Anyone on just Taxotere and Cytoxan?
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So today the 1st treatment went well with no issues. I checked in at 8am. Got my PICC dressing changed and checked. Watched a video. My chemo was for 9:30am but I didn't get called in until 10:15. The nurse started the taxotere infusion at 10:45 They provided ice bags for fingers and toes and I sucked on ice. The cytoxan infusion started at 12:45 and everything ended at 2:00.
Nervous about jabbing myself with the Neulasta shot tomorrow plus all the side effects to follow.
Thanks again for all the advice.
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sling: Lots and lots and lots of water. So that you slosh when you walk
Generally, the first tx takes the longest because they are going slowly to check for reactions. I would take something along with the claritin for the neulasta shot--advil, tylenol. Have some heartburn otc meds on hand, too, just in case. Hoping your next few days have minimal SEs.0 -
Brenda,
I'm Brenda too! How are the eye lashes??? Mine are longer and fuller than ever. I am in the double blind study too so right now I don't know if I am getting the medicine or the placebo. In 2 months I will transition to the Latisse for 6 months. My arm and fingers are still tingling and numb so the Dr. said to take a month holiday. Turns out my heel was broken (for 4 months) and thus the pain and swelling. I have been in a'boot' for 2 weeks and no running for 3 weeks. I had a huge lymphatic chord in the arm that is numb so maybe it is related to that! The area affected then and now is the same. I'm looking forward to the holiday!!!! Take care and God Bless. Brenda
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This Friday is round three. The hair on my head and legs is gone but I still have rocking eyelashes and eyebrows that I play up every chance I get. I think the steroids are the worst part for me. The two days after I stop taking them I can't sleep and my stomach hurts but I think that is from hunger as I refuse to add any more food to my diet. Then I am back to normal. Had a bachelorette party for a girlfriend of mine the next Fri after round two and was out dancing until 3 am. (and they thought they were going to use me as an excuse to go home early!) I went back to hot yoga this weekend and am going to hit spin class today. Since I am feeling well I am going to take advantage of it all that I can and get myself back into a workout routine. I hope everyone has a great weekend.
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One month after final chemo (5/19/2010). I have two full-length, original eyebrows on my left eye and perhaps 3 on my right. However, there are many baby eyebrows out - not enough to make it look like I have eyebrows, but certainly promising. I've kept most of my upper lashes but lost most of the lower ones. Strange indeed.
There is a layer of color now on my head, but not enough filled in yet. Guess it'll just take its time. I'm not using anything to boost hair growth, so however long it'll take, it will take that long.
Rads start tomorrow. I'll start tamoxifen after rads - last rads August 4th.
Hope everyone had a good weekend and, if you celebrated Father's Day, hope it was good, too!
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Brenda, lol! We're both named Brenda and we're both in the eyelash study. What a funny coincidence! Today I noticed that my eyelashes have never been this long, though not as curly as before. How are yours?
Sherri: I don't know which pic you were referring to. I may have changed it without seeing your comment. The one with the blue background was photoshopped! I took out the dinner table and plates. I even took out part of someone else's body.
To those starting TC I agree with water, water, water! I did not do the ice, and I had a white tongue (yuck) and metallic taste. My nails ended up with black and brown stripes (which have completely grown out, thank goodness). Don't be surprised if your side effects linger, or if you get new ones months after chemo. They will most likely go away, eventually.
Brenda
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My brows held up through most of the treatment time (I had a total of 6), but by #5 they were definitely thinning. The thinning continued after the last chemo, but there was always new growth. It's just the new growth were so short they are not very obvious.
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Brenda - I was commenting on the one with the bkue background. This one is nice, too.
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Sherri: How much hair do you have? Have you gone topless yet?
My family wants me to stop wearing my wigs. What do they know? I only have about an inch, and I don't think it's as thick as before. It feels like baby's hair.
I may be posting on the wrong thread...
Brenda
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Hi Brenda,Yes, I stopped wearing my wig officially of Friday, May 7th....seven weeks ago today. I posted my photo on the Hair, Hair, Hair thread a few days later. See this link on Page 174. It's grown a bunch since then and I had it cut again last Thursday. It's about 1.5 - 2 inches on top and it's now got a wave that hadn't started yet on the photo I posted.Page 1740
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Sherri,
You have the perfect face for short hair!!! You are lucky!
Brenda
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Brenda - thanks. I've never ever had short hair before so this is all new to me. It's so easy and I'm going to keep it short...just not this short!
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Sherri, please post another photo. I'd love to see how your hair is growing. Deb
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Deb - Okay, I'll get my DH to take a photo and I'll post on Sunday. He's my technical expert and he's away right now.
Sherri
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I had a different Decadron dosing before round 1 TC 2 days before chemo and then IV premed, and then last dose that evening. A lot of my SE's--pustulent acne, facial flushing with edema, rapid heartbeat, the onc thought might be due to the Decadron, so this cycle, we went to the standard day before, day of, and day after, plus he halved the dose (4mg am and 4mg pm).
Wouldn't you know, I had an infusion reaction: nausea, spots before my eyes, facial flushing, chest tightness, BP soared to 180/something. I asked the MD not to add more Decadron before we re-tried the infusion, and so we just did benadryl and pepcid and started up slowly...and I was FINE. Today is day #2, a much different day 2 from cycle one. Feel tired, but almost normal. Of course, every day has its own story, but i think maybe we're on the right track.
Perhaps there are some people who don't lose their hair when on TC, and I just might be one of them, or else the cold caps are working...Day 23 with a full head of hair...The cold caps are a major hassle, but the distraction of the every half hour frozen cap change sure makes the long chemo day go fast...
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Hi Ladies,
I am on TC and I'm not happy. The first treatment went ok, except I couldn't pee for 12 hours starting 2 hours after treatment. Other than that mild side-effects. My second treatment was today, except we only got the Taxotere done as at full speed I started to have an allergic reaction (so we lost lots of time pushing benedryl (twice) and waiting and finally they pushed it at 50% speed (which I asked for in the first place as I had no problems last time at that speed (grrrr)). Then, since I mentioned getting a mild sore throat last time during the C infusion at 50% speed, and now it's 4.30, they say come back for the C tomorrow. Will this be effective? I thought the C had to be present to keep the T from just passing on through your body? Anyone know if this is really admissible?
I am thinking of asking to switch to CMF. My onc didn't even want to discuss it, but I'm only stage 1 grade 1, negative nodes. I wasn't even going to have chemo, then my Oncotype was 33! I'm only mildly ER+, and PR-, HER2Neu -, so hormones won't help me much. I have pathology from Oncotype, lumpectomy surgery, Mayo Clinic 2nd opinion, and original biopsy, all concur on grading, so I wonder if CMF wouldn't be better for me if it's slow growing? I do have a ki-67 of 22%, which i believe is highish, though I've seen much higher numbers on here.
I would like to hear from others who may have similar experiences with TC reactions and what they did. Anyone had their C delayed to next day, or know the ramifications of that? Also thoughts on CMF.
thanks, Julia
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Hi Julia,
I had reactions to the Taxotere for my first 3 chemos - even though they gave me extra premeds the 2nd and 3rd time. Every time, once they stopped the drip, gave me meds to calm down and restarted (at same speed) i was fine. My onc was going to change my regime for my 4th (and last) one but I refused to change (lots of reasons). Funnily enough my last one - no reaction!! This was even though they didn't give me any extra pre-meds this time - the change: THe nurse began it slowly and gradually increased the speed in incrememts (didn't take much longer than usual either maybe an hour as opposed to about 40 mins?). I was surprised they hadn't tried this any sooner (I presumed they had as I've read about slow infusions on here plenty of times - lesson learnt never presume!).
Sorry can't help with your other questions. But good luck.
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Hi all,
I'm new here, and wish I joined when I was first diagnosed. This place is a wealth of information! Well, this Tuesday I will have my first chemo and I'm scared to death! Reading these posts have given me some kind of idea as to what to expect, but still I feel clueless. Part of me wants to say "no" to chemo and radiation, and just do the hormonal therapy. I don't know if the long-term side effects are worth it. I worry about organ damage, but my onc has assured me the Taxo/Cyto is not bad as far as those kind of SE. I'm supposed to have 4x over 12 weeks, I'm dreading the 1st reaction the 1st time - what will it be? Do y'all have someone with you the whole time or do you just sit there and read?
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Heartandsoul, so many people do really well on TC, I wouldn't be too concerned. I'm on it. I feel like I've got the flu after first treatment, but I'm fine, can move, and am taking great care of myself. Some of the other women have had no SEs.
Some women have allergies to T, and it has to go slower. If you are like me, and you don't, it's cake. I sat there with my hubby, drank a ton of water, checked emails, and was done 4 hours later. No biggie, seriously. Treatment day is really pretty simple.
Regarding radiation, that is the one indisputable tool for keeping BC from coming back locally. It is vetted, tested, and accurate. On the other hand, hormones only work in some, are questionable in terms of efficacy, long-term SEs, etc. I think people tend to feel differently about the pills because they seem less invasive, but they aren't. My point is only that there aren't exact answers, and there needs to be major improvement on all treatments.
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Heartandsoul,
I finished my chemo in April. The first round wasn't too bad. My DH stayed with me the whole time and I was very frightened, but the nurses are awesome. My only side effects were from the nuelesta, and I figured out that advil and valium worked wonders for this. By my 4th treatment I was driving myself to chemo, surfing the internet and chatting with other cancer patients. I did end up with a few side effects such as mouth sores and chemo brain but nothing drastic. Call your onc for any questions. They expect this and someone will get back to you quickly for any symptoms. Good luck honey and write back here to let us know how you did.
As for reading - I don't know about anyone else but I couldn't read. My brain wouldn't focus and I was an avid reader - read a couple books a week. I still am having a hard time getting back to it. I've read 2 books since January. One on breast reconstruction and another by Jane Green called Promises to Keep. I don't recommend the second one as I cried through the whole thing.
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MHP & Claire,
Thank you so much for your responses! I think I'm getting too worked up over something I know nothing about. I was always calm, cool and collected in bad situations (I was the go-to guy!), but something about this BC has me freaking out. I practically fainted before the biopsy, and I haven't done that since I was 10 years old! I don't know, I've got to calm down, find my yoga tapes STAT! MHP, thanks for mentioning that about the radiation - I was about to chicken out of it if I could even though I loved my radiation oncologist! I need to keep reminding myself of all the GOOD things about these treatments, and quit focusing on the bad. Claire, I was reading about the mouth sores yesterday, and I woke up with one under my tongue this morning! Good grief - I think I've managed to stress myself out to the point I'm going to develop the side effects early - LOL! It makes me so sad to imagine not reading, but I'm pretty good at sitting in front of the TV like a vegetable when I don't feel good, so I can probably deal with it for a while...I cry at commercials so I better not read "Promises to Keep" anyway. Okay, time for me to stop hyper-ventilating over this - my son wants me to play Rock Band with him, and I'm the drummer, so off I go to get my mind of this subject. (although these threads are SO interesting and kind of addictive!)
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Hi everyone,
I have another question about the Taxotere & Cytoxan treatment. Some have written about keeping your toenails and fingernails cooled off with ice water, gel packs, etc. I was wondering if you do that during the Tax infusion or the Cyto infusion? Or both? If my stuff melts, which I suspect it will, and you could only ice yourself during one, which drug would you use it with? I asked the nurse about it (during one of my rare opportunities to ask questions) and she said, "Oh, that doesn't work." Well, to me, if it might, then it's worth trying.
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At my hospital, the nurses were the ones who suggested the ice for fingers and toes and they kept the bags refilled - so they would bring new ones whenever the others melted. It made a big difference and I didn't lose any nails. I was very appreciative of the efforts made by the nurses.
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heartandsoul - similar to hrf's experience, the nurses at my hospital put ice on my finger and toe nails. They used the little plastic biohazard bags and filled them with ice chips from the ice machine. Then they were placed on top of my nails during the entire Taxotere infusion. They were removed for Cytoxan. I'm please to say that my nails were fine and didn't change colour or fall off. I met a couple of ladies at a bc support group who had Taxotere around the same time as me with no ice and they had problems with their nails, particularly their toes. I would highly suggest it.
Sherri
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heartandsoul--I hope your nurse is open to some education. Here is a study about the effectiveness during Taxotere infusion of a frozen gel glove placed on one hand but not the other.
http://professional.cancerconsultants.com/oncology_supportive_care_news.aspx?id=3461
I used bags of frozen small vegetables. Peas. Corn would be good too. Laid them across my toenals and dug my fingernails into them.
Good luck to you!
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heart&soul: I am sending positive thoughts your way as you go thru your first tx. If you are like most of us, tx day is not bad (of course, allergic reactions are something altogether different). My DH went along and worked on his laptop while I looked at magazines. Don't feel you have to sit on the couch once you are home or stay away from people, just those who are sick. Getting up and moving around is great for your digestive tract. And you can also move around during infusion, if you want/need.
I wasn't able to read for awhile, either. Eyes were blurry, concentration nill. My memory's still shot.
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RE allergic reactions
I wish I'd known to tell the nurses to slow the drip down after I reacted the first time. I reacted to my first 3 even with extra premeds the second and third time. THey were going to switch me for my last one but I said no for various reasons. But the nurse started it off slowly and gradually increased it and I was fine (with no extra premeds mind you!). My GP explained that The reaction is not a true 'allergic' reaction most of the time - it's just your body reacting to the stuff going into your body. If you react get them to try it slowly and hopefully you'll be fine!
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DancerMel28 - I see you are also triple negative. You might want to visit the thread entitled:" Calling all TNS." It's a great thread and there you'll find lots of support and a great bunch of ladies there.
Sherri
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Thank you, everyone, for the positive thoughts and your answers! I made it through and it wasn't nearly as bad as my imagination made it out to be. I tried every way to improvise with the icing of my fingers and toes. I did bring bags of peas to lay on top of my toenails and then my nurse - not the rude one (more on that later) - gave me a container with water and ice for my hands and set it on a pillow on my lap. One of the older women in there joked, "Hey, that's not fair! She's getting preferential treatment!". With my fingers soaking like Marge the Manicurist and my toes draped in bags of peas, I'm sure I made quite the picture! Now I wish I took one - all I was missing was a tiara! But the nurse that told me "Oh, that doesn't work!", walked in and shouted out "I haven't seen that in years!" I couldn't tell who said it, because she was standing in a group of nurses, but I just replied, "Well, if it might save my toenails, it's worth a try." Another nurse laughed, and said, "Well, that's for sure." My son later pointed out to me that it was the same nurse - Kristin. Haha, thanks for that link, ordinarymammal. On my last day - I'm too chicken to do it before I'm through! - I'm going to hand it to someone and say, "Could you please give this to Kristen, and tell her it's from Lynn." Oh, yeah, she needs to expand her horizons somewhat. So happy I've got one down, and just 3 to go, then on to radiation and AI for 5 years. Definitely a long and tough row to hoe, but we always seem to be able to do it. ((HUGS)) to you all!
Lynn
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Hey Heartnsoul, One of my nurses also told me that icing my fingers and toes wouldn't work, although she did recommend chewing ice chips, and provided those (go figure). I am persevering, my DH is willing to help me, and they are my nails, so it's up to me. I am most likely changing oncologists this week due to my dissatisfaction with the nursing staff at the current oncologists. Since my last infusion went so poorly, and what happened was entirely preventable, I've just decided I'm not putting up with anymore crap!
Julia
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