Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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Jackie I will check with her on a consult OK. Hopefully someone else can give you better advice. I don't blame you at all for not wanting to do any more than you have to. This is a long and confusing journey for all of us. Good Luck. Where are you from?
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LISA, let me know what you find out at Moffitt. That is where my Breast surgeon is and all my pre and post surgery test were done. I ellected to have my treatments here in Ocala because it is an hour and a half to Moffitt. Hope you get the news you want.0
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Cupcake - I know you are right about the nodes, but I can't help but dream that Moffitt will have some new miracle study they just finished!
MemePat: I will absolutely let you know what I find out. My docs are affiliated with Moffitt and welcome any thing they have to say, so that makes it much easier. My appt. is not until late afternoon so we will be very late getting home. If I can catch a wi fi signal (don't have an air card) between Ft. Pierce and Tampa, I will post on the way home.
After having my first treatment this week, I really can't complain, but if I could safely do only 4 treatments, I would be thriiled - but I am not holding my breath. The # of treatments is not why I am going to Moffitt, I am going there because none of my diagnoses from mamo to mastectomy went according to plan so I just want to be sure another set of eyes looks over everything.
Have a great night ladies!
Lisa
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Pandazankar, I hope you can get this all sorted out. I am doing six and then radiation but I had node involvement and a larger tumor. I wanted to stop at 4 because that one was so hard on me but I do #6 Nov 6. I wonder if that is an OMEN! Probably not but I had not thought about that until just now. Anyway if your onc. insists on 6 I think you should, just so you know you did what you could. I know it seems so hard to do another treatment every time but we are women and we are strong (sometimes). It is good that you are looking into it though.
I would like to just drop the Carboplatin but I guess it takes the combo. I go to another onc this Wed. since mine is out of town and if she has time I might ask her why some do 4 and others 6.
Good Luck with the research all of you that are searching.
Carolyn
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I hope all of you that are searching for answers about why 4 or 6 get some info. I am doing 6 and I have my #6 on Nov 6. I am dreading it but since I came this far I can't stop now. I want to do all I can to make sure. I am worried that the 5 has not done what it was supposed to have because of the lumps I have now but I guess we will see when we do the tests. I am ready to get on with that.
I am interested to hear what anyone finds out about the 4 vs 6. I also wonder about the strength of the meds in the 4 vs 6. I know they had to lower my Carboplatin a lot and a little on the Taxotere and then again the #4 they lowered the Carboplatin again but left the Taxotere the same. My onc said apparently I could not take the as much as some others could. He said it was because of my autoimmune problems. Do any of you who had 4 know what strength of meds you got? It probably does not make any difference but I am just wondering. since they had to lower mine I decided it was best just to go ahead and not worry about just doing 4. I was afraid they would make me take 8. I have a friend who was supposed to take 8 but different meds since hers is lymphoma and breast cancer too. Now they are stopping with 6 but she has not had surgery and she also has her ovaries so I am wondering if they are going to want to take them too. They have not told her yet. She is ER+/PR+ but not HER2+. she wants to have a double mast. but they are thinking about just doing the lumps and she does not understand why since the lumps are in both breasts. I am with her since she is 71. I guess there is a lot of things to look at and I would not want to be a doc and make these decisions.
Carolyn
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Kristy - Congratulations on your last day of rads! That's a big Woo-Hoo for you!
Carolyn - I get H on Nov. 6 - I'll be thinking of you and your LAST chemo. Hope it goes well.
Shelby - Don't terrify too many innocent babes tonight - of course, how many innocent babes have a clue what taxotere is???? Maybe i'll put on a white T-shirt and write on it "Boobs by Dr. M."
Bethany - Hope you're doing well. It IS a long process - when I stop and think of all I've been through since Jan. 15. . . . anyway, thinking of you. (You can't really see the mini mohawk in this picture, but it's there!)
Traci - I can't believe you took off for a fun weekend the day AFTER chemo! You're a trooper, girl. Hope you're up and around now.
Everybody have a wonderful Halloween. After our last year, what could possibly scare any of us????
Love to all, Sue
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Sue;
Kickin' photo! Are you going commando to school? I'm not wearing the tee shirt for trick-or-treat. I'm actually going as Aang the Last Airbender (aka Avatar), since I can still do the blue arrow over my buzz. I guess there was one episode where Aang had some hair. At least that's what one of my son's friends told me. So I'll put in an appearance as Avatar at the kids' school carnival and go trick or treating. I'll save the tee shirt for the infusion room. I'm going to have 4 weeks' worth of H this Thursday, because my number comes up on Thanksgiving, and no one wants to be in Suite 420 on Thanksgiving!
Really, what could scare us this year? I have a feeling I'm going to be much more daring on the ski slopes this year, too. What's a black diamond after four rounds of chemo and a mastectomy?
Take on the day, ladies. And the night, too.
Shelby
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I guess no trick or treat for me. We never have children come since we are out in the country and most take their kids to high dollar neighborhoods. I don't have little children or grandchildren and tomorrow is our coat giveaway so I have to save my energy for that. My daughter and I are making lunch (sandwiches) for the ones that are working up there. I hope we have some help! You just never know? then we have the time change and that really throws me. I feel awful for a while until my body gets used to it. I know sounds crazy but this fibromyalgia is crazy stuff. I am so stiff and sore from who knows what and have been for 3 weeks now. I just hope my platelets are growing. they were 55 last Wed. I need them to be at 100 at least but have had the treatment with less so we will see. I was going to wear my Halloween stuff last Wed. but I could not find my shirt. I have to wear something long sleeve because it is so cold in there and also have to have button up so they can get to the port. One of the nurses said they have had to take people's sweaters off before when it is winter because they forget and wear turtle necks or something like that. I try to remember. I wear a coat in there too!
I hope you all have a fun night and no scary SE from treatment.
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IM FINISHED WITH RADS!!!!!
Kristy
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Congratulations Kristy!
Have a Snickers Bar on me. Or maybe even a Reese's Peanut Butter cup, if you're feeling wild!
Yay!!!!!!
Shelby
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Congrats Christy! Celebrate!!!
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Happy Boo Day everyone. Congratulations Christy on finishing your Rads. Did you have any problems during? Was your unknown fears worse than the actually Rads were? I will be getting ready to go in so was just wandering.
I just connected the dots to the teary eyes I have had such a problem with. They cleared up and this morning I looked in the mirror and thought I wanted to dress us some cause I look so washed out and proceeded to put on some eye shadow. They have watered all day since. So if I leave off all mascara and eye shadow they don't water. Could it be they are just dry from the chemo and the eye make up just irritates it? Don't know, but no more until I am done..Everyone is just going to have to live with plain Jane until then.
Carolyn glad you are well enough for the coat give away. I know you were looking forward to that. Hope you don't over do.
Can anyone that has had their mastectomy tell me how the surgery went. How long did it take you to recover? How long after Chemo if you had that first?
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Good after noon!
KristyAnn - Congrats!
Well, I didn't make it to Moffitt today. It is about 3 1/2 hours one way from my house and I just could not do it. I got up early, got myself ready and about 45 minutes before we needed to leave, my husband took one look a me and said "no way". I was very nauseaus - Thankyou CHEMO CONSTIPATION! Boy doesn't chemo put a whole new spin on that!
I agrued for a while and realized he was right. Most of the roadway east/west across middle Florida is desolate, no gas stations, no food, no convenience stores, nothing. And we would have left home around 11am and not gotten back till 10pm. I ended up sleeping almost all day. This is the first day I have done that. I guess I am still learning about "chemo week".
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Thanks everyone!
Cupcake, Rads are a piece of cake compared to chemo. It is VERY fatiguing because you go every day and I was also working fulltime. No skin problems until the last 2 weeks and developed some redness and peeling, no infection. I was obsessive about putting cream on the skin from the very beginning even when there were no problems.Used a really mild goat milk soap in the shower na dtook care to rest a lot more during the 7 weeks!
I went back to work 3 weeks after my mastectomy but I worked at home part time after a week. The drains and stitches were a bigger bother than anything! I had my surgery before chemo.
Kristy
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YEA congrats Kristy. It must seem so good to step out into the light at the end of the tunnel. Be proud of yourself and do something special for yourself. Did you use anything special for cream?
Lisa, sorry you didn't feel well to go to Moffitt. I know what you mean about the traveling. We have a daughter that lives there or I never would have been able to have my test and surgery done there. That is why I do treatments here. Hope you feel better tomorrow.
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Sorry Lisa when your well enough to read this. I really do have empathy.
Kristy thanks for the info. Beings mine will be right around Christmas time I had a trip planned and was hoping I wouldn't be down for the count. I sure am anxious cause quite frankly I think the Docs are just shooting in the dark how, where, and how bad my cancer is. Only one needle biopsy done going on seven months now. So what they feel? Yeah thats gonna give a lot of into. If there going in blindly how do they know what to cut? Remember they never found my tumor so all they have is some cancer cells in the Lymph Nodes..thats it. Then off to camp chemo for six treatments. Oh yeah a month of all the test. Next week I am going to talk to the surgeon, maybe he can shed some light. He was the one that did the needle biopsy seven months ago and called me on that day to tell me it was cancer. Well starting to come back after the hit so will enjoy the time before I go in again. Have a great weekend campers.
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I am sorry happy for you Kristyann. It does not seem like you have been going 7 weeks but then I am sure it has for you. Everyone told me all these treatments would go by fast but it has not for me. I guess it does for the people that are not going through it with you. My co workers are wanting me back soon. the young kid I worked with mostly really is wanting me back since everything fell on him but he has done a good job.I am going to be working part time when I do the rads or at least that is my plan. I hope I can.
Lisa I am sorry you did not make itto your appt, but I know I would not have either. Even feeling well from the chemo it is hard for me to travel. I get so tired doing much of anything. My husband thinks if I can taste and eat then I must be 100% better but that is just not the case. That care of yourself.
Cupcake, did they do a PET scan before chemo? My friend that is going at the same time I do and goes to church with me just had a lymph node removed at first and then they found a lump in each breast but they were very deep near her chest wall. they injected that blue dye to locate them and she was not put out just local. It hurt her so bad so you might want, if they find something like that to talk it over with doc to put you to sleep where you don't feel that pain.She was very unhappy with our surgeon and I like him but I was out for all but the needle biopsy and that was not bad. I had the blue dye too but mine was very near the top of the skin. I hope they don't find anymore and all this you have gone through will have taken care of it. So you will be doing radiation before anything else is done? I guess I will have a mammogram and a MUGA before the rads so not sure how long all that will take but I will see onc Dec.3 and I hope everything moves quickly so we can get a lot done before the first of the year since that means more money in January with deductible and my 15% of the bills again. right now it is paying 100% of my bills since I have spent so much on treatments.I know I can't make 7 weeks in 3 or 4 so I am not sure when they will start rad. I hope they can do that and the other tests at the same time and that should get me closer. Hurry hurry! I am glad I am going to be there for the coat giveaway too since not many have offered to help. We get this every year though and some do show up. I wish we could have just let it go for this year but my husband said no we will make it and we do every time so I am sure we will.
My husband bought him a new RED pickup. He really needed one but still I worry about bills and money. I know God will take care of us. I am worrying too much lately I think. I did take a steroid but just one. My arthritis was to where I could hardly walk and I was just in misery. It helped my knee and my shoulders some. I will be able to help better today with stuff at the coat giveaway but I will try to stay away form most people since my platelets were so low. I am hoping they are up now! I read about this steroid and it said it will leave your system in 2 1/2 days so that will get it out of my system before I have to take it for the treatment and I take a lot more of it then than I took this time.I also read that it helps to get your bone marrow to work better so maybe that will be everything up before the treatment. this autoimmune stuff is not fun!
I sure hope you guys had a fun Halloween. We went to eat and then to the church building to do some things, my husband can not wait for others to help him after all he is super man! I think that steroid made me cranky!
Carolyn
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Cupcake, I understand your frustration with the docs. When I was first diagnosed, the surgeon punched 2 holes in one suspicious site. I had seen the mammo films and the surgeons PA had explained them to me - my left boob was FULL of suspicious sites. With that one biopsy, I was diagnosed with DCIS and told to get a lumpectomy and rads. Well, 3 days later when the rest of the path came back and I was HER2+,3 - DING, DING DING. Warning bells started to ring. Long story short, after more phone calls with the PA (not the surgeon) and talking with my plastic surgeon, I opted for double mastectomy. After my masectomies, Dr. Idiot said "Gosh, you made the right choice, you have IDC with node involvement, guess you need to get an oncologist and see about chemo". To say that I was floored is an understatement.
Bottom line, DO NOT take anything these docs say with a grain of salt and pester the living crap out of them if you have to.
Lisa
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Hi everyone:
I've been lurking on your board for a few days now. I've recently added Abraxane to Herceptin and will be adding Carbo to the mix on Nov. 11th. I was mostly interested in hearing about side-effects for Carbo which is what drew me to this board. I took taxotere almost 5 years ago and had such a bad reaction that the onc decided to go with Abraxane this time around or I would be on the HCT protocol as you are.
Good luck to everyone finishing chemo and starting rads. Kudos to those who are in the midst of treatment and are pushing through it.
I read quite a few posts and thought I'd comment on a few if it helps. I've been through chemo on 5 separate occasions and have picked up a few things along the way...
As for choosing 4 or 6 cycles, 5 years ago my protocol called for 4 cycles although some people did 6. After 4 cycles, I decided upon a mastectomy and although the onc and surgeon were convinced I had a complete response to chemo, after surgery the pathology showed microscopic cancer cells and I opted to continue for two additional cycles. I have no regrets and I know everyone's different but if you think you can cope with an additional 2 cycles, I say "do it".
As for the port, I've had one for almost 2 years. It hurt like ***, for a while but as my body healed and the more injections I received, it now doesn't hurt at all. It's been a true godsend in my case.
One thing I couldn't determine from the posts---do you need pre-meds for carbo? I know they're mandatory for Taxotere (they were in my case years ago because of the chemical makeup of taxotere) but one of the reasons I'm not on taxotere is because of the steriods.
Thanks and good luck everyone.
Cheryl in Toronto
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Hi Cheryl,
Welcome to the group- sorry you have to be here but its a very supportive group.
I dont really know anything about just the carbo ses- I had TCH all together from the very beginning and was one of the lucky ones with minimal side effects. (I havent been that lucky in all of this with chemo, rads, a staph infection in my PICC linr and a hysterectomy still to be scheduled).
Kristy
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Hi Carolyn: I know what you mean that this seems to drag on. I am soooo wanting to be done with the chemo. I think the next processes can't be as bad. I have read about the blue dye, but never thought of it hurting? I think it drains into the nodes and they can tell where its at that way. I had a cat scan and bone scan. I think the pet scan goes from head to toe and the cat scan is from the neck down. Surgery is next and then rads for me. I had a baseline MUGA in the beginning and the second one to compare a few weeks ago. I know about the money situation. Scary at our age. Congrats on the new RED truck. We are still driving a truck and car that is 20 years old. Just keep fixin them. My insurance begins all over again on Jan 1 too and the co-pays are bad enough. I told my husband only one shorty cruise this year until all this is past. We were going to Alaska, but will go Mexico instead. He don't care as long as the ship don't leave without him.
Lisa I have learned that our onc's out here are just over seers of my process. And then sometimes let that ball fall. I feel this Kaiser plan is just as bad as the Military although I will say they gave you good care just to busy with to many patients to get involved. I see the surgeon on Wednesday so hopefully can get some answers there. I do know at this point I will have the surgery and then Reconstruction later.
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hi everyone,
I finished chemo two weeks ago but still have symptoms -- mostly very tired.
How long does it take to recover from TCH? Will week 4 be different?
I have talked to people who say that radiation is very tiring. Is it possible to do anything else?
Thanks,
Jo Anne
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Jo Anne I am happy for you to have finished chemo. I am not sure about the rads. but seems most reccomend. that along with the chemo. I understand from some of the stuff I have read that chemo plus rad. gives you a much better chance it will not come back. But then it does all depend on your surgery and what they found in that. I guess if you just had a lumpectomy it would be a must to have the rads according to the onc. but if you had a mast. then you can go without rads.I am concerned because I am getting more lumps in my scar and one lump that is not in the scar but has been there from the beginning of the chemo but has not seemed to grow. The onc thinks it is scar tissue but I sure wish we could do a mammogram soon to see what shows up or an ultra sound or even a needle biopsy. I guess I will just pray a lot until someone makes that decision.
My friend that goes to church with me told me yesterday she has decided to go to another big town where her son lives to have surgery. He has done some research for doc and found one he thinks is the best. she does have lymphoma too in addition to breast cancer.
Cheryl, I do think you have to take steroids with Carboplatin since that is the one I have the most problems with. I have taken taxotere and carboplatin together though all along. I don't know about cytoxin though. I guess that would be something the onc would have to tell us. Do you just not want to take the steroids or do you have physical problems with taking them? I know they can cause bone loss and that worries me but with my arthritis it is almost hard to live without them. I do not take the high dose with the arthritis though that I take with the chemo. I did here a woman in the chemo room ask why she never had to take any the 3 treatments before this one and the nurse said it was an over site on their part so if she was doing okay without them why not keep on without them? She must have had a rough time sleeping with the steroids and this was why she was upset. I just take them for 3 days but I do know some take smaller doses for longer time. I am not sure about why the onc does what they do. seems like they all do something different.
have a good day everyone!
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Jo Anne;
I finished my four rounds August 7, and I'm about to go run the 5K Race for the Cure here in San Diego. Hope that answers some of your questions. Just because you're done with it, though, it's not necessarily done with you. I had about a month of having to take Lasix for edema, and my nails recently peeled off. But everything's new now, and I have a nice Barack Obama hairdo to wear COMMANDO to the race. So congratulations to you. And happy birthday to me. I'm a one-year survivor. And Jo Anne, every day will be a little better from here on.
Shelby
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Hi Ladies:
RE: Blue dye! A walk in the park compared to everything else. My lumpectomy hurt worse than injecting the dye. The doc and nurse warned that the dye would hurt - NOT! Just a little sting and burn. Do not be alarmed however when it takes a long time for the almost black discoloration of the skin to go away.
Lisa
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Thanks Shelby for all the support and congradulations on your one-year aniversary!
That being said, what has depressed me is learning about potential side effects from my further treatment (H., rads, hormone suppression drugs).. The medical people have said little about them and I had planned a number of projects that I may not be able to do. I am beginning to think I may have five more years of disability.
Next week i take H. all by itself. The nurses told me that there were no side effects. Now I understand that there are. What side effects have you had and how did it effect your functioning? How it you cope with them?
Thanks,
Jo Anne
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Jo Anne,
My biggest side effect from the Herceptin only is sleepiness caused by the benadry they give me before the Herceptin IV.
Kristy
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Jo Anne, I take Herceptin 2 times and then take the the TCH. the only side effect I have is tiredness the day of the treatment but I can keep going if I have to. I think it partly the benadryl. I am not sure if the amount they give when I start the once every 3 weeks is going to be more or not. I know the first time I took it it was a higher dose and I felt dizzy for a while but not now. they told me it was a loading dose then. I also have a weird taste but nothing like I do when I take the TCH. The taste with Herceptin only lasts about 2 days and then it is gone. I do think it could be different for other people. I know some meds affect me different.
Shelby, Happy Birthday! It seems like it will be a long time before I am there but I am sure it will go by fast. I hope anyway!
Carolyn
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It is day 8 of my first TCH and I have had about as much energy as a wet rag since day 3. The chemo advice nurse said it should be better next time - that the first is always the hardest, but that doesn't match what I hear here for some people.
It is really time to feel better and I wish I knew what to do to get there. I'm still having nausea though the medicine is mostly controlling it. And I'm having mild diarrhea. I wonder if I would feel better switching back to a more normal diet instead of a very careful light diet. Maybe the lack of calorie intake is making me feel bad but my stomach doesn't seem ready to handle more.
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bluedasher, I feel your pain. It is always about a week and a half before I feel better. Make sure you are getting enough water. You can have juice ( My doc said pear or peach is better but as long as your stomach can handle it) also Kool aide is good or maybe you could eat pudding or jello. I would just wait to eat too much solid food and make sure what ever is not spicy or hard to throw up. I ate hamburger meat one time and believe me you do not want to do that when you are sick. If you are having a Herceptin treatment in between the TCH see if they will give you more IV fluid while you are there. I doubt you are getting enough fluids. I was so dehydrated I kept passing out and they gave me 2 IV bags while I was there for Herceptin. If you are not having Herceptin then see if they can give you extra another day. I think some go in the next day for the IV fluids. It is hard for me to get enough in me unless it is put in my port and right in my veins. When you have diarrhea you lose more fluid than you think you do. then if you throw up that is just that much worse.
I hope you feel better soon. Just remember you need the fluids.
Carolyn
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