Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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So, thought I'd report back on nails in case anyone is following that. I saw my dermatologist and she assured me that it was textbook Taxotere effects, no infection, and would grow out. She did explain what the pooled blood look was from (I've now forgotten the explanation) but it is "normal" with Taxotere. She also found it reassuring that I have problems across the board with all of my fingernails - you can "see" the trauma of chemo. She said to have it checked out if I saw dark patches length-wise in the nail (not stripes across).
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Yes oranje, my nails never pulled out but I could see ever tx and infection on tjem. Horizontal depression across the whole nail.Beaus lines..but now they are gone..3 years PFC.
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moon - how are you doing?
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Special I had a rough night. The block they put in wore 0ff. I needed morphine 2x. But it ok. Much better this mornin
Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts. It helped...
Much love
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Moon - Sorry about the rough night. And then they wake you first thing to take your "vitals"!! Are you in a private room? Hope today is easier and you can scale back to Narco again.
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o mama... All 10 finger nails lifting for me. One with infection. Odor and purulent drainage. On antibiotics. Just poopy farts. My nails were beautiful. I am taking biotin and they are growing my hair too.
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Hello everyone! I had my first round of TCH yesterday! Not feeling too bad yet.. bit like I have the flu coming on. Going to go read through old posts and read up on all your experiences!
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jdmac - welcome. Glad your first round isn't too bad so far.
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Thank you MinusTwo ! Me too! Noticed I am a little wobbly when I walk around tonight. So taking it slow. 0 -
Welcome, jdmac. Just a word of caution about reading about everyone's TCH side effects... I had done that as well and after my first round I think I was a bit of a hypochondriac. I was nervous that every little twinge I felt was something major. So my advice is to do your homework, have the drugs your doc recommends on hand, and then distract yourself if you can so you're not spending every minute waiting for side effects to manifest. Good luck!
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Hey Jdmac - I agree with everforward - we are all different and have experienced different side effects and at different levels of those side effects. Some people have had little to no SE's and you may be one of those. Hope so!! Mine are all doable. Biggest thing is contact your MO if and when you do have SE and find out what they recommend you take or do and ask what others here are doing for the same. Good luck!!
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EverForward… and linda505 Thank you! Yes.. I gave up going through all the experiences..lol there are a lot and so many different ones. I am doing ok.. although I did throw up a few times in the night and had some nasty nausea building up to it. I took an anti nausea this morning hoping to keep it away a bit better. I would of taken some last night but I felt ok before bed and just woke in the middle of the night feeling really rough.
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jd, hi. That is one of the mistakes people will do. Take your nausea meds at the first sign. Since you already threw up, keep taking them. It's easier to stay on top of it than to catch up with it. You don't want to get dehydrated. So keep drinking things to replenish yourself. As you can see, everybody has different experiences. Remember no one gets every SE! LOL. Much love
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JDMAC- I had my first treatment 12 days ago. Right now, I feel pretty normal. Days 4-8 were my "sick days". I also read up on all the side effects and braced myself for everything. The strange part was that I got some side effects that I wasn't expecting at all. Jaw pain, head ache, acne all over my face, etc. But I also had a shot of Neulasta so I'm not sure if my symptoms were from that or the chemo. I also took zero anti-nausea meds because I was so scared of the side effects from those. But I never threw up, just felt really crappy (like the flu with extra symptoms). All in all, it sucks!!! But we will get through it.
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FL... pain in bones probable Neulasta effects. Did you take Claritn daily for 7 days after shot? It helps with that pain. It does suck But it passes too.
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Acne can be a side effect of the steroids given as pre-meds. Claritin taken at least an hour prior to Neulasta, and for at least several days afterward can relieve some bone pain, but the pain caused by taxanes (Taxotere or Taxol) is not usually relieved by it. My instructions on anti-nausea meds was to take it starting the evening of chemo at 9:00 pm and to take it for regular intervals for 72 hours regardless of whether I felt nausea or not. Much easier to prevent it than make it go away once it happens.
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I take the nausea meds preventively too,for two days following chemo. So far three rounds in no nausea. I'm not taking the claritin for the neulasta bone pain. I had some pain first round, with the shot in my arm, but took the shot in my stomach next two rounds and had no pain.
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Hi Ladies, Had My second Round of chemo on tuesday. today was not such a good day. I have a question. I got my Chemo on Tuesday, and got my period on wednesday. But I was not due for it. I just got over it. I called my Oncologist, he told me to go get my CBC done. I did and the counts are up. But I'm worried about the bleeding, I know its not my period. I go see my oncologist on Monday. so I'm trying not to panic.. Has this happened to anyone?
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Hi Dilli- I have read quite a few women getting their periods right after chemo even if it wasn't due. I am sure someone who this has happened to will be in to let you know that also - but I know this happens.
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I did not do the Claritin before the injection, but the nurse did suggest it. Also, I have no idea what the "protocol" is when it comes to the anti-nausea stuff. I told the nurse I didn't take it and her reply was "perfect, don't take it unless you need to". But I did have some nausea. I'm thinking maybe next time I'll take it preventatively to avoid it. BUT, my nausea didn't start until day 4 after chemo, so I really don't want to be taking meds unnecessarily for those 3 days I don't have any nausea. I don't know. I know this sounds weird since chemo is basically nothing but horrific drugs/toxins/poisons and nothing is going to be worse than that, but I just have this crazy feeling about drugs and I don't want them in my body at all if they aren't necessary. *SIGH* Thanks cancer!
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FLSun, it sounds like the nausea hits you after the steroids stop. So you would only need to take them after you stop those. Staying on top of the nausea is important as it is easier to control than to try to stop. Remember it is temporary. You will get through this. And talk to the nurses they know and have a lot of wisdom for you. Hugs
Much love.
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Hi
I have been done with this treatment for awhile but I wanted to just give my experience regarding nausea.
I had severe nausea and vomiting starting usually in the middle of the night of the start of the third day post chemo. I would be so sick that every Sunday, (my chemo was on Thursdays) I would go to the local walk in clinic as soon as it opened at 9 AM and they had a standing order for two bags IV fluids, IV nausea meds, IV pain meds. My husband would get up At 2 in the morning on Sunday to start my oral nausea meds and pain meds. This is all something we learned over the course of the first few treatments. One of the big problems I had with the severe nausea and diarrhea was dehydration because no matter what I tried I could not drink most of Saturday and Sunday because I was so nauseous. Also they ended up trying three different nausea meds and lorazepam for nausea.
These really tough days started Sat and ended around Wednesday or Thursday the following week and continued throughout me chemo.
A few times I had to go get IV fluids Tuesday in addition to having gone Sunday. Fortunately these severe side effects were just the first week. Once I got past a week I felt mildly nauseous and had a terrible taste in my mouth and good tasted and most fluids tasted awful but I would get my energy back and did a lot of hiking and walking to get my mind off the nausea.
Once chemo ended it took about a month and then I felt pretty normal in terms of taste returning.
Some of us get this severe reaction some get very little.
What we learned is to call the oncology office, try different meds, try different routes (IV vs oral) and try to stay as comfortable as possible.
Thinking of you.
Take care,
Julieho
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I tried 3 different anti nausea meds. The last round I took a different one during the day than at night. That seemed to work the best for me. Of course I figured that out the last round. I took them around the clock for three days after chemo starting at bedtime the day of chemo.
Take care...I hope you feel better
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Here is a question for all you "experienced" TCH people. (I also have Perjeta in addition to the TCH). I have to do 6 cycles, once every 21 days. I have had one treatment so far and go for my second one on Monday.
Do the symptoms tend to repeat themselves? Get better with each treatment? Worse? Last longer? Shorter? I know everyone's experience will be different, but I kind of want to have some sort of idea. My first chemo dose was a "big one" (according to the nurse), and the rest of them will be lower doses. Not sure how much that will have to do with my symptoms. Its just so hard to be sick for almost a week straight especially when you know it's coming (and then you have to repeat it 5 more times). For the first round I was sick on days 4-8. As of right now I am feeling very normal (almost zero side effects remain at this point). Not sure if I will be so lucky throughout this entire treatment.
I guess that's why nobody said this was going to be fun!0 -
I did for the most part have my side effects either stay the same or get slightly worse with each dose.
I had a very bad time day 2.5 to around day 8 - 10. As I mentioned in earlier post once we figured out I needed extra hydration and I went in for IV fluids and pain and nausea meds on day 3 and then sometimes again on day 5 we controlled those symptoms.
Mostly what changed was I did get weaker and tired more easily during my "good weeks" between treatments. Early on I kept hiking and walking several miles each day on my good weeks and by the end I wasn't able to do such long walks or hikes and was more fatigued overall. But I did do a fitness program including weights and aerobic excercises throughout and I think that helped me. The 10 days after each treatment I didn't do any excercise, I was really sick but once I rebounded for week two and three I could.
Everyone is different though. Some really don't get the terrible first week I had so hopefully that will be your story.
Take care,
Julieho
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flsun - my side effects were basically similar for each tx, but there can be a cumulative aspect if your blood counts worsen, and you can become more easily fatigued. My hemoglobin was like a stairstep, it would drop, recover, drop, not recover quite as well on the next. I followed this pattern so by the last tx my large muscles were easily exhausted and simple tasks were harder. A number of us have indicated that this fatigue lasted for about six weeks PFC, then energy returned. I did not have issues with any increase in any other type of SE.
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I am on TCH. For me, round one had a bigger dose herceptin, but the taxatore and carboplatin are the same each round and they're the troublemakers. Some SE get better because you know what to expect and what to pretreat for
The fatigue, I am finding, gets worse. I am on day 6 of round 3 and feel totally drained, wondering what I'll be like by round 6.
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Thanks for the input!
SpecialK- You are in my area. Is there any discussion groups or real-live groups you know of in Tampa? I am closer to Brandon but I work downtown
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flsun - we have a group of BCO ladies who get together about every other month and both St Joe's and FL Hosp have monthly groups, but I have not attended either of the hospital groups. I do know the facilitator of the group at Fl Hosp Tampa (near Moffitt) and she is great. Here is the link for our BCO group. I will also send you a PM.
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/34/topic/791258?page=49
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FLSun - I did not have a lot of fatigue and was able to stay fairly active. But I did have some abdominal cramping that got worse with each tx. At tx 4 or 5, I asked for something from the onc and was given a pill that REALLY helped (and made me feel sort of stupid for being 'brave' and not asking for it sooner). I was very nervous after tx 5, about how bad the sixth and final one would be. But it turned out to be fine. I had my mom come down to stay with (and help) me, but we ended up going shopping and just enjoying the week together. I think it was mental in many ways - knowing you are DONE and don't have another one looming, makes a huge difference.
I would sum up my experience by saying each tx got incrementally worse (maybe 10% each time) - not twice as bad each time or anything like that. That would indeed be scary.
Hang in there - the days pass, the weeks pass, finally the months pass, and then you are done. Or what they used to say around here is "Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and pretty soon you will be walking out the door." It's a funny saying, but it really did help me keep going.
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