just say: I am SICK of pinktober. So many crappy commercials with all the companies jumping on the bandwagon and giving such a small amount to the disease. I know, I know, we need all the money we can get, but seriously? Just a marketing ploy.
And it is great to be back to life, but this tamoxifen could be an issue. I've had a headache since yesterday afternoon that will not go away. However, I really just need to smile and take my lumps.
BTW, did I ever thank you for turning me on to Buffs? Now my sister is hooked.
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I'm with you on the pinktober thing. Can't wait for November.
I am on year 6 of Tamoxifen - increased hot flashes, a little joint pain and some weight gain have been my SE's - annoying but nothing I can't deal with. It did take some time getting used to and I do remember being headachey in the beginning. Hopefully your body will adjust soon!
Love the buffs! They were a lifesaver this hot sweaty nightmare of a summer
. Glad you liked them! My hair is coming in nicely - I have about an inch of soft thick curly growth. My husband was excited to see my hair products return to the shower LOL0 -
Relda - I don't know which clinical trial you were in but they are probably registered and they have to report adverse events I think. Maybe you could appeal to NIH or whoever sponsored them for assistance. I am sorry you had that outcome, it really sucks.
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O.K. ladies......I have a few questions, please. I am 4 tx's down, with 2 to go, the next one being Nov. 7th. I know fatigue is part of this deal, but I have to ask just how bad it's gotten for some of you. The reason I ask is this.........every little thing I do requires me to sit down and take a rest. Going from one room to the other is hard. I took a load of laundry from my bedroom to the laundry room, and had to sit before I could go on. I have to take in deep breaths and exhale repeatedly to catch my breath. I have also noticed that my heart rate increases quite a bit and I wonder if at any minute, it's going to blow. I try not to vacuum or sweep or do any other chores that aren't just absolutely necessary, as I'm afraid of what will happen to me. I go for an echo before my next tx, but I'm wondering if, during the meantime, I need to do as little as possible before we know what's going on. I know that CHF can be a side effect of the Herceptin, which I get with my infusions, but.............is this a sign? I cannot believe that every single solitary thing, no matter how small, causes such a problem. Washing dishes, folding a load of towels, feeding the pets, everything makes me have to sit and recuperate. ANY input would be most appreciated.
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rickysgirl I never had the flu-like tiredness that many get but what you're talking about is something you need to discuss with your onc. I wouldn't wait till your next tx either. I would seriously see who is on call today and figure out is this is something that needs to be attended to ASAP. Shortness of breath and increased heart rate should not be taken lightly.
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Ricksygirl, for me, rapid heartbeat and general weakness such as you are having always meant my HGB was very low - I had to have blood transfusions a few times, and they really made a difference. Definitely call and report this.
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Rickeysgirl, I'm with Lago and mzmarie! Call your doc. I needed blood tx twice, and the absolute almost negative energy pretty well defines that. I also ended up with a low MUGA EF and that did not help. Much love.
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Thank you, lago and Mizmarie. I am calling now. Will let you know what they say. I actually cooked a big pot of limas,. with cornbread, and made a quiche for some cold weather comfort food. I washed the dishes, too, and didn't seem to have as hard a time as usual, but.................It is such a big change that it is worrisome.
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What is a MUGA EF? I had to put off my 4th tx because my platelets count was so low, and she told me IF they went ahead with the chemo, I would definitely need a transfusion, but when I went back, a week later, it had risen by 210.
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Rickysgirl - Absolutely agree with the others - call your onc. Most likely cause is low hemoglobin and if low enough, you'll need a transfusion. Keep us posted and feel better soon!
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MUGA is a test to measure the Ejection fraction of your heart. EF! LOL normal ranges about 50 to 75%. If you drop below 50% they will stop Herceptin. They can also measure it with an echo as well. But most people will not suffervany effects from low EF till below 40%. Hence, the low hgb is most likely the culprit for you. Much love.
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I spoke with a nurse, who; a) wants me to call the office in the morning and b) thinks I may be anemic. She told me to slow down, which I have a hard time doing, but will, if nexessary. A transfusion is NOT on my list of things to do, PERIOD. I'll call first thing and go from there. Thanks for the good wishes and advice. It's always welcomed and appreciated!!!
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RG, I never thought I would need a blood tx, unless I was in an accident. I never even thought chemo could cause anemia to such an extent. But then, I was quite naive about chemo. If you are severely anemic to the point of needing a tx, please consider it. It really helped me. I ended up with 4 units during chemo. My hgb dropped after the last tx, but my onc said we could wait and see if it came up by itself. It did, because, of course, no new chemo. If I had another tx, he would have given it to me. Much love.
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funny that blood transfusions came up- I had my bloodwork done friday, and my hemoglobin was 9.6. She told me if it went any lower than that, they would need to give me a transfusion. What are the blood transfusions like, and how long do they take?
I have been trying to eat more iron rich foods the past few days but I dont know if it is helping. The only things I can really attribute to low iron is maybe some weird muscle aches in my legs that I haven't had until this week. I can walk halfway across a room and it feels like I just walked half a mile! It isn't my joints like the chemo/herceptin pain I usually get. Also I am so flipping sweaty! I break out in a sweat constantly. No worries of being cold with my bald head- I am not cold at all!
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Damiana, the blood tx are nothing. You get hooked up and they run two units. It takes about 2 hours for each one to run. For me, it is an outpatient activity and included a lunch because with hooking up and questions for prep it was about a five hour thing. But not hard and I actually felt better the next day. You can watch tv etc.
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My four hour victory tattoo0 -
Zumba, cool tat!
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Zumba that some Unicorn
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zumba - Nice pic! Where is it, I can't tell?
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damiana - usually a Hgb of 8 is the cutoff point for transfusion, above that is a gray area and you are usually transfused above 8 only if you are symptomatic. Symptoms include dizziness, lethargy, confusion or shortness of breath. The fatigue you are feeling in your large muscles is from the lowering Hgb - those muscles are not being oxygenated by your blood adequately - but this is pretty normal during chemo. If you can handle it I would hold off on the transfusion unless your Hgb drops lower - try to eat more protein - red meat, spinach, other leafy greens, as frequently as possible between tx to see if you can raise your Hgb on your own. That said, if you feel bad have the transfusion. I have a guideline that I can PM you if you go that route and it goes step-by-step through the process.
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Damiana, I didn't mean to imply that having a blood tx is nothing. The shock of learning you need it is not good. I meant that the physical procedure is nothing to be afraid of. Although you should double check each bag. They do that, but just in case, really read the name and type, just for your safety. Much love.
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Omaz it looks like the shoulder. Should we pick squares and bet?
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| left shoulder | right shoulder | left knee | right knee|
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| right elbow | left elbow | left heel | right heel |
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| left other | right ankle | left ankle | right other |
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I think its on the Right shoulder. I love it! I've been thinking about getting one but haven't found the right one yet.
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thanks for the blood transfusion info! I ended up feeling so bad that I went back in for more labs and it turns out they were all great! I had brought my HGB up to 10. They said it was just chemo catching up to me
Not that I wanted a blood transfusion, but I was sort of hoping it was something they could fix. It isn't I think it is getting somewhat better, but not a lot. 0 -
left shoulder -!
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Hi everyone question i have an infection in my port, now taking cipro for five days and hoping it clears up. On day three now and getting a little better. Has anyone else experienced this. Thanks
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Not exactly, but watch out for diarrhea. Eat your yogurt! I was on abx for 6 weeks after my TE removal. 3 weeks was IV abx. So keep hydrated and I hope the infection goes away fast.
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