Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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Hi Cassie
I asked my MO and fertility specialist about this and they told me exactly what LAgo said that you are more likely to stay in menopause if you are closer to it by age. I'm 37 and they told me I was in that borderline where I could or could not get periods again. I would absolutely hate to be in menopause this early in life so I'm doing lupron shots. My MO as well as another one told me there are no studies to prove the efficicacy of lupron in preserving ovarian function, however my fertility specialist seemed to believe it could help. Once the MOs told me there would be no harm to my treatment from it, I decided to take it. Not sure what will happen but hopefully it would help. Theory is that it puts them in an inactive state and the cells become not as fast dividing and therefore hopefully non cancerous tissue is ignored by the chemo. I am not sure how far along you are but if you still have some infusions you may want to check with a fertility specialist on this. I've also read on this forum that people use zoladex for the same purpose. Hope this helps.
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windgirl I do believe there was a recent study that did show that doing Luprin during chemo did preserve ovary function in some women. It might have been a small study so it has to be repeated.
Do a google search using these woreds: lupron chemotherapy fertility
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Agent99 - I'm about 8 weeks past TCH and have continued with Herceptin every 3 weeks since and I'm sitting in my office with my feet propped up due to swelling even now. I put my rings on this morning and now I wish I hadn't.
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Thanks, windgirl. That gives me more to think about. There's still so much for me to learn around all of this.
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Dang, lago- those nails were awful!!! Glad they got better!
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Cassiecat nice to see you here !!!!!! Great group of ladies too ...:-)
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The swelling took quite a bit For swelling to resolve. Maybe two months. Also all of my fingernails fell off. They have all come back beautifully. Though slightly Ridgy
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For those who did not/do not have ports but had/have IVs started each time, did/do you have any vein irritation? I've got some starting now, and I'm looking to hear from anyone else who might have gone through this. It is getting better, but tonight it's itchy. I don't see any red streaks or anything, so I don't feel overly worried, but I do want to make sure it's not getting worse. Any advice or experiences are welcome. Thanks!
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Just to follow up: the irritated vein is healing, and yesterday they just used a different vein for my fifth infusion.
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Cassiecat - you're tougher than I am. I asked for a port before my first infusion after reading on this website. So glad I did since Herceptin is the gift that keeps on giving....0 -
CassieCat, I didn't have a port. I also did Herceptin. The only problems I had was when I had an inexperienced person sticking me. They switched veins during chemo, but used the same vein almost to the end of Herceptin. That one was blown out when they did my muga scan. It was my own fault for letting them use that vein. Ask them to heat your vein before each infusion. It made a big difference for me. Best of luck to you!!
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Thanks for the sharing. It's nice to think that the Herceptin won't be nearly as hard as the taxotere and carboplatin. I just need to get through one more infusion of all four and then it's going to be just Herceptin through next August. Sounds like it will be doable.
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Hey Cassie - you know that you can get a port at the same time they do the mastectomy? My BS is who put mine it but it was after. I know women now that had it put in at that same time. It might be worth at least asking the question and considering it. I love my port and if they take nodes during your mastectomy you really don't want that many pokes on the side they take the nodes. When I get it out it will be just done in my BS office - very easy.
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I asked if I could get my port in at the time of BMX and they said no.
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My port was put in during my lumpectomy by the bs, on the opposite side. I've since had bmx & recon and I'll be getting a stage two recon after I finish the herceptin. I am hoping the PS will remove the port during that surgery cause I know you all say it can be removed in the office, I'd perfer to be sound asleep, lol.
I'm 13 weeks post chemo, 8 weeks post surgery and started arimidex 4 weeks ago. I'm doing well except my energy level is not back to normal yet. Is that to be expected? How long does it take for the fatigue to end?
I can get through the work day ok, but after work I can do one activity and that's it. I can go to the gym OR I can stop for groceries, too tired to do both.
I can cook dinner, but not wash the dishes. Well ok, I admit that one might have more to do with being spoiled by DH picking up that chore during chemo, but don't tell him, lol, I'm sticking with "honey I'm just too tired to do the dishes tonight".
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My BS will remove the port w/only local sedation but will not do it in her office. She said it must be in the OR.
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I meet with my BS on the 9th and I'll ask about a port.
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My port was put in by my BS at the time of mastectomy - under the skin so I have no external scar from installation.
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Hi, so how often will I go for blood work now that my last chemo is done? I will be on herceptin only for the year....1 every three weeks.
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I had blood work every three months from the last chemo on, then after a year it switched to every six months, where it remains. It depends on your MO - and also on the results of your blood work so far. If you have any issues they are watching, such as a low hemoglobin, they might do more frequent CBC to track it. Herceptin only does not require any labs, just repeated echos for the remainder of the infusions. My MO does Vit D, CBC, CMP, CA 27/29, CEA routinely, but others don't. Ask your MO at your next appointment how you will be followed going forward.
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Bippy625 my bloodwork with my MO stopped after chemo. Never had any on Herceptin. My PCP did bloodwork as needed at my yearly physical. My MO does not do tumor markers.
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thanks SpecialK! I will get specifics from her...just nice to know it will be much less. I had some elevated liver enzymes, very minor from chemo, so hoping they fall soon.
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I also get bloodwork every 3 month after Herceptin for a year - then probably every 6 months for the next year. Having to interview for a new MO since mine retired right after I finished Herceptin. I'm happy for him but I still feel abandoned. The doc he recommended that I'm going to meet has a special interest in HER2+ so maybe it will be a good fit.
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Can I ask about edema? I'm 16 days post chemo #5, with one more to go, and swelling started this morning in my left ankle (and my right one to a lesser degree). I've got my feet up tonight and will see how things look in the morning. They always check for edema when I go in to the dr's office, and it's never happened until today. I'm hoping it doesn't get too bad. I had terrible swelling after my daughter was born and I don't want to go through that again.
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cassiecat - a number of us required a mild diuretic either during or just after chemo, a lot of it is from the steroids, and usually will dissipate on its own, but if you are prone to it you might need the diuretic. My MO put me on Triamterene, and I was on it for a while, then was able to taper off and stop it - but I took it for a number of months. You should definitely mention it to your MO though - it is a sign of CHF, a potential side effect of Herceptin, so it is important to let them know.
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CassieCat I had edema. Actually the steroids kept it down but as soon as I got off them I put on at least 4lbs. After chemo I did go on a small amount of diuretic. I still have a little bit of a problem that I think was caused by surgery. I am still on a very small amount of diuretic and real careful of my salt intake. Also exercise helps a lot.
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Thank you both. It isn't any worse this morning and possibly a teensy bit better. I'll call my MO's office tomorrow morning and let them know. I'm only on steroid for about 4 days per cycle, right around each infusion. I don't know why I was surprised by this SE - every cycle has had its own personality! I just hate to go into #6 in a week already swollen. Anyway, we'll see what happens!
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cassiecat... I had terrible edema up to my thighs. I took a diuretic. Also I changed my diet significantly.
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Cassiecat - I am 9 - 10 weeks post last TCH and finally stopped having to keep my feet propped up under my desk last week. I was taking hydrochlorothiacide for high BP but that didnt faze the edema even though it works as a diuretic.
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I've noticed something strange in my hands lately and I want to get your take on this. I started TCH in April and completed the TC infusions in August. I'm continuing with the Herceptin until next April. I had no issues with neuropathy. In the last couple of weeks, I've woken up in the morning with sore fingers. It's not a tingling, but instead feels like I slept on top of my hands all night. I have to bend and flex my fingers for a few minutes and my knuckles feel like they're popping when I do that. And then it's fine. I'm not meeting with my MO for while so I thought I'd check here first for any ideas.
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