Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
Comments
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I've heard of people using popsicles, or maybe you could put your ice at home in a blender.
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linda - I was the only one icing at my center too. Keep in mind others may not be getting Taxotere, so may have no need to ice. I re-used my peas each time, but you may have to smack the bag to get them to separate after they have been re-frozen.
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I have a question I would like some feedback from if you ladies would be so kind. I had to cancel my appointment with my MO in May because I am going out of town. I have been done with chemo and I am on Tamox for the first month. This is the first time I have ever canceled an appointment, but I will be out of town. My Mo is only at the hospital 1 day per week and He is booked everyday in May so my next appointment will be in June. I think that with the amount of money we pay that we deserve better service than this, I am always getting a survey in the mail asking how they are doing. Am I being unrealistic in thinking my MO is too busy and I feel like it is wrong that he is not able to make a new appointment for me in the same month? I would appreciate your thoughts.
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Lovewins - I had to cancel my May 6 month follow-up appt with my breast surgeon (I'm out of town, too), and they could not reschedule me until July. She is the head of the specialized breast department and is very, very busy. It does not bother me because I am 2.5 years out and do not have any issues - PLUS - when they rescheduled me they said if I develop any problems do not hesitate to call - they will work me in. So, I have no problems with this delay. I know if I developed a lump they would work to get me in sooner. I figure I will leave those "squeeze in" appointments for other ladies who are having more urgent issues right now...I've been there and remember how they worked me in!
In my opinion since you are sooner out it may be more of a concern for you - especially if you are having any problems adjusting to Tamox, etc. If you are, you may want to let them know you have issues you do not feel can wait until June, and hopefully they will work to get you in sooner.
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Lovewins -- I don't feel a sense of urgency about "follow-up" appointments, so having to reschedule an appointment for a month later wouldn't really bother me. Like dancetrancer said, I think if I called them up and told them I was having a problem or found a lump or something, I expect they'd get me in a lot sooner. Of course it probably helps that I've seen first hand just how above and beyond the call of duty my MO goes when it comes to my care. When I had CT and PET scans ordered by a different doctor (pulmonologist) back around Christmas, he had my MO copied on the reports. When the CT results came back, it was my MO that called me after hours to tell me I had pneumonia and she was calling in an antibiotic for me. (Didn't hear anything from the pulmonologist until my appointment 3 days later.) When the PET results came back, again it was my MO that called, and this time she was on vacation!! So no, I don't ever have the feeling that my MO is too busy for me.
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thanks carolsue - I tried in my blender - either they were too big or they were snow LOL and would melt too fast. I don't mind picking up a cup of crushed ice at the store. I like the idea of popsicles but they would probably all melt by the time I need them and I really need to ice my mouth about an hour
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lovewins. My doc is only at my center for 2 days a week. But he is available at 3 other places the other days if I really need to see him i can go to the other offices. One is 20 min away one is half an hour away and one is an hour away. Again if I have an issue they will fit me in. This is my MO. My P'S and ortho are the same way in different offices during the week. If I need a flush for my port I just go to my center even if my doc us not there. He is always available by phone for the chemo nurses.
Much love.
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Thanks ladies...I wrote that post after talking with the scheduler and I guess I was kinda shocked....I see my MO nurse tomorrow for my Herceptin treatment. I do think maybe I over reacted. I am going to blame it on the hormone blockers! Yesterday I was itching so bad by them and today hardly at all? I asked the pharm about it and he said if it gets too bad the doctor will take me off. Thanks for listening and telling me your thoughts. I sometimes wish my MO was a women.
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Linda...sometimes I would stop and get a Slurpee on the way to chemo.
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linda - Sonic has some excellent ice too if there is one close to you, or the center.
lovewins - try changing manufacturers of your AI - it can make all the difference. Often it is the dyes and additives in the different generic formulations that cause side effects. My MO is only at my center one day a week also. In an emergency I can communicate with him, but he is at other centers much farther away on other days.
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Thank you SpecialK
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lovewins, it's totally understandable that we can all get a little impatient or irritable (or hormonal) at times. Heaven knows that with all we have to go through, we're entitled. I got all bent out of shape when my insurance company delayed my PET scan for two measly days! LOL
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Received the recommendation today for TCH. I am a solo attorney with no employees, and I am trying to figure out if and when I can work following tx. MO said most of her working clients have tx on Thursday, so they feel bad over the weekend and are okay to work on Monday. Has that been true for anyone?? In addition to all my health worries, I am incredibly concerned about losing my business.
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It will be easier to judge your SES after your first tx. Sometimes it's the 3rd day it his. For me queasy on day 3. Then Diarrhea on days 5 to 10. Then pretty much just tired getting better. Once you've had one tx you'll learn your own rhythm. But everyone is so different. Good luck and I'm sorry you have to face this.
Much love
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my MO was only at the close office once a week, but I could get in faster if I went to his office 90 miles away, but if I felt I needed to be seen sooner because of issues, they would have gotten me in sooner.
Didn't use ice chips, and didn't get mouth sores, except one on my third tx.
TXrangers I had my treatments on Thursday, usually felt OK over the weekend, then felt worse from Sunday afternoon until Weds or Thurs. After the first Tx I thought I had it all figured out, but, not so much, each tx effected my differently, couldn't depend on the same work days. Work when you can and rest when you need to. Ask for help! It effects everyone differently, some can work all the way thru with little issues, others not at all, sorry, most are somewhere in the middle. You may have yo let things slide at home, so when you are home your just resting. Don't forget to drink lots of water!
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txrangers - I usually feel pretty good the first 2-3 days, start getting a little tired on day 3. Days 4-6 for me are my absolute worst. Nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, no appetite, completely exhausted.Around day 7, I start feeling like I want to live again, and by day 10 my side effects are nearly gone. This is my second time doing TCH, and this time has been much harder for me, but the pattern of side effects has been pretty much the same both times. I'm on disability now, but my first time around I worked part time, and my employer was very accommodating. I had chemo on Friday, didn't work at all the first week, worked 10-15 hours week 2, and 15-20 hours week 3. Some people tolerate chemo much better than others and are able to work pretty steadily throughout treatments. I hope that will be the case for you.
One thing you can do to maximize your chances is hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. The rule of thumb a nurse told me is half your body weight in ounces daily. So if you weigh 160 for example, you would aim for 80 ounces, or 10 8-oz glasses a day. For me, drinking Gatorade helps a lot. (Not all Gatorade though. I've heard you need to keep a balance.) I learned the hard way that I don't drink nearly enough. I've gotten better though, and last round (#5) I started going to my treatment center for IV fluids because it was taking too much out of me (day 4 and again on day 7). I felt so much better, I wish I'd started doing it long ago! Everybody is different, and it may not hit you as hard. You'll have a better idea once you get your first treatment under your belt, if you feel bad, don't suffer in silence. Your chemo nurses are there to help you. Good luck!
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Hi Txrangersgirl, my Mum is on TCH, just had 4th round. they give her steroids to take the night before, on chemo day (day 1) and the next day. These give her a little energy boost so she is not too bad, and then feels pretty horrible from the night of day 3 til maybe day 7 or 8, then continues to improve over the 3 weeks of the cycle. During the 'bad week' she has a lot of digestive problems, heartburn that keeps her awake at night, exhaustion, etc. Everybody differs a bit, but I think this pattern is not uncommon. If you have to work, I'd try to keep things to a minimum from day 3 or 4 - day 7 or 8, and have more at the end of the cycle, as carolsue suggested. Be aware that diarrhea is a common problem at certain points of the cycle (sorry if too much info, but could be embarrassing running out of the room if you have client meetings). A short daily walk (even when you don't feel like it) helps Mum. And working out your bodies response to TCH - what happens when, and how to cope with it (talk to your oncologist or oncology nurses and the ladies here to manage side effects as much as possible). Hope your treatment goes well.
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TXrangersgirl, I'm sorry to say it, but it completely depends on the individual. I'm hoping to work my way through chemo as much as possible. My first infusion was 4/23 and my side effects were minimal. Although a stupid cough/sore throat has been plaguing me since Sunday. My plan is to take off chemo day (Wed), work Thursday and Friday and play it by ear the following week. There may be times when I need to take a day off, or not. I find too much time laying around the apartment is not good for me and I need the distraction of work.
We'll see if I'm actually strong enough to follow through on this!
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Everforward, love your login! always have told my girls - always forward, never back! looks like you have the same schedule as I did - Wed treatment etc - i found it hit me by late Sat/Sun - the last 3 i took off Mon/Tues/Wed - but other than that was able to work a 6 hr day. I mostly was just wiped out mentally & physically for those few days - in a way that was like having the flu - very funky. Cried at the drop of a hat! Had to eat every few hours even tho everything tasted like cardboard...ate a lot of Cheerios with sliced bananas
you will get through it - just take the pro-active steps they give you & deal with the rest as/ and if it happens0 -
TXrangersgirl - my infusion day was Tuesday and Friday and Saturday were my hardest days. But everyone is different. For me personally, if I had needed to work I would have picked a Wed infusion day so I could have my hard days on the weekend.
That said, you can try it for the first round, and see how you do. Make a chart or calendar to keep up with your SE (here's the one I used http://lumpslymphnodeslaundrylegos.files.wordpres... ) then if you think you need to readjust for the next round, don't hesitate to ask to switch days.
Oh - and if you're a chart person and want the word doc version of that chart so you can personalize it for you, PM me and I'll be happy to email it to you.
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Notbuyingit - yes, a bowl of Cheerios is my favorite go-to food these days!
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my experience was almost exactly like carolsues, except it got a little worse each treatment.I had to stop working completely because of an eye SE, my tear ducts were healing closed and I couldn't drive, look at a screen ,read for more than a few minutes at a time, ended up with stents in the ducts for about 6 months, until they were sure they would not heal closed. But if not for that I could have worked. If your taxoteres get really bad and don't go away, talk to your MO about seeing an eye specialist that deals with this SE! I should have had the stents put in way earlier! This is a super rare SE, in fact I haven't met anyone else on these boards that has had to get the stents!
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mjm...I got priolosec for the heartburn it worked well for me, others have had to get stronger meds, but have your mom call her oncologist office and get something for that!!!!
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I'm new to this thread. I just started Taxotere and Carboplatin #1 last week, and did round 2 yesterday. The first week was the roughest. I was in bed for 4 days with severe fatigue and nausea, but yesterday they adjusted my "cocktail" and today I'm fine! I can do this! I'm on an every week schedule for 4 weeks, and then re-scan and see how much more. So, those of you who know the scoop, give me some feedback. I"ve had a rough run, with 3 weeks of neck radiation leading up to this chemo, because of a tumor behind my throat of all places, which has been causing significant swallowing difficulties. Then, on to chemo, and the transition caused a lot of headaches and dizziness but it's starting to get better. And, what about the hair thing? When your hair thins or falls out, and then you finish chemo, how long do you wait before you color, etc? Nobody really tells you about any of this! Thanks.
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TexasRanger - If you're going to get steroids like I did - then Wednesday that McKatherine mentioned worked best for me. I had two Dexadron the day before and two the day of chemo - am & pm. Then I split the day after dose into one Thursday & one Friday. That gave me Sat & Sun to suffer the worst days. Of course as mentioned - that is other than the diarrhea, which lasted a least 14 days out of the 21 day cycle for me every time. Many of the other SEs like mouth sores you can hopefully work around.
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rock in life just so you know you're not alone. One of my friends had to have rads to her throat. She had her tonsils removed due to cancer in them. She also had BC.
As for coloring hair, I had to wait for it to grow in first and it wasn't as fast as I hoped. LOL. But i wouldn't color it til it went back to my normal flat texture from curly. I lost most of it right after tx 2.
Much love.
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I agree with everyone - the mouth sores were by far the hardest (and most emotional) se for me. I had round 2 on Thursday, so this time around I did ice chips during my taxotere infusion (not the entire time because I fell asleep lol), have been brushing constantly after each meal with my biotene toothPaste, and using the biotene mouthwash tons (also intermittent baking soda rinses!).
I also started the seneKot and colace early to be more preventative and so far the constipation had been less severe than round 1.
Hope everyome is doing ok - stay strong ladies! I appreciate everyone's support and advice, and just having a place to connect with you all.
Xoxo
Jen
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i had been given a rinse (threw it out or I would tell you what is was) to use twice a day for the first few days after treatment - it was nasty but i never got a mouth sore so apparently it worked. I will see about that name.
i am rockin some lite gray/dark gray hair that is coming in straight & pretty thick (that's right, onion shampoo) not sure if i will color it - will wait for sure til after FL vacation when i will hopefully be needing my first haircut!!
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i made a rinse With salt, soda, xylitol and water. Used it every day and only got two mouth sores, it was after the third tx, and the one tx I didn't use the mouthwash!
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Anyone have exchange surgery really close to a Herceptin treatment?
I had to reschedule my exchange surgery and the soonest date available is the same day as one of my Herceptin treatments. I was thinking of moving the Herceptin to the day before.
I'm checking with PS and MO tomorrow but just wondering of anyone else has had the two very close together.
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