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Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin

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Comments

  • cgesq
    cgesq Member Posts: 183
    edited January 2013

    Linda,

    I must say that the duct flushing procedure wasn't fun either, so I can only imagine what the stent surgery must have been like.  Yuck!  Just another fun and pleasant side effect!!

  • damiana9
    damiana9 Member Posts: 42
    edited January 2013

    I go in tomorrow to see my MO and to get my first Herceptin only treatment (along with the study drug I am also taking).  I will definately talk to her about my eyes- the eyedrops they gave me aren't helping.  I am actually excited for tomorrow- first of all- NO STEROIDS!  That deserves a cheer all by itself!!! It will be nice to have a shorter day also, but it won't be just 30 minutes or whatever many of you get- I have to get the herceptin, wait 30 mins, then get the study drug over 30 mins then wait an hour...ugh!  Still shorter than with chemo though.  I am also very curious to see the difference in herceptin vs. herceptin + chemo!  From what I have heard from you guys it will be super easy.

  • cvmarilyn
    cvmarilyn Member Posts: 77
    edited January 2013

    Hi - I'm onto Herceptin now (and pehaps Pertuzamab) and feeling very achy :(  doing rads too but am more than halfway done with that. Is this "normal"?

    Appreciate all the advice from those that have been there/here.

    M

  • specialk
    specialk Member Posts: 9,261
    edited January 2013

    I found a great difference in achiness when the Herceptn infusion was slowed from 30 minutes to 90 minutes.  I think some achiness goes with the territory - some of it due to residual from Taxotere, some from the Herceptin itself.  I also had mild headaches throughout the Herceptin only part.  All of that resolved after completion, and also helps to exercise and keep moving.

  • AmyIsStrong
    AmyIsStrong Member Posts: 426
    edited January 2013

    Damiana - Congratulations about your first H-only treatment. It is NOTHING like having chemo. BUT I want to share this with you - I may be all alone in this reaction, but - it took me a few times of going for H-only for my brain to realize that it wasn't going to be the same as TCH. So I would have the same anxiety/jitters/tension entering the chemo room, getting the port accessed, etc. the first few times. Then it really sunk in that it was just a brief visit and then back to my regularly scheduled life (without the whole week after chemo experience to live through).  So if you get nervous, and if your mind/body react like it was another chemo, give yourself a few times and you will relax. Then you can just treat it like a normal day with a pitstop at the infusion room, rather than gearing up for the whole 'chemo experience.'

    Best of luck to you. You are cruising now! :)

  • cgesq
    cgesq Member Posts: 183
    edited January 2013

    Damiana,

    Please let us know how the H only part went. I'm curious if your body notices a difference between the weekly dosage we are used to and the new triple dose. I have my last (YAY) weekly herceptin tomorrow, and then next Weds, I start the dose dense herceptin and I'm nervous about how I will react to the new dosage.

    Thanks,

  • dventi
    dventi Member Posts: 100
    edited January 2013

    Damiana, I too, am a TCH'er ... and on my second "H only" tx.  No major side effects like chemo.. drove myself to and from tx center.

    During TCH - my nails looked great, right after chemo was done... my nail chipped, broken and look really bad... still have the nail bed.. so Im keeping them short.

    Questions for the ladies who have completed TCH -  Know I have a few months to go.. but like to think ahead.. How was the removal of the port? Emotional, Im sure.  Hopefully uneventful! Funny, my cardiologist told me he knows ladies that keep the port for superstitious reasons.  Not sure I will be one of those ladies. 

  • dougieswife
    dougieswife Member Posts: 74
    edited January 2013

    dventi....I finished Herceptin middle of November...December 12th, that thing was OUT.  It was a piece of cake.  I did it under twilight anesthesia.  At the end of the surgery, I told my surgeon, "Thanks...you did a GREAT job!!"  I'm a goofy one with anethesia.  Went out to lunch afterwards and a little shopping...then went home and napped. 

  • specialk
    specialk Member Posts: 9,261
    edited January 2013

    dougieswife - Hi!!!  Glad you got your port out!  A milestone!

  • LindaKR
    LindaKR Member Posts: 1,304
    edited January 2013

    I had my port removed 2 weeks post final herceptin, in the office under a local, not a problem - though I did take and ativan before the appointment, just in case.  Don't miss it at all, and it only left the tiniest little scar.

  • GrandmaV
    GrandmaV Member Posts: 1,045
    edited January 2013

    I finished herceptin in November and had my port out five days later.  The only thing I felt was the stick for the local.  I didn't feel anything after that.  It was the easiest part of this whole mess.  I kept my port.  One of the other ladies on a different thread said she was going to make artwork out of it.  I thought that was something I wanted to do.  Haven't done it yet though.

  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    edited January 2013

    dventi I had my port out 2 years after it was put in. My onc likes her patients to keep it in that long because that's the time when you are most likely to recur. So it was out this past November. I was under local so I don't remember a thing. Afterwards I was told to  take it easy and eat lightly… when we left we drove directly to the Italian place around the corner and I  had spinach lasagna. I was starved. They don't let you eat before they put you out. Screw them with the "eat lightly" I was hungry.

    I was also not supposed to work out for 2 weeks. Yeah right. I gave it a week then started power walking but didn't move my arm on that side.

    So as you can see it was a breeze and I've had enough with down time.

  • dventi
    dventi Member Posts: 100
    edited January 2013

    dougieswife, LindaKR, GrandmaV, and lago... Thank you for your input on port removal!

    Have a great weekend!

  • damiana9
    damiana9 Member Posts: 42
    edited January 2013

    well, the herceptin only part has been interesting.  I had a lot of pain overnight the first night of infusion- I don't usually notice that on chemo but I usually take sleeping pills to counteract the steroids.  My muscle pain has become worse (I don't think that is from herceptin- just leftover from chemo and keeps spreading)  One thing that really surprised me is that on chemo- day 2-3 my legs get really stiff and I kind of shuffle around the house- I can't really walk normally.  I figured that was chemo- NOPE!  Last night it was terrible and my hubby was making fun of me walking around because I looked so rediculous.    So far though, everything else seems to be good! 

    My onc gave me a referral to an opthomologist for my clogged tear ducts- they can't get me in until the end of February!!! Are you kidding me?  My eyes are like sprinklers- I could water entire lawns with these things, and I have to wait a month and a half? Ugh!  I am definately going to call around and see if I can get in anywhere else sooner.

  • LindaKR
    LindaKR Member Posts: 1,304
    edited January 2013

    damiana - I had to wait too long to get in to the eye doctor too, but it was worth it - do you have to have stents?

  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    edited January 2013

    Last time I saw my ophthalmologist they first said I needed distance glasses… but I questioned that. Then the dilated my eyes. My ophthalmologist tested me again. My distance sight was perfect. She said to use eye drops because my (left) eye was dry when the first tested.

    She did say my left duct was clogged. She was rubbing it to get some oil clump out of it. We'll see what she says this year.

  • Sickofpink
    Sickofpink Member Posts: 38
    edited January 2013

    Yikes, sorry about the stents Linda! Mybeye dr dilated my tear ducts once they were closing but i hope thats all they have to do to keep me seeings. Day 4 of round 4 and eyes ok still, neuropathy, and loss of taste, tho.

    Sick if all of it!

    Sweet dreams...

  • LindaKR
    LindaKR Member Posts: 1,304
    edited January 2013

    Sickofpink, my docs tried dialating them twice, didn't work :-(, but the stents, though painful initially, were definitely worth it!!

  • dragonfly1
    dragonfly1 Member Posts: 516
    edited January 2013

    Re: the eye issues. I had terrible tears and twitching at the end of TCH that continued for 4-6 weeks and gradually went away. I went to the eye doctor at the time and was told to use warm compresses and lubricating eye drops and that the tear ducts did not appear to be blocked. 

    Fast forward approximately one year. I felt like my vision in my right eye had diminished and I noticed that things were more blurry at night when I was driving or watching tv. I thought it was my imagination or I was just getting old:) When I went for my annual eye exam and mentioned it to the doctor he checked the tear ducts and the right side was blocked/clogged. I did not require stents but he did a procedure where he ran a tiny needle through the tear duct to break the blockage (not the most comfortable thing in the world but not too bad either). He was pushing saline through this tiny needle thing and once he broke through the blockage, I felt/tasted the saline in my throat so he knew the duct was clear. My vision improved and the right eye returned to normal.

    So, if you are having issues with your vision long after chemo ends get it checked out. Seems that our treatment can cause problems for a long time!

  • powermom
    powermom Member Posts: 66
    edited January 2013

    Dragonfly, thanks for that info on eyes. I'm having blurry vision after two TCH treatments. I will ask MO about it on Friday and see if an eye appointment is needed. Very annoying.

  • cgesq
    cgesq Member Posts: 183
    edited January 2013

    Dragonfly,

    Thanks for that info.  I was thinking I was crazy because my right eye is blurrier than it should be.  I'm 3 weeks PFC and still waiting for my eyes to stop tearing.  I will see my eye dr. eventually, but I just want one week without an infusion or dr. appt!  Don't think that's too much to ask for!!!

  • specialk
    specialk Member Posts: 9,261
    edited January 2013

    I think a lot of us had blurry vision during tx but mine cleared PFC.  I still had twitching and the tears for about 6-8 weeks, then it went away.  Not that you shouldn't get it checked if you are truly concerned, but it may resolve on its own.

  • dragonfly1
    dragonfly1 Member Posts: 516
    edited January 2013

    I agree with SpecialK, I think blurred vision is common during TCH (I'm guessing it's a result of the extreme eye dryness that Tax causes) and I wouldn't worry too much unless it doesn't go away PFC. My overall vision was definitely affected during chemo and then it improved quite a bit when the tears and twitching stopped PFC. My point is that if it doesn't return to normal months later, you should get it checked and be sure to tell the eye doctor that you were treated with Taxotere.

  • LindaKR
    LindaKR Member Posts: 1,304
    edited January 2013

    Because of my own journey, I also think you should get it checked out if it doesn't improve (even just a little) between treatments.  Mine didn't get better at all between treatments, just got worse and worse!

  • dventi
    dventi Member Posts: 100
    edited January 2013
    • question on continuing Herceptin after TCH..... how many total tx of Herceptin are you/did you receiving/receive?  . Is it a total of 52 treatments.... I began TCH in June 2012...The way I look at it.. If Im receiving Herceptin every 3 weeks,  wouldnt that bring me into 2014 to complete Herceptin.... For some reason, I thought it was 1 year of tx.. meaning... you began in June 2012.. you end in June 2013.    Maybe my chemo brain...........sorry.. 
  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    edited January 2013

    I did my Herceptin every 3 weeks (did chemo the same). Total tx including the ones I did with chemo was 17. Some people do 18. I started October 5th but ended some time the following in September.

  • sewingnut
    sewingnut Member Posts: 475
    edited January 2013

    I started Feb '11 and ended Feb '12. Total of 18 txs.

  • cgesq
    cgesq Member Posts: 183
    edited January 2013

    I got herceptin weekly, for the first 18 weeks, and now its a dose dense (triple dose) every 3 weeks.  

    I started in Sept. 2012, and will finish in Sept. 2013.  Not sure what the total amount of infusions will be.

  • AmyIsStrong
    AmyIsStrong Member Posts: 426
    edited January 2013

    It goes until you have completed a full  year, either 17 or 18 tx. (OR if you had it weekly, then every 3 weeks until the year is complete).

  • dventi
    dventi Member Posts: 100
    edited January 2013

    thanks ladies for the info on the timeframe for Herceptin.... I love this forumSmile

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