Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
Comments
-
Thrush update, diflucan kicking in and I'm getting some relief. Thanks for the yogurt on the tongue suggestion summerwheat, soooo soothing .
0 -
Thrush update, diflucan kicking in and I'm getting some relief. Thanks for the yogurt on the tongue suggestion summerwheat, soooo soothing .
0 -
So nice to hear debian!
0 -
Debiann, I am glad it feels good. It might help or not, but it is nice having something soft and cool on your sore tongue. Oh the fun of chemo.... I truly hope it will be over soon, but it's been a process with all the delays and crap. On the other hand, I am very grateful for chemo and Herceptin.
Good night, ladies. It's comforting to know that there are more people going through this (although it's a bit scary to see how many of us go through it.)
0 -
Anyone else get an increased heart rate for the first week after infusion? Typically I'm around 80, but during this week it goes up to around 95. Mo isn't concerned, just wondering if anyone else experiences this.
0 -
My pulse is always high now, especially after any kind of exercise, even walking. When I went in yesterday for my Neulasta shot, it was actually below 100 for a change. I've been told that the lack of aerobic exercise and the heart-weakening drugs mean that my heart rate will rise faster and take longer to drop.
For those of you taking Neulasta, have you noticed any change in the degree of aches and pains as you progress through the treatment? The pain after round 2 was worse than round 1, and I'm already feeling the effects this morning from yesterday's round 3 shot. Isn't the bone pain and muscle ache supposed to decrease?
0 -
My heart rate is in the 90 range. Prior to TCH it was in the mid 60s. They do not seem to be concerned. On a happy note. I noticed yesterday, 3 weeks PFC, that I wasn't quite as winded. I hope it continues to get better. Everyone have a great day.
0 -
Can anyone explain the reasoning behind why some get 4 tx of TC and others get 6 tx? I'm scheduled for 6 and damn jealous of those getting 4.
0 -
My HMO MO wanted me to do six. My second opinion MO wanted me to do four, due to my past health history. They both consulted and agreed on four. I would think your whole health history and your diagnosis would play a role in what they choose. Hopefully someone else will be along that has a better understanding on how they choose.
0 -
4 or six is a question of benefit vs risk. Will 2 extra tx give you a better outcome at the risk of your having more serious issues with the tx themselves? My MO put it this way, when I asked if the 20% they lowered my dose would make it not work as well. He said " YOU HAVE TO BE ALIVE FOR ANY OF THIS TO WORK!"
So, yeah. They have to balance every thing to make it work with your health and body in mind. I ended up in the hospital after tx 2 because it was too strong for me. I was in renal failure. Not good. But because of my meds, and chemo and my body I kinda crashed. No way they could have known. But after that they lowered both my chemo dises. And then the above quote.
I am jealous of those who got a year of Herceptin. My heart couldn't take it so I only got 6 months. I comfort myself with the knowledge that the H works better with chemo and I got that part! LOL. You will get through tx too. Whether 4 or 6 you are doing what is known to work the best for YOU.
Much love
0 -
I am with you Debiann - I want 4 too - I got six also ughh - I think it may have to do with our HER2+ part dang that HER2!!
0 -
maine - yay!!!
ever - there is no way to separate the Taxotere induced bone pain from the Neulasta pain, Neulasta is not usually cumulative - often improves with subsequent injections because the bone marrow has already been expanded previously, but Taxotere bone pain can be cumulative. Compounding that, as your hemoglobin drops your muscle aches increase. It makes it difficult to suss out. Are you taking Claritin and Aleve with the Neulasta? Chemo induced anemia (lowered hemoglobin) will also make your heart beat faster, especially upon exertion.
On 6 vs 4 - lots of reasons, nodal status, tumor size, health co-morbidities, grade, etc.
0 -
Moon, My second opinion MO wanted me to have 6 months of Herceptin. But when my Her2+++ tumor barely responded to chemo, they decided one year would be best.
0 -
Special is right. Lots of variables. I had 6 treatments of TCH+P and it didn't do away with the tumors. So after surgery I had to have Adriamycin & Cytoxan chemo before rads. So 6 treatments sounds good to me.
Moon - I keep forgetting you're HER2+. I'm watching my heart changing for the worse as we go along & the Adriamycin just kicked it more. I agree, hope I can finish a year of Herceptin.
SlowDeep - I hear ya. Especially since we're both ER/PR negative with no hormonal options.
Edited to 6 tx not 6 months - but it came out pretty close to the same thing w/one tx postponed.
0 -
Ddgm, i have had 4 Herceptin alone treatments & i can't say that i have had any side effects - i will still be glad to be done tho...3 more
0 -
I'm learning so much from this thread! Thanks all!
Notbuying it, how many HErceptins will you be having in total? Is it a 6 months regime instead of full year?
0 -
For me Herceptin is a total of 17 infusions. That's 51 weeks if every 3 weeks, so it would have been a full year if there were no interruptions like I had for surgery & Adriamycin.
0 -
My past healthier self would get cold sores on my upper lip and canker sores inside my mouth during my periods and when my immune system was oppressed. My MO prescribed a maintenance dose of acyclovir that I've taken as a part of my normal medication routine since I started TCH in February. I just had my final treatment today and I have not had one cold sore or canker sore inside of my mouth.
Ask your MO if this could work for you.
0 -
I just wanted to chime in here regarding bone pain; the Claritin didn't do much for me with regard to easing bone aches, but I upped my daily intake of Vitamin D3 and that seems to have helped a lot.
And while icing your mouth and hands is definitely a bit of a drag during the Taxotere infusion, my God, it's such a blessing not to have those awful mouth sores! Like Special K, I've been icing since my second chemo and the hideous sores never returned. I have some slight neuropathy in my fingers, but the nails seem to have made it through all right - one more infusion to go, and then it's just Herceptin City for the rest of the year.
0 -
oh thanks Nina, shall get some vitd supplement. its my third day and now my back and legs are starting to ache.. didnt expect it so soon..
thanks minustwo, i should be getting 17 herceptin too!
Glad to hear the good resultw with acylovir diablo!
0 -
Wow, so many things since I was on here last. Here's my 2 cents from experience.
I did not have to have the neulasta, my doc took a wait and see attitude, my numbers always crept back up within his ok range before the next treatment. But I did have pretty bad bone and joint pain from the taxotere (I guess), I actually was given hydrocodone to take when it got so that I couldn't sleep, etc.. because of the pain. Nothing else seemed to help it.
Eating - the only things that did not taste hideous to me during treatment were beef (grass fed, organic from our daughters farm and highly seasoned), tuna, salmon, greens with garlic and yogurt. I practically lived on yogurt - plain organic, no sugar added, sugar feeds yeast, sometimes I added fruit because I needed some food variety. Bland foods I couldn't gag down. Water was awful, but if I added lemon or lime to it, not so bad. Since then I met a woman that added different things to her water cucumber, berries, melon, she just switched to something different when that started tasting bad. Funny how we all have really different taste changes with this treatment. Food would start tasting ok about 2-4 days before the next treatment.
At least something tasted ok a few days of the month. My chemo nurse suggested that I eat a spoon of the plain, organic yogurt before each meal, that it might help with the taste of that meal, and it did help me eat things that really tasted bad, made them eatable.Mouth sores - I only had mouth sores after tx #3. I did not suck ice chips during treatment, but had been religiously rinsing my mouth with a mixture of salt, soda & xylitol, except this treatment I slacked off on that, and wasn't eating as much yogurt, thinking that mouth sores wasn't one of the SE's I was going to have. Well I only had two, but..... Anyway, went back to rinsing my mouth for the next 3 treatments, eating m ore yogurt and didn't have anymore. My nurses thought the reason that I may have escaped them is that I was basically living on yogurt, with the few other foods mentioned above, for most of the time. She said the yogurt, without sugar, probably put enough pro-biotics in my body to keep that issue at bay. Funny thing, my daughter, not living at home, had mouth sores the same time I did, she said she had sympathetic chemo side effects.
Didn't ice my nails either, the got sore, and I had to cut them (finger and toe) back to about half way down the nail bed, but that was it.
Each treatment the side effects were different, so I'd plan ahead for the next treatment, but the next one was like a whole new game.
Fatigue was probably one of the worst for me, and it got worse each treatment. I started out thinking that I could continue to work most of the time, well that did not happen.
Herceptin was a breeze, except that I'd get a little headache and muscle pain for a couple days after, I did get it over 90 minutes! I know when I was getting my weekly H, the nurse gave it to me over 90 minutes and I had NO headache or muscle aches after that one. Some people can tolerate getting this faster, but I wouldn't recommend it.
What you all are undergoing seems perfectly normal for this treatment. I had 6 TC, but I had a fair amount of lymph node involvement, large tumor, etc....
I was 54 at the time of treatment - 4 years ago. This year my surgeon said I didn't need to come back unless I found a lump, that the risk of local recurrence was really small. And as long as I was seeing my MO and a PCP regularly (MO is only annually) that I was good to go.
It seems that I kind of rambled what wanted to but wanted to make a comment on a few of the recent topics.
For those of you that have finished - congrats, those starting - you can do it!
LindaKR
0 -
Linda - good, informative post & good to see you.
0 -
Another thought about mouth sores - try to avoid toothpaste that has sodium laurel sulfate in it - it can exacerbate the environment friendly to mouth sores. I used to get canker sores, independent of chemo, until I changed toothpaste.
0 -
yensmiles, i also have to have herceptin for a full year - 6 with the other chemo - then solo - every three weeks for a full year - i just have 30 minute sessions. I am told it only targets the cancer cells - that's why not much SE
i had originally thought he told me 6 cycles with chemo & 6 without & i would be done by now
port out in time for the daughter's wedding...but I will go til September0 -
Thanks LindaKR, appreciate the sharing!
Shall take note on toothpaste too SpecialK!
ah, thanks for the explanation Notbuyingit, for a while I thought yours was a novel regime!
One doctor did suggest that I follow the FInnHer studies regime if costs is an issue, which would have just a few sessions of herceptin.0 -
hi there flaviarose!
I just read your post and a lot there reminds me of my life! I am starting tch on Thursday. They told me not to garden because of bacteria in the dirt but I may have to cheat because my flowers are my therapy! I love to plant and prune and water! I am the primary caretaker for my mother in law who fell and broke her hip 3 1/2 years ago at my daughters engagement party. Not a tangent that is as big a part of your life as the cancer treatment you have been through. It is so all encompassing physically and mentally that I sometimes wonder if the stress of it contributed to my cancer. I also was caring for my father in law who died last year. I am very frightened that I won't be able to keep up with work and we own a business so I am stressed about letting my husband down. I take a lot of joy in reading that you have gotten through the treatment and are on the upswing. I can't wait to get this behind me. I believe the kindness that you are showing your mom will bring you happiness in the long run. There is peace of mind knowing that you didn't walk away as so many families do
Agent 99
0 -
thanks, Agent99. Stress for sure. The year before my diagnosis was a doozy. My husband fell off of a ladder in September and broke 12 bones in his back/ribs. He was laid up for a couple of months and needed a lot of care at first. Then the day before Christmas my mother-in-law broke her femur and moved in with us for 3 months. And, with my 93 at the time year old mother, it was a home with commodes, wheelchairs, walkers and hospital beds - in pairs. Cooking and cleaning for everyone. Working full time. And then my diagnosis in the Spring. I retired early because I am not superwoman. Good luck with your chemo. The only good thing about it is that it ends!
0 -
talking to a survivor a while back she made a comment about how "it's really such a short period out of lives" (referring to treatment) but I think when you are in it it seems like a lifetime!! hang in there, ladies!
0 -
I agree....treatment seemed to go in slow motion. Please remember you are not alone...we are all with you.
0 -
Just before my 3rd treatment, I noticed that what's left of the stubble on my head stopped falling out and even looks like it's starting to grow. My MO said that's not unusual with the Taxotere. Anyone else notice this?
0
