Anyone on just Taxotere and Cytoxan?
Comments
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Debbiem -- I had my last treatment postponed due to a rise in my liver enzymes. I don't think they like to postpone them, especially as more evidence for increased effectiveness of dose dense tx comes in, but sometimes, what are you going to do? Better than not having it at all I figure. Mine was postponed a whole week, I know a number of women have had them moved a few days.
SueK -- I've got a high school graduation to attend tomorrow! My middle D. I had my final treatment on Tuesday, so I'm hoping the decadron will carry me through one more day. It's outside in the heat at 5:30pm, so I'm just going to have to play it by ear. If I start to wilt too much I'll have to bail
. Fortunately D is pretty understanding, and her class has nearly 900 students so she knows it will be a zoo. But I would like to be there.0 -
RNKaren: good to learn things are better this evening. I understand the rationale about working your weekend shift - so don't be shy about using your FML during the week.
Tomorrow is treatment #3 for me. Can't say I'm looking forward to it but I'm glad to be halfway done, can begin to color in the 3rd quarter of the pie chart I visualize, each 4th representing a chemo cycle. Cyle #2 two was easier than #1 and I am praying for a repeat for #3.
The weather here will be iffy Thursday so I'll be taking a dip in the indoor pool.
See you on the flip side!
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Hi everyone. Today is TX #2. About this time next week, I'll be able to say that I'm half way done! I feel good and am well hydrated -- hoping everything goes smoothly. Thanks Karen for your comments on the Neulasta shot. I'm going to ask the Dr today if the dosage can be adjusted. Bone pain last time was very intense. It would be nice to knock it down a notch without adding pain killers to the mix of meds.
Do you start rads immediately after chemo? Haven't even met with a rad onco yet. Just wondering when I should start making plans for the next step.
Hope everyone has a peaceful day!
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ggrose: here's wishing you a smooth dip in the pool. Hope your chair is comfy and you life guards just who you need.
I'm 1/2 way done with 2/4 completed and headed in this morning for number 3.
Robin
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I am off to TC#2 tomorrow. Hair started "thinning" (Ha!) Tuesday.
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Beergirl, so they're not makin' you do this on Saturdays anymore?
(BTW, I was reading about Cancer Treatment Centers of America for a post on another thread, and they boast that their infusion centers are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for the convenience of the patient. Gee, just what I want to do at 1 a.m. on a Saturday morning, huh?)
I hear ya about the thinning hair. Today, day 9 of my 4th round of TC, I am actually losing some more hair--as if there is any more left to lose. Maybe I'll be 'round the bend soon and it will start coming back. Still time to post a pic, though, if I can gather up the courage to take one.
otter
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Otter,No more Saturday chemo. That first one was because it was on a holiday weekend and they were booked up at the chemo bar for Thursday and Friday. Onc did not want to wait until Tuesday of next week - too much time lapse due to slow oncotype test results.
I can't imagine doing chemo in the middle of the night, but maybe it would be good for someone working 3 - 11 shifts.
I didn't think losing hair would bother me, but I dread trying to comb it after shampoo now. I shampoo every morning (for years) - real necessity now due to all the hot flashes during the night.
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I was fascinated by the hair pulling out, in a perverse sort of way. I cut mine pretty short--above chin length--so it wouldn't tangle so easily. It still came out in cat-sized bundles with each morning's shower. Then several times a day I would run my fingers through it, just to watch what would happen. It was so weird...
OK, we need reports from Robin K, ggrose, BBLady, and anyone else who is reading the TC thread and had chemo today (or earlier this week!). And, revkat, we want a report on dd's graduation. Did you make it, or did you melt?
otter
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Um, paging sandym and Kfalls! PAGING SANDYM AND KFALLS!
I just want to tap your collective memories. This is day 9 of my last (4th) cycle of TC, which I've been getting through veins in the back of my right hand. I have been bragging about how well that has gone, with no i.v. cath problems, no leakage, no redness or pain. I even said that my right hand looks like nothing has been done to it.
Well, cancel that news. There is still no pain or redness at the actual i.v. cath insertion sites, including the place where they put the cath in the back of my hand last week. But, about 2 inches "downstream" (toward my wrist) from that last i.v. cath site, there is a red line following along in the skin over that same vein. There is another, narrower red line over a smaller vein that runs perpendicular to the main one they used last week. Coincidentally, the smaller vein empties into the bigger vein that was used for the i.v. Both of these red lines appeared today, after no signs of a problem for a whole week.
One thing I remember happening during my last infusion was that the nurse used the same vein that had been used for the tx 3 wks earlier. The other nurses liked to alternate veins, to let them "rest"; but this nurse really preferred one over the others. The stick was good, there was no pain or leakage that I was aware of, etc. But, about 10 minutes into my infusion (heck, it was just saline at that point!), I moved my arm and my i.v. monitor started to beep. The nurse came over and said it was because I had bent my wrist sharply--the catheter was threaded into the vein almost as far as my wrist, and moving my hand just right would slow the drip rate and set off the alarm. OK, so I straightened my wrist...no more problems.
But, now I have this red line that begins right about the point where the tip of that catheter would have been. Do you suppose the tip of the catheter actually punched through the vein wall when I bent my wrist? This sure looks like phlebitis, which I had a millenium ago in the other arm after a nurse botched an i.v. cath insertion. But so far it doesn't hurt, the vein is still very pliable, and the back of my hand looks fine.
Except for that deerfly bite on my knuckle, which has swollen up the size of a dime... It's upstream and about 2 inches away from the i.v. cath site, but is on the same side of that same hand.
Boy, am I glad I am finished with chemo and won't need another i.v. cath for awhile!
otter
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Hi Otter - I think if the IV had punched through your vein during chemo you would have noticed sooner - chemo is very toxic if it "infiltrates" - i.e. slips out of the vein and chemo goes into the tissues instead of the vein. You may have an inflammation in the vein and I would let your onco know.
If the deerfly bite is on your knuckle and the red line is in your wrist - maybe the red line is caused by the deerfly bite?
Deb
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It's me, RobinK checking in.
The infusion went well, got out 1/2 hour early as the taxotere was infused over 60 minutes and not the 90 as ordered. So this evening I've experienced chest tightness, could only walk 10 minutes on the treadmill and my chest was tight and burning - pain in my arms. Not good. Have take a zyrtec and have an inhaler if I need it.
I'm feeling quite tired tonite and in general feel yucky. I intend to drug myself up with ativan at bed time and see what the morning brings.
Will check in tomorrow.
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I had Tx 2 on Monday and hit the no energy, chemo fog stage yesterday. I screwed up taking my post chemo meds due to my own confusion but did not get the nausea. I do have acid heartburn pretty bad and have been taking a lot of Tagamet since the Prevacid from the onco didn't work beyond a few hours. I got my Neulasta shot on Tuesday but no bone pain so far. I think my walks on the treadmill are helping that but last time it didn't really kick in until Day 6 so maybe it's just holding off. My hair is pretty much gone. I had my husband shave it last Saturday since I had already pulled most of it out. You're right, Otter, it's an obsessive compulsive thing to go through in a very perverse way! Have been venturing out to a few "safe" places sporting my baseball cap or a bandanna and wearing a knit cap at home. We have had OK weather temperatures here (Minnesota) but now lots of rain so the biting bugs are out in all their hungry glory. I'm afraid DH will have to do all the weeding this summer. I can't even go out for the mail without being selected by every biting insect for a sumptuous meal. I can feel the begiining of the lower GI stuff I had trouble with on Tx1 so I think the weekend will be irritating again for my IBS. I'm also having trouble seeing clearly. The computer screen is blurry and I had to rip out a lot of needlepoint I did yesterday since I found I skpped some rows when I looked at it under my magnifying light. Sigh! One more thing I guess.
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Hey Otter - My red lines started one week after treatment and got so bad I now have a pic line. They also swelled , eventally turned purple and the skin peeled on top of them. Good news is they did eventually go completely away with no scarring. They also ventured further downstream then my iv site. I bet tthat is what yours is. However, I know that they kept checking them for blood poisoning so I would definitely calll your doctor right away. The deer fly bite could have contributed to an infection.
Let me know what you find out
Karen0 -
Hey Collector - where are you in Minnesota? My brother and wife are in Apple Valley and I went to school in Eau Claire and spent a lot of time in the city looking for exciting stuff to do. My brother is sick of the rain.
Karen0 -
collector: i also had Tx 2 of 4 on monday. I really felt lousy yesterday, kept dosing off in the afternoon and having very wierd disturbing dreams. I am wondering if I felt the same way after Tx 1 but was so relieved that I wasn't nauseous that I didn't notice. I felt really spacey yesterday also. Hope today is better. I am going to a water aerobics class that I usually love and hope it will cut through some of this fatigue. Hair is gone and am getting used to it. The wig is hot and annoying and I'm playing with the idea of going out in just a cap or something.
I feel so turned inward. It is not like me to be thinking so much about myself. I need to get 'out of my head"!!!!
Almost half way there.0 -
Karen, we are west of Minneapolis, along highway 12. Last night was hard sleeping again so I just got up at 3:30, surfed the net a while and then went to the gym. I just can't do the wig! Too hot, itchy and makes me feel worse than in a cap or scarf. I, too, feel like I am totally focused on myself and am trying to turn that around. I know it's part of the upturned life and I'm trying to be a better example for my grown son who will probably have to deal with cancer in his future too. And, I feel so guilty with my husband because he really is trying to do everything right for me. He is 3 years out from Prostate cancer so has an understanding of the fear BUT he handles things very differently than I do. I can't believe how changed everything is in just 2 months!
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Hi Collector - I live in White Bear Lake - the mosquitos are horrible this year. Going outside is not very fun when you have to keep swating these blood suckers!
I couldn't do the wig either - have been wearing scarves and hats.
I think your feelings are normal. BC does turn our lives inside out very quickly and everyone on this board can relate to that. Once I started treatments and getting through them one by one it seemed to get better. It is OK to have bad days. Someone told me to allow myself bad days, to cry, feel scared, worried etc. But don't let cancer define who you are - and that really helped me put things in perspective. Cancer is part of our lives, but it is not our entire life.
I have a grown son and he has been such a blessing to me during this process. He is a lot stronger than I gave him credit for. He always reminds me - "one day at a time mom" - this is all temporary. There are days when temporary is not OK with me - but does help keep me focused.
Good luck - I hope you can find some comfort as you deal with this process.
Deb
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Thanks, Deb! Our son is a real comfort but he lives in California and I don't get to see how much support he is getting for himself! As an only child, he leans on good friends but I don't get to see that so I worry. Today I am low on real energy but have this manic desire to straighten out the cancer pile on the kitchen table and the mess of "read later" mail that has accumulated since treatment on Monday. I know I will crash soon but some activity feels good.
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collector - I would have the same concerns as you do for your son. It is very difficult when you live far away. I found that my son has spent a lot of time talking with friends - told them his fears and worries so he could stay strong for us. I am hoping your son has found the same support system.
I had those manic moments also - I was so compulsive with organizing and having everything just right so when I didn't feel good right after chemo it wouldn't bug me - thinking I could just relax. I am not good at just relaxing so I was always finding things to do even though I didn't really have the energy.
Take care
Deb
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Hi All,
Checking in. Had my first treament on Wednesday and surprisingly I feel pretty good. A tiny bit tired, a little sour stomache but other than that no complaints thus far. I hope this lasts!
Valerie
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Wow, this thread has picked up, a whole new crew of TC takers!
We lucked out with the graduation last night -- it was only 85 when it started and then a nice breeze picked up. So even though it was 3 hours in a stadium I made it and got to see dd get her diploma. Now the thing is to see if I can get radiation started in time to be done before she heads off to college!
Today is day 4 and I'm expecting to crash a bit, so nothing that I have to do on the schedule for the next few days and a huge stack of mystery novels by the bed!
My only advice for today -- be kind to yourselves!
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Hi everyone. I wanted to check in before the chemo fog starts. TX2 went according to schedule. Blood chemistry and blood count all good. SE's usually don't start until days 2 and build from there.
I'm having lunch with a friend today before the tastebuds go bad. Then it's off for Neulasta shot. I did ask if it was possible to adjust the dosage but doc prefers not to do that. I'll have to get the script filled for darvoset (sp?).
Hang in there everyone!
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Hi All, I found a pilates class that I am going to start tomorrow for cancer survivors. I have to get this body moving so I signed up. So the bad news...I am the only participant....the good news I get the class to myself. I think it would be so cool to have a class with bc survivors so I am going to help market the instructor. I have never done pilates before so wish me luck !!!!
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Six weeks post last chemo. 13 rad sessions done with 18 more ahead. Nails have light horizontal white lines that represent the chemo treatments but otherwise are healthy. For those that haven't seen it yet, think of the rings of a tree. The lines are easily hidden with a sheer pink polish. Hair is definitely growing back - top of my head, eyebrows, and armpits and legs (could do without that last two but they are growing more slowly than pre-chemo). I never was completely hairless through treatments instead had very, very short growth throughout. It is coming in evenly now, mostly dark with some gray/white which is what it was pre-BC. Time will tell what it will truly look like.
Catlover - I often told people that "every day is a surprise" as I went through chemo. You just never know for certain what the next day will bring.
RNKaren - I basically was out for the count for 2 days after each treatment (days 3/4 or 4/5 depending on the TX#) - completely exhausted, slept almost all day each day - but then went on to feel pretty good. Take each day one at a time and you'll get through this.
Ggrose - I called the rad onco two weeks before my last chemo tx to find out what I needed to be doing with him and when. I had done a consultation before surgery so he did have some history on me already. That worked relatively well as my docs wanted me to recover for at last 3 weeks after the last tx before starting rads. During the chemo recovery weeks I had an office visit with the rad onco and also had my simulation and 3 tatoos (which look like freckles) done. They took a week to do the full treatment plan after that (I think that is longer than many others have experienced). You can also talk with your med onco and see what he/she suggests.
Otter - sorry to hear about the flare up near your injection site. How's it doing?
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Jisman - how is the radiaton? Any side effects or is it a piece of cake compared to the chemo? How long after your last treatment did you feel normal? Just obsessing about the future.
Karen0 -
Aw, Jisman, the injection site thing is fine. It's not even at the injection site--it's a narrow line in the skin over the same vein, but starting about 1-1/2 inches farther "downstream" from the injection site (toward and at my wrist). There is actually less inflammation today than there was yesterday, and the line is shorter. The vein is still soft and pliable, not firm like with phlebitis. I am thinking it was just part of this dreadful skin thing I have with Taxotere. (You should see the red speckles on my hands and forearms.) The vein problem is definitely getting better.
OTOH, I am running a fever again and in another 0.3 degrees I'll have to make "the call". My temp was already higher than usual when I got up this morning, and by 10:30 it was 100.1 degrees. Crap. I don't feel so good, either--mild headache, stuffy nose, sinus drainage, lots of throad-clearing and some coughing. For me, its the same old thing (sinusitis/bronchitis) I get every allergy season; and it's the same thing the onco thought was causing my fever during cycle #3.
Of course, all this is complicated by my unusual circumstances. First, my dh went on a road trip this morning to multiple stores in a city 75 miles from here. We thought I would be fine--I figured with all this skin stuff and my sore feet, it was understandable that there would be some inflammatory mediators (prostaglandins, whatever) floating around and causing my elevated temperature. He was planning to be gone most of the day, but took his cell phone just in case.
Second, it's Saturday, so my onco's office is closed and I'll have to call the on-call onco fellow at the university hospital. That will be someone I don't know and doesn't know me, but at least the patient records are computerized and accessible.
Third, and worst, the university hospital is a 2-hour drive from my home. So if they make me go up there to get checked out in the ER, it will be a 4-hour round-trip plus however much time it takes in the ER. I figure unless I take a really hot bath and start drinking coffee before each temperature check, my temp won't reach the magic number until this evening. That, of course, means an all-night trip. And we all know what they'll do: they'll just give me a script for oral antibiotics. Crap.
I'm sorry--all my mind can generate right now are nuisance scenarios. I can't believe this is something serious, like pneumonia or septicemia; because I did get a Neulasta shot. (See, I can be an optimist.) What I'm imagining are just a bunch of hassles that I know are manageable.
Really, though, I do want to be able to move on. Please?
otter
[Edited to add: my temp just hit 100.4. Crap crap crap.]
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Hi all .. I have a question for everyone. With TC 1, I had the itching on my hands, legs and underarms. I used the carmyl 10 lotion they suggested and it helped. It only lasted for about 10 days, it took about 5 days to get the lotion, so I'm sure it would have stopped sooner if I had had the lotion. With #2, same thing, only it lasted for about half the time. With #3, pretty much the same. All through it I didn't have any or minimal redness. With the final #4 though, my left hand turned red from the middle finger over to the far side of the thumb. It looked like I had burned it in oil or something and was very painful to touch. It was only slightly itchy and lasted for about a week, maybe a couple of days longer. The redness has disapated, but it is still discolored and now the darn thing is itchy. Earlier in the week, my right hand and wrist had it in a couple of places, but it wasn't painful. I called onco on Monday am, he seemed stumped and told me to monitor it. I wasn't happy about "monitor it and if it gets worse, give me a call", I mean I called so obviously it painful. Either way, its better now, but I was wondering if anyone else had experienced this?
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Otter .. I hear you on the drive and the wait, its a real nuisance. I hope the number stays below the "magic" number and you feel better soon...
Hey and if you get brave enough to post a picture, I will too .. I haven't taken any as of yet. I was going to take one and send it to Nik (21 yr old son in Iraq), but he informed me he didn't want a confirmed image of his mother with no hair. I can respect that, I guess. I'm 11 days out from the 4th and final tx .. have a "crop of peach fuzz" cultivating on my head .. nothing new has fallen out for quite a while. And, I shared the fascination with pulling hair out when it started coming out. It was like a train wreck, you know you shouldn't, but you can't help yourself. This too will pass...
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ladybugcyndi,
I didn't have to make that drive--not today, at least. My "magic number" is 100.4. Once my temp reaches that number, I have to call.
But the on-call onco worked with me on the distance thing. He said that, with my symptoms and the type of chemo I'm on (plus the Neulasta), my wbc is probably low right now but should be back up shortly. He said it would be "interesting" if I could go somewhere local and have them check my wbc today; but if that's not feasible (which it's not), don't worry--because unless it is really, really low, it wouldn't change his treatment approach. And, if it was really, really low, I'd be much sicker.
So, there is something going on, even if I'm not really sick (just kind of sick)--and in this situation, he typically prescribes an oral antibiotic. His preference is Levaquin, which is sitting in a vial at a pharmacy nearby even as I type this. My dh is picking it up on his drive home. The doc did make me promise that I would call back tomorrow if I'm not feeling better; in that case, I should plan on that drive to the university hospital ER.
As for the skin problems with TC--my skin hates hates hates Taxotere. Did you get your infusion in your left hand (the side with the reaction)? I can't believe all the red blotches I have on my arms and hands. I read somewhere that a rash on the arms and backs of the hands is one of the gifts from Taxotere. Oh, joy.
My skin is more dry and weird right now than it ever has been. My rash doesn't itch or hurt--it's just dry and uncomfortable, kind of like a very mild sunburn. My feet, OTOH, look badly sunburned on the sides; my dh is going for some "Udderly Smooth Udder Cream" for that. My onco recommended it the last time we talked about hand-foot syndrome.
I hope everybody else is feeling better than I am! I think it's time for another piece of dh's birthday cake. Dessert therapy.
otter
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Oh Otter, I am so sorry you are having such a tough time. I am sending all the positive vibes your way that I can. It is so not fair that you have to go through all this. I wish there was something I could do...sending wellness from California for you. We have beautiful sunshine today to brighten your day. Get WELL !!!!!
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