Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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Hello all, starting my first TCH tomorrow and appreciating everyone's comments and advice. A.special shoutout to Sunshine, we are practically neighbors. Are you familiar with Hereford?
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Sending peace, love and positive energy to you Debiann. You can do this.
Please know that tomorrow is going to be pretty anticlimactic. You basically just sit there (for a long time). Take the weekend to see how you feel - and bring all your questions here. The amazing women on this thread know SO much. I don't know if i could have gotten through it without them. And now here I am - 5 years later - sticking around to help when I can.
Know that we are all right there with you. By tomorrow night you will say "One down, five to go!"
In support & sisterhood - Amy
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Thanks Amy,
You are right, there should be no dread about tomorrow. I will sit in a chair for 4 1/2 hours, I can easily do that. I'll be pumped up with the good stuff that counteracts the bad stuff, so tomorrow should be fine. Maybe I'll feel worse the next day, but one day at a time. I've been trying to remind myself this today, I'm feeling surprisingly calm now, and I think it has a lot to do with what I've read on this board.
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hi ladies,
Had my first chemo last weds, and neulasta on Thursday. I felt pretty good until Saturday.
Since Saturday I've had a migraine (they switched my nausea meds because zofran causes headaches), I've had on and off diarrhea, my tongue feels like it was burned, it's basically numb, my throat is scratchy and all food tastes like paste or chalk.
Any suggestions? I'm starving, but everything I eat makes me gag because of the taste/texture
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wyo - I lived on potatoes, but mashed or baked with cheese and bacon was my go-to. It was bland but salty which seemed to work. Also, melon - all kinds - worked too. Maybe smoothies would be good? When my taste was not so off, after the first ten days or so, I ate red meat to try to maintain my hemoglobin. You may not get the headache on subsequent tx - I had a hellacious one the first time, but did not get any after that.
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Wyo...I stopped zofran and used compazine.
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Princessrn, What se did the zofran cause you? I think it is causing me some problems with constipation and increased heart rate.
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I know everyone is different in how this stuff effects them but I did not have any nausea. I was give a precription for Emend - you take that the day of and the two days after chemo. You don't take it til you are at the center and the nurse says you can take it. They also put something in my IV for nausea that is supposed to last for a few days - I have two precriptions here that I filled - one for zofran and one for something else - but I never took them. I don't know if the Emend or what they put in my IV is what kept me nausea free but if you aren't getting emend ask about it. Debiann - I had horrible constipation for 5 days - I took stool sofner, miralax, fibercon and ate prunes - finally had relief on the 5th day evening. Some get constipation and some get D One thing that has helped me with that that one of the girls recommended was a tea called "Smooth Move" I found it at the grocery store.
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all the antiemetics cause constipation to some extent. I got a really severe headache with zofran.
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Cheerios was my go-to food after round one. And plain homemade chicken and vegetable soup. Pasta seemed to work okay sometimes.
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I switched to compazine and my headaches have disappeared. So one good thing
I bought a watermelon, Cheerios and potatoes. Thanks ladies
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wyo - I had diarrhea big time so I ate a lot of bananas and applesauce. Luckily I could tolerate them.
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wyo - Zofran was totally ineffective for me and gave me a wicked headache. Switched to compazine and it worked like a champ. Looks like you did some excellent shopping too!
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Wyo - I could taste salt but that was about it for 5-6 days. So I focused on pleasing textures. So, things like al-dente bow tie pasta, steamed veggies, chunks of meat or veggies. Having a tooth-y texture made all the difference for me. And when I didn't feel like eating anything but knew I needed something, I found a berry flavored whole milk kefir that was soothing and had lots of great nutrients in it.
So glad the compazine worked for you. That's what I used and I think that ( plus the IV Aloxi and Ativan at bedtime) saved me from the nausea.
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Wyo, compazine worked for me as well. If you have the D side of SEs, make sure you drink your fluids. Citrus seemed to taste better cause plain water was nasty. Also weak tea of any kind iced or hot. Also if immodium doesn't stop it you need to get something from your MO. I had a diphen something atropine that did stop it but I only used it occasionally as I believe better out than in! LOL. But sometimes you just actually have to leave the house! LOL
Food's were just about all the white things. Mac n cheese, sharp cheddar. Mashed potato or baked. Buttered noodles. Nothing with tomatoes tasted good til almost the next tx. Things like ketchup and spaghetti sauce were bad. Toast and jam worked. Peanut butter was ok. Just keep trying small amounts of different things and maybe you'll find something that works for you.
But at least now you have one less tx to go! Counting down.....
Much love
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When did everyone get the taste change - after how many treatments? I really didn't have that except for iced tea tasted like fish to me - but fish did not taste like iced tea LOL. I am wondering if this Mugard mouth rinse stuff that they gave me stopped me from having that side effect - if so - I guess the $300 that the bottle will cost me going forward might be worth it. My insurance considers it a device and will not cover it at all - but I think I can make one bottle last for at least 2 maybe three treatments. Anyone just started ask if they have a sample bottle for you to try - warning it tastes nasty but I did not get a sore mouth - although it felt strange for a few days and did not really lose my tastebuds. I also iced my mouth. Maybe this is a SE that comes after multiple treatments? I did however develope the taxotere twitch in my right eye yesterday.
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Oh and to show what my eye twitch is like and because I loved this movie and maybe this clip will bring us all smiles
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zofran also gave me a terrible headache, phenerghan and compazine were my go to anti nausea's. As far as taste and food choices. My taste buds usually left on day 2 or 3 after chemo and did not return until a few days before the next tx. I don't think I really had my full taste back until several weeks PFC. I just seemed to wander from food to food, trying to find something palatable, but nothing really was
For those of you going through tx right now, every tx makes you that much closer to being finished!!! Hang in there, eventually your hair and taste buds and energy will return.
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linda - not everyone has every SE, so you may just be lucky that the taste change is not one that will be a problem for you. I don't think it is as much of a cumulative SE, I think you either experience it or you don't. The eye twitch is the same - some people get that, some don't. I did, and it continued until a while after chemo was done. My favorite was when the eyes were twitching out of sync - makes you feel slightly crazy!
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Anyone have suggestions for burning stomach and throat?
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Have you tried Zantac, Pepcid, Prilosec, Nexium? The usual heartburn/reflux meds? All soft tissue is affected by the chemo drugs, so it sounds like yours is irritated. For something fast you might try some Tums, but mention this to your MO and see what they recommend.
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Hello everyone, this is my first post on here...I've been lurking for many months.
My last chemo was Friday!
I tolerated chemo pretty well, except I did end up in the hospital for four days after the first treatment back in the beginning of February for a low white count.
For me the worst of it was the neuropathy in my fingers and the hot flashes/nightsweats! I just cannot feel comfortable no matter what temperature it is!
Everyone is different...there are just too many variables to predict how any one person will react to this treatment or any other.
My advice is to just take it one day at a time, don't beat yourself up when you are not at your best, and be prepared for possible SE's, but don't worry about getting every one of them...because that likely will not happen!
Oh, and aside from a few essentials, wait until after your first treatment when you know more about how you will respond in terms of SEs to fill that entire shopping list (if you have someone who can do it for you)...because most of the stuff you buy will sit unopened/unused...you should spend that money on something fun instead because, as women, we tend to forget to do this especially when we most need it!
I have the eye twitches and blurred vision, so reading a book can be a challenge for me...Thank God for large print books and online reads!
Also, if you develop neuropathy in your fingers, be very careful about touching something hot especially when you are cooking...just retrieving something from the toaster can result in a burn that you may not feel! I got splattered with cooking oil on my finger and did not even remember which finger the burn was on an hour later...had to look for it.
One of the most useful things I did in preparation for chemo was to designate a little nesting spot for myself...Since my hubby worked all day and I was alone, this made it easier to have everything I might need nearby...things like the phone, phone numbers, food and water, computer, tissues, etc...
I also cleaned the house well on the third week after treatment (when I felt best)...so that the laundry and things were caught up...But if you have help in this area, you are lucky, and should do fun things instead
Well, I guess that's all for now...having another hot-flash...so I'm off to find some ice!
Blessings and love~ NeverForsaken (Lisa)
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lisa, so glad you popped in with your good news. Congrats on finishing chemo! As you say, not everyone gets all the SEs. I too did much more right before my tx. Because after I just couldnt. But so glad you are finished. Some of the neuropathy will go away. But ask your doctor about B vitamins and Biotin supplemwnts. Others will drop in with suggestions too.
Much love
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Lisa - as Moon said, B-12 supplements usually help with the neuropathy - ask your MO or nurse what they recommend.
Debiann - I had heartburn starting after my 5th round. So sorry you're having to deal with that. For me, my MO often looked at me blankly when I asked her about SE, but her NP was amazing! There are lots of drugs for reflux / heartburn and they all work different ways. Something liquid-y might be better at instant relief, but definitely talk to someone in your MOs office (or your PCP if they're more responsive) to develop a plan of which meds to use and when to take them.
Linda - like others have said, not everyone has taste changes. My first round I could only taste salt and I could smell pepper but that was about it. Then, every round it affected my taste differently. It usually hit 4-5 days after an infusion and would last about a week or so. One time I had a metallic after-taste. Another time I couldn't taste vinegar AT ALL (which almost led to a cole slaw disaster at a cookout)
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The nurses suggested B-6, B-12 and approved my use of L-glutamine to help with the neuropathy. I hope they work as it is the thing that scares me the most about all of this . On a positive note - I HATE the steroids as they affect my blood sugar (diabetic) and make me feel like I am on speed and make feel agitated. Talked to my MO today and he is allowing me to reduce it to 1/2 the amount this time and if everything goes ok he will let me try without the steriods next time. He says their use is to prevent allergic rashes and swelling that is sometimes associated with this treatment. So we will see where this takes me next week. Did any of you do this steroid free?
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oh and too funny on the vinegar thing and cole slaw McKatherine!! I could see me doing something like that.
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linda - I did the first three infusions with steroids only on the day of chemo in my pre-meds. They use steroids for anti-nausea as well as anti-allergy - they gave them to me last Friday in my IV for surgery. I must say that I was super alert coming out of the anesthesia, lol! I did develop a rash after the third chemo that I was sure was caused by an antibiotic I had to take for a UTI, but because they could not positively attribute the rash to that for the last three infusions I was switched to the before/during/after steroids. If you are not prone to allergic reactions or nausea you could be successful at doing this steroid-free. Maybe a thought is just to get them on the day of for the next and if you do well, then cut them out all together?
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Good idea SpecialK - I think he intends to keep them in my IV totally - and I am ok with that because it just messes with my sugar for a couple of days - but taking the day before, day of and day after messes my sugar up for a week and that is too long in my book. I will do it his way this time with 1/2 dose the day before and day after and see what happens. I really only have one allergy that I am aware of and that is too any drug with sulfa. So we shall see...
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Well my last chemo is Friday!!! I can say that each time the SEs are a little different. But the taste buds and the watery eyes have been a constant. I will ask about the B vitamins because after round 5 I developed neuropathy in my heels. Very weird when walking. Hope everyone has a SE free day!0 -
Ddgm your last chemo! I'd do the happy dance for you if I could drag my ass out of bed. I have 5 more to go. 5 used to be such a small number but not amymore. Good luck with your final round! Do they do anything special your last day? I noticed at my center they ring a bell and everyone congratulates the person. Can't wait to hear that bell.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEcsgbwBFRs