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Anyone on just Taxotere and Cytoxan?

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Comments

  • lanihardage
    lanihardage Member Posts: 92
    edited August 2008

    Amann, that's frustrating to have to wait another week. I hope you get stronger this week. My doctor said if you have SEs it shows the treatment is working.

    Welcome, Lashon. It will get better soon -- it doesn't last forever. I found when I feel pretty sick I get depressed, when I start to feel better my spirits go up. Shaving seems to be a personal decision -- some people want to look "normal" as long as possible but then have to deal with clumps of hair. I shaved down to 1/4 inch or so, and now the stubble comes out a bit every day. Please turn off your caps key -- makes it easier to read your post, OK? Take care.

    --Lani

  • SherriM
    SherriM Member Posts: 90
    edited August 2008

    Welcome, Lashon!

    I'll be getting my 3rd tx this Thursday...I hope anyway, since I'm having bloodwork done on Monday.  I still fell pretty puny but hopefully I can still have tx--I want it over with.  I'm with Lani--I've been pretty depressed with tx 2, but it seems to go along with being sick. 

    On day 15 tx 1 my husband buzzed my hair to about 1/2 inch--it was fairly long and shedding the long hair was making me crazy...then about 4 days later it was looking clumpy so he buzzed me again to about 1/8 inch.  I still have a tiny bit of hair, and what I have has actually grown a little (to about 1/4 inch) but I expect to lose the rest of it soon, as I'm day 17 tx 2.  Still having to shave my legs (how unfair!) but haven't had to shave my armpits for three weeks.... 

    My dh and I had this discussion this morning...losing my hair kind of made the whole cancer thing much more real...has made me feel like a cancer patient, where I didn't really feel that way before.  He said he felt the same way...seeing me lose my hair made him it hit home for him.  

    Hang in there, visit here often!  It has become my lifeline......

    Blessings to all,

    Sherri 

  • sherry38
    sherry38 Member Posts: 25
    edited August 2008

    Hi Lashon, I had my 2nd (of 4) treatment on Aug 5th.  I felt a little dazed for about 3 days after each treatment - 7 days out I feel almost completely normal again - except for tastes.

      I imagine it is just normal to feel depressed during this - maybe not even because of the meds...just all that we are going though.  We have cancer & there are so many uncertainties that a person cannot help but get that way.  I haven't been depressed much, but if I get to thinking too much I can just break down.  I have been really good for over a month and yesterday I looked and my husband and told him I sure hope I live long enough to see my 11 year old graduate and I lost it.  So, I say yes 100% normal : )

    My hair started coming out a little about 2 weeks into this, but I managed to hold unto it for 3 weeks.  It started coming out in handfuls by then so I buzz cut it.  I did cut my hair short a fer days after I started chemo.  I've not went completely bald yet - my sprouts even seem to be growing, lol.

    Good luck!! Sherry

  • lanihardage
    lanihardage Member Posts: 92
    edited August 2008

    Been in bed almost all day and most of yesterday. I am SO SICK. I hope it's better tomorrow. I got some of that depression, now.

  • AMANN
    AMANN Member Posts: 63
    edited August 2008

    Hi Lani, Thank you, I hope so too. Already today I am feeling better. Are you taking anything for sleep?  I tried Ativan, but It doesn't keep me asleep too long. You are on your 3 tx right?  Well I know you are glad you are almost done! 

  • lanihardage
    lanihardage Member Posts: 92
    edited August 2008

    I'm a little better at the moment. Thanks, Amann. I managed to heat up a dinner and watch a movie. I have an rx for ambien, haven't had to take it since the first day on steroids so I'm glad for that. This is only tx 2. I don't know if I can do 2 more. I forgot how bad it gets.

  • BonnieLee
    BonnieLee Member Posts: 10
    edited August 2008

    Hi everyone. My name is Bonnie and I start TC tomorrow. I felt fearless -- then I stumbled on this string and after reading 96 pages I'm petrified. I cried for the first time since being diagnosed with BC as I read about your challenges, the pain, all the issues you have all endured. All I'd heard from my oncology team is how well TC is tolerated by most. I'm a nurse -- I should have suspected there was more to the story. I'm going to go pack a bag for Tahiti now.....

  • BBLady
    BBLady Member Posts: 20
    edited August 2008

    BonnieLee - It is overwhelming, but remember, not everyone has all the s/e's.  Each person is different and reacts differently.  It's definitely not a walk in the park - but it is doable.  I just finished my last TC Thursday and I really didn't think that I would make it through the treatments.  But they were not as bad as I expected.  Take your nausea medicine at the first sign of queasiness, and don't hesitate to ask your oncologist for any prescriptions that you need to get through - Neulasta pain, insomnia, etc.  Good Luck tomorrow and hang in there.  You Will Get Through IT!!!

     Kathy

  • BonnieLee
    BonnieLee Member Posts: 10
    edited August 2008

    Thanks, Kathy.

    bonnie

  • revkat
    revkat Member Posts: 122
    edited August 2008

    And Bonnie, remember, when we were feeling good most of us were out living life. It's when we felt really crappy that we came on here to moan to someone who would understand!

    Good luck tomorrow. I was planning to keep on driving past the oncologist's office to Mexico my first day, but my daughter wouldn't let me, and I made it through. After the first one you have an idea of what to expect and that helps the anxiety a lot. After the last one you're done and that feels great! In the middle treat yourself kindly and muddle through.

  • lanihardage
    lanihardage Member Posts: 92
    edited August 2008

    Bonnie, courage. Revkat is right about why you hear all the bad stuff on this topic. Some people have relatively few SEs, some people get so sick they have to stop, and most are in between. We talk about it to people who know what it's like. But Tahiti sounds nice, too. Tomorrow should go well, the steroids help a lot.

  • BonnieLee
    BonnieLee Member Posts: 10
    edited August 2008

    Thanks ladies, woke my husband at 3 am and told him I'd changed my mind -- I wasn't going to do it. You know "slow growing, I'll probably be ancient before anything really happens again"etc, etc. He said "OK, rolled over and turned off his  alarm and we both FINALLY fell asleep. Now that the sun is rising and it's not over Bora Bora I know what I need to do-- so on my way for #1 to kick some cancer ass! ( hope my attempts at courage don't offend anyone)

    I really do appreciate all the kind words of support. Not usually the kind of gal to share---You are all right! It does make a difference to talk to those in the know. And, I' m off. Thanks again. bonnie

  • ggrose
    ggrose Member Posts: 29
    edited August 2008

    Bonnie,

    All of us here can understand the fear that you feel.  I was most scared on my first day of chemo.  The infusion was uneventful, the nurses did their best to make me comfortable and the onco armed me with meds to take at the first sign of SE's.  I felt fine for the first few days and wondered if I was somehow immune to TC.  Days 3-5 brought on fatigue and some bone pain.  I slept alot, I ate and I took meds for the pain.  Then on day 6, I went to work and rejoined life in progress.  I just finished 4X TC in July and am doing rads now.

    You will be able to do this too.  Drink plenty of water, eat, rest when you need to and come here to talk.  I wouldn't have made it through with help from everyone here.

    Good luck to everyone this week!

  • SherriM
    SherriM Member Posts: 90
    edited August 2008

    Bonnie--as one of the chief whiners, I have to apologize for scaring you, and I think that Revkat is exactly right--those (and who knows, they may be the majority?) who have few se's are out living their lives, not spending time posting about how wonderful they feel!  Human nature, I think.  You can do this!!  And we're here for you--hoping you have no s/e's, but ready to listen and commiserate if you do!!

    God bless, and let us know how it goes!

    PS--my husband gave me a similar pep talk yesterday, when I was tormenting myself about whether to wear a hat or wig to church; wig just too darn itchy and hot, or hat with baldness obvious to everyone (still having issues around baldness)....he suggested the hat, and said something along these lines "Your hat is a badge of honor...it tells the world 'yeah, I've got cancer, but we're kicking it's ass!'"  I wore the hat.

  • texasmom
    texasmom Member Posts: 14
    edited August 2008

    Hair begins to fall out about day 14, but it is a personal preference as to whether or not you shave your head. Many people do it just to avod the mess of longer hair in the bathtub drain and on your pillow. Others want to hang on to what they have as long as they can. Most people hope that hair loss won't happen to them but it usually does.

    I just finished chemo #4 of Taxotere and Cytoxan plus Herceptin. I thought my first dose was the worst because my body didn't know how to react to the medication. It makes me feel yukky for a couple of days afterward but it gradually gets better and I feel almost normal by my next treatment (3weeks). Some of the people at my treatment center actually drive themselves to chemo but I don't feel comfortable doing that because of the way the medication makes me feel.

    It is no walk in the park, but it is doable so try not to be scared. If things come up along the way, just deal with them and go on. Generally the benefits of the treatments outweight the problems you encounter and time passes quicker than you think. I only have two more treatments and it seems like yesterday that I started. 

    I think the whole process of having BC, going through surgery/recovery and needing treatment is depressing. It is normal to be depressed but it it gets out of control the doctor's can give you antidepressants. I have my good days and my bad days. I went on vacation earlier this summer and cried the whole way home (and a couple of days afterward). I just didn't want to go back to my life because right now it kind of sucks. I could forget while I was on vacation but on my way home it all came tumbling down around me.

  • hood1980
    hood1980 Member Posts: 168
    edited August 2008

    For a reference point, today is Day 13 after my first TC tx and I got about 2 handfuls of additional hair as I was combing my hair this morning.

  • slortiz
    slortiz Member Posts: 142
    edited August 2008

                          

                             Here's to all of us "stepping up to the chair" this week!!!!! 

    Schedule for Week of September 18th:

    Monday, 8/18-Irishbrae (#3 of 4), BonnieLee (#1 of ?)

    Tuesday, 8/19-Gina_M (#3 of 4), SDM -(#3 of 4)

    Wednesday, 8/20-IndyHusband (#2 of wife's 4), WantToBeNed (#2 of 4), tkone (#3 of 4)

    Thursday, 8/21-Charlotte27 (#3 of 4), MoinTexas (#4 of 4), Bonnie02 (#4 of 4), kbuskirk (#3 of 4), Moonchild (#3 of 4 + H), kwoodson (#2 would have been today but she went off T-C due to a bad reaction to Tx # 1, SherriM (#3 of 4), Drea (#1 of 4)

    Friday, 8/22-TX66 (#2 of 4), lalani (#3 of ?), mbutterfly (#3 of 4 +H)

    We have two new people starting T-C this week, BonnieLee and Drea, and may they kick Cancer's butt!!  It doesn't appear anyone is finishing up this week. So hold the champagne.

    Please get back to me with any changes or corrections to your schedule. (If you see a question mark, it means I don't know how many treatments you're down for) Let's hope everyone has a stellar week!

    Sandra 

  • slortiz
    slortiz Member Posts: 142
    edited August 2008

    Whoops!  Bonnie02--I think maybe you're finishing up this week?  Sorry I missed that.

    Congrats, if that's the case!

    Sandra

  • nursekim
    nursekim Member Posts: 11
    edited August 2008

    Thursday, August 21 will be my 2nd treatment of 6.  I get mine every three weeks.  Tx one wasn't too bad.  I hope they are all like # one for me!

  • MoinTexas
    MoinTexas Member Posts: 13
    edited August 2008

     Sandra - I am finishing on Thursday, too, thank God!!!  Hoping not to have the usual big hives and rash, but if I do, it'll be the last!!

    Good luck to everybody this week. 

  • dcgirl
    dcgirl Member Posts: 22
    edited August 2008

    I have been lurking on this site for quite a while now - thanks so much to everyone for sharing your experiences and advice.  I thought I'd finally sign up and post to say to Bonnie, I too got really scared reading everyone's bad side effects!  In general I haven't wanted to post this as I don't want to minimize the very real discomfort others have been going through.  But I thought I would now to give you and others getting started some assurance that not everyone has a rough ride.  I'm 2 weeks into cycle #2 (#3 on August 25) and I've had a really easy go of it.  Pretty tired on days 3-4 but otherwise really good.  I've been able to go to work, haven't had mouth issues or taste issues, no nausea, no nail problems, no neuropathy, etc.  I have had mild allergic reactions to the taxotere both times during the infusion, but it has been resolved simply by turning the drip off, letting me get back to normal, and turning it back on.  Otherwise the annoyances have been pretty minor.  Of course there are two cycles to go and they may be horrible, but if I could order up 7 more weeks like the last five I'd do it in a heart beat.

    The anticipation is definitely the worst - you'll get through it!

    Good luck,

    dcgirl

    IDC, 1cm, 0/7 nodes, ER+/PR+/her2neu-

  • dcgirl
    dcgirl Member Posts: 22
    edited August 2008

    I should add in the interests of full disclosure (but not to scare Bonnie) that my ANC did go to *zero* for several days in TC#1 (I did not have Neulasta).  Fortunately I didn't get an infection.  My oncologist said that with such a profound and long nadir, adding G-CSF wouldn't keep me from hitting zero again.  So he cut my dose instead and this time while I got down to .3 it has been a much shorter/shallower nadir.  I was a little freaked by the idea of cutting the dose but it is what the manufacturer recommends if there is severe neutropenia so I've accepted it. 

  • Gina_M
    Gina_M Member Posts: 108
    edited August 2008

    Bonnie - I was probably one of the ones whose emails scared you a bit, as I had many side effects after treatment 1.  However, I should also point out that I just took one day at a time and none of them were absolutely horrible.  Part of it was that I am a bit of a control freak and have always planned my activities etc.  I have always been fit, eat well, exercise well and maintain a good weight and then (it seemed like) suddenly I did not know what to expect from this 60 year old body.  So the anxiety of "what next?" came in during treatment 1 as I went through various side effects.  I was never bedridden, managed to write tons of emails, still cooked (even entertained a few times), and coped with the side effects with various prescriptions.  I learned to recognize a side effect early and hit it early.  My WCB went down and my dose was reduced by 15% (dcgirl - my onc assured me that this was perfectly normal, as the doses are "average" and everyone responds differently.  Also said she would NEVER compromise my treatment.)

    Treatment 2 went much like dcgirl's.  My regular life kicked in and I even forgot I was wearing a wig!  I go in for Tx3 in a couple of hours (now on my Dexamethasone high).

    Gina

  • BonnieLee
    BonnieLee Member Posts: 10
    edited August 2008

    Well, I did it yesterday-- Tahiti will just have to wait. One down -three to go. I feel great today and sooo appreciate everyones insight,support and perspective. Thanks to all who kept it real. bonnie

  • MariaG
    MariaG Member Posts: 24
    edited August 2008

    Heading into the homestretch of having TX2  (Next Tuesday, Aug. 26).  I hope it goes as smoothly as TX1.  I did not suffer any major se's.  I felt tired on day 3 and 4 but nothing that kept be in bed or unable to do my daily work.  I've had no nausea (only nausea meds I took were the ones given to me at the treatment center on the day of the treatment), or constipation and  my taste buds still work. I did have thrush mouth one morning but quickly rinsed with warm water, salt and baking soda and that was the end of that story. I did not have the Neulasta shot the first time, hope I don't need it this time. Had Blood work last week and all was fine.  I still have a full head of hair (although an occassional strand has begun falling out). I've been working full time throughout this entire time as well as enjoying social events.  Next time can be completely different, but whatever comes I'll deal with and be happy that I am at the half way mark.

  • guitarGrl
    guitarGrl Member Posts: 150
    edited August 2008

    BonnieLee - just to say it again (and again) everyone is different. My blood count never went down, and I was constipated instead of the other. Sometimes you don't feel really bad till the 3rd or 4th day, sometimes sooner. I was one who shaved her head on day 13 to prepare, but my hair didn't start falling out for over a week.

    You probably will have really crappy days - that's what makes this group so great - something weird happens & then 5 other people will tell you "me too." The most important thing is you are not alone.

    I've been off chemo for 4 months now, and I feel like me again. You may think that'll never happen, but it will.

    susan 

  • TX66
    TX66 Member Posts: 5
    edited August 2008

    Hello,

    I thought I share this with you guys...My hair started falling out and my family and I thought it would be fun to give me a mohawk before I shave it off completely. The kids and I had fun shaving my head and spiking it up.......how do you guys like the new due? My son actually wants me to spike it up for soccer practice tomorrow...he says I will be the cool mom...he is to cute...hope I still have enough hair left by tomorrow to spike it ....Going in for 2nd treatment on Friday...

  • slortiz
    slortiz Member Posts: 142
    edited August 2008

    TX66--What a great way to get the kids involved. They must have just loved that. By all means, you should wear it to the soccer practice (while you still have it) You will definitely be the coolest mom there. Good luck with Tx # 2 on Friday.

    I remember someone posting that they were going to put tattoo eyes on the back of their head. I've been thinking about putting some temp tattoo garlands above my mastectomy scar. You gotta have a little fun with it!!!

  • chloekat
    chloekat Member Posts: 10
    edited August 2008

    Hi Everyone!

    I've been off-line for the last week and a half - partly due to the 3rd Tx kicking my butt this time and partly due to getting my baby..er, son off to college. All I could think of during those first 7-8 days after #3 was how I was going to get thru the move last weekend. I was still a little punky, but I did it. Sandra and Terri, I think we had the same kind of reaction this time around. My docs told me that if any one of the tx's would be rough, it would be #3. It was still do-able, but I think the combination of just being sick of this and wanting it to be over, coupled with feeling 'sick'  like a cancer patient for the very first time, just made it rougher. I usually came out of the chemo fog by day #3/4, but this time the fog didn't lift until #8.

    Kathy, congratulations on being finished! WooHoo!!!!

    Terri, glad you had a great time at the Rod Stewart concert. He's one of my all-time favorites. I seen him a few times. I remember the 1st time during the 70s. I had to sneak out of the house because my mom wouldn't let me go. The Who Concert tragedy was just a week before and my mom was afraid I'd get stomped. How did it go with your son's college move yesterday?

    Sandra, it looks like our treatments are mirrors of each other. I'm worried about the vein situation too. I had that 'spill' from the Taxotere. That freaked me out. This time, my nausea was so bad I had to go back for another IV of Aloxi. The nurse had to 'butterfly' the needle and said, "oh yes, your veins are a little spongy." WTF? She did say it would get better, but they wouldn't be completely healed. That was encouraging.Undecided

    Speaking of chemobrain, while moving my son over the weekend, I went off to the local Target while my husband and son assembled his room. I got lost on the way 3x and I'm usually so good with my sense of direction. By the 3rd attempt I was convinced I totally lost my mind and was about to call my husband to come and find me. Thankfully, the 4th time was a charm and I found my way. Ugh... I keep telling myself that chemobrain is like an urban legend and that it's just a combination of the stress of what we're going thru, the drugs circulating within us and trying to fit that in with the normal day-to-day stress that we deal with.

    I'm looking forward to #4 (8/29) to go as smoothly as #1. It really is/was do-able it's just that some days I just didn't want to do it or wish I didn't have to do it.

    LOL @ the tatoo eyes on back of yyour head. I was thinking of doing the pink ribbon back there, then if I was brave enough to walk around bald it send a message to all to get their mammograms.  Laughing

  • terridwo
    terridwo Member Posts: 31
    edited August 2008

    Hi all - Hope everyone is feeling good today.  Moving my son into college yesterday went ok except I decided to wear my wig for a change ( usually wear hats for comfort) and it was so hot in his dorm room  I had sweat running down the back of my head and I found it looks like hell when it is wet!!!  Luckily I had my hat in the car and put it on half way through, which turned out to be a great idea because people started holding the door for me and letting me pass them!!  One of the few benefits of this mess!

    My daughter and I too joked about a temporary tatoo on the back of my head.  My favorite she came up with was "Got Chemo?"  Except for around the house though I don't dare go bald now, the little hairs that have begun to grow back are pure white and starting to look curly! Ugh!!!!  Love the mowhawk TX66!!

    Have a good day all!

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