Chemotherapy for Stage IV
Comments
-
Hans - when I was going thru chemo they also gave me a shot of Neulasta to keep my white blood cell count up. Chemo destroys them. This Neulasta caused incredible leg pain. Just wondering if your mom is getting this shot? If she is, have her take Benedryl and 2 tylenol the day of and for 2 days after. It helps. If she is not getting the shot, than I am at a loss and would have to say she should let her doctor know right away.
Hope this helps. My mastectomy has been put off til I finish a year on the Anti-hormonals. So maybe June.
Take care,
Sue
0 -
Oh yes, check with the Dr anyway but if she is getting Neulast, it is probably the culprit.
I am happy for the positive sign and hope she starts feeling better soon.
Peace to you and your Mother!
0 -
Got PET scan results back today and they were really great! Gone from liver, lungs, and lymph nodes. Still in bones but decreased. Have two more months to go (3 on 1 off). MyDr. actually said he was really happy to see the results because he was very nervous when he saw the first PET scan.
Dr. thinks I have vocal paralysis so I have to see an ear/nose/throat person. There is a surgery to fix it, so I may get a voice again!
I stopped working about two weeks ago. The SE's just got too much and my body seems to require sleep on its own schedule.
0 -
Yaaay on the scans Teresa and hope you get your voice sorted too!
0 -
Hi, I'm new to this site and was hoping to meet women who are going through the same journey's that I've been on since 2008. I was diagnosed in January of 2008 with Invasive ductal, the tumor was 2.5 cm and ER+ PR- and Her2-. I had one of out 4 lymphnodes positive. I had 6 months of Chemo, 8 weeks of radiation and put on Tamoxifen for 5 years. In August of 2011 I had a local recurrence in my axillary lymphnode........you could see the lump with the naked eye. I had surgery to remove it a PET Scan to confirm no new metastasis and it was clean. My Oncologist put me on Faslodex, a once per month infection, and scheduled another PET Scan for 3 months. On Dec 9th the PET Scan showed metastasis to my spine. And an MRI confirmed my worst fear. Stage 4 metastastic breast cancer which metastasized to 3 spots on my spine. My Oncologist stopped the Faslodex and started me on Chemotherapy for 6 months. He is using Abraxane and Avastin to starve the tumor from getting a blood supply. Also on Zometa for bone loss. Does anyone have any stories or words of encouragement that I can use for Hope!! On top of the Abraxane starting to kick my behind with fatigue, the mental anguish is hard to get a grip on. xoxoxoxoxoox
0 -
Laurie - wish I had the words for u....but being triple positive I think I have been lucky. Ur chemo cocktail differs from mine...but...I have been NED for 2 scans now...4 months....so there is ALWAYS HOPE...NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER! I will keep TOTAL POSITIVE THOUGHTS for u and keep you in my prayers...
0 -
Laurie: It is hard to grip the fact that you will more or less be on chemo of some form from now on, but many here have had great responses to their treatments, and are living for many years with MBC. Don't give up hope ever; new treatments are coming out all the time. Bone mets are very 'liveable', and there is radiation available too. I have had rads to lower and middle spine and shoulder and am pain free now and stablized. I just finished 6 months of Avastin/Abraxane, and I did well on it and it decreased my bone mets by about 50% before it stopped working. I had very few side effects; the main one was the death of my taste buds, but that's ok. There's worse things. Keep your thoughts on the positive, and know that we're here for you.
0 -
Teresa,
Congrats on the good scans! Love to hear good news!
Laurie, Sounds like you have really been through a lot. Sometimes it feels like it is just so much to absorb. You've come to a good place for support, a place to vent, and some good friends. As TexasKaren said, there's new treatments coming out all the time. Seems our onc's just keep trying til they find the right one! Lots of us have been around for a while so hang in there!
Hugs, Glenna0 -
i couldn't find you for so long -- just one of your many admirers Marybe -- glad to find you!
PamQ
0 -
Was on Abraxane and Carboplatin for 4 months. 2 Tumors in liver. Big one 4.3 shrunk to 2.8 and other one stayed stable. Maybe a new growth just 1 cm. because I got a CT scan instead of Pet Scan. Mets to bones stable but my tumor markers went right back to were I started back in July. Cea 7.9 and ca15-3 back up to 94. They all had went down after 2 months of chemo to 2.6 and 58. Had alergic reaction to Carboplatin after 10 chemos and doctor says now that none of the chemo is working. Going for Pet Scan Monday. I feel better than I did though back in July. I couldn't even hardly push myself off of the chiroprator table. Thought my back was out of place but found out my bc metastisized. I am 50 years old and first diagnosed back in Nov. 2009. Went one 1 1/2 years thinking my bc was gone. Stage 2 3 cm. in left breast and only isolated tumor cells in sentinol node. all other 17 nodes negative. Richardson Bloom score 7. Moderately differentiated but was in my vascular system
0 -
Hi, Suzy, found you on the discussion board. You haven't posted in a long time. I don't post alot either but check in now and then. Hope your doing well. I am Diane in Hillsboro. Sintha's neice.
0 -
I live in St. Louis, Mo. and Barnes/Jewish/Siteman Ctr. just got a small Proton Machine. They say it is not helpful for Breast Cancer Stage iv. What I have read, it was not approved for this condition. Where did you receive your Proton Therapy. Was it a clinical trial or what. Very interested. Wouldn't it be remarkable if we all could just be put in this machine and zap our cancer is gone. Hope one day they can acheive that. Let's all pray for that day.
0 -
Great news Teresa!!!!!
((Laurie)) I am sorry you had to join us but happy you found us. You will find a ton of info and support here, the stage IV folks are wonderful!
0 -
Teresa - THAT IS GR8 NEWS. So glad to hear it. Now you can concentrate a bit more on getting your voice fixed up.
Luckygirl - I'm praying you have good results on your scan today. Keep us posted.
Hans - any update on your mom?
Love, prayers, and strength to all!
Sue
0 -
Hi ladies I haven't posted yet here but thought it would be nice to know who else is going through chemo. I just did my second treatment of FEC a week ago..my onc had to reduce it to 75 percent from first treatment to many SE. I have two more than on to weekly taxol and herceptin for 12 weeks. I have had stranger SE with this chemo than when I did chemo 3 years ago..so I feel like this is a new learning curve.
Teresa congrats on the goodscans!
Laurie I hope things get easier for you..you are in the right place for support.
Hugs kimber0 -
Hi Kimber
FEC - Urgh. I hated it as it made me so sick. I would lie there knowing that I was going to throw up, trying not to and then having to give in. Once my husband walked into the room and had to check my pulse as he said I looked so bad, he thought I was dead!
I also had a dose reduction with it as I ended up with a neutropenic sepsis after the first one. Unfortunately I had some progression after 3 so switched to Docetaxel for the next 3 which was tough but in a different way. At least I wasn't throwing up.
Hope you have less SE's with the reduction and it does all the good stuff it's supposed to do.
Laurie x
0 -
MemaSue,
Thank you for the words of encouragement. I greatly appreciate it.
God Bless,
0 -
Karen,
This site alone has given me so much hope! And your ordeal has as well, Thank You so much for the heartfelt words. I will keep you in my prayers as well.
0 -
Thank You soooo much Glenna!!!!
xoxoxoxoxoxo
0 -
Vickib,
Thank you for replying.............I have only been on here for a few days and LOVE the support that is given to one another.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
0 -
Thank You usafmom!!!!!
0 -
alesta29,
God Bless You, You are in my thoughts and prayers!!!
0 -
Has anyone experienced chest pain on gemzar? I thought I was having a heart attack Sunday night and went to the ER. After keeping me overnight and all the diagnostic tests, they said my heart was great. The silver lining ... they did a ct scan to rule out a blood clot (which they said sometimes happens with a power port??), and still NED! Their discharge instructions said to discontinue gemzar. Well, that won't be up to them ... that will be up to me and my oncologist! Anyway, just wondering if gemzar could be the cause for the chest pain.
0 -
Glenna,
Sorry to hear you had the problems with the gemzar. That must have been scary with your heart. I had to have my first port removed due to the clot issues. I had clots in my juggler,subclavian and all down my arm it took about 9 months on warfarin to clear it up. So I just had a new port placed two weeks ago they had to put it on primary cancer side..they weren't thrilled with this option but I have scarring in juggler and subclavian from all the clots. They also put me back on 1mg of warfarin daily to make sure it doesn't happen again. I spent about ten days when this happened in 2009 in the hospital..was very lucky we only had one small clot slip into the heart but no pulmonary embolism.
Glenna again I hope you get thing worked out and great news on the NED....woohoo!!!
Kimber0 -
Glenna, WOW...scary. I have not had that treatment, but did have the Herceptin scare in late July. Herceptin is very toxic to the heart. Had heart palps to a point where I was afraid to go to sleep thinking I wudn't wake up....did same thing, went to cardio...nothing wrong w/my heart. Was combination of the drug and my own anxiety. Lasted about a month....have not had an issue since. but again...I cannot speak for that Gemzar. Will keep u n my prayers...n..being the positive thinker I am....U WILL B FINE....! ((HUGZ)) OH...n I also was put on 1mg of Coumadin (warfarin) as soon as my port was put in. No problems...so mayb, if you're not on it, might ask about it?
Lauriebell - u r WELCOME...that's what this site if for....anything we can share...even if just words of encouragement....positive thoughts, prayers...etc. WE R HERE FOR YOU! God Bless!
0 -
Glenna: Hoping you are feeling better. I have substantial skin mets on my left side, over my entire heart and lung area and several of the chemos have made me have 'chest pain' like my heart was involved, but no, it's the 'cancer' being attacked by the chemo; some process that affects the nerves in the area and gives spasms, but not of the heart, just the chest wall, but feels like a heart problem. Abraxane did it the most. If you have any bone mets to your spine or ribs in that area of your body, it could be something similar?? Great on the NED !!
0 -
@kimber - talk about scary! I had never heard of the clotting problem, or maybe I just didn't pay attention. So glad you got through that okay. Trying to figure out what FEC is ... guessing 5FU, ?, Cytoxan?
@MemaSue - will be asking my onc about a prescription for coumadin. I did look up SE's for gemzar and chest pain was listed as a "rare" SE. I had heard heart problems for some chemos, but not specifically chest pain. I feel better already, just hearing from you all!
and Texas Karen - I like thinking that it's the cancer being attacked by the chemo. Since I have mets in the right lung that may be exactly what it was!
I am feeling fine, just tired from the hospital stay .... we all know how that is! Thanks for all the help and good wishes! Glenna0 -
HI Glenna
Great news on NED but crappy on the hospital visit.
Hope you get sorted and rest up for a bit girl!
Laurie x
0 -
Hi all
Glenna glad you are recovering..rest up ..and feel better:). FEC is the 5FU,epirubicin,cytoxin..the first two you get quicker than normal chemo drugs in a bag. They are in large syringes and they push them over about 30 minutes. So the one good thing I find is my chemo only takes 2 hours total ..my first chemo..TCH used to take 5 hours..ugh.
Bald head question..all my hair is gone now and I have these three dry, scaly feeling areas on my scalp that are very brown in color. I'm fair skinned so not a dark brown just several shades darker than my skin tone. The one actually looked like a bruise when my hair was falling out last week. Any ideas? Or what I should try putting on them..they are itchy.
Texaskaren and memasue hello and you both have such positive attitudes that is awesome!0 -
I'm no help on the brown areas on the head .... sorry! The first time I had chemo (in 1987-88) I had one of those soft lumpy things on my head. When I was "well" I had it removed just in case I ever had to lose my hair again. Glad I did! I never heard of epirubicin but guessing it's related to doxyrubicin. I remember hating the cytoxan more than anything but I took it by mouth and it just had an awful taste. Yuck! We're so lucky there are so many things out there!
0
