Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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It is day 11. The nausea has been from day 7 to now. The nurse today said it might be an unusual reaction to the Neupogen. They are talking of having me try Ativan.
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Well I am back. Had the operation and was sick as a dog...AGAIN. I have learned the longer the operation the more chances of getting sick. This one was 90 minutes long. They gave me Zofran which I had told them Zofran didn't help on chemo so didn't kow why it would here...and it didn't. The onc switched me to Emend and it worked fine, never got sick again from chemo. They finally switched me to another drug that seemed to help..boy 9 hours of the dry heaves are pretty bad. I just know everyone in the recovery room just thought of poor me and poor me keeping them awake. Its over and I am home. You are all right, the surgery was a snap. No pain really. The tubes I have got a handle on. I don't like the smell though...yuckie. So will put up with the drains for 7 days and maybe get one of them out next Tuesday. I'm going to rest a lot tomorrow. Pretty much of an assault on the body. Thanks for all your support and especially your prayers. I had a lot of angels watching over me....The surgeon told me he took everything that looked suspicious and will have to wait a week to get the pathology report back. Hopefully they will find that tumor in the breast they took off. He said it came off easy if that means anything and he pulled the muscle back and checked everything out. He took the fat pad that has line 2 and 4 of lymph nodes and they put it in a solution to dissolve the fat and then they can take the nodes out and test them. I'm glad its over and I can be in a rest spot for awhile.
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Cupcake: Welcome back! Glad the surgery was "a snap" (bet you never thought you'd say that,huh?) but sorry that you had to go through 9 hours of dry heaves - how awful! You just can't do anything the easy way, can you?
So now just take it easy, even if you feel good - REST. 0 -
Traci, I am glad you had a nice vacation.
Shelby I am hoping for you to have a wonderful time too.
I craved strange things. I dreamed I was eating an enchilada once and after that I had to try to eat one which I made it through a half but I brought my leftovers home and ate them in 3 days time. I am having a hard time eating again though. I guess my stomach has just got smaller which is okay so I don't gain weight. I am eating fruits and veggies but the meat is really hard for me to eat.
I had the MRI finally yesterday and won't know anything until Tuesday. I hope it is good news just before Christmas. I have a Herceptin on the 24th. I sure hope I feel good enough to cook Christmas dinner. My daughter will do some of it but I can do some too. She did most of it Thanksgiving but they have been working really hard to get their house built so I know she is stressed. I say if we don't have something someone wanted we didn't need it. We will not do a lot of gifts this year though.
Bluedasher, I hope they can give you something for the nausea. I had different meds that really helped but they put me out. I could not take them if I had to stay awake. The strongest was Antivan and the other was Phenagren. I am not sure I spelled that correct.
Carolyn
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Cupcake - Congratulations, glad the surgery went well! Get some rest, we are all thinking and praying for you!
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Congrats to Cupcake!!
Sorry about the dry heaves, that had to have been miserable, but glad the rest went well.
Rest up and by the time the drains come out, you will be ready to rock and roll!
Lisa
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Emend was a lifesaver for me. Even though it is only three pills it worked for 5 or 6 days. I also tried kytril and that was good too. There are so many different things out there. Tell your Doc you need something else. As far as craving I wanted potatoes all the time and I drank every bit of pickle juice in this house. I had jars of dry pickles. I felt pregnant because my cravings were so bad. I still drink pickle juice out of the new jars of pickles.
Cupcake I am glad you are doing well. You will feel better when you have those tubes out. They were in my way when I had them. I was thrilled when they were gone.
Aly... go to pauladeen.com and do a recipe search for banana pudding. It has a picture of it and everything. Everyone I have made it for loves it. It has cream cheese in it and its delicious! Let me know if you like it.
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Traci - Being pregnant is exactly how I would describe both the nausea and the craving. Just a constant nausea that won't go away. I've also described it as that point where when drinking alcohol that you know you have overindulged and you just wish it would go away, but you know it won't UGH
Smells are really getting to me also. My sniffer seems to be hypersensitive right now. The smell of a slowcooked roast *gag*. Cigar smoke *gag* Shampoo *gag* my little dog *gag*!
I have craved milk, potatoes, cottage cheese, pizza, Kraft mac and cheese and oatmeal.
I also am taking full advantage of when the nausea starts wearing off and I CAN eat. I eat as much as I want of what I want knowing that later on I may not be able to eat anything at all but crackers.
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Carpediem...
It IS really like being pregnant and having the associated nausea. Unfortunately, for most women, the result is the same as with pregnancy...an average of 5-8 unwanted pounds of FAT, after all is said and done. This is what I'm trying to deal with right now. I had very good eating habits, too, going into chemo, which "slipped" due to giving in to many of my cravings. Things like onion rings and chocolate and cookies. Now it's hard to get back on the old program with the diet, even though I'm working out like a maniac!!!
Speaking of things we shouldn't eat but want to...Aly and Traci...the Food Network can really add to this whole thing...Paula Deen and her friends. The one that really hooked me was Alton Brown's search for the perfect coconut cake. And I'm one of those people who would just about scrape guano off the fence if it tasted like coconut. So when I was on chemo, I HAD to make Alton Brown's coconut cake. The recipe was so intricate that my first attempt looked like a little kid's mud pie, but tasted like layered Heaven! So I made it again for a bridal shower. It looked like a dream! I brought it into the event, sliced it, and it was gone in ten minutes. I never even got a slice. But the reviews were excellent!
Cupcake;
You rock my world. Just don't do too much during this post-op time. The more you move around, the longer those drains will be in. I found out the hard way. You know me...I just had to take walks and stuff. My PS just about had to chain me to the couch!!!!
Have a great weekend, ladies.
Shelby
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Oh so right you are shelby. Did to much yesterday and feel like I've been run over by a truck today. I am going to the couch and that is where I am going to stay. Pain meds wore off I think from the surgery and now need to take some here. If I don't move it isn't so bad, but I hate laying around like on chemo. But I know this too shall pass and I will feel better in a few days. The bulbs are a pain and will be glad when they are out. I am beginning to look like I've had a visit from the chain saw killer and he just put a few scars and left me to live. I am all hacked up. Guess the beauty padgets are out now. Well heading to the couch and will chat maybe tomorrow when I am better....hugs to you all...Brenda
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Pregnancy, exactly! that's how I've described it to others...except there's no prize in the end, BUT we get to LIVE! Reading the latest posts about surgery, drains, nausea, the food repulsions, the cravings...I am SO glad to be on the other side of all that. It is hard to believe that you ever will be, while you are going through it feels like it will never end. Then it does, and you want to be better right away, but that doesn't happen...everything takes time. I had my last TCH Oct 30th, and my hair is coming in wispy and white but my eyebrows continue to fall out. I am getting my energy back, but the neuropathy and muscle aches continue, but I think that is getting better too. Herceptin was on Dec 1, and again next week, but no real side effects on H alone.
It sure helps to have someone ELSE to concentrate on. My mother's open heart surgery went well on the 3rd and she is being discharged out of rehab tomorrow. She had a valve replacement and double bypass. We've been traveling 600 miles round trip every weekend to visit, and we make the trip again tomorrow. My own mastectomy and tram reconstruction was June 2. It was rough, but I'm not 85 years old! She's so determined to get on with her recovery, and it just shows how much attitude influences your recovery. Having a group like this one is a godsend when you think you are all alone going through this crap. This latest round of posts reminds me of all that I went through in the last six months, and how much I depended on you all to get me through the hard parts! Thanks and hugs, Gail
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Gail;
Tell your mom she's a champ! 85 and having heart surgery. Amazing! And you are one trooper of a daughter, doing all that traveling. Kiss yourself on the cheek for all of us. The friend of mine with bc who's going on our ski trip's hair is coming back all white and wispy too. What's ironic is I'm the one who always had fine, thin baby hair and she always had really thick, gorgeous hair. Now I've got thicker hair than ever, mixed black and gray...and I've never had hair that dark, either! It's so weird. But I've heard that the first growth isn't what you end up with later.
Shelby
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Now now Shel, I've lost 20 pounds since I was diagnosed in March so I think I deserve a little banana pudding every now and then.
)I have had my final insult from this whole nasty mess though. My right boob (cancer side) is now what I estimate to be a full cup size smaller than my left, all thanks to my rads treatment. Hmmmm, funny Dr. Butthead never mentioned that particular nasty side effect. No wonder he's been acting squirrelly lately. Hmmmmmph!!!!
Gail, your kitty is gorgeous. I have 5 and one of them is an orange medium hair tabby like yours. My mom has 2 medium hair orange tabbies as well, a mother and son. I just love animals, they bring such joy into our lives and never ask for anything back. God bless 'em.
Cupcake, glad to hear you made it through OK. You've been through so much! You have all my blessings and wishes for a speedy recovery!
Aly.
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Cupcake, It is good to hear from you and things are going as well as possible. Hopefully it will get better fast.
I found out the lumps in my breast is probably just scar tissue. I had the MRI and they said no cancer so I am hoping they are right. Now I want those lumps gone because they are tender.
Aly, I will get started on rad. Tues. and I sure hope my surgery boob does not go down a size. I would not mind if they both did but I guess if it does I can pad one side and make them even. I worked with a girl and she said hers was that way naturally so I guess it could be worse. I have to find a sports bra or camisole for rad. because the doc said I would not be able to wear a bra. What did you do? I ordered a couple but they were too tight and one hurt my port where it came across. I can't put my arms over my head like I used to. Arthritis is not fun. I was all sore from the MRI and putting my arms above my head. That thing was so hard and they didn't have any padding on it like the last one I did.
I hope everyone is feeling better. My brother ended up in the hospital because of chemo but hopefully they can get him fixed up. I kept telling my brother and sister in law to insist on getting an IV in him because he has mouth sores and could not swollow but they had to wait and my sister in law ended up calling an ambulance because he was throwing up blood again. I guess he will have 3 units this time. I think he is going to be like me and have a few problems with red blood cells but at least I am O with no antibodies but he is A and has antibodies so he is not easy to match. Please keep him in your prayers too.
Carolyn
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Thanks everyone. I am in no pain unless I bend over or reach for something so a few times of that I learned not to do it.
Carolyn the hospital gave me 2 camosiles that are nice. You can step into them too so you don't have to go over your head. The free number is... 1 800 497-8285. I would think the "wife beaters" would work too. I hate that name, but that is what they are called. So glad the lumps are not cancer. So what did you go through to get ready for the rads? Do they mark you or something? I will certainly remember your brother as well as you in my prayers. My list is getting long. Do you know they told me in the hospital that on the adverage of 3 women every week comes in for mastectomy's? Wow.
I just noticed that the finger that I had been stripping the tubes now is red and tender. I guess I will have to remember not to use that arm anymore, or if I do be careful. So far no signs of lymphedema, hopefully I won't get it. Well just laying around today wishing it was a week from now so I can get the bulbs out. I took a sponge bath and changed clothes, but I want a good hot shower to feel really clean. Does anyone know why you have to change the bandages around the tubes everyday? If not blood do you still have to change them?
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Aly;
You actually LOST weight on chemo? That's what I always thought was the usual result, but apparently, more women gain than lose. Interesting...Of course, my husband doesn't want me to lose weight back to where I was before chemo, because I had lost about 8-10 pounds between my diagnosis and my mastectomy. Mostly, I think it was nerves...I just can't eat when I'm that anxious. But I looked GOOD, man. But I guess I just can't maintain it when I'm not scared out of my wits. C'est la vie.
Cupcake, I don't remember changing the bandages every day. In fact, I didn't have bandages...I just had squares of gauze, because I'm allergic to bandages. The camisoles I wore were actually compression garments that are like body shapers. They're called Sassybax, made without seams, so there's nothing to irritate.
Shelby
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Cupcake, they did not do the rad set up because they did not know if I had cancer or not. I will do that on Tuesday they said and then my doc will go on vacation but I guess they can go ahead and start the radiation. I have Herceptin on the 24th Wed. I am going to have a busy week next week and not Christmas shopping just going to the hospital. My hubby has cardio rehab Mon and Wed. We will have Friday off though. I did not have mast. but they did not have me change bandages at the lump site at all. They said leave them alone unless they were bloody. I did have to change them for a while after they removed the tubes though because of leakage. I am allergic to tape so we got the paper tape and I have this stuff that takes the sticky stuff off too. They would pull the skin off me if I did not watch them when I had a treatment. I had to make sure they did not put that patch they used to hold the needle in the port. They just used steri strips and gauze on me. I appreciate you remembering my brother.
Shelby, I lost weight too. I would loose 10 lbs every time I took TCH and then I would eat as much as I could to gain back so they would not have to adjust my meds. they stressed not to loose weight. My port is lopsided in my skin because of the weight loss, anyway they is what they said was the reason. So the last TCH I just did not try to gain weight back since I was through and have maintained it. My appetite is not great anyway right now. Maybe stress too. Now that I know the lumps are not cancer I may gain.
Carolyn
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Hi all!
Mastectomy bandages: I did not have any! I had guauze over the reconstruction sites that I was told to leave alone, but I had nothing but a band-aid over where the tubes came out.
Weight loss/gain. I lose 10 pounds with each tx and the gain back five on the week I feel good. On my good week, I eat everything that does not move.
Have a great evening ladies!!
Lisa
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Carolyn, do you have a Nordstrom near where you are? That's where I went. I got a very soft (no wires!) sports bra with a gathered front hook closure. It even has pockets for drains if you have them. It was the perfect thing and a lot of insurance companies will pay for it if you can get your doctor to write a prescription. If you have a Nordstrom, call and make an appointment with their bra fitter and she will be able to help you with everything you need for after breast surgery. If you don't have Nordstrom I'll bet any of the bigger department stores will have the same service (Macy's, Neiman Marcus, etc.). I still wear them at night now because my nipple is sore from peeling after rads.
Yep Shelby, I *lost* 20 pounds. I heard so much about women gaining weight and I was worried about that, but with me the pounds practically fell off. The only time in my life they ever have! (lol!).
Aly.
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GREAT GOOGLY-MOOGLY ALY! No wonder ye've lost so much weight...ye've turned yerself into a wee kitty!
Seriously, will someone out there please reassure the bubbling crucible of my mind that I am not the only one who was able to gain weight on this horrific regimen? Maybe I'm a post-apocalyptic mutant who was meant to feed and flourish on cytotoxic poisons and hazardous waste. Maybe I was genetically manufactured as a prototype replicant that can metabolize poisonous substances and serve society by removing them from the environment. Maybe I've just been led to believe I had breast cancer so they could "test my special abilities" (wink, wink) on taxotere and carboplatin, reasoning that if I could flourish on these, I would be ready to start feeding on more common biohazards. Aaaaaagh!
Now I'm really worried.
Shelby
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Shel, if you look very closely, there are actually 2 kitties in the photo. One just happens to be *underneath* the other one. Max was simply lying there, minding his own kitty business and having a wee nap, when Alex (aka: Bubba) casually strolled up and sat down upon him. Max didn't seem to mind in the slightest. Funniest thing I'd ever seen.
) Alex used to regularly try to sit on the other cats' heads. I'm tellin' ya, animals really do bring a lot of joy (and sometimes hysterical laughter) into the world.So, from what I've read just about everywhere, it's the NORM to gain weight on Chemo. Even my Naturopath asked me if I gained weight and was surprised to hear that I'd been able to lose weight so I wouldn't worry. I've read about people gaining goo-gobs of weight. I had a similar sort of "cycle" to Lisa. I lost and gained the same 5 pounds for a long time towards the end of my treatments. When I'd first get poisoned I'd immediately drop the 5 pounds due to the usual suspects like nausea and sewer mouth. Then the last week before the next treatment when my taste buds were back, I'd eat everything I could stuff in my face and gain it back. Somehow I managed to lose an additional 5 pounds during rads and the whole 20 is holding pretty steady right now. Now if I could just lose that extra 45 that I still have stuck to my ass I'd be in great shape! (lol!).
Aly.
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I gained weight and now have to get it off cause it messes with my diabetes. All through chemo my bg numbers were perfect. Tx #6 here comes the weight and high bg numbers again. boo hoo. It was nice not to have to worry a bout it.
Carolyn hunh? They didn't know you had cancer??? Do they wait to get a clear picture of the cancer being gone before they give rads? I figure I have to heal some before they start me. I don't have any bandages over the mastectomy, but gauze over the lymph nodes where the tubes come out. I would think it is for leakage. Waiting for the pathology reports is going to be hard. I am glad it is out of me, now to see how many lymph nodes and if the tumor was in the breast. I have been waiting for 7 months to know.
Shelby you are just to funny on feasting on hazardous waste. You have such a gift for words.
A good day today, no pain, just hard sitting around. I have to be patient I know.
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Shelby, in all fairness I must admit to a very unpleasant side effect from the TCH cocktail. Even though I have lost weight, I have developed a giant belly! I look about 5 months preggo! I am not real sure how I can lose 12 pounds but have increased my waistine, but I have. The belly has always been my toughest area to tame. Oh well. Another "toxic mystery".
Lisa
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Hurray - the nausea is gone! I'm not sure if the Ativan did it or it was just getting ready to go away anyway. Friday night, not only was I able to eat dinner - I actually enjoyed it.
I compromised and pacified my sushi craving with some inari sushi and some cucumber avocado sushi plus extra pickled ginger. The more difficult eating is, the more I find myself dreaming about food - something I don't ever remember doing before chemo. I was lucky during my pregnancies to not have nausea and cravings - I think the first one I might have had a few isolated mornings when I felt queasy but then it went away and I didn't have any on the later preganancies. So this prolonged nausea is new for me.
Saturday I celebrated by having my husband drop me off about 3/4 a mile from home after synagogue so that I could walk the rest of the way home. Of course, as soon as the car was out of sight, I thought "what if I need a bathroom quickly?" (chemo stinks) but fortuantely, I got safely and comfortably home. It was nice to get some exercise.
I had my first MUGA since starting Herceptin. I'm not sure why my onc did it so early since I'm just at 2 months - she is going to be on vacation during my next chemo so I'll see someone else so perhaps she wanted to make sure it didn't get forgotten or delayed during the holidays. It was 65%, the same as my baseline.
So far, my weight at each pre-chemo appointment has been the same - not gaining or losing.
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Welcome back Cupcake....I'm glad your surgery is behind you. Regarding your question about the bandages near the drains. I didn't change any bandages except the ones near the drains with the drain bandages that the hospital gave to me. I only did that when there was a little leakage....maybe once or twice, but certainly not on a regular basis.
Regarding weight gain/loss during chemo....I seem to drop down the week after chemo and then I force myself to eat, eat, eat the week before my next tx so that my weight won't change. They said that it was VERY important not to lose weight.
Bluedasher, I am glad that the nausea went away. Congratulations on your good MUGA scan reading.
I am headed out tomorrow for a sono of my kidneys. There seems to be a slight issue with some blood levels that suggest a problem with my kidney function.....ugh. I'm hoping that this will prove to be a false alarm and I hope that I am just the victim of an over-cautious doctor.....wish me luck.
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Shelby you are not alone on the weight gain. I gained 11lbs! Now I have find a way to get rid of it. I am going to enjoy this week and worry about it next week. I am happy to see everyone feeling better this week. Good luck on the kidney sono my2boys!
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HI ALL!
Been feeling really good lately and was scheduled for my next Herc. Those of you that don't know me, I finished TCH Sept.17th, rads on Nov. 20. I have been having Herceptin since June 2nd when I started chemo. My first MUGA, pre-Hercp, was 65. I've always worked out and thought that was pretty good until I heard someone's was 76! Anyway, I digress! So 3 months later (standard procedure) my next MUGA has gone down slightly to 63. No big deal docs say. So I am ready to get my hercetin last week and come to find out it's been 4 months since my last MUGA and since it;s been that long they wanted to reschedule until MUGA could be done.
Comes to find out I know someone who knows someone, etc,,,, and got my MUGA scheduled 2 days before my Hercp. Good!
BUT right before my infusion the onc nurse comes up to me and says my MUGA was 54! WTF? She said they wouldn't "cut me off" at that number but it was close. I am so confused. I feel fine I have been working out a lot. Maybe too much?
I guess I'll ask abouut it next week when I see my Phys assisst. Wouldn't they want a MUGA much sooner next time before the next Hercp? I hear the standard cut off is 50. I am pissed. I am having no chemo now, BUT I have started Tamoxifen and just finished rads. Any ideas?
Love you guys!
Donalee
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Boy, Donalee, that's a kick in the pants! I'm wondering what my next one's going to be...I was up around 72 last time, and I have one scheduled for Wednesday. What I've heard (and I haven't had cause to research this) is that when Herceptin does this, they have you skip a dose and it usually comes right back up. I think they probably let you go 4 months because you slipped through the cracks. I've gotten to reminding the chemo nurse when I'm due. They probably didn't consider you high risk. Just another example of how we can't completely trust the system and really need to stay vigilant on our own accounts!
I'm hoping all the best for you!
Shelby
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Donnalee, Everything I've read says that the heart damage from Herceptin is reversable once it is stopped.
When I started chemo, my doctor told me that in Europe they get good results using Herceptin for 18 weeks. There aren't completed studies comparing the shorter duration to 1 year so she still tries for one year. But if I end up having to stop early that I shouldn't worry because even 18 weeks is good.
So if they do have to stop your Herceptin at some point you have already had almost 6 months and probably have a lot of the benefit. Or they might stop for a bit to let your ejection fraction recover and start again.
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They did not do my MUGA for 7 months from the baseline. I am not sure why but I don't know what the last one I took showed. I know normal is 50% so I guess since no one said anything to me I am still okay.
Cupcake, the reason I had to have an MRI before I started rads is because I had more lumps and didn't have a mast but just a lumpectomy. I was real nervous about it but I guess it is just scar tissue from the surgery.
I go tomorrow for the setup and to talk to the doc but I am not sure when I get started on rads since the doc will be gone for vacation after that. I guess the techs do the actual rad. He just oversees it and surely someone else will take his place during his vacation. I sound like a Scrooge but I will be ready to get Christmas and New Year over with. I will be glad when this cold weather is gone too! I am afraid it has just started though.I figured out if I say 7 weeks of rads it sounds really long but if I say less than 2 months it does not make me feel so bad. By that time my husband should be through with his rehab too and then we will be down to just every 3 weeks for Herceptin. I am wishing my life away I guess! I need some normal back in my life right now! My brother is in the hospital, he had mouth sores so bad he could not swallow and I kept telling him to have them give him IVs and so finally he started throwing up blood and his wife called the ambulance and he was getting IVs last I heard. I wish he did not live so far away.
Have a good day everyone and I hope all is well with everyone. Shelby a woman I go to church with and we started chemo about the same time gained a lot of weight. I am not sure if hers is coming off yet since we are all bundled up like Eskimos
Carolyn
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