Anyone on just Taxotere and Cytoxan?
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Wish I had some advice on the veins-mine are awful. I had a port which made it easier, but 5 days after my last chemo my port catheter got infected (cellulitis) had 11 days of IV antibiotics and then 12 days of oral Keflex- then I developed an allergic rash to the Keflex. Thankfully, by that time the infection was gone. Because of the infection, when they took out my port (2 days after the infection started) they had to leave the incision open so I had to pack it with an antifungal material every other day until healed. I just got the all clear last week. That whole experience was worse than the chemo itself. It set me back 2 months on getting my TE filled. I have heard Taxotere can be hard on the veins defintely talk to your onc about that! Make sure to check out the threads about pre-chemo checklists under the Chemo thread!
I stocked up on Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash, immodium and stool softener (never know how it is going to affect you). If you will be getting Neulasta or Neupogen shots after each chemo, you might to get some advil/aleeve( may not be a good idea if you are still on a blood thinner) or Claritin helped me with bone pain from Neulasta. Please keep us posted!!
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Hi AnaM,
My onc did not recommend a port for me when I had the TC X 4 because it was only 4 rounds. I went with the recommendations and my veins were ok. There was some affect on them but during the last infusion they used the vein right at my elbow which is usually reserved for blood draws. I felt fine without a port. Even when they said I had smaller veins which is typical of fair skinned (freckled) people.
Sharon
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AnaM: I had TC x 4, finished Jan 31st, and I did not have a port. Feel free to pm me or just look at everything I've posted over the last 3 months. I didn't have a bad time with it at all and never had a problem with my vein.0
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Hi ladies, I am a little over 3 months post chemo and am doing well. The TC went well for me I am happy to report...had all the standard side effects....mostly minor things. The biggest thing was losing my hair but it is coming in nicely now thank goodness! AnaM, I did have a port but prior to that I was told by several nurses to always drink lots of water before getting an IV or blood draw because it plumps up your veins. Best of luck to you. Hugs, Dawn
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AnaM: I had TC x 4 and did not have a port. The oncologist said that she would give me one if I really wanted one, but she did not recommend it. I was a little nervous because my veins are very hard to find, but I had no problems whatsoever. They just inserted the IV for my prechemo-bloodwork and left it in for the chemo.0
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Same here...TCx4...last one January13th. No port, no real issues with veins, I did get an itchy rash after #2...but nothing more and didn't change chemo in any way. I was also told to OVER hydrate two days before so my veins would "pump" up. I also had double MX and nodes taken on both sides and no issues. Feel free to PM me if I missed anything.
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Ladies, you are THE BEST....thanks so much for all these encouraging messages.. Incredible what some optimism and positive feedback can do to lower anxiety and stress levels. I will hyper hydrate for 2 days prior, then. And I will definitely get the Biotene products as I have seen several women here recommending them. Thank you again.
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AnaM-I had 6 rounds of T/C and did not have a port. I had no problems with them finding a vein. One tip I learned (along with drinking plenty of water to pump of the veins) is to make sure the arm they use is warm before they poke you. If your arm is cold, the veins constrict. You will do just great! Come back and ask us if you have questions...we can help and we are here for you!
God bless!
Tori
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I did have a port so i cannot address that issue. But i do want to share that I was very very afraid before my chemo and it was not as bad as i thought it would be. There are lots of side effects to read about on this site keep in mind that this does not mean you will get these things. Most people handle TCx4 very well. Don't read too much about the side effects for people getting stronger or more tx you will not likely have their issues.
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Thanks for the words of encouragement. I'm starting 4 rounds of TC on 3/17. I have some Biotene products and will plan to get some of the vitamins that have been listed as well. My PS told me to take a multi-vitamin and 500 mg of vit C, so I am already doing that.
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I started 4 rounds of Taxotere and Cytoxan on March 28, 2011. Day 1-3 were pretty uneventful and I felt okay, but by day 4, I started with flu-like symptoms. I had a Neulasta injection on day 2, and for me, that injection was worse than the chemo in that it was extremely painful. Its hard for me to describe it, but Ihad random knife-like pains in different areas of my body such as my thighs (femur bones), chest (sternum) and groin (pelvic bones). Those pains lasted for a good week. I am now on day 13, and have developed a weird symptoms that I am not sure is related to the chemotherapy drugs or not.....I have a very hoarse voice without any other symptoms. My hair has started coming out in handfuls, but I have very thick hair, so I am undecided as to whether I will shave it all off or not. I did have it cut very short prior to my first chemo treatment to try and minimize the traumatic effects of going bald. I wish everyone going through this treatment the very best.
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ssuszka64 - I have had 2 of the 4 scheduled Taxotere/Cytoxan treatments. I have not had an easy time with either one and expect the remaining 2 will follow suit. I have been given medication for nausea (Zofran pills) and Tylenol PM as a sleeping aid. However, the yucky feeling is with me all day every day for 8-9 days after chemo so I try to sleep as much as I can and keep my mind distracted during this period. I take Neupogen shots 6 days after each treatment. Those shots are KILLERS. I experience horrible bone pain in my lower back that requires doubling up on the Tylenol PM....I DO have oxycodone at hand but prefer not to take it unless absolutely necessary.
I, too, wish you and ALL of us here a successful completion of our chemo regimes. Best of all, may we NEVER recurr.
Ana Maria
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I'm 10 weeks pfc today and ladies, there is light at the end of the tunnel so hang in there. My hair was almost to my hips before cancer... lost all of it during TC. Yesterday, I made my debut with my new hair to church. I probably have a good 1/2 inch now. The yucky feeling will eventually go away.. you will regain your energy slowly.. most SE's will go away after treatment over time. The sun really does shine again and you CAN do this!
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I had to post this... so I'm now 12 weeks pfc. I had 4 rounds of TC. I've noticed the past few days my finger nails looked really funny, at least a couple of them. Well today I was messing with them, and held them up to the light a certain way to look under the nail and, low and behold, the reason they look funny is because they are lifting from the nail bed! They're not attached in certain places. This is so weird. They weren't like this until recently. I have a line partway down the nail where you can see part is a light color (healthy) and part is darker looking (Taxotere). This lifting of the nail bed is just the weirdest looking thing! So far, it doesn't hurt... Just thought I'd share this bit of info 12 weeks pfc on the nails. That taxotere can leave some wicked side effects!
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cc4npg I am 20 weeks PFC. I had some weird peeling under my nails that happend at about 12 weeks. It is all growing out now and the new nail is healthy.0
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Ok... so several of my nails are starting to do this weird lifting thing now, and it's starting to hurt just a little. What do you do for the lifting? Just trim them down as short as possible? I'm afraid I'm going to snag one and rip the nail off, which will hurt because half of it is attached and healthy.
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I did not have any lifting so can't help you there but you might want to see a dermotologist to get some relief.
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About your nails its been 3 years and my nails are just starting to get better but they are not like they were before and 2 of them still show black marks on them 3 years later I was told to use Tree Oil its the Taxatore that kills our nails and hair for some of us. I remeber my nails lifting and had a smell to them gross but tree oil seemed to help I should use it again.
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My nails got weird about 3 weeks after final chemo - they felt (still feel) as if they are not quite connected to my nail bed - the cosmetic s/e is that they are an opaque white color at the upper half - I did not develop the "darkening" of the nail bed that was predicted by my onc. - my solution is to keep them very short, as they are oddly sensitive - for example, I can't pick up an item from a flat surface, typing feels strange, and reaching into my purse to find my keys is still a mildly scary prospect...interesting that this only happened to my fingernails, and not my toenails, although I did experience some bizarre peeling on my feet.....I continued to keep my monthly pedi appts. throughout chemo, the only modification being that No Sharp Instruments may be used...
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Hi, I am new here and starting chemo next week on Thursday October 20 (T/C 4 cycles). I wanted to know how many of you did not take neulasta shot and did fine. I am more afraid of that shot that chemo.
Thanks!
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Hi,
I would like help with one more thing. My oncologist said that I should take 4 mg for steroid (deca...) in the morning and evening before chemo. THen 4 mg on the day of chemo in the morning and evening and then 4 mg the day after morning and evening. Then I can just take allegra/claritin for 7 days. However, the onc. nurse suggested taking the steroid for 5 days instead of 3 (in other words, she suggested I continue for 2 more days in addition to what the doctor said). What is your thought on that? Also they told me to take the nausea medicine zofran (?) starting the evening of chemo and then for 2 more days morning and evening. Is this what you did?
Thanks for your help.
Thanks
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Susmita please ask your doctor again about the time of the deca steriod I was told never to take it in the evening as it will keep you up it was like I wanted to paint the house at night as it was please talk to them about this.
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Also the only time the nulesta shot bothered me was the first week I got pains in my chest a few days after it and they gave me pain pills which helped with that so I was ok after that they should tell you the spots it might give you pain but it was fine because I knew what to expect just keep asking answers that is what they are there for and there is NO STUPID question one doctor told me I asked a stupid question years ago when I misscarried and I never went back to him ..the nausta meds are great I had a dad who had chemo many years ago without this meds and he was so ill so take it and I was even able to work a full time job. I had as each chemo came one bad day I could not work just from feeling like rubber not sick just was not safe to drive and work and that was usually a MOnday after chemo on Thursday. Good luck Not to scare you but I belong unfortunatly to a group who took this chemo and we have not got our hair back its very sprarse and have to wear pieces after 3 years and up to 8 years ago ask them about the hair thing and they can guarntee your return of hair that is great but we didnt even know there was a problem with this chemo. I live in MO but its all over the US and Europe etc
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Susmita: My MO did not immediately start me on neulasta shots and after the first round of TC, my white blood cell counts were all right. After the seconed round, however, they were low and I needed neaulasta after the third and fourth rounds. I took claritan the day of the shots and the day after. I felt somewhat achy for a few days after the first shot, especially in my thighs and I ran a low grade fever for two days. The next time I had neulasta, I was fine.
I did not have to take oral steroids during chemo, but I hope you will do well with those whatever regimen you use.
I was worried about permanent hair loss, too, but my hair is growing back. I am four months PFC and my hair is very short, but it is filling in nicely.
Best of luck to you.
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Susmita--I had 6 treatments of T/C starting in Sept of 2010 and ending in January 2011. I too, was very nervous about the nuelasta shot as well, but I did not have to have a neulasta shot once. My WBC went down as the treaments went on, but I never got below the "point of no return" so to say, that I had to have it. Everyone is different though....if you have to have it, there are many things you can do to help you with SEs....
I took oral steroids the day before chemo, the day of, and the day after as well. I would definitely consult with your MO about taking anymore like the onc nurse suggested.
We are here for you!
God speed!
Tori
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Thank you all for your advice and support.
ToriGirl, I was wondering when you went for the blood count if you did not take neulasta? I know they give you right before chemo but did you have several in between or just one? Which day was it? Which day is the white blood count lowest?
Thanks.
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I was very afraid of the neulasta shot but I did not have any side effects from it.
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Susmita,
I went for a blood count test 10 days after each treatment, and treatments were 21 days apart. If I remember correctly, it's about 10 days after treatment when your counts are the lowest.
I also had another blood test right before each treatment.
God speed!
Tori
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Hi Everyone,
Just popped in to give you all support and info from my experience. Just finished TCX4 and did fine. My side effects were hair loss, bone pain (for 2-4 days) from the neulasta shot. Before I took the shot, I would take Aleve and Claritin and that helped a whole lot. I just felt more like I was coming down with the flu. The day after each TC I would feel great and then the 2nd to 7th day I would be tired but was still able to do my daily activities --- just slowly. I did not feel like exercising and exercise is key in helping with the bone pain. Drinking lots and lots and lots of water really helped as well. The 3rd and 4th regimen of TC brought on some GI issues. I had lots and lots of gas. They are just subsiding a bit now.
I do wish everyone the best. Drink lots and lots of water and try to exercise. I was so anxious before I started chemo, but looking back, I realize it was not so bad and I was blessed. Now its onto radiation.
HUGS to all you warriors. Hang in there!!!
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Any triple negative ladies have this regime?0
