Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
Comments
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My twin daughters that are freshman in high school are telling me to go topless I will in the spring it is a little cold outside now, they are constantly bugging me about it. I go to doc tomorrow hope counts r good, finely feeling somewhat human. The pain was so bad, curious to see what she thinks about it.
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My daughter, who was 17 at the time, and granddaughter, who was 15, both shaved their heads, and mostly went "topless". I seldom wore a hat at home, or around family, but when out and about I did, except for when I my dear daughter gave me a henna tattoo on my head, then I was brave enough to go out at about (well a little bit). So I waited until my hair was a real long 1/2" or so before no hat!
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Lago, do you remember which scarf size you ordered? And did the size work well for you?
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Linda - that made me laugh - when your hair was real long - 1/2"! That's about when I started going topless too. Now it's a little over an inch and it looks OK... people don't look at me oddly anymore
but it is weird to me that someone feels the need to say anything about my hair - what I mean is co-workers that I don't even know that well - but as we all knw - people are weird.Anyway - have you guys tried Buffs? Like the ones on Survivor? There's a web site - and they are really comfortable and come in lots of designs - I loved them - still wear them sometimes when my head gets cold.
The one thing I'm hating is that my hair has come back whitish - I feel like I've aged 20 years in the course of 8 months. I just don't look like me - I guess it's a new me. And that the outward only reflects the changes inside.
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I bought a Buff for use while hiking (long after my hair grew back in) and I said right away "I WISH I had these when I was bald." They would be AWESOME - so easy to use, much easier than fooling with a scarf. I would highly recommend. (BTW I use the buff around my neck, very light and comfortable and keeps me warm in coolish weather).
I felt a lot older with my grey hair, too. Wasn't ready to go grey yet. Getting it colored helped a lot.
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powermom if you just want a small bandanna size then order the 30" but I preferred the long 36". I fold them in the typical head wrap way (see #4 head wrap) but the 36" hands down more and bunches up more so you don't look as bald.
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Thanks, Lago. I may splurge and order one more scarf.
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I really thought once I got through my last chemo round that I would be done with SEs. I've been having toe pains and swelling off and on during the chemo but it didn't really get bad until after I was done. I had a bad bout of fluid retention about a month after my last chemo and about 2 months PFC, I started getting a lot of itchiness and burning in one foot that has been getting blisters and peeling like crazy in spots. It was so long after the chemo that I didn't think it was a direct SE but after reading a bunch today, it seems like it actually is and that many people have SEs that pop up or get worse weeks after the last chemo. It is all so frustrating.
My leg pains and cramps have almost gone which is great and I certainly am glad to not have to deal with the drug haze I felt I was in for over a week after every chemo (mostly because of the nausea drugs, I think). Things are getting better but it seems like whenever I feel like I've beaten back one thing, something else pops up. I just want to get back to feeling normal and start doing my daily walks again but I can't do that when it hurts just to walk.
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Jinkala it can take some time but you'll get there. Some things can take up to 2 years! After the 2 year mark what ever SE you have you will have.
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I have been SO fatigued and not sleeping well at night. I hope that SE doesn't last too much longer! I'm nervous to become too dependent on ativan or sleep aids to get rest every night. I need to talk to the doc about it next time I go.
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steiner - have you tried melatonin? I have not but my DH loves it. The BS recommended it earlier after treatment when I was sleep-challenged too. There is some thought it is beneficial for BC patients - goes with the theory that people who work night-shift have more BC diagnosis due to sleep disruption. Here is a link:
http://www.naturalnews.com/022981_melatonin_cancer_breast.html
http://breastcancer.about.com/od/generalsideeffects/p/melatonin.htm
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Steiner,
I was also afraid of becoming dependant upon sleeping pills. I used ambien during chemo to help me sleep. I started at 5 mg, and then upped it to 10 when I was still not sleeping. Since I finished chemo 9 weeks ago, I have weened myself off. I haven't used sleeping pills in a few weeks now.
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Well finally I have some wonderful news, my doctor said that she can know longer feel my lump and my lymph node is the size of a pea now!!!! Yeah the chemo is working still have 2 more before surgery. Wow sure does make it a little easier. Anyone concerned about dependency on medications the number 1 thing to remember is we need rest to heal and conquer the beast of cancer plus keep our pain levels low to relieve our mind and bodies of all the unnecessary stress. So I am learning to be the master of keeping my body and mind at its best.
Thanks again for all the hugs and prayers.0 -
Congrats vollymom, that is wonderful news!
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great news Vollymom
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Congratulations, volleymom77!
I love hearing how chemotherapy can shrink tumors. A friend of mine (I met her via BCO.org) had a 10 cm tumor (she is also Her2/neu+). By the end of her chemotherapy all that was left for the surgeon to remove was scar tissue leftover from the tumor!
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LeeA - I didn't even have a lump to "ectomy" The chemo was so agressive on me, the node in my neck and the lump began shrinking with the first treatment and were totally gone by treatment #3. I had a lot of prayer and I believe I was healed in order to help others.
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Awesome stories!!! Thanks for sharing them with us.
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They placed markers on my tumour and my lymph node so they would know what to remove. The marker is just a small metal clip. Hope everyone is doing well, going. out this weekend for my 29th wedding anniversary. Made reservations for 2oclock on Sunday at Wasabi no raw fish for me, but a wonderful meal. I am a young 51 married young.
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Victoria - that's an amazing and wonderful story! Wow! Did your tumor have estrogen and/or progesterone receptors as well?
volleymom77 - happy anniversary!
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I don't know my dear. Strange I know. My doctor is a country doctor of sorts and all I was told was that it was Her2+. We had to rush treatment as the enlarged lymph node in my neck came on suddenly and was growing bigger day by day. It went from the size of a small pea to a red grape to a large green grape and then more all in 4-6 weeks. The lump in my breast was smaller than a pea. When I had the PET scan after chemo, no traces of cancer were found at all. Nothing. Praise God! So all I had was a biopsy and the chemo and now Herceptin.
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volleymom77 My first chemo 10 days before our anniversary. I did have a glass of wine. Also I was told that as long as I was doing nuelasta I could eat sushi. I do believe I might have had it once but I was retaining fluid so I tried to stay away from salty foods. My white counts were normal at every tx too.
Victoria38 if you are not getting horomon treatment in your plan then it sounds like your tumor might have only had the HER2+ receptor. Sounds like you had a really fast growing tumor… and chemo works really well on fast growing cancer cells. I would ask your doctor for a copy of your path reports both from the biopsy and later from your surgery.
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thanks for the info on melatonin, Special K. My aunt also mentioned it to me. I may try it. I've got an appointment with my onc on the 14th so if I'm still having trouble by then I'll ask her too.
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Yes, happy for you, volleymom! And lago, you can eat sushi? I get Neulasta, btut doc says it will be monhts after teh TCH (whichis donenow) before raw fish. (Right now I just want taste buds and clear eyes and feeling in fingers back. And nails to either clear up go, the purple is painful.)
Jinkala, my onc said the worst month is afert the last so... here we are!
Steiner & Special K - are you still having sleep issues with rads & H or was it just during the main chemo? I keep avoiding sleeping pills, but I do have them, so...
Powermom, I just bought a new scarf and sleep caps from Headcovers, pretty reasonable. I always wear a head cap underneath to keep from being a pinhead. Lago is right about teh size, you can scrunchie the tails by your ear.
Anyone have any tips for the Herceptin onlye evry third week in combination with 7 weeks of rads? Hormone blockers start after rads, but for now it just seesm to be: hydrate, exercise and use aloe. And bioten for hair.
xo
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sickofpink, I am not having rads. So my sleep issues are from the chemo, I assume. I'm getting hot flashes that wake me up numerous times a night. I got some melatonin today (and biotin too for hair regrowth!) so hopefully I'll get some rest tonight if it works. I'm just tired of feeling so dang tired!
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Tired and not being able to sleep is classic chemo. And for me they had me take a steroid for 3 days prior to chemo and that wired me to the point of usually going 24 hours w/o sleep. Mindlessly watching dvd movies helped.
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On the Melatonin and sleep subject, Dr. Oz is not a fan!
According to Dr. Oz, (copied from http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/fact-sheet-melatonin)
When should you take melatonin?
If you know you’re going to have a major shift in sleep schedule: Because of how melatonin works, it can be beneficial for those who know they will be up late for a few nights in a row and know they will have trouble getting back to their normal sleep schedule. It also works well for jetlag.
If you’re over 60 years old and are having trouble sleeping: Your body makes less melatonin as you age, so your body may need more assistance with melatonin to help you sleep better.
When shouldn’t you take melatonin?
If you can’t sleep because of issues like stress, depression or anxiety: Melatonin may not work in those cases because the problem doesn’t lie with the body’s ability to make its own melatonin. You may benefit from practicing Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) to calm your body and distract your brain.
If you do decide to take it, he recommends taking no more than 1 mg, 90 minutes before you go to sleep.
Good luck!
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Sickofpink yes I was told I could eat sushi. I think I did at the beginning but was a bit afraid to eat it after a few more treatment. I never had any infection, colds or anything while doing nuelasta. Of course when chemo & nuelasta ended I ended up with a really bad case of shingles 2 months later. So my system really did need the nuelasta. I also had a few colds too! I think I finally got back to normal about 2 monts PFH ( post final Herceptin)
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I'm having some sleep issues too, but I noticed it started when I started taking my Tamoxifen. I don't get hot flashes, as they suggested might happen. I get downright, full on HOT. It's going to be in the upper 20's tonight, and I will turn the heat down to 63 and sleep with an oscillating fan........all night. I wake up every morning around 3 a.m., and have trouble going back to sleep. It's not much fun, but it hasn't caught up with me, as I usually end up taking some kind of siesta during the day. May be a short one or a long one, but there will be one.
I don't remember who, but someone said when their hair started coming back in, they thought they may have male pattern baldness. I wonder if this is what I'm experiencing. I see mine coming back in pretty much all the way around, except right on the top front. Will this fill in later? I feel fuzz up there, but don't see anything. The rest is coming in very dark, so it's obvious. I am also seeing hairs sprouting on my upper lip, a wild one on my chin, and, for the first time in what seems like forever, I think I need to shave my legs. I know Tamoxifen is a hormone blocker........am I going to grow a beard? I have awful thoughts.
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rickysgirl mine came in Friar Tuck initially too. Not sure why the back & sides seem to come in so much faster.
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