Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
Comments
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Ditto on what lago said on the nails and the gastric reflux! 2+ years PFC, my nails haven't really recovered, they grew back, mostly, but ridges, break off, peal, don't look great (before I had awesome nails), my toenails have been slower to recover, some of them still lift slightly. Also, if I bump my nails, they tend to lift again, not too much, but enough. I was able to use the Prilosec, but my MO had me take it for 3-4 weeks PFC, slowly tapering off for the last week or so.
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LindaKR I did go to a dermatologist regarding my nails. She had me use Urea. Some of the lifted nails are not as lifted. You might want to check it out but you have to paint it on for several months… meaning no nail polish but I will admit now I will go without nail polish where before I wouldn't even consider it when meeting people who don't know me.
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Interesting, I'll check it out - thanks lago.
And is it over the counter?
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No you need a prescription. I think there is some stuff over the counter but not as concentrated.
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MNHarley, I had Nuelasta pain the first time. Thevthis board clues me in to Claritan (not ClaritanD) and no Nuelasta pain. Good luck.
I too have cracking nails. Beaus lines, depressions, across the nails, correspond to each tx, or bad infection. Until they grow out, takes about 6 mo to a year to completely go away. I have the last big infection in Sept. Still showing a line, so I'm not done breaking nails yet. Much love.0 -
I start TCH Tuesday. I've read it before but can't remember where on here, what's the Claritin for?
And also, I remember seeing something about an ideal order for the TCH administration but again...can't remember. (Geez, I haven't even had chemo yet and I've already got bad memory!!!!)
Any help please? TIA ladies!
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I know a lot of women take Claritan when they get Neulasta (that's a white blood cell booster given 24 hours after chemo), it helps with the bone pain from Claritan. I've recently read that some are taking it for the side effects of Aromatase Inhibitors too (they are an anti-hormonal medication given to ER/PR+, post-menopausal women for 5 years following chemo). I don't think that I've read anywhere about taking it during chemo - but I could be mistaken.
Good luck with your first chemo, it was the scariest (because I didn't know what to expect), but also the easiest. It wasn't what I expected at all, much easier.
My infusion center gave the pre-meds in this order - Anti-nausea drugs, steroids, benedryl, then the chemo meds they gave Taxotere, Carboplatin, then herceptin. They like to give them in that order so that, should you have a reaction, it's easier for them to tell what it's from, since the taxotere is the most likely to cause a reaction, they give it first. No worry's though reactions are extremely rare, and the staff knows how to handle any issues. Let them know if you feel weird during the infusions. The steroids can make you feel hyper, then they give you the benedryl and you feel sleepy, the taxotere made my eyes run and my cheeks flush, the carboplatin I could taste and the herceptin I could smelll. Kind of weird!
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Steiner,
There was some discussion about the ideal order of TCH...whether it should be given in the TCH order or HTC. Apparently, Dr. Marc Pegram (one of the developers of Herceptin) commented that the H should be given first. That set off a panicked investigation about which order should be used.
Basically, there doesn't seem to be a consensus. Numerous hospitals (including Memorial Sloane Kettering in NYC) give it in TCH order (for the reasons LindaKR said...if you are going to have a reaction, it will most likely be to the Taxotere, so they want to be able to deal with that) but other places give it in HTC order (there is a British study which says to use the HTC order.)
My infusion center gave it in the TCH order, but when I told them (after infusion #3 when I learned what Dr. Pegram said) that I wanted it in HTC order, they had no objection. They said it didn't matter what the order was.
There is a big breast cancer conference going on now in San Antonio. Hopefully, we get some clarity about the ideal infusion order from this conference.
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My order was TCH too.
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I recently finished my last round of HTC last week. My treatment center was very specific about the order in which I received my chemotherapy, but I always wondered if this order was best for each patient. CGESQ, thanks for posting the information. Although I am finished with the T&C, I remain curious about the ideal infusion order.
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That's interesting about the order cqesq - it seems to change each year. diva - where do you live? My center is still giving it in the TCH order, and usually my MO is on with the newest, maybe I'll ask next time I volunteer.
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Thanks for all the info ladies. I guess I'll just go with TCH, at least for the first tx until we know I'll tolerate the Taxotere fine. Then maybe after that I can as my MO if she has an input on the order for the next few tx.
They didn't mention anything to me about Neulasta (yet), but I do have loratidine at home just in case I end up needing it.
At work today but can't get a damn thing done, my mind is totally elsewhere!!
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steiner - the claritin is taken preventatively - if you wait until you have bone pain from the Neupogen, it is too late. I've heard the theory behind it is the claritin keeps the inflammation down that occurs when the the Neulasta makes the bones expand to produce more white cells. The protocol is take Claritin the day of the Neulasta (but at least 15 or 20 mins before), and 7 days following.
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I took the clariton the night before my neulasta and continued for a week. Its an antihistamine that counters the histamine release of the neulasta. The neulasta is a timed release shot.
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Here is a link to a study on loratadine (Claritin) and Neulasta:
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@lago and LindaKR - Thanks for info on nails..thinking about doing some sort of process on nails at nail shop to have some semblance of a nice nail.. my job involves presentations around a conference table pointing and handing out info..any suggestions? or is it not a good idea to have nail work done?
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I personally did not put anything on my nails while they were in the bad state, I used a lot of lotions to keep everything moisturized, but was afraid if I painted them or anything, it would only make them worse, that's just my opinion, I think others have put something on them to keep them from splitting. I had one of the UV finished done to them about a year after treatment, and when it came off my nails were worse than before, so still don't do much, because they seem to regress everytime I even put polish on them.
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I used to polish my nails all the time last year because they looked so horrible… especially when meeting strangers, interviewing etc. I didn't use any remover with acetone.
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I already have bad nails. Brittle, thin and can't grow any length past my fingertips worth a darn. Maybe I'll lose them all with chemo and they'll come back in rockstar fashion. Hey, a girl can dream, right?
Almost finished with my first treatment. I'm on the last drip now (Herceptin). So far so good!
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Stiener, yay! But remember to drink! Much love.
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Hi,
Question for those you who have finished....I'm done with #4 and will have 5 next Friday and 6 at the start of Jan....I still have my eye brows and lashes...will they fall out during the last two treatments or after treatment? Kinda just watching and waiting to see what they do....thanks.0 -
dear coco, they might thin out a bit... Mine did and have kinda come back but not completely..
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I had my last chemo oct 18 th and my eye lashes & eyebrows are following out now.
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Mine thinned on chemo but didn't fall out completely. They started to fall out again about 5 weeks PFC because the new hairs were pushing them out. They came back quite nice for a while then Anastrozole thinned them out.
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Mine also didn't fall out until abou 5-6 weeks post final chemo, then fell out, but some new ones were growing in by that time (really short, but they were there) - Mine did not come back as thick as before and I'm 2+ years PFC.
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What about your hair? I'm gathering time frames and wondering how long it was before ya'll coukl go hatless. I know it will be awhile, but just wondered about the different time frames for different people.
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I lost all my eyelashes and eyebrows after my fifth TCH. They grew back very fast, though, almost overnight. My hair is still coming in, it looks and feels like fur on the top of my head. People love to rub my hair cause it is so soft. I guess the new stuff that is coming in is healthy and not been subjected to years of coloring, blow drying and all the other stuff we do to it.
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I lost mine a couple of weeks after chemo. They came in about a month later but thinner. Also, the lashes came in, and watch out , I had a few come in and curl into my eye. I had to pluck them, cause they just kept scratching my eyeball.
My hair came in and I went topless about four months PFC. But it started looking much better at five months. Now its a bit curly, but male pattern thin. But it is coming in my natural color, not grey. So, everyone tells me it looks good..0 -
I am a little upset with my body right now. After 6TCH txs, I thought I was done with my menstrual cycle as I have not had a period since April. But nooooo, after chemo and unbearable continuous hot flashes, it seems that my period is back. Only four months PFC! Ugh!!!! So now I will have to go through menopause and its hot flashes again.
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