Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
Comments
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Shelby - good luck with the MRI!!! We will all be thinking about you in the morning....
Caricature class on xanax, hmmm...? Could be fun!
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Cindy, My low thyroid was discovered in a blood test as part of a routine physical. Other than the achy muscles, I didn't have much in the way of symptoms. I did gain weight which might have been due to the low thyroid.
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Traci, you are definately not lazy. I'm normally energetic and find fatigue the most persistant side effect of chemo. Even during week 3 of my cycle, when I'm generally feeling pretty good, I run out of steam around 8 at night and I need extra sleep. On the bad days of my cycle, everything is a huge effort. Your body has to work hard to function with these poisons running through it and the drops in red and white blood cells contribute to tiredness too. I'm so sorry that your boy friend doesn't understand that.
I hope you can take a nap if you feel you need one.
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Cindy;
My thyroid thing was picked up as part of a physical a couple years ago--my TSH was too high. There was nothing really dramatic as far as symptoms that I put together as being from my thyroid. But looking back, I remember more constipation than I had had since being pregnant. I also remember a greater tendency toward fatigue. The main one, though, is that I have always had a tendency toward depressive episodes. And during the time surrounding when I was diagnosed, I was pretty much depressed much of the time. But that also could have been menopause. The tough thing with symptoms that go along with hypothyroidism is that they are the type of things that have multiple causations. I'm wondering now if I don't need to have my levels looked at again, because even though I've been done with chemo since August, the fatigue still hasn't completely gone away. I'm wondering if I'll always be a tired old lady or what. I guess the best way to tell what were the symptoms of your thyroid being low is to have it treated and then see what gets better as a result:) Good luck with that.
Shelby
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Thank you ladies on the thyroid issue. I will find out this week what the results were. I appreciate your info.
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Hi Traci,
Don't let everyone think you are O.K. You don't have to tell them everything but do say it is very hard. One problem of giving them the details is that they then tell you some bad cancer stories. You could also invoke your doctor. Tell him/them your doctors says you should rest xyz hours a day and that others should cook. Do you belong to an organization/church that might furnish meals? My church delivered two meals a week and that really helped.
I insisted on a visiting nurse to give me my shots. She was wonderful and functioned also as a therapist. I gave her flowers at our last meeting. Check you insurance and see if covers a visiting nurse. My doctor had to argue for me and at last they agreed.
I would check on the shot they gave you for red blood cells. Some places don't give it any more because they think it is not a good idea. Instead, I had transfusions for low red blood cells and they helped quite bit.
Everyone,
I start radiation next week. I told the radiologist at the end of our SECOND meeting that the path report said I had something called an extra capular extension on a node. He then decided to radiate and additional area near my shoulder. I find this announcement problematic. Why did he not mention it before? Why radiate in a place that has no cancer in the nodes?
Hope everyone had a good thanksgiving,
Jo Anne
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I cannot thank you enough for your words of encouragement. It is nice to hear sometimes. I am not crying today and I am determined to enjoy this day. I have 3 children. Ages 16 mos, 15 and 21. The 21 yr old lives in Winter Park Fl so she cannot help but the 15 year old is a great help when she is home. (she spends time at her dads house too). The baby is a very good baby but it is difficult to keep up right after my tx's. But hey, I am doing pretty well I think. Shelbi, I am taking your advice and I am going to ask for some names of someone to talk to when I go for my last tx tomorrow.
JAP...I agree that the procrit shot was not a good idea and It was a surprise to me and I really did not have time to think about it before I got it. I will not be getting it again. All of my nurses have always talked about a blood transfusion but I had another nurse last time and she should have given me a choice and let me decide. I was caught off guard.
I was wondering if I should get the Neulasta shot after this treatment since it is my last one. I hate it sooo much and it makes me feel so bad. What did you ladies do on your last tx? I know it may take a little longer to bounce back but it may be worth not having the pain of Neulasta..?? Any information you can give me would be very helpful. Thank you thank you thank you for helping me through this. I hope everyone has a great week.
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Hi traci1970. Did you try taking a Claritin 24 hour and an Aleve right after the Neulasta shot. I did this both times after my shot and it seemed to help. I continued with the Claritin and the Aleve for 2 days after treatment.
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Hi Ladies,
Had 2nd TCH tx the day before Thanksgiving. Went well but s/e are hitting me now. The wierd thing is I'm having alot of trouble with my eyes. I wear progressive lenses, but it seems like I can't focus to read with them or without them. Perhaps I need a magnifying glass! I can't believe that after two chemo treatments my eyes would change that much. Just wondered from all of your experience if anyone else seemed to experience vision changes? Wondering if I should see my optomotrist for new glasses or if it's a waste of money right now if my vision is going to keep deteriorating. Any advice?
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I have taken the Claritin and it did help a little but I still spend a few days in bed.
I have also had a lot of vision problems. My contacts give me more trouble than my glasses so I wear my glasses more. My onc told me it should only be temporary and not to change my prescription yet. My eye doc told me the same thing. They both agree that it would be a waste of money. So I will wait it out. I will be glad when the watery eyes get better. I will also be happy to not have a runny nose every time I walk outside.
I really miss nose hair. It seems to be a warning system to let you know you have a runny nose and it gives you a litle bit of time to get a tissue. I have no warning system now. I feel like my grandmother. I always have a tissue in my sleeve! haha 0 -
Well, I just got back from the MRI. Two Xanax didn't even touch the anxiety. The hardest thing was tensing my muscles like steel during the scans to keep from shaking! Now I have to wait for the results. Unfortunately, they couldn't get me in for my digital mammogram and ultrasound the same day. Maybe I'll lose some of my holiday bloat via nervous diarrhea!
Traci; I'm glad you're going to find someone to talk to. I routinely got a Neulasta shot after every tx and was fortunate enough to never have any ill effects from it. I guess I must have needed all those white blood cells!
Cali; I have read that many people do have more trouble with their optical prescriptions during and after treatment. I don't think that my actual vision has changed, but I have had a devil of a time with dry, irritated eyes and, for awhile, excessive tearing. I really don't know if the vision changes you might have are reversible or not. Maybe you just need to pick up some of those cheap little reading glasses at the pharmacy that are stronger than your normal prescription. I have a feeling that's what my opthamologist would say. He swears by those things!
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Cali,,,,,,,,,,,,just a quick comment on the vision thing. I wear contacts and I noticed that I had vision change during and a little bit after chemo. But now things are all back to normal on the vision issue. Hopefully it wont be permanent for you,,,,,,,it wasnt for me. Good luck with that.
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shelbaroni, sorry for the stress you are feeling. I hope that this evening finds you in better spirits.
Cali, I have a bit of trouble focusing on things now. I never had problems with my eyes before, so I tend to think that this is from the chemo. Hopefully, when things return to normal all of the blurriness will go away.
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Shelby, I can understand the stress, at this point you want results!
Cali, my vision seems to be holding, but I am getting some dry eye (tx 3 this coming Monday).
Can I whine? The sores on my bald head are driving me nuts!!! They hurt! and my head is covered. I know this is a chemo induced folliculitus (sp?), but what have some of you done? The condition is also spreading to my face.
Lisa
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Lisa- I used cortaid on my head. It took a while but it all cleared up. The onc said if it turns to white heads, they would give me some antibiotic.
My vision has been changing back and forth with each treatment. I saw the eye doctor for my yearly checkup and he said to wait before I do anything
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Gail, my thoughts are with you and your Mom. I know what you are going through since my husband had bypass surgery just after I finished #6 and that was not fun. Do take care of yourself too. the hospital will take care of your Mom while she is there and my thoughts and prayers are with you too.
Traci1970, You have every right to take a nap when you can. It is not easy to get rest with a baby as it is but when you are so tired from chemo you deserve some help. I could not have cooked the thanksgiving dinner without my daughter's help. the shopping for it would not have let me to start with. As for you BF not shaving his head I can kind of understand that but he should not put you down for being tired and you are not lazy. I just hope he never has to find out what you are going through. If he ever does he will be 10 times worse than you about rest. Men are like that! Also if you want to cry by all means do as long as it is not to the point you are getting too depressed and when it gets like that you need some professional help. You may need to talk to someone in person anyway about how this is affecting you. Call the American Cancer Society and see if you can get some help.
My thyroid was making me tired and lose weight but since I have not had it checked I am not sure it was that or the cancer. I need to go for a check up on that but I am hoping I can get that done when I go to the doc this Wed. I want to get these test over with too and see if the lumps are scar tissue. I am really feeling anxious about that. My armpit hurts some from where they took the lymph nodes but I may have just over done it. I am not sleeping good with my husband's heart thing because I wake up to see if he is breathing okay and he keeps crowding me at night too. I may have to sleep in another bed soon. he does not mean to do that. I think because he has his head propped with pillows and then he slides off them and that puts him in the middle of the bed where he stretches out. He may need to quit putting those pillows up there. My daughter wanted him to get a wedge pillow but he does not sleep on his back good and probably needs to go for a sleep study. I guess we will see what his doc says.
Cindy it is good to hear from you. Please do come back and post when you can.
Shelby, good luck on the tube. You never know about Xanax though. You may have a wonderful class on them. You may be so laid back the kids will really enjoy your class. Just kidding I am sure it will go great.
My prayers are with all of you during this time. I hope everyone has a wonderful day.I am home today and just need to do a few things so it will be good for me. No running to the hospital for anything until Wed.
Carolyn
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I don't know how my post ended up at the end of the conversation but it did. anyway the eye thing was a big deal for me. I could not focus and I am still having some problems. I went back to an old pair of glasses because my newer ones were too strong. I may need to try them again now. don't change anything on glasses until a little while after you finish your chemo. I am wondering if radiation will cause anything like this.
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Carolyn, I normally can't sleep on my back, but after my lumpectomy, it was the only option - I couldn't sleep on the SNB side and or the bursitis shoulder on the other side. The bursitis was very flared up because I couldn't take NSAIDs around the surgerry. I used a hard wedge pillow with some softer pillows on top of it and was able to sleep on my back with the wedge.
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FYI: Art class on xanax was groovalicious. We played "facial detective" by looking at photos of celebs and deciding what distinguishing feature to build a caricature on and then sketching it. A great time was had by all. I made a pretty decent caricature of Barack Obama in charcoal. I should do one of myself and post it as my avatar:) I just wish that the xanax had worked as well in the tube as it did in the art class. They really need to find a more humane way of doing MRIs. I told them that I am full-out claustrophobic, and all they did was give me this little ball to squeeze. Isn't that the lamest thing you've ever heard? Like putting first aid cream on 3rd degree burns or hunting tyrannosaurus with a butterfly net. Sheesh.
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Thank for all your comments on vision changes. I'm relieved that I'm not alone. I think I will take the suggestion of the drugstore magnifying glasses and pick up a pair and give them a try. If it eliminates even part of the frustration with being able to read it will be well worth the investment.
THANKS
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Hi everybody! I just wanted to post today and say that I had my last rads treatment this morning and I AM SO DONE!!!!!!!!! Wa-HOO! Just another 6 months of Herceptin and I can start to put this all behind me.
)Hope you all are doing well!
Aly.
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ALY....CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't be happier for you! You did it! Go celebrate or something. Please.
Shelby
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Aly Congratulations!!!!! I know it was along road but you finished it. I too finished something today. I had my LAST tch today!! I could not be happier. I have a few weeks before I start the radiation and I am going to celebrate as soon as I feel better. I am getting the neulasta tomorrow and then thats it. I still have Herceptin every three weeks but that has not been a big deal for me. This has been one of the most difficult things I have ever gone through. I talked to my nurses and onc doc about my physical exhaustion and they explained to me AND my boyfriend that this chemo is beating the crap out of me and the way I feel now is how a lot of people feel after one or two treatments. I was very fortunate to feel as well as I did for so long. I feel much better about things today but I am still going to find someone to talk to. I have this fear of starting my life again because I am afraid of more bad news.?? That may sound crazy but that is my fear.
Cali, try those drugstore glasses, that was one of the suggestions my doc gave me too.
Carolyn and Gail, My prayers are with you and your families. I pray 2009 is a much better year for you two and your husband and mom.
Lisa, I had little bumps on my head too and the hardest thing was for me to stop touching them! They did eventually clear up. The cortaid sounds like a good idea. I wish I would have tried that.
Shebi, I wish I could have been in your art class. It sounds like just what I need to get my mind off of the c word. I have my MRI soon and hopefully they will properly medicate me beforehand.
I wish everyone the best and I appreciate every single one of you. You have made me feel "normal" when I felt anything but normal.
traci 0 -
Aly - I am so happy for you! You've had it rough at times, girl, so now it's time to pop open the bubbly (or something) and celebrate big time. Find something really fun to do tomorrow when you would normally be at rads and start putting this behind you.
Traci - I finished July 22 - a day I'll remember for quite awhile, I'm sure. Walking out of there - what a great feeling! Going back for Herceptin isn't the same at all. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Shelby: Once again, I wish you were my kids' art teacher!!!! I can't imagine going into that tube if you're claustrophobic. I'm not, but when the hammering noise begins - yikes! Gotta call and make my appointments since I'm pretty well healed up after reconstruction. The tattoo is COOL, although I almost wish now that I'd gone with something a little jazzier than a boring brown circle.
Hi to everybody - hope you're all doing well.
Sue
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MY MRI IS CLEAN. HOTDIGGITYDOGG!
But I have (bless his heart) Dr. Analcompulsivesurgeon (I wouldn't have him any other way), who insists I have a digital mammo and ultrasound before my surgery. So I'll probably do all that the same day I have my 4 weeks worth of herceptin before the ski trip.
But Great Googly-Moogly! I was one anxious willywacker for a few days there, I'll tell you. Aly, I swear, if you don't celebrate your completion of radiation, I'll celebrate for the both of us. How's that?
Sue;
You know, it's funny. I know absolutely nothing about teaching art or the academics of education. But if I'm having fun making art, the kids are having fun, too. I think the key is to do it with them. It's especially fun when it's something that I'm kind of new at and not really good at. Then we're all learning together.
Hey...on the subject of reconstruction and tattoos. Is it true that when you first get your new fipple it's big enough to suckle a baby gorilla and you have to wear "concealing undergarments" to avoid ramming it into things and grossing out the world? That's what I've read. I'm going to have everything done at once except the tattoo. And then I think he just does that in his office, but we haven't talked about that. What would you have had inked on there other than a plain ol' areola? A ying-yang? A peace symbol? A rose? A bullseye? A skull and crossbones? (That's more my style). It's a fun thing to think about.
And another thing. Where's Donalee? Donalee, if you're out there in Looky-lurkeyville, give us a holler. I've been thinking about you a lot lately, hoping you're doing fine.
Shelby
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Thanks everyone for the nice words. It does feel good to be done with the make-you-sick-cause-you-pain part of my treatment. Now I just need to deal with the "OH MY GOD WHAT DO I DO NOW!!" anxiety.
) It'll be weird not being at the hospital every single day. I think this is what they talk about on the internet about how people can get nervous at the end of treatment because they're not being watched quite as closely.Shel, as always you are hysterical! Congrats on your clear MRI! It feels very liberating, doesn't it? Here's to hoping every mammo/MRI from here until forever comes back just as clear!
Aly.
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Shel, I am sooo happy your MRI was clean! I know it has to be a big weight lifted off of you. Enjoy the holidays knowing you are well.
I have a weird question before I "hit the mattresses".Does anyone have leg pain. Like heavy legs. Sometimes when I stand over the past few days my legs feel soooo heavy and I have a hard time walking for a few minutes. My potasium level is fine so I don't know if this is part of the "pain" the taxotere causes???? My calves do hurt too. Squating is out of the question. Should I be worried or have any of you experienced this. My onc doc does not seem worried but did not give me a definitive answer. I have my neulasta shot tomorrow. I may mention it again.
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Traci;
I never had the kind of leg pain you're talking about. But I was looking online at the side effects of taxotere, and they say that it's fairly common to have muscle pain. Definitely mention it again. I'm wondering, too, since it's in your legs if there's any swelling involved. That's what I started dealing with after tx 3 was swelling in my legs. But I never really had muscle pain. Good luck getting some answers on that. Ask the nurse. They're often better about educating patients than the doctors are.
Shelby
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Congrats to Aly and Traci!!! that must be a wonderful feeling to have the sicky/icky part over with. I CANNOT wait for that day to come for me (Feb 9).
Traci, glad the onc told you and BF that the fatigue is normal.
Shelbi - Congrats on the clean MRI!!! That is another day I am waiting for! I too am VERY claustaphobic. The techs just don't get it either. If they would even try to communicate with the patient some (isn't that what the speaker is for?) it will help a lot with the anxiety.
Traci, my biggest problem with the head bumps is not keeping my grubby little paws off them. I started putting polysporine on them and that is helping. Bald AND speckled - just lovely.
I was looking at other folks diagnoses in their signature line and trying to figure out why some get 4 tch tx and some get 6. I am getting 6. Looks to me like the difference is if they found cancer in the nodes. Everytime I go in, I ask my onc if I can have just 4 and he says no. Oh well.
Have a great day everyone!
Lisa
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Lisa;
I can't believe that I never got head bumps, because my body has always been a battleground for dermatological abnormalities and hyperreactions of every kind! I'm allergic to the ID bands they put on you in the hospital! When I had my mastectomy, the worst discomfort I had afterwards was from the EXTREME allergic reaction I developed on my legs to those things they use to pump your legs to prevent blood clots! Red, swollen, bleeding lesions all over my legs. But no head bumps. Weird.
So we're back to the controversy of four vs. six TCH's. My doctor pretty much does 4 on people with little tumors and no nodes. Because of the varying conditions, chemo combos, and numbers of treatments in the key clinical trials leading up to this protocol, doctors develop their own way of balancing risks and benefits to each patient. My doctor has told me that in my case, he feels that four did the job and that doing two more would really do me more harm than good. Hopefully, every doctor is thinking about the individual patient's personal "equation" and not just putting us through a set assembly line of treatment. In your case, since there are nodes involved, I think the majority of oncologists would agree that six is the most prudent way to go. If you had four, I'll bet you would regret not having six.
Shelby
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