Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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Jackwad.......A person containing the attributes of both a "Jack ass" and a "Dick wad". Having an inept attitude or ignorance. Yep....some inspectors.....
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Just a note on Prolia. I've had 3 injections so far. I go to the dentist at least a week before the shot just in case I need to do something invasive like root canal, etc. My dentist was the one who wanted to see me before the shot. You can always put off the shot for a month or 2 and get your dental work done. But once you have the shot and you need something invasive you aren't playing with the best odds.
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Thanks lago. My periodontist recommended I hold off on Prolia as long as possible, but then do exactly what you're doing. Do they do dental X-rays to confirm the jaw is doing OK? I didn't think the osteonecrosis was reversible once it happened.
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I'm a newbie to this site... and a bit overwhelmed with over 626 pages of posts in Herceptin, Carbo and Taxotere thread alone... please forgive me if I'm asking in the wrong place, or asking something that's been addressed elsewhere! I was diagnosed with triple positive BC in Oct and began a regimen of Herceptin weekly for 52 weeks, and 6 rounds of Carboplatin, Taxotere and Perjeta every 3 weeks. In order to get the Perjeta I had to do this prior to surgery so I took my first round a month ago and had violent diarrhea that did not respond to any meds. I was having 12-20 episodes a day. The Dr gave me fluids and sent me home instead of doing the first Herceptin only treatment. Then we started testing each drug to find the culprit. I did one week of Herceptin alone and had no problem. Next I did Herceptin plus Carboplatin. No real serious issues.... a little diarrhea for 2 days but controllable with meds. This week I had Herceptin plus Taxotere. Same basic thing except I only got a half dose of Taxotere as he thought that would be the culprit.
I'm becoming concerned that it might be the Perjeta, which is the whole reason I waited to have my surgery and the real hopeful drug he felt would do me wonders! I'm wondering if anyone else is on this 4 drug combo and experiencing severe diarrhea that would not respond to medication, and if so, which drug caused it for you? If there is a separate thread for this combo please advise! The Dr told me they are beginning to see this more now and I'm thinking that the HCP has been around quite a while and it's the Perjeta that's the new player, so quite possibly that's the problem? Just wondered if anyone had any experience in this area?
Thanks so much!
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GraceN diarrhea is a very common side effect of Perjeta. I didn't have Perjeta because it wasn't approved yet when I was treated 5 years ago. I tried to get into a study but couldn't. Ask your doctor about what you should be eating when you have diarrhea. Things like rice, pasta, bread and I don't me the whole grain type are good. Keep away from stuff that will make you crap like whole grain, roughage etc. Metamucil may help too.
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Dear GraceN, Welcome to the community. We are sorry that you are dealing with side effects but we are glad that you reached out here. Here is some additional information on Perjeta. Keep us posted on how things go. The MOds
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GraceN, I had horrible diarrhea that just wouldn't quit when I first started TCHP. The first two infusions were the worse. I lost 20 pounds and Imodium just wasn't cutting it. The diarrhea gave me horrible bleeding hemorrhoids. I was a mess. I was given a diet like lago suggested without whole grains. My MO gave me "chemo strength" instuctions for Imodium as well as lomotil. By the 4th infusion it eased up lasting about week on and off. I just had my 5th infusion four days ago, and I am in diarrhea stage today. LOL. It is no picnic, but it is much better. I have to make sure to set my alarm at night and not miss a dose of my meds. I didn't think it would ever get better, but it has. I eat pretty normally now. I hate that you have to go through this and wish you the best.
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Grace - I had TCHP together for 6 rounds. The Big D was horrible until I went to the BRAT diet like Lago mentions and got proper meds from my MO. Taxotere also causes diarrhea in may people. Whatever, I ended up losing 60 lbs. I asked for extra saline with every infusion. Also went back between infusions for more extra saline & was able to stay hydrated. You didn't say if you are hormone positive too. If so, you have other avenues available to attack your cancer. I didn't, since I was only HER2 positive - so I kept on for the entire 6 rounds.
I was to have H & P every 3 weeks for the year after surgery, but unfortunately I got CIPN (neuropathy) from the drugs. One of the SEs of Perjeta is neuropathy so I chose to drop it after the first 6 main doses. Hope you can get the "D" under control.
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I had horrible diarrhea and ended up having a c diff infection.
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Grace: This thread isn't particularly active right now, but there are lots of good comments & posts. I expect there are several women (like me) who keep it on their "favorites" list and would answer if you copy your entire post over there. Neoadjuvent TCHP
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/80/topics...
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Thank you for your response! I am triple positive but most especially HER2+. I am doing a "test" round of Taxotere this week and at half dose to see if it is the offender but it doesn't seem that the D is any worse than the Carbo alone week, so the only thing left is Perjeta, which was supposed to be the big one to help me the most, and the reason I waited to have surgery to see if it would shrink the tumor first. I appreciate all the info you've shared and will look for that other thread you referenced as well!0
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Thank you so much for your response! Good to know it can let up eventually. My Dr seems to think we need to find which one caused me this violent a reaction and then adjust the cocktail accordingly but since he gave me a half dose this week of the Taxotere, I'm not sure if I can say for sure if this is the biggest problem or not. It did give me some D for 2 days but it was controllable whereas the first full round it was not. Perhaps my body will eventually just get used to it like yours did and I can stay on this routine. So many unknowns! I find Taxotere to be hard on my in many ways though. I get a tightness in my chest and racking pains that come from my back around my ribs. Just awful pain, but fortunately they are short lived but scary when they come! Anyway... I go back Monday for the Herceptin and Perjeta alone "test" to see if that's it. I really thought it would be Taxotere but now I don't really know. They all cause it some! LOL! Thanks for the help!0
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Thanks so much! It's a barrel of laughs huh? Hope you are doing well now!!!
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did not have perjetta, but still had diarrhea too, so your cocktail will be what the dr is trying to rule out.
As for the dental issues, will talk to dr after holidays, cause when I bite on hard things like nuts, this tooth hurts, so am hoping it's not cracked, nor the gum/jaw either, but something is up
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Hi, I had diarrhea that wouldn't go away and it ended up being C Diff infection. I think you should have your Dr. check that for you. I am taking the TCH chemo and nothing worked on my problem until they found out that I had C diff. There is a special antibiotic that gets rid of it. Good luck to you.
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Grace - I didn't get Perjeta, because, like Lago, it wasn't available 5+ years ago when I received treatment, but I did get the Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin, I had a little diarrhea while getting the chemos for a couple of days nothing bad. But mainly I wanted to say that I'm here and still no evidence of disease 5 1/2 years later without the perjeta, so if you have to stop that med, the other 3 are still very effective for most people.
Linda
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I did TCH too but didn't get diarrhea, I was constipated. Didn't get any nausea either.
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I was a TCH peep without Perjeta, since it had not been approved yet, and had the Big D for ten days straight after each of the six infusions.
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Thank you all so much for your help! I ended up getting the big D for days 6-7 and the Dr told me I can't have Taxotere. He has switched me to Abraxane which is a weekly dose instead of every three weeks so I will get it with my Herceptin. I did fine with the Perjeta except my insurance just sent a note that it is not medically necessary and did not pay the over $14k bill for it. Yikes! Praying we can get that one worked out!
Has anyone had Abraxane instead of Taxotere? Apparently they are in the same family of drugs but the ABraxane tends not to bother people as much with gastric issues so that's why that choice. My concern is that it was not what was used for the trials so I don't have that to keep me going, but hopefully this will be just as effective. I start my new 4 drug dose Monday.
Happy New Year to all of you!0 -
Grace. Abraxane does have SE but not as many as Taxotere. It's more expensive so insurance will not pay unless you have to have it. Like in your case you can't do Taxotere. Don't worry. You are getting good shit
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Thanks lago! Good to know about the Abraxane not being paid by insurance unless necessary. I just found out they didn't pay my Perjeta as not medically necessary so I may be in for a fight. Ugh. So glad to know to ask about this as well before treatment Monday!
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If you are considered HER2+ then Perjeta IS medically necessary. You need to discuss with your oncologist. They are the ones that screwed up if you are not HER2+… but if you are then Insurance must pay. Otherwise your treatment center should eat it.
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Grace - Lago is right. Perhaps your doc or med center either: 1) turned in your diagnosis code of HER2+ incorrectly, 2) billed the Perjeta treatments with the incorrect code, or 3) compounded a paperwork snafu with all the code number associated with both of the above. Good luck w/a resolution.
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Thank you lago and Minus Two! I plan on taking my paperwork to the oncologist tomorrow when I go for treatment and see what's up as I am definitely HER2+ (87%) and it was never given with any indication that insurance might not cover Perjeta!
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grace - ask your oncologist to do a peer to peer with your insurance company - you definitely meet the criteria for Perjeta.
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So many times when I've gotten an insurance rejection it has been coded incorrectly, they just need to re-submit, and if there is still issues, get the doctor to write a letter.
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Hey Everyone! I am 4 years out and checking in! Does anyone with the TCH treatment regimen have any issues with bruising this far out?
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Interesting you asked. I am 7 years out and have noticed just this year or so a lot more bruising. Thought it was just part of again. Could there be a connection to our treatment? I never even considered that.
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Not sure AmyIsStrong but I never bruised like this before BC, I mean in places that would be hard to just attribute it to hitting something and not remembering! Let's see if anyone else weighs in!
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My platelets are still a bit below normal, almost two years out from finishing chemo. I tend to bruise a little more and they seem to take a while to go away.
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