Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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Hey everyone
Carol Sue & Minus Two my hopes and prayers are with you.
I hope you're all well. Exciting news for me. Last Herceptin tomorrow. YEH!!! Hopefully the heart problems will go away now. I will see the Cardo next week to find out.
Anyway, My 29 year old son just did the most amazing thing. For every birthday wish he receives on facebook,
(it was April 25th) he's donating $5.00 to http://www.myhopechest.org/
(The Breast Cancer Charity), He's giving $500. Unsolicited gift. Wow.
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Shasa! That's so sweet. Guess you really raised him the right way. You must be so proud! Congrats on the last Herceptin! Yay!
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Oh Sasha - congrats on the Herceptin ending. It will be a mixed blessing for me since I'm ER/PR negative and Herceptin will be the last piece of this current treatment.
Wyomoma - I had Perjeta also. Not sure if that was the culprit but I had severe diarrhea for a minimum of two of every three week cycle. I do understand the pain & problems w/constipation but i was SO glad I hadn't taken anything ahead of time except Colace as a stool softener for the 3 days I had steroids. Also I didn't take any pain meds and those might back you up so you'll have to figure that in. Good luck.
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Just an FYI - I never took any stool softeners, laxatives, or extra fiber, and had the Big D out of the gate for every tx - for 10 of the 21 days until the next one. I would advise caution until you know which way you will be affected.
shasha - what a great son, and yay for the last H!
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Up until now I've been dealing with constipation and yesterday I was very gassy. Looks like I've turned a corner this morning! I was planning to go to work today, but instead it feels like a day to stick close to the bathroom. My stomach has no idea what it wants to do! But at least I'm not nauseous and my appetite is fine.
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ever forward actually that is progress.... LOL
Much love
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wyomama, I took glutamine powder - 1 tsp. mixed in water/juice in the a.m. - you could also take in the p.m. I didn't have any mouth sores or neuropathy.
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Hi Ladies
I went for my # 6 TCH today and told MO about my feet being numb and painful all the time. he promptly cancelled my Last Taxotere. I was part glad and part scared. I just wanted to decrease my dose more. I was already on an 80 % dose due to Neutropenia 2nd round. Has anyone else not done # 6? I do not want another reoccurence.
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2ndtime, I think probably your MO was weighing the risk vs benefit of doing that last taxotere since you are having so much trouble with your feet. Since you were still getting the carbo and will continue to get the Herceptin, I wouldn't worry too much. Being Her2+, the most important part of your chemo right now is the Herceptin.
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is anyone a varsity coach? I am a girls basketball coach at the high school I teach at. This is a large part of my life. I resigned about a month ago however my athletic director talked me out of resigning and wants me to take a leave of absence...I start my TCH treatment May 19... I am doing 18 wks 6 cycles...and once that's done herceptin once every 3 wks for I believe 11 more infusions...my question is: is it feasible to think I will be good to take a leave of absence until the first day of practice this coming season...I believe we begin the first Monday in November...that would give me about 7 wks between my last TCH infusion and the first day of official practice...is this feasible to think I can coach and do herceptin infusions every 3 weeks? Or should I consider taking a 12 month leave of absence???? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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chev - I went back to work 30 days after my last chemo, which was probably a bit too soon in light of having had five surgeries preceding chemo, and being involved in direct patient healthcare. Another couple of weeks would have been good. I think seven weeks is potentially doable for a return, and the Herceptin only infusions for the balance of the year were a piece of cake for me. Unfortunately, the process of receiving chemo can be uncertain in terms of how you may feel and what you may experience, and how this affects you in the short term immediately following. Can you have a tentative return plan, with some flexibility? I think you will know if you can do this within a few weeks of finishing chemo, but many of us experience a dramatic improvement at about the 6 week post-chemo mark.
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I agree with Special K -- 7 weeks out from your last chemo you should be feeling pretty good. Maybe not back to your old self yet, but definitely well on your way. And Herceptin only was a breeze for me, too. The only side effect I had from it was a vague feeling like I was coming down with a cold that never quite materialized. It was such a mild feeling that it wasn't until I was nearly finished that I finally put 2 and 2 together and figured out that it was the Herceptin that was making me feel that way.
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Chev - Can you coach from the sidelines for awhile (I mean sitting on the bench more than usual)? I had no stamina at 7 weeks, but I could do much of what I wanted - just slowly. On the other hand I didn't even walk during chemo - and I should have. You should be OK with Herceptin only. I'm only having slight leg aches & joint pains and mild headaches that aren't bad at all when they run the drip over 90 minutes & give me an extra liter of fluid
2ndTIme - I agree with Bren. I wish I'd skipped the 6th Taxotere. The MO gave me the choice after long discussions but said he'd encourage his mother to take it. I'm stuck w/neuropathy in feet & fingers. We're close in diagnosis - two year recurrence from DCIS to IDC except I had my BMX the first time around.
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Chev - I am 4 wks PFC now. I never stopped working completely - I have a sedentary job that I can do from home on computer/phone - and I just took off days that were so bad that I couldn't get anything done. Otherwise I've been working a reduced workload. I have to say that right now I'm still really, really fatigued. Now that I'm in the office most days, I'm working probably 6-7 hour days in the office on average. When I get home I lie down with my feet up and rest before making dinner and putting my kids to bed. I usually get in bed myself right after putting my kids to bed around 9pm. I've been told not to expect a sudden, dramatic improvement, but instead, probably gradual improvement over several months. Just to illustrate the fatigue - this weekend, I went to my daughter's soccer game (brought a camp chair and sat for the whole game), afterward took her & her sister out for lunch, and then to Old Navy to buy some spring clothes. I had a long-ish walk from the car to the soccer field & back (couldn't keep up with my 6 yr old who ran ahead of me). Stood on my feet in Old Navy for about 45 min or so. I was WIPED OUT for the rest of the day. Just napped on the porch, hubby made dinner, and went to bed early (around 9 pm).
FWIW, my MO has told me that I should just keep walking, gradually building up. I have kept swimming laps once a week throughout chemo (even though I am slooooow and my legs/arms feel like lead). I do think it's helped. But I am really really far away from training in a gym.
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Hi ladies!
Just got my chemo orders, now I get to hurry up and wait. I start on 5/7, and they are planning carboplatin,taxotere, herceptin and perjeta for me. My 1st treatment is expected to be about 6 actual hours of infusion. ugh.
I'm being told 60 minutes for perjeta, 90 for herceptin, 60 for taxo and 60 for carbo, in that order, with saline in between each.
They are giving me neulasta the next day starting after tx 1 to stay on top of the wbc issues, which doesn't really bother me, they encouraged claritin the day of and a couple after, as well as ibuprofin.
I will get zofran and decadron as IV premeds. that's it. I have a scopalomine patch and ativan as well. No decadron the day before or after chemo.
Does this all sound pretty normal? I was expecting a boatload more meds and whatnot, and that's not happening.
thanks in advance
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Actually it sounds perfectly normal. I think the only difference was I got 3 days of steroids. And I think they gave me Benadryl as well. And I got the. As TCH. Taxotere Carboplatin and Herceptin. Also once I knew I got the Diarrhea aspect, I stayed to finish the whole bag of fluid. And I missed the PERJETA by a year. Other than that pretty much the same.
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wyo - totally normal! Be sure to take the Claritin (not Claritin D) at least an hour prior to the Neulasta injection, you can even start the night before. Also I would advise taking anti-nausea medicines for the first couple of days following chemo on a schedule. Do not wait for the nausea to start - your scopolamine patch should be helpful. Just remember when you remove it not to touch your eyes without washing your hands first! Very important! I did not have steroids before or after chemo for the first three treatments, but did develop a rash after the third (most likely from an antibiotic for a UTI) so from that point I had the before/during/after dosing. My pre-meds were Decadron, Aloxi, Benedryl, and an oral Tylenol. A lot of the additional meds may come after you start and they see what side effects you may experience - some people have to add things for mouth sores, GI upset, constipation, diarrhea, fluid retention, etc. You may not experience any of these so they don't want to medicate you unnecessarily right off the bat, and those are mostly meds you take at home, except for sometimes adding things like Pepcid to the chemo pre-meds. Good luck!
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Is it bad that I WANT them to medicate me for absolutely everything in advance? sigh. I'm not usually a big medication person, but I really don't want to suffer from anything if it's avoidable.
I'll ask about pepcid ahead of time, and I've already started taking b6 twice a day. My docs will let me know if I can take silica as well in a day or so, they wanted to look into it. They're also looking into me taking latisse. Has anyone else taken it?
I asked about ice chips during taxo, and they basically said do what you want, they don't think it's effective. Do most people here agree or disagree? and the nails? I have decently weak nails as it is, should I ice my hands for taxo? I was also told to put sally's hard as nails on my nails once or twice a week, and not to remove the coats I put on.
I have food, an electric blanket, my kindle and iphone, chargers for both, a neck pillow (I'm also doing penguin cold caps, so I have all the gear that goes with those too) and I'm wearing comfy clothes. Am I missing anything? Any tips or tricks for me?
I'm so scared, but I know you've all been here too, and I'm grateful you stay on here helping the new recruits.
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wyo - I have read about some people using Latisse, but it is expensive and will not prevent lashes falling out, only will help them grow back. So you might be losing expensive and much more beautiful lashes. A number of people wait until the lashes are growing back to use Latisse. I disagree on the ice for both the mouth and nails - I did it and advocate it. I had pretty severe mouth sores after the first tx, then did the ice thing and never had them again. For neuropathy prevention I took 30g L-Glutamine powder (3xdaily, 10g - which is a teaspoon, dissolved in a drink), a B-6 cap, and 1500 mg of Acetyl L-Carnitine. I had tingling of fingertips, feet and tongue (weird, right?) that resolved between tx, until closer to the end. The remaining neuropathy, in my feet only, resolved after a few months, but was never severe enough to bother me. My MO gave approval to the supplements prior to chemo. I did the clear nail hardener, painted a coat a day, then removed it and started over. I also cut my nails as short as possible and painted them for the day of chemo with dark polish - dark gray or navy - as there is some thought that the light penetration during infusion can be harmful, but I don't think most people go to that much trouble. I dressed in layers - sometimes I was hot and sometimes cold. You may find yourself colder since you are doing cold caps, and you might want to pre-med with Tylenol to prevent a headache.
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wyomama, one reason you might not want to medicate for every possible side effect is because every medication you take comes with its own set of potential side effects. You really don't want to take anything you don't have to take.
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wy, take a deep breath! You will get thru tomorrow. Don't make it worse by rethinking every little thing. You probably won't have much time to read as you are doing cold caps. They will also be keeping a close watch on you and checking on you. It's a long day but seems to move quickly. You probably won't gave to many side effects the day of chemo. Most settle in a bit later. You will be tired. Sleep if you can those darn steroids mean you might be here on the insomnia board so you're not making noise! I found taking a drawer that needed cleaning while I watched TV made the night pass. Plus I had clean drawers. I couldn't concentrate enough to read books but magazines and jumbles sometimes were fun. If you can sleep whenever you can and just accept being awake at night during the steroids that way you don't get down on yourself fir not sleeping. Hugs YOU CAN DO THIS .
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Sounds like you got it covered wyomama! I think the ice chips totally kept me from getting mouth sores...I had a few the first time, but after I started really doing the ice chip thing never had them again.
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chev. I continue to work 9 out 10 days per pay. I think you could do it 7 weeks out. Good luck
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Chevy...I returned to work part time 8 weeks after chemo but I was doing radiation. I worked 6 hours and then went to radiation. I think I had 32 zaps. I worked PT for two months. I felt much better 7 weeks after chemo but it would have been hard to work full time and do radiation for me. Are you doing radiation? I agree that 7 weeks is pretty close but may be doable. These ladies here are wonderful and we are all here to support you.
You can do it wyomama, try to relax. A veteran here told me when I first started that the getting of chemo is pretty uneventful normally. I don't know what I was expecting really but it was much calmer than I expected. They had private rooms where I went and I requested one to watch tv because I could not concentrate. I also asked my MO id I could take a Xanax the morning before because someone was driving me and that helped too. Hugs to you.
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I see a few of you have had the diarrhea problems - just found this forum even though I'm on round 3 of TCHP. I'm having 10-12 days of bad diarrhea problems each time. Round 1 put me in the hospital so they reduced the Taxotere to 80%. Since this looks like the norm for me, any tips to get thru it each time? I'm so sick of toast and bananas and it's really only leaving me with 5-6 days good days each cycle. Not to mention I feel so unhealthy not eating fruits and veggies.
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Thanks everyone. I will start radiation I believe a year from now once I am done with my herceptin. I don't know for sure though. I teach full time and don't plan on taking much time off... It will be nice having the summer off though... I think that will be helpful. Right now my game plan is to take summer off of coaching and get back in the first day of practice this coming season. I am hoping my SE are uneventful...lol I hope to be able to keep up my running and working out through treatment... We will see I am just not all about life being hugely altered due to treatment... Fingers crossed....
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chev - you will have to do radiation within a few weeks of ending chemo - they don't wait until Herceptin is done. So, you will only be a week or two from finishing rads, unless you do 3-week Canadian protocol rads, when your 7 weeks is up. Also, keep in mind that you may sail through chemo with limited SE, or it may have more of an effect on you than you think it will - you never know and can't predict, and age, other health issues, fitness, etc. matters not. This is a hard thing to plan for - that is for sure.
srdc - I ate low-fiber, BRAT diet, tried to stay hydrated, but it lasted 10 days for me for the first five tx, waited for it on the last one and it didn't happen. I struggled with it intermittently a bit on Herceptin alone until one of the nurses advised taking a probiotic, made a huge difference. Ask your MO about whether this is an option - sometimes they don't want you to start one if you were not taking one prior to chemo.
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srdc, yeah. I took diphenhydrate? Atropine. So my D was a bit controlled. But i didnt want to take it every day that is strong stuff! But for me salad, raw veggie, even most cooked veggie was not possible. And I did BRAT. But i could tolerate very sharp cheddar. A piece at a time. Almost anything white. Mashed potato, rice, chicken, cooked cauliflower, and I mean cooked to death! Soups like butternut squash were ok sometimes. Toasted cheese sandwich if not greasy. But i couldn't eat much. So i did what my nurse told me. Eat every other hour when awake. And drink something every other hour. Keeping hydrated worked great until the D hit then it was hard. A probiotic helped. But i wore diapers. Yes. Not pretty but it saved me from doing laundry 3 times a day. I could not make it from my recliner to the bathroom right around the corner. We really do understand your pain with that particularly ugly problem! But do keep drinking your fluids dehydration can lead to the hospital. Ask me how I know that......
Much love.
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chev. I was a marathon runner. Doing nothing now but some walking work full time and care for 3 boys and z house. Chemo is a challenge. You have to be ready to just go along And get to the end.
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I never did update you on how the schedule turned out. They could not get me in any earlier than 1 PM and they said they would stay until I was done. I was finished at 5 30 pm so was not too bad and only 1/2 hour after they officially close - I was the last one there. I think it went well and faster because I had absolutely no reactions to anything as it was being administered - they did watch me close. They don't have crushed ice - so I have to bring my own which is a pain cause my fridge doesn't have a crushed ice maker ughh. Shell will sell me a big cup for a buck -so that is my stop on the way to chemo. I use it for my mouth - frozen peas for hands and feet - only one there doing it - but MO said it wouldn't hurt me so go ahead if I think it will help. They are starting all my other infusions in the am from now on though lol
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