Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
Comments
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Hi all,
I'm so glad to read that Leslie and Katymom have finished chemo. I hope you are starting to feel better.
Cindy- have you had your last treatment? Glad you got the right antibiotics for that infection.
CindyMN--good luck tomorrow with that last treatment
I am halfway through now. Treatment #3 wiped me out. The fatigue was so much worse and I missed a week of work. I think I am not even going to try to go to work the week after the next treatment. I was so tired it seemed hard to breathe.I felt 95 instead of 59.
It has been 2 weeks now and I feel a lot better except for the UTI. Has anyone else had a problem with UTIs?
I'm going to really enjoy this next week before I get smacked down again. I can't wait until this chemo is over. I must say that to myself a hundred times a day.
I think my hair is starting to grow back. Could that be possible? The new growth is acting like velcro and helps to keep my scarf on.
Have a great holiday weekend everyone.
Leslie20 -
hey Leslie2
hang in there, the last few treatments were pretty rough for me. By the end, I wasn't going into work either. I couldn't even get up the energy to drive there! I felt that I had a UTI several times, but when they tested me, it was negative. but from what I've been reading on other boards, sounds like other people have problems with UTIs.
My hair started to grow back during chemo,also. i never shaved my head completely, I just buzzed it short. some of my hair never fell out and continued to grow the whole time. now that I'm done with chemo, in the past week, new hair has started to sprout up!
have a great weekend!
Leslie0 -
CindyMN, thank you for all your advice. hope your last chemo goes well today. enjoy the weekend!
Leslie0 -
Hi Leslie: This chemo hit me hard, too! It has been a week and I'm finally beginning to get over it...What is a DEXA scan? I got my tumor marker back today and it is elevated, but I read that the numbers don't matter....just the trend over time. So, hopefully, this won't drive me crazy. I meet with the radiation oncologist next week on Wednesday. We will have to compare notes then. I think I will start femara sometime soon....I will continue to get the herceptin every 3 weeks as long as I don't have a problem and I think he said they would add the hormone therapy at the same time. I never had an MRI--is that how you were diagnosed? I've often wondered why they didn't do one since my tumor never showed up on the mammogram. I know all the doctors do things differently...that is why I think it is so important for us all to research and learn as much as possible and be proactive.
Katymom0 -
hey katymom,we definately should compare radiation plans next week. I also meet with the rad/onc on wednesday. I was diagnosed because I found the lump myself(it was very palpable since it was 2.6 cm) and they confirmed it wasn't a cyst by doing ultrasound first since mammogram is almost useless in us young women with our dense breast tissue. They, however, we able to also see it on the mammogram I got after the ultrasound. I got an MRI to check for tumors in the good breast, I'm not sure if it is standard of care yet, but I do know that my hospital is the one to publish the recent journal article that says MRI's of the other breast is a good thing to do before surgery. Luckily, the MRI of my other breast was okay. how did you find your tumor if it didn't show up on mammogram? did you find the lump yourself?
A DEXA scan is to check you bone mineral density to look for osteoporosis. it does not look for mets or anything. If you are going to be on Femara, you should be getting a DEXA scan too because they like one as baseline and then one every year i think because Femara can weaken your bones.
I agree with you that every doctor does things differently and that's why we need to keep up with things ourselves. Sometimes it scares me how laid back the oncologists are about cancer, but that's because they see it everyday. but I don't want to be just another cancer patient! I want special attention :-) I'll let you know what new things I learn this week. have a great weekend.
Leslie0 -
Hi Leslie: My journey began when I went in for my routine OB-GYN visit to get it out of the way. My OB-GYN found the lump. I'm pretty sure I had pointed it out a few years ago and the mammogram never picked it up. This time it still never showed on the mammogram, but did on the ultrasound. They biopsied it and it came back as cancer. I had a lumpectomy after much thought mainly because it was so small only 1.3 cm. I think I'm going to ask for an MRI sometime in the near future---maybe before radiation. I go tomorrow so we will have to compare later in the week.
Talk to you soon!
Katymom0 -
wow, the new website looks nice but it took me a bit longer than I would like to find the discussion boards! Anyway, wanted to see how everyone is doing? I'm slowly getting my energy back. just met with the radiation oncologist yesterday and looks like I will get the standard 33 sessions. I can't wait to get this all over with. I'm so sick of being sick! Also, anyone lucky enough to have not gained any weight during chemo? I wasn't so lucky, i gained about 10-15 lbs. ughh,.now i have to figure out how to lose it!
Leslie
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wow, the new website looks nice but it took me a bit longer than I would like to find the discussion boards! Anyway, wanted to see how everyone is doing? I'm slowly getting my energy back. just met with the radiation oncologist yesterday and looks like I will get the standard 33 sessions. I can't wait to get this all over with. I'm so sick of being sick! Also, anyone lucky enough to have not gained any weight during chemo? I wasn't so lucky, i gained about 10-15 lbs. ughh,.now i have to figure out how to lose it!
Leslie
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Leslie: I will go back to the radiation oncologist next Wednesday for a simulation and then will start the real thing probably the next week......6 to 6 1/2 weeks of treatment. I hope you can get this because I can't figure out the discussion boards......Hope you're well...I am finally feeling better from the chemo. I too have a lot of weight to lose. The rad. oncologist suggested that for preventative measures I get on a low fat diet....
Katymom
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hi katymom,
I do not like this new website setup! It's weird. Anyway, sounds like we'll be getting the same amount of radiation. Losing the weight is going to be as hard as the chemo I think! just kidding, chemo was by far worse, but I'm finding it hard to get motivated to lose the weight. It seems like everytime I weigh myself, I'm a couple of pounds more than the week before!
I go back next week tuesday for the simulation and will start the week after also, so we will be on the same schedule!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Leslie
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Hi everyone.
I am new to the boards although I have been reading this strand for weeks. I just want to thank you for all the info. I was originally diagnosed with Invasive adenocarsinoma stage IIb, ER/PR+, Her 2+, however was recently diagnosed with a 2cm lesion in my right femur, so now I am stage IV, metastatic breast cancer ER/PR+, Her 2+.
I made it through my first round of TCH and start my second round on Friday. Shaved my head yesterday. The first round wasn't so bad. Had diarrhea for the first few days. No vomiting, etc.
I am a school teacher, and missed the second and third day of school for a bone biopsy. I'm also a Pampered Chef consultant. So far I have not missed work at all (other than for the biopsy). I plan to continue to work both jobs, although I am not doing kitchen shows for The Pampered Chef-only catalog shows because I cannot guarantee I will feel well enough to do kitchen shows, and I book them a month or two in advance.
Anyway, I have found this thread to be more helpful than anything else I have read. So thank you for being so diligent in your posts. You are all such amazing women, and I feel honored to learn about your reaction to treatment and what to expect. Thank you SO much!
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welcome smax. Sorry you have to join us. Where do you live? I'm in Chicago. I found that working during chemo can be difficult sometimes, but worth it to keep me from going crazy at home! Good luck with your chemo. I think the TCH is more tolerable than the AC/T treatment alot of the women are taking. I finished my last round of TCH 3 weeks ago and now doing the herceptin alone. I had my first herceptin only dose today and I don't feel any different, so that's good. Hang in there, many women with metastatic disease have great results with TCH!
Leslie
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I am in Ohio. I have TCH every three weeks and herceptin every week. The past two weeks I had Herceptin alone and I did fine. I get a touch of diarrhea if I am lucky, other than that...nothing.
Do most people lose all their hair or most of it, or did it just thin? My hair was coming out in tufts this weekend and although I thought it was cool, my husband was grossed out by the whole thing so I let him shave my head. I didn't want to wake up with a pillow full of hair. Now I am wondering if the stubble on my head will fall out, or just start to grow. Will I patchy bald spots, or will everthing come out? Did you lose your eyebrows and eyelashes? Please give me the 411 on hairloss...I want ALL the details!
Thanks!
smax
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smax, I had the same thing happen where large amount of my hair started to fall out. I ended up buzzing my hair off but I did not shave it so in the end, I would say about 60-70% of my hair fell out, it was patchy, mainly the front fell out. Some of the hairs on the back of my head grew during chemo. I have thick eyebrows to begin with (used to have to wax almost every 3-4 weeks) and with chemo they thinned out, especially in the inside area, but easy to fill in with powder. I have pretty pathetic eyelashes to start with, and they all seem to still be there.
I also used to have to shave my armpits and legs daily, but all my leg hair went away and I've only shaved my armpits twice since starting chemo. Not to be gross, but the majority of my pubic hair also fell out (very patchy!).
talking to my oncologist, sounds like the hair loss I experienced was very similar to others getting TCH.
Leslie
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Hi smax. Sorry you had to join us but this board is a great place to get info. It has been EXTREMELY helpful to me over the last month and a half. I am 2 days away from tx #3 and thought I would share hair info. I didn't lose clumps but started losing a lot of hair right around day 15. I shaved it that weekend. Since that time, I have some hair growing back-- although it's not much. And also I have lost most of the stubble. So I have some growing and some falling out all at the same time! But it is mostly gone. I wouldn't have been able to get by without having shaved it off and I had a lot of very thick, dark hair to start with. I still have eyebrows and eyelashes but only occasionally still have to shave my arm pits or legs. membership has its "priviledges"...
Good luck with keeping up with work-- I have found that try as I might, I am just about worthless for about a week after treatment. Sitting home is depressing, but working a full day has been almost impossible for me until that 2nd week (fatigue and chemo fog). Even that 2nd week, I some times need to leave work so I can nap before the kids get home. So I hope it works out for you-- but remember not to try to over-do it. You need to stay "well" so you can fight this cancer and all the crap that chemo will try to do to you. So listen to your body and don't exhaust your strength. Angie
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Hi Smax: I have just finished TCH and I can ditto what Leslie (IWY) said as far as the hair thing. I did not lose eyebrows but my lower lashes did thin out. I still have stubble on my head but it has some bald spots. Looking forward to it growing back.. Sorry you had to join us, but this is a WONDERFUL place to get information from those who know it first-hand. Good luck!
Katymom
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Leslie: How was the simulation? I am going this morning. Somehow I am dreading the radiation so much. I guess because it was just nice to get to the end of chemo and I wish it was the end of the treatment! Oh well. What did your radiation oncologist tell you about side effects? The main thing that concerned me was that they radiate a part of the lungs and there is a small chance that we might develop lung inflammation with a cough. The other concerning thing was the chance of rib fracture later down the road. Did yours tell you these things? A friend of mine said if the burning gets too bad ask for vigilon (spelling?)...Anyway, glad we'll probably be on the same schedule. Did you have your Muga scan yet? I wasn't sure if we could get it during radiation. I also want to get the Dexa scan before I start. Hope all is going well.
Katymom
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Hi Ladies,,,,,,,,,,I havent posted in quite a while. Finished chemo on Aug. 27th. I ammmmmmm soooooooo glad. Was feeling like crap for two weeks but much better. Dont have much energy and have the watery eye thing going on,,,,,,but other than that all ok. Went to onc radiologist a week ago,,,,,,,had my ct chest scan, and now setting up a day for simulation run,,,,,,then on to radiation. Still doing the herceptin every 3 weeks till May,,,,,,,,but I figure the rest will be a piece of cake. I will be doing the Race for the Cure on Sept 23......dont think I will be able to do the whole thing but my goal is to at least do a mile. How sad,,,,,,,,,I have done 6 mile walks before and it was easy,,,,,,but my energy isnt up to normal yet. I feel so helpless in that respect. lol Lost some eyelashes after my last treatment,,,,,,,go figure it would happen towards the end. Cant wait to have my haiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrr back. Im so tired of being bald. Congrats to all that have finished chemo and on to rads or nothing. We did it girls. And to those new ones here,,,,,,,we are proof that you will get thru it. At the time going thru chemo I thought I would never feel good,,,,,,but we all do eventually,,,,,,,,we just need to be patient.
Good luck to all,,,,,,,,,,and this has been a great additional support for me, so for that I thank you all.
Cindy
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Hi everyone,
I'm also new, though posted about being sick as a dog after my first TCH tx (but not on this thread). I am one week past my 2nd tx. The drs. managed the nausea better this time with Emend. But I feel so depressed today. Hardly any energy. Got up to take a shower and feel like a mutant. I had a double mastectomy in June and have expanders in before implants. They look like two coconut halves sticking out of my chest (and feel like a giant rubber band around my chest). My head is shaved. I don't look feminine. The anti-nausea meds and Neulasta make me feel so not like myself.
Congrats to all of you who have gotten through it. Cindy, I remember reading when you started and were hoping 1x/wk tx would prevent you from losing your hair. Hope it grows back fast.
Thanks for listening.
Carolina
Stage I, IDC, right breast. DCIS left breast. ER/PR+ HER2+0 -
hey everyone. I'm having a good day. everyday I seem to get more and more of my energy back.
katymom- My radiation oncologist told me about the same side effects, and also said I might experience some fatigue the last couple of weeks of radiation. I got my MUGA and it was fine, almost the same as it was before so I got my herceptin on monday. The DEXA was also fine. I'm not certain, but I think you can get both while you are on radiation and it shouldn't affect the results. I will most likely be starting radiation not tomorrow, but next thursday. I went for the CT part when they did a chest CT and made a mold of my arms and legs to make sure that I'm in the same position everytime. next wednesday I go for the rest of the simulation and then start radiation the next day. I will keep the vigilon in mind. Have you gone for any of the simulation yet?
Cindy- so good to hear from you. It's awesome that you plan to participate in the run/walk. I know how you feel about the lack of energy. I gained 15 pounds with the chemo and for about 2 weeks after the last chemo, I could barely walk 4 blocks without feeling exhausted. Now I'm forcing myself to walk about 1 to 1.5 miles a day. nothing fast. slowly I'm getting my strength back. Last night, I was so pissed that I couldn't get a jar of salsa open, had to wait for my husband to come home! I'm so weak!
Carolina- welcome. sorry you had to join us, but glad you found this thread. throughout treatment, this thread was the only one I consistently went through. I found it extremely helpful to chat with others who were going through the exact same treatment. I know what you mean about not liking the way one looks on chemo. I gained 15 pounds during chemo, add that to being bald and bloated, and having hot flashes from the chemo and zoladex- I definately don't look normal! But we get through it. I'm almost 4 weeks out of chemo and my hair is starting to come back! For whatever reason, the second round of chemo and the 5th round, really knocked me down. If you don't like the neulasta, you could talk with your doctor about not getting it, see what he/she thinks. I didn't get any neulasta or procrit throughout all 6 rounds of TCH. My oncologist doesn't check labs in between chemo sessions, except I had my labs drawn 2 weeks after my first round for some other reason and I was profoundly neutropenic, and I still didn't have to get neulasta and it was back to normal by the next round. My understanding is that TCH makes you neutropenic for a very short time. hang in there, you will make it through- and you will feel better when it's done!
Leslie
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Hey girls,,,,,,,its me again. Yeah, Leslie,,,,,,,the no energy is such a bummer. I only gained 3 pounds starting from my first chemo to my last. But then the week after my chemo I was always so sick I lost weight,,,,,,this last time I lost 8 pounds in a week,,,so that losing weight probably helped me. At the moment I weigh less than when I first started but I need to lose 15 pounds anyway. Way before chemo, I went on the Isagenix program and lost 20 pounds,,,,,,then when diagnosed I felt sorry for myself and gained 15 of those 20 back. So my goal is to lose the 15 pounds,,,,,,,,well maybe 20. lol As soon as I am feeling more energic I will start Isagenix again. I am waiting because one day a week you have to cleanse and dont want to put my body thru that right now,,,,,,,,but soon I will. Sounds like you are doing well.........I am so glad. Has your hair started to grow back yet? I dont notice a thing,,,,,,,,I keep asking my family to look and see if they see any new hair growth,,,,,and they say noooooooo. Shoot, bummer. My doctor says sometimes it takes like 2 month for it to start coming back. OMG I am so frickin impatient. lol
Take care all
Cindy
How do we put out stats up here,,,,,,,,,like our diagnosis? They changed their site so now I'm confused,,,,,,,,doesnt take much to confuse me huh?
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hey Cindy,
I don't know how to put our stats up on the new site. Yeah, i've noticed hair growth. quit a bit lately but more in the back of the head than the front. I'm afraid that when my hair grows back, I'll have male-patterned baldness! I think it also depends on how fast your hair used to grow. I used to be the kind of person who could have a bob haircut at chin length and one year later have hair down to my midback! I've also noticed that unwanted facial hair is growing back too! that sucks!
Stay patient, one morning you will wake up and you will have hair sprouting on your head!
Leslie
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Ok Leslie,,,,,,,,,,,,,I will try to be patient,,,,,,,lol Sure is hard though,,,,,,,,I want instant results now that I am done with chemo. Funny how impatient I can be. lol
Take care,,,,,,,
Cindy
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I've been having dreams about having hair and being able to style it! I can't even imagine how long it is going to take before I have a hair style that i like. I've almost given up on my wig now because it takes forever to style (it's real hair wig). I'm counting down the days until my hair is long enough that I don't have to wear a scarf or wig!
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I hear ya Leslie,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I too am tired of wearing my wig. I only wear a hat thing when I am home with the family,,,,,,,but when I go out in public I wear my wig. I look at pictures of myself with hair and it seems like forever ago I had hair, even though its only been 4 months,,,,,,,,a long ass 4 months though. lol
Have a great weekend all.
Cindy
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Hi Everyone,
I hope this works because I had a bit of trouble navigating this new message board. I had chemo # 4 on Sept 6 and when I emerged from the yucky week after chemo, the boards had changed. It's so good to catch up with everyone's news. Congrats to everyone who finished chemo. I can't wait--2 more to go. I had a lumpectomy in May so I'll also be having radiation.
Chemo#4 was a little worse for me in the fatigue department but I think I did a bit better managing the side effects. I missed a week of work again so I am just going to count on that for the last 2 treatments.
Psychologically, I hit the wall on day 6 each time. I feel depressed, cry, say I can't do this anymore, wonder how I am gong to be able to keep working, I look so old and feeble......hate the way I look, yada, yada, yada.......same thing each time. It only lasts an hour or two and then I start to bounce back. It's funny how predictable it is. My nose sure runs when I cry.
Hair : Shaved it with an electric shaver so my head has never been smooth,but I swear some of it is growing a tiny bit. The funny thing is that I had salt and pepper hair and only the "salt" is growing so you can hardly see it. The Dr said it may or may not fall out again.
Had an echocardiogram yesterday and it was very cool to have such a nice, easy, non-invasive test. The tech was talkative and showed me the heart valves opening and closing.
My hemoglobin is really low so I am injecting Aranesp once a week to see if that helps. Too early to tell if that will make a difference.
Sorry for the long, rambling post. My brain is not quite back in gear yet.
Leslie2
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Hi ladies.
TCH #2 today. Of course it is 4:00am and I am WIDE awake. That must be the dexamethasone talking. I am so worried about fatigue.
Does anyone else here have metastatic breast cancer? If so, did anything change about your treatment once you were diagnosed?
Having no hair makes me cold all the time. I donated 10 inches of hair before I started treatment. Had a short and sassy hairdo for about 3 weeks, then shaved it. I did not bother to get a wig. Just not my thing, but I'm looking for great winter hats that are small enough for my bald head.
I am a high school teacher and wear hats and bandannas to school. Yesterday one of my students bought me an ENORMOUS pink and fuchsia and purple hat with a pink and black leopard print bill. It is hilarious and I totally wore it all day. Very itchy, but cute... for school only. I have included my students in my journey. I give them a weekly "chemo update" that includes a slide-show from my blog. Being proactive about including them has proved to be the best thing I could have done. It has stopped them from spreading rumors, and they know what to expect. It has made everything MUCH easier for me, and they are super helpful. The sympathy card has worked thus far, hopefully it will last.
I am also concerned about weight gain. I worked with a dietitian to lose weight before I was diagnosed. It may have saved my life because I was actually able to see my lump when I was 35 pounds lighter. That is how I was diagnosed. Anyway, I have gained 3 pounds since starting chemo three weeks ago, and I just want to stay a healthy weight. Everyone thinks I am crazy for even caring about my weight, they think I should be more concerned with my health and strength. Of course I am concerned with my health and strength...but it has taken me 34 years (my lifetime) to finally be successful at weight loss and I am NOT willing to ruin it! Do you think I am I crazy?
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Hi ladies. I just wanted to say hi and give an update. First I can't stand the new format!! Is it just me or is there no quick way to see which conversations have been updated? Pain in the pooper!! But I will try to get used to it as these boards have been such a help to me.
I had tx 3 yesterday and so far I am feeling OK, but I think that's the decadron doing that. I expect to hit a wall any time now.
I got some GREAT news from the onc yesterday. She did an exam and said that she couldn't even feel a lump at all anymore. Now, I had a tumor over 7cm when this all started. So while I have giant boobs and there's a chance it's still in there... small and hiding, I was just thrilled. She is a trained professional, after all. So my bilateral mastectomy and sentinal node biopsy should be coming up at the end of October. i will start freaking out about that as the time approaches. But until then, i am thinking how great it will be not to have these huge, cancerous boobies anymore!!
Of course I am still awaiting BRCA1 and BRCA2 tests, so there's a chance for this to turn sour again later, but again... why worry about that yet?
Anyway, take care all. And thanks for sharing here on the boards. It has been such a huge help to me. Both informational to read people's real experiences and cathartic to post. Thanks all & be well. Angie
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Hi everyone,
11 days after treatment #4 and I feel pretty good as long as I stay out of the heat. I'm really happy about the posibility of 10 more good days before #5.
chemomom: what great news.My onc says this TCH works and you are proof.
smax: I didn't want to know my stage but I overheard my surgeon mention 3a. Then, a CT showed lots of small nodules in my lungs which may or may not be cancer. I didn't want to delay starting chemo by having a lung biopsy so I still don't know. The presence of the nodules disquallified me from participating in a clinical trail. I was disappointed in that but the next week I was running errands at work and met a woman who had been stage IV BC in 2001. I don't know her details because we were both rushing at the end of the day but we have the same onc. She still sees him every 4 months but she is fine and not on any treatment. She said that during chemo,she took days off of work when she didn't feel well but she was glad to keep working and it kept her mind off of cancer. It gave me a lot of hope. The numbers and statistics aren't helpful for me.
I lose weight the fist week--8 lbs--because I can't eat much. Then I gain it back during the next 2 weeks. I can't seem to eat healthy and crave carbs especially the sweet or salty ones. I lost 30 lbs 5 years ago and have been able to keep it off with healthy eating. As soon as this chemo is over, it's back to good ole healthy eating. Although I have't gained weight yet, I feel and look flabby. In my mind, it's only a temporary condition.
I think I have just come through the "deer in the headlights" phase and I am starting to look forward and make plans. It feels good.
Leslie2
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Leslie: Do you know anything about lupron? Or does anyone else? My doctor is going to give me a shot of lupron once every 3 months for a year to be sure that I do not have anymore periods so that I can take femara.......Any info? I just hate adding more drugs!
Thanks,
Katymom
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