Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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My last one was much easier than expected. By the fifth, I was having a tough time. I had my mom come down for a week after the 6th, and then....not much of anything happened. So we spent the week relaxing together and doing some shopping.
I think that the knowing it is the last one makes a huge difference. I was really scared about it, and then it was very anticlimactic.
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Soriya - My last perception was June 16th. I know exactly what you mean. Yes, it is a time to celebrate being done with treatment, but also scary not to have that "safety net" of Herceptin, The fear of recurrence will always be present, I guess. This also ties into the question of when to have your port removed. The good news is that even if it does recur, they can always put in another port, and there are still treatments available.
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thanks flaviarose, my onc wants to schedule appt to remove my port, but i told him let wait till after PET scan in a month. i will see my MO in a month n will do PET scan. Last CT in december shown something like a shadow 1.8cm in my liver, repeat with PET scan in Feb 2014 didnt see anything. so now MO want to do another PET scan cuz of that reason.
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Hi everyone, I am new here. I had my first TCH plus perjeta treatment 12 days ago. The worst thing is the anxiety about SE. So far my biggest complaint is the burning in my throat and the numbness in my tongue. I started losing strands of hair, and after reading all your posts I can expect hair loss to start this weekend. I almost can't wait for it to start so I can stop worrying about it
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Kimberly, tell you MO about the burn and he may prescribe priolec or prevacid. Worked well for me and you want to reduce the acid to prevent damage to your throat. It is kind of relief when the hair falls out. You stress over it for so long, its like "so this is it, not so bad after all". I think the hair loss will bother me more when chemo is finished, right now I'm too busy dealing with the fatigue to care about my hair. I'm actually happy I can shower in two minutes.
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Am I the only one having debilitating nausea, shooting/stabbing body and head pains? Talking to my onco nurse, you would think Im a big sissy. She said its uncommon to be so nauseous on Taxol. I understood that I was getting a mixture of 3 meds (TCH) - do you get them separately? I told her that there were about a dozen iv bags hanging from that pole and I want a list of what Im being given at my next appt. No more Ms. Nice - my doctor has kept me in the dark long enough. Does anyone relate to this rant?
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Anyone with questions on the cold caps can contact me. I saw a lot of comments about them.I will have my third chemo a week from today. I am using the caps, and so far..... I still have a full head of hair. I'm SOOOOO happy about this. I will admit they are a HUGE hassle and not fun at all.... but for me it was worth it. My Oncologist said she would not discourage OR encourage me to use them. My surgeon, however, is all for the caps and was making attempts to get my cancer center to accept a FREE biomedical freezer for the purpose of cold caps (which of course, they refused to accept). I told my Oncologist that I was more upset at the thought of losing my hair than I was about losing my boobs. She thought I was a little crazy... but to each their own. I have a had a really tough time with this chemo stuff so far (physically and emotionally) and after losing 10 pounds I DID NOT want my hair to fall out and add to the feeling of hopelessness I was already experiencing. By the way, I realize some of you are rocking the bald look and I give you props for that. It's just not for me
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The three meds are usually given the same day, but not at the same time, one right after the other. They come in different bags. There will also be a bag of saline fluid. At my infusion center, two nurses are required to attend each time they change a bag. They both read my bracelet and show me what they are giving me. Its a good safety precaution. Don't be afraid to ask to see what you are getting. There are lots of nausea meds, and your nurse should be more helpful in trying to reduce your se's. You are not being a sissy. Chemo goes on for months, the sooner you find ways to deal with your particular se's the better it will be. I am sure your MO wants you in the best shape you can be so you get through this without having to delay or reduce dosage. Advocate for yourself and tell them you need help understanding the se's and how to prevent or combat them.
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Welcome Kimberly. Glad your SE's aren't too bad so far. As far as losing hair, a number of us had our heads buzzed when it started falling out, because it helped us feel more in control of when and where we were going to lose it. Sometimes it is easier to lose it all at once than waking up with half of it on the pillow or seeing it in the shower drain.
FLsunshine, I think if I had decent hair to begin with I would have tried cold caps too. I am glad you are having great success with them.
Blownaway, as far as Ms Nice, you might want to check out the first post in this thread that was started by one of the gals that used to be on the Triple Positive thread. She has some really good info. https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/6/topic/797454?page=2#idx_53
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Thanks girls, I will mention the burning to see if he will give me something to take. It's nice to see some other Pennsylvanians on here. As for my hair , I plan to buzz it when it starts, and I already purchased a wig and my stylist will shape it up once my hair is gone. I must say reading all your posts really puts my anxiety at ease...
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I live near Allentown,PA. What area are you in?
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Debiann - Thank you for your reply. The infusion nurse was all alone and was dealing with 8 patients at the same time. He was rushing around at a crazy pace.
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Wow, 1:8 sounds like a hectic ratio! Don't know what the ratio is at my center, but there are lots of nurses. Last week the woman next to me had a reaction and within seconds there was at least five people attending to her. She was ok, btw. My center is in the process of expanding and adding another infusion room. Its a beautiful place, the new room has private cubicles for each patient, but it was sad to know that there is a necessity for more chairs. Too many of us going through cancer and other terrible diseases.
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Debiann and Kimberly, I am outside of Reading PA
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Bren, hey neighbor, I live in Hereford Township, Berks county. What hospital do you go to? I go to Lehigh Valley on Cedar Crest.
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I'm from Scranton, but I'm treating at Pocono Medical Center in E Stroudsburg.
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Small world Kimberly, I used to live in Hazleton and went to ESU. Maybe when we all have our taste buds back we can get together.
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Sentences only read on a cancer site: Maybe when we all have our taste buds back we can get together.
That really made me laugh.
But please trust me - that day WILL come!0 -
Blownaway - where are you having your treatment?
I didn't have two nurses, but the one nurse did read my wrist band & require me to read my name & DOB on each bag before they hung it. I kept track of the length of each run & insisted on longer runs & extra fluids so I had fewer SEs. Every time I finished the day, they gave me a printed report with all the meds and the quantity of each, my weight, BP & temperature before they started, etc. Ask about Emend for the nausea - both infusion & oral. Ask about oral steriods for the nausea - I took Decadron for 3 days each time. You don't have to live with nausea. You can call your MO 24/7 - there should always be someone on call.
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too funny Amy!0 -
Debiann, I did chemo at Reading, but surgery at Penn in Philly.
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Is anyone having rebound weight gain once the s/e s from the infusion simmer down. Also having swollen cankles and hands - never have been one to retain fluid before.
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I gained weight after chemo. I was prescribed potassium because mine was low and it seems to be helping me with water weight.
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Minus Two - Im getting treatment at MD Anderson. The infusion nurse only checked my wrist band the first time he came in and started the process, after that he was a whirlwind in and out of my room. I was completely unaware that I could request anything. Who did you talk to about it, your onco or the infusion nurse. There was no print out or any other form of communication about what was in all the iv bags which was at least a dozen. Two large dark colored bags and the rest smaller clear bags. Where did you learn to ask for extra fluids, longer run time and Emend? Ive also read on this website about women getting a before during and after med for nausea but when I called my onco nurse to set it up for the next treatment, she said "the Taxol shouldnt be making you that nauseous". My treatment is 3 differnt meds TCH (dont want to have to spell them all out right now) but I read that they all can cause nausea. Since I can get seasick in the bathtub, this is a real problem fo me.
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Blownaway - you need to talk to your Oncologist about nausea meds and also about what you are getting but your nurse should also be able to provide you with that information. You most definitely have a right to know exactly what they are giving you. My nurse reads each item out-loud as they hang it up to make sure that I recognize what I am getting. I don't know about taxol causing nausea but I know that taxotere can. I am doing TCH - which in my case is taxotere, carboplatin and herceptin. I also get a premed before they start the taxotere (anti nausea) and benedryl before they start the herceptin. I have a total of 5 bags - all my bags are clear not that I know if that means anything. I can call my MO's office anytime after my chemo and during the cycle until the next one and request fluids if I think I am feeling like it will help.
Emend is a nausea med that you take the day of and two days after - one a day. It is an expensive med and I think some insurance policies do not cover it. I also have a precription for two other nausea meds that I can take as needed. You should at least have those on hand. I also take steriods starting the day before chemo and continue through the day after but some do not get those at all.
On the fluid retention - this is also something that you need to call and let your oncologist know - I haven't had any swelling but others have but you need to tell the MO so that they can determine what is causing it. The fluid retention may be what is causing your weight gain also. My weight goes up and down by about 3 lbs between treatments. I also make them run my herceptin over 90 minutes to help with any SE.
And like Minustwo says you should have a telephone number that you can call 24/7 if you have questions or concerns that are causing you pain or discomfort so they can tell you what to take or do. Especially someplace as big as MD Anderson - they must have many on call MO's there.
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Blownaway, I am on TCH but my T is Taxatore, similar to Taxol and can both cause nausea. I take steroids the day before, day of and day after treatment. I get an anti nausea pill at the infusion center and then take Zofran at home for two days after to prevent nausea. I was also given compazine if zofran fails, but I haven't needed it. I go through four bags of fluids the day of tx, they are all clear; first I get the H for 30 minutes, T for 60 minutes and C for 30 minutes. There is also a bag of saline fluids. I go back on day four for 2 hours of additional fluids, which has reduced my SE. You have a right to know what you are getting and why you are getting it. There may be steroids or antinausea drugs in one of your bags, but they should tell you. Last round I ended up in the ER. The first thing they asked me was what meds I was on. You wouldn't even know. Trip to the ER worked out fine,btw, its why I'm doing the extra fluids now. Do you have anyone else at the center you can talk to at your center? I also have a nurse navigator and a breast cancer helpline as additional resources. The American Cancer society is another resource. They could help you understand your treatment and your rights. 1-800-227-2345.
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Blownaway - you are the consumer and your chemo is very expensive...you have a right to ask whatever you want and not get blown off.,,or else you can take your expensive treatment elsewhere. The nurses are busy but you are paying their paycheck. I don't mean to be abrasive, but I do want to empower you!
If you are getting TCH it is unlikely the T is taxol. Most likely Taxotere. And yes it and and carbo can cause quite a bit of nausea. You need to be medicated appropriately.
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These are the only meds that I have been told that I am getting in the infusion and I was given 3 page descriptions of each of their possible side effects:
Docetaxel Taxotere
Carboplatin Paraplatin
Trastuzumab Herceptin
As far as any extra fluids or time (it took4.5 hours) I have no idea what was in the other bags. I was not offered anything to take in advance of the infusion and I have no idea if I am being given nausea meds during the infusion. I was given a precription for generic Zofran 8 mg and Prochlorperazine 10 mg which I learned by the 2nd day to take both at the same time every 5-6 hours. I was told to drink lots of water and thats about it. The infusion nurse had almost nothing to say to me but he was in a dead run the entire time. As for the port, I learned about those on this website and requested one. The onco nurse said I could have one if I wanted it and an appt showed up on my online schedule to have the pre-op and surgery. Im getting all my information right here.
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Prochlorperazine is Compazine, and with Zofran are both anti-emetics. It is likely you have been given a number of pre-meds in small bags in your IV prior to receiving your chemo drugs, and they are potentially consisting of a steroid, an anti-emetic, something for headache and something for stomach acid. Then the two chemo agents and Herceptin. This is pretty standard, but usually they use a written form that is kept by your IV to document what they have given and when. Ask for a listing of the meds - they can print it out for you. Most centers can have you come in to receive some extra fluids the next couple of days, sometimes with extra steroids included, to help with nausea, dehydration.
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Blownaway - the key is to ask. And bug them. And ask again. MD Anderson is huge & busy & maybe not as personalized as some other centers, but you can ask for a print out each time. I'm assuming they are doing bloodwork before each infusion. You should be getting those results too. I went with longer infusion times & it cut down my SEs. Herceptin 60 - 90 minutes. Perjeta 60 minutes. Taxotere 90 minutes. Carboplatin 60 minutes. That was a tip from our own Special K. The down side is you're there pretty much all day & then I went back 24 hours later each time for Neulasta shots. As I said, I did get Emend in the bags before each session & benedryl the first time in case of allergies. The amount of drug your getting is somewhat based on your weight so maybe your dose is less than mine was.
Are you going for treatment every 3 weeks? For 6 sets? Sorry I can't remember how many you've had so far.
Glad you're going to get a port if your veins are not easy to access. Since you'll probably have Herceptin for a year it will be much easier. I love mine. Be sure to get an Rx for Emla cream to put on an hour before they access the port & you shouldn't feel anything. Are you seeing your MO between each treatment? You should insist that your MO has discussed the plans with you and you know what's happening. Also you should be writing down all the side effects to share w/the MO- yes, like the ankle swelling too. You should tell him or her all of your symptoms each time. I still keep a log of side effects, headache, sore throat, everything I eat, what meds I take & what times, and when I poop. It's way too hard to remember with all the drugs floating in our systems.
Hang in there. I figure we learn most of what we need to know just about the time we're finished!!!
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