Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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Yay Dventi! It is always good to hear good news!
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Dventi - glad to help! Surgery (hysterectomy) back in mid April went fine. Glad it is over. I forget it even happened most of the time.
My first grandchild, a little girl they named Ruby, was born 3 weeks ago today, on her parents 3rd wedding anniversary! She is precious and beautiful and I am LOVING the whole experience. It strikes me that THIS is what we go through all the horrors of treatment for - to be here for the milestones and happiness of our family and loved ones. It is an awful experience (as you all know) but 4.5 years out, as I hold the baby in my arms, I can say over and over and over (and OVER) again - it was SO worth it.
Stay strong, my sisters. And then STAY AROUND here to support the new ones coming behind you. It means so much to see people on the other side, living life, moving on. Back in the terrifying days of the beginning of all this, in 2009, I promised myself to be one of those examples. And now here I AM!
Love to all -
Amy
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AmylsStrong--congrats on your little gem Ruby!! 4.5 years out.. That is fantastic! and Yes it all all worth it to be part of the milestones of our loved ones. Im going to Guatemala in November--- touristy section. My niece joined the Peace Corps and met her husband there.... so destination wedding here I come.. I prayed during my tx that I would be able to be at her joyous occasion..
BC gives you strength, courage, and a new perspective of yourself and what is really important in life. ... I also found my "voice"...meaning I am no longer hesitant to express myself in the business world or with personal issues.
So ladies, if I may quote AmylsStrong, Stay strong sisters.. This too will pass.....(eventhough it may not seem that it will) believe us IT DOES!
We are all here to answer your questions.
Love, D.
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Congrats on finishing Dventi! I'm just on my 3rd chemo!
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ProfMagic my 3rd was a breeze. I actually had been watching that American Greed episode about the pharmacist that watered down the chemo and was worried that maybe that happened to me because the SE after #3 didn't seem bad at all. (BTW that pharmacist is in jail). Granted ChickaD isn't so lucky.
dventi Congratulations! My onc doesn't do tumor markers. Says they are unreliable for breast cancer.
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Tx#5 postponed due to low platelets. I'm glad to have another week to recover before the next onslaught, but I don't know what the tumors will do with their vacation time. Imagine - I've actually had 48 hours w/o the Big D. Such a treat.
I'm having lots of problems with dry eyes in the last week. Hope some of you can recommend OTC eye drops that worked for them? Thanks in advance.
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Minus, so sorry about the big D. I understand that one! BTW, CVS pharmacy brand adult diapers -- oops, adult disposable underwear! LOL are pretty good! I was told by MO any eye drops without get the red out was the right kind. Once again, though, please keep hydrated, with the big D, and because your eyes are dry, you have to keep up fluids. And, yes, you probably get the runny nose too. Just keep drinking"! LOL. Much love.
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Lago, I sure am hoping for the same as you! #2 was pretty bad as I was still vomiting/dry heaving as of Monday. I was hoping for a solid, good week like #1 but it didn't happen. If only I could get the big D under control then it probably would not be so bad!
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Prof, you have to get ahead of the nausea. Don't wait to take something, take it at the first sign of nausea. And for the big D, are you on the diphen hydrate(sp?) atropine? Um, I think brand name is LOMOTIL. immodium NEVER worked at all. BUT STAY HYDRATED. I ended up in the hospital cause of that, do be careful. Much love.
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dventi - congrats!
AmyIsStrong - great post! I remember you (as well as many other WONDERFUL women here) encouraging me when I went through chemo. I too plan to stick around and offer encouragement to others behind me. September will be my 2 year anniversary, so time is moving forward - in a good way!
MinusTwo - I found Genteal eye gel (not drops) very helpful for dry eye. Because they are a gel, they make your vision blurry for a few minutes afterwards, but it is worth it b/c of the relief of dryness, IMO.
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Thanks for the congrats and all the info on tumor markers! It's so valuable to obtain information from those that have "been there, done that".
Has any one heard or had a suggestion from their MO to test the ESR rate (sed rate) on a blood test... not fishing to uncover problems... but like to cover all my bases..My understanding is that it identifies inflammation in body..which can be a potential for cancer.. but other issues can cause inflammation too, such as meds.
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Dventi, my infectious Disease Dr was the only one to do that and that was when I was in the hospital after my TE removal from infection. Oh, wait, I think my Mo may haVe done it once when I had my renal failure too. But I'm not sure about that, I was out if it. So I think it's only something they do IF they KNOW there is a problem.
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Interesting on the SED rate thing....mine has been high for the past several years...docs could never find anything...they always just suspected I had a potential autoimmune disease lurking inside me...
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Hi ladies,
With only one round of chemo I wound up with major neuropathy in feet, legs and hands. Oncologist was totally surprised saying I didn't have any risk factors. Could autoimmune disease be the risk factor? Does this sort of thing happen often with this wonderful cocktail? Granted, the neuropathy earned me some time off, but the chemo is being done pre surgery and I am starting to wonder about the benefit. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks0 -
Sgc I didnt get any neuropathy until the 5th treatment and it was mild. My MO said lets just get done with #6 as it was mild, so we finished. Now I am 7 weeks PFC and my feet are KILLING me. I have a few numb toes, but my feel just plain HURT bad. I dont know if it is from the chemo or what?? I cant even walk around a store for an hour. I hope your situation gets better!!
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Tangles- so very sorry to hear about our feet. I hope you get relief soon! I've checked out therapies and many say B complex vitamins can help. I feel your pain and will keep you in my prayers! s
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Sgc728 same thing happened to a friend of mine. Her onc put her on Adrymicin. She really didn't want to go on it but her onc refused to give her more Taxotere because she didn't want her to have perminent nueropathy.
I have some nueropathy that didn't go away in my left heel. Not too bad though. It's worse when its going to storm. I call that foot "Tom Skilling jr) .Also got the rare nail lifting (every single nail on feet and hands). Not sure why. My feet can get rather sore now too if I've been on them for hours. I have no other health issue other than a little IBS… until cancer diagnosis. The just don't know why folks get things and others don't
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I've had worsening neuropathy since the first tx. Taking B-6 & B-12. Drinking L-Glutamine. It continues to spread. But MO has no intention of changing my cocktail.
I did ask him this week what percentage of neuropathy is permanant. He said 5%.
Dancetrance: Thanks for the Genteal recommendation for dry eyes. My opthamologist is putting together a sampler pack for me to pick up next week.
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I am terrified. I'm to begin TCH next week. However, I already suffer peripheral neuropathy and Morton's neuroma. I also suffer fatigue. All this resulted from removal of a brain tumor from my brain stem in 2008, which left me paralyzed on my left side. After months of physical therapy, I have use of my extremities, but the nerve pain, joint stiffness, and muscle tightness is still horrible. My nerves and muscles were severed in oeder to get all the tumor. The oncos just don't seem to have a clue of what my issues are. I don't feel strong enough to go through the nightmares of side effects from TCH and Neulasta. I haven't found anyone who can relate to my condition. I honestly don't see how my already severly damaged nerves can survive chemo, which is toxic to the nervous system. My quality of life is better now than it's been since 2008, and it still is far from good or productive. I feel that I'm better off to take my chances with a possible 5 yrs of the poor quality of life I have now vs risking the treatments that seemingly will deteriorate what little life I do have. If there's anybody with suggestions or information, please help me.
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Lordhelpme - I am not a regular on this thread but do lurk on the page on occasion. I saw your post and wanted to let you know I am thinking of you. Clearly you have been through a lot already and now have this fear of the unknown. Unfortunately, nobody can predict which side effects you will get or the severity. I know that is hard to hear when you want answers.
Your situation is special. Has your mo's office or chemo tx center connected you with a nurse care navigator? Someone who can help you out to make sure you get the care you need? I guess I would try to start there. My chemo nurses were awesome resources as well.
I hope you are able to continue your physical therapy during tx. That can only help.
I am two years out from treatment. I had neuropathy in my hands and feet. It is gone now except for in my heels and a tiny bit in my fingertips, but nothing that slows me down. More importantly I have no evidence of disease and that is due to the tch. I am sorry I don't have answers for you. Hopefully some of the other posters on this thread will have better information. Thinking of you!0 -
LORDHELPME, there is help available, and thousands of posts on this thread from members sharing their own experiences. As Bailey says, side effects vary, and someone advocating with you can be a big help to be sure your unique needs are addressed.
Best wishes,
• The Mods
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LORDHELPME, I had neuropathy before I started TCH. I have type 2 diabetes and have it affecting my feet and my fingers. My hands go numb sometimes. It did get worse during tx, but I'm a year PFC(well almost) and it is better than it was before tx. No kidding. Who knows why. But I get aches from my joints and that is worse, but I had that before, and three meds I take cause that too, so I can't blame TCH. It's a tough decision, but there is always a decision to be made, each with its own side effects. And, remember, if you don't make a decision, NO DECISION IS A DECISION TO WAIT.
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Lordhelpme - you could discuss the possibility of Herceptin only with your doctor. It would not be nearly as effective as the full TCH, but if you are considering doing nothing at all, Herceptin only would certainly be a better option.
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Lordhelpme,
i also had neuropathy in my hands and feet before my bc journey - brought on by pregnacy 19 years ago. I had pain in my feet and sometimes complete numbness in my hands. pretty consistently. I learned to just live with it.
I too was worried about the neuropathy side effect from TCH...that it would make everything worse. How could I deal with that? But surprisingly, after 4 of 6 treatments, My foot pain and hand numbness have disappeared. I did get VERY mild tingling in my fingertips after treatment #3 but hardly noticable. Overall, my neuropathy has improved if anything.
It is a very personal decision about treatment plans, but I knew I had to throw everything I could at the beast as quickly as possible to reduce my reoccurrance and spreading percentages. Once it comes back it is so much harder or impossible to beat.
I was terrified of chemo but honestly it has turned out to not be nearly as bad or as frightening as I thought it would be. I've been lucky to have managable side effects and have worked every day. I think of the chemo drugs as my personal warriors seeking out and destroying my enemies. I consider chemo as my "shock and awe" attack and radiation as the "slash and burn"! Helps get me through.
Hugs to you - you"ll make it through this.
Annie
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Lordhelpme It's so strange how this Taxotere works. Look at these women who had neuropathy before and didn't seem to have much of an issue once they stopped chemo. Ironically I never had any health issues. I got some neuropathy in my left heel on chemo. I do have some minor numbness in my left heel that gets a little worse if it rains/snows. I call my foot Tom Skilling (after the meteorologist). So go figure. Never had any other nueuropathy though.
Taxotere has less neuropathy issues than Taxol.
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Morning .....can't sleep...Back pain self Iinflicted from delusions of being Superwoman....
Ok calling all sexy bald women past or present...I have little bumps on my bald head that hurt...what's up with that...is my hair trying to grow?
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ChickaD... Had the bumps on the based of my head when I lost my hair... when this happened one of the ladies on the site suggested that it could be whatever I was washing my head with... I changed to Aveeno baby shampoo on my head and it helped.
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Hmmm never thought of that...ok im going to quit using battery acid and try something gentle...lol...thank you
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ChickaD your skin is much more sensitive on chemo.
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Damn...I had hopes it was my hair trying to grow....lol
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