Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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Oh minus! You will Def have to go commander for that. What a tw*t!
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hi everyone
I'm a newbie here, and wanted to say hello.
I believe I'm starting chemo on May 5th, but I'll know more Tuesday. I've been told I'll be getting taxotere and carboplatin, so I looked up this group. My dr says it has one of the best success rates, has the least amount of side effects, and has the best results with cold cap therapy, but I'm scared, I'm skeptical of everything I'm told, and I'm anxious.
Can you guys try to give me a rundown of what I need for chemo treatments? (A goodie bag or whatever) I have a 90 minute drive each way to the cancer center.
Any suggestions for protecting my nails, or is that an uncommon side effect?
What days should I expect to be the worst? I have a 1 year old, so I'm having to schedule help for myself, my husband's job is 12 hour days, often with turnarounds (so no days off) and his commute is 60 minutes each way. So even though I know he's with me in spirit and all, he won't be the one helping me out often if at all.
Has anyone else done cold cap therapy? I've been over the the thread for people who have, but didn't see anyone else that had carboplatin. Mostly cyto something or another.
Sorry that my profile doesn't say much, I honestly don't know too much, but once I know more I'll put it up. I do know it's er/pr+ and her2+, so I'll be getting herceptin and perjita as well.
At the moment I'm just really scared I guess. I'm glad to have found you guys.
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Hey wyomama! YES, I did taxotere, carboplatin, and herceptin with the cold caps. I did great! I shed but never enough that people would notice. My hair did look crappy for a while b/c you can't wash it but more than like 2 times a week, if I recall. Here is a link to my pics so you can see the before/during/after, etc.
P.S. You can see my scalp in some of the photos - but notice I had that even pre-chemo - my hair is very fine and thin to start with. When it is dirty or oily and I sleep on it you can see my scalp.
I hope this link works because I'm having a hard time getting it to insert right. Cut and paste in your url box if need be.
https://coldcapphotos.shutterfly.com/pic
tures/8#%26emid%3dsite_weeklydigest%26ci
d%3dSHARE3SXXXX0 -
wyomama, you can do this. There is a thread on what to bring someone who can do links will probably pull that up for you. Also either start a thread for chemo in May or there may already be one. That's good to get to know people who are going through the SEs at the same time.
TCH and PERJETA is one if the newest tx. I had TCH just 2 years ago the PERJETA was just released for early BC this year. So you are getting the best the docs have.
I had a few scenic detours on my Chemo journey. I tell you this not to scare you but to inform you that although things usually go right sometimes if they go off track there things they can do to help. In MOST cases people do sail right through the chemo.
In my case my worst days were 5 through 10. I had Diarrhea to the extent I was dehydrated and needed fluids by IV. They lowered my dose and I finished. Most people will get constipation instead of the D. Also the Herceptin can be hard on a person's heart so they will be doing a MUGA or echo to make sure everything is going well.
The best advice is drink. Water, unsweetened beverages, whatever you can stand (because sometimes taste buds go wonky) to the tune of a gallon a day. Yep. That's a lot. But it flushes the chemo out. My problem was that when I got the D I didn't want to drink. But you must.
It is scary but you can do it.
Much love.
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thanks ladies
I feel so much better knowing you all are here, and know what this is like!
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Hey all,
Just had my chemo regime changed to this regime and decided to check in. I know some of you already from other threads and appreciate all the advice so far. One thing I keep forgetting to ask is how long should I expect my first treatment to last (hours at center). As I understand it - I will be doing TCH every three weeks for 6 weeks - then Herceptin to complete the year. Thanks in advance
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linda - since I went to the same general practice as you will be I expect your timing to be similar - I went at 8:30 a.m. (mainly to get a chair in the area that I wanted and also to see the doc before his schedule went to hell for the day). I checked in, had blood work done, saw the doc, and then did pre-meds and then TCH. I often did not leave until 4:30 or 5 - it is a long day.
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thanks SpecialK - that is a long day - wonder how it will work with me - I am scheduled for a 1PM appt to start LOL - guess I will be spending the night
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linda - lol! You might!
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finished rads today! yea! just Herceptin now til August....what a journey
Hugs & prayers for you all just starting - it most certainly does SUCK - i don't care for that word but it applies here
i did bring a goodie bag - book, music, hand sewing projects - i always had my husband or my daughter with & they would bring lunch from the cafeteria....my husband started to sleep the first time & i was not happy ha!! it went pretty quickly - i did hate the sound the machine made...
it's difficult to describe how it makes you feel....i did a lot of crying for no real reason...and of course everyone is different...by the third week i was starting to feel like myself again
i found the bad taste in my mouth was the worst & used Biotine products to combat it
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notbuying - yay! Herceptin alone with no rads will be easy for you!
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NBI! Congrats Herceptin only isn't bad.
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no it is not bad at all - and i am pushing back my next one til after vacation - so, other than a check next week of my Rad skin - NO appts of any kind for 3 weeks!! woo-hoo!!!
my daughter wanted me to post a pic on FB with a sign that said i "kicked cancer's ass" but i told her i may have kicked the Cure's ass but wether or not i kicked cancers remains to be seen...
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wyomama and Linda -- I'm getting TCH+P, round 6 of 6 coming up this Friday! Woohoo! :-) My first infusion took a really long time. Started at 9 a.m. and didn't finish until after 5:30. And I didn't even finish really. Doc put a stop to it when I was having breathing problems halfway through the last one (carbo). I'd had breathing problems during the Perjeta, too, and they had to stop it for 30 minutes and put me on oxygen. I'm not typical though. I have lung mets and was symptomatic when I started treatment. Infusions have gone faster each round though, and the last one I had was finished by 3:00!
wyomama, are you planning on driving yourself? I always have somebody (my dad) take me and stay with me, and I only live 15 minutes away. They give me Benadryl, and I'd be a serious danger behind the wheel of a car. At least have somebody drive you the first time until you know how it's going to affect you.
Everybody is different, but here' show my timeline goes... I usually feel pretty good days 1-2, start going downhill day 3, days 4-6 are the worst. It's all I can do to get out of bed those days, so I don't. Start feeling better around day 7-8, and most side effects virtually gone by around day 10-11. The rest of that 2nd week, I'm just tired. Week 3 is back to pretty near normal, just in time to do it all over again.
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Thanks all I am really wondering how they think that are going to do all this by starting at 1 PM - Guess I will find out their plan when I get there or maybe I will hear from them on Monday with a time change LOL.
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linda - you might want to call them - they may not realize you are getting all three drugs, or think you are getting weekly H, which would be a faster infusion. I don't see how they think they can fit blood work, port access, height/weight, doc appt., a 90 minute Herceptin infusion, and T & C at 45-60 minutes each into that time frame.
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thanks SpecialK - I will give them a call Monday am
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Hey ladies , I'm heading into chemo round 2 on thurs (TCH and perjeta) and wondering if in your experiences, was round 2 similar (in SE severity) to round 1. I had a variety of SE that lasted each a day or 2 , except for the mouth sores which were about 7 days and were by far the worst SE I experienced
Hoping if round 2 is similar to round 1, then I may be able to get a better handle on the constipation and sores.
Love and hugs to you all :-)
Jen
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Hello to everyone....Sunshine each round can be different but you are on the right track to manage the SE. I had 6 treatments and they were all a little different but the first one was the scariest. Doing chemo sucks and I am sorry you all have to go thru it but as it was told to me it is doable. Hang in there all of you going thru treatment. This place is such a blessing and will help you get thru this.
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sunshine, round one was one of the hardest not knowing what SE's I would get. After that I felt better armed to handle them, even though every tx was a little different. For constipation you can try taking stool softeners starting a day or two before tx until things move along afterward. For mouth sores, ask you MO for a script for Magic Mouthwash if he/she hasn't already given you one.
Linda, I had pretty much the same tx and I was always there about 8 hours or more. I agree with SpecialK, call on Monday.
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sunshine - I got mouth sores on tx#1, and used Caphosol - awesome drug, cleared them within 48 hours. I found tx#1, 4, & 5 to be my worst, #2, 3 were pretty good, and on #6 I waited for SE that I had for the previous 5 tx and they never came. Other than cumulative fatigue and low hemoglobin induced muscle burning, I actually had an easy time with # 6. I did not experience constipation, I had the opposite every tx, but you can try medicating starting the day before - my BIL is a gastroenterologist and recommends Miralax, but I know it doesn't work for everyone. If you have this issue, make sure you are eating as much fiber as you can muster, or use a fiber supplement - sometimes that is easier.
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Jen -- I had pretty much the same S/E's every round. Instead of mouth sores I got throat sores, and they were awful! Magic Mouthwash didn't work for me. Had to swallow the stuff to get it into my throat where the sores were, and it made me throw up. Might have been okay if all I had to do was swish and spit. My doctor prescribed Diflucan instead, and rather than waiting until I got the sores, I took the diflucan on day 3 so I didn't get the sores to begin with. Another thing that helped me a lot was drinking Gatorade. That and going in for IV fluids twice during the week after chemo. (I was THAT miserable, and getting fluids made it SOOO much better!!!)
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carolsue, thanks for the info about your bad days, and congrats on being almost done! woohoo! I can't wait until I'm at that point
I won't be driving myself, because I have no idea how I'll be during and after, and I asked for Ativan to go with everything else. Also, because I'm 90 minutes from the clinic, it just feels overwhelming to me. Plus, I'm doing the cold caps, so I need someone to help me with my cap changes during and after treatment..
yesterday I did some shopping, picked up claritin, vit b6, senokot and immodium. Anything else I should have on hand?? I think my biggest fears right now are neuropathy and mouth sores. Anything that's not an rx I can pick up? I have a feeling I'll be getting a pharmacy full of drugs here soon anyhow.
Sunshine, I've been thinking of you! Sounds like things were manageable, hope that the mouth sores don't come back!!
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wyomama maybe just pick up some Biotin toothpaste and mouthwash. It doesn't taste too bad even with taste changes as nd it helps dry mouth. Otherwise just take a deep breath and go. I would take the stool softeners the first time. If you tend toward the D, then you won't ever need them again. But most go to constipation so trying to prevent that is good. Once you get through that first one it really is easier just because you've done it before.
Much love.
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Hi there -
I just wanted to pipe up here about the mouth sore thing. I had horrible, HORRIBLE mouth and throat sores after my first round of TCH - my MO gave me this bio-adherent stuff called GelClair in addition to the magic mouthwash. It was like gargling with melted plastic, but I gagged my way through it, and the sores resolved in about five days.
I swore to myself that I'd do anything I could to avoid going through that again, so during the following rounds, I sucked on ice chips continuously from about 15 minutes before the taxotere infusion started until about 15 minutes after it ended. It's a real drag to constantly shovel ice into your mouth for over an hour, but the net result is that I haven't had a single mouth sore since I started sucking on the ice. My throat still gets a little sore, but it's not nearly as bad as it was that first round.
And since my MO's office doesn't have an ice machine, I have to bring all of the ice with me to each treatment. Again, it's a pain in the rump, but I'll take it over the mouth sores. I just swish the ice chip around in my mouth from the inner edge of my lips to the back of my tongue throughout the whole taxotere infusion.
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wyomama, did you say you were getting Perjeta too? With just TCH, constipation may be an issue, but I think with Perjeta, diarrhea is more likely. Immodium is my best friend these days. Another OTC med you might want to have on hand is Pepcid.
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Perjeta too I believe. Ill get pepcid too, but I think they're going to give me rx heartburn meds since I have awful heartburn during pregnancy.
And biotin. Thanks ladies
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Hey all,
Is it just the taxotere that cause the mouth sores? Trying to figure out when I need ice in my mouth? Also same question for fingernails toemails?
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Hi Linda - yep, it's the taxotere that's the mouth sore culprit, as far as I understand it. It's possible to get them from carbo as well, I think, but that's much, much rarer, so if you ice during taxotere, you should be good to go.
You need to start about 15 minutes before the tax infusion begins and continue for about 15 minutes after the tax infusion ends. I start icing when the nurse starts my pre-meds and then ask her to tell me when the infusion has switched to carbo so I can just time out about 15 minutes afterwards.
It really helped me. The mouth sores were the most uncomfortable side effect I had - I can deal with low-grade nausea and fatigue, but I literally couldn't sleep when I had the mouth sores!
Edited to add that it's the same deal for fingers and toes - 15 minutes before through 15 minutes after tax.
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thanks Nina!! I appreciate the info
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