Chemotherapy for Stage IV
Comments
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Oh, yeah!! Wonderful news, Marybe. I'm in the chair waiting for neulasta. I'm glowing all over today, too,but it's the decadron glow mow the adriamycin glow. You can't know how happy I am for you!!
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Oh, Marybe, that's AWESOME!
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This is what we want to hear. Horray!
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Congratulations Marybe!!
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Marybe, that is wonderful! Hugs Kimber0 -
Hospitalized for about 7 days now. Mom woke up last Friday 4/13/12 about 3:30 am with pains in her chest and shortness of breath. Her o2 level was at 58!!!!! Very scared however, managed to calm her down and increased her oxygen to 5 liters from 3 liters. Her o2 level started to slowly climb towards the upper 70's and then 80's. Once she was somewhat stable and her oxygen level was hitting in the 90's rushed her to the ER at Hillcrest in Waco, TX and Doctors noticed that her carbon dioxide count was close to 98. XRays have been taken, however were not able to show any clear signs of pneumonia which they suspect is causing her respiratory problems. Also since cancer has already developed in both her lungs its very hard to distinguish between the cancer and the suspected pneumonia. The following antibiotics are being administered as a precaution:
Levoflaxin - 750mg
Vancomycin - 250 ml
Zosyn (Piperacillin and Tazobactam) 4.5 gmRespiratory care is being administering along with breathing treatments that should help any fluids or flem to come up. Wheezing is still apparent but seems to be upper respiratory wheezing which is not too much of a concern from what they tell me.
My other concerns now are that her chemo treatments of (TAXOL and HERCEPTIN) are causing the respiratory problems and the cancer shown in her lungs are getting worse. Also, she has already developed blood clots within the second week of treatment that has also added to her problems. Her Oncologist is still waiting on some test from a bronchoscopy done yesterday 4/17/12. Any suggestions or has anyone experienced any symptoms that are related from taking Herceptin and or Taxol. Please advise! Thank you.
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So sorry to hear that your mother is going through this. Make sure they test for the strain of pneumonia called pneumocystis (sp?).....that is what my mother had and it is what aid patients come down with and comes from having a reduced immune system which chemo can cause. At least she is in the hospital and getting good care and hopefully they will get to the root of her problem soon. I am saying prayers for her. Marybe
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I wanted to say hello. My name is Jean. Onc called me yesterday about PET scan results. Seems I have progression and he is recommending Taxol. Been trying to read a few pages at a time on this thread, but easier said than done. Onc offered me a sooner appointment than my previously scheduled Zometa infusion, but I thought May 3rd is soon enough. Read the side effect profile on Taxol. Hair loss.......again? Seems like facing chemo a second time is different than when I was first dx. I've had the adriamycin/cytoxan and then taxotere earlier on (2001). Since 2009, FEMARA failed and Megace. I've had a lot going on in my non bc life, so this is a kick in the butt. Anyway, thought this thread would be a good start for me. I will plug on with catching up and read a few pages at a time. Oh gosh....
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Hello Jean,
Sorry to hear of your progression. I'm currently on weekly Taxol (3 weeks on, 1 week off), after Xeloda failed to work its magic on me... So far, it's been very do-able but I'm only on my 4th dose, so know it's still early days. Lots of people get hair thinning as opposed to total loss on the weekly dose, though I think I'm going to lose all of mine, as it's been coming out by the fistful for around 10 days now. There's also a Taxol thread on the general chemo board which is worth a look, although lots of those who post are doing DD or 3 weekly doses, so have harsher SEs.
Good luck with your reading and your tx! Take care, Angelfalls xx0 -
Oh boy, Mary Bee,
I'm hoping I'm going to be like you
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Hi Jean, I've done 13 weeks of Taxol now and I'm doing okay and hoping to continue with it for as long as I can stand it and it keeps working for me. Other than spending a day a week in hosptial getting the infusion life hasn't changed: I'm still working, socialising, exercising, but maybe I'm just lucky with this drug. Re. hairI used a cold cap for the first 9 sessions but my hair is really thinning now. I can just about get by without a wig but I'm not sure for how much longer. Good luck and keep us posted.
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For those of you doing taxol, how are your nails? Abraxane which is the same family really did a number on mine and my toenails never did come back normal. I am now having the same side effect with Adriamycin even though they told me it does not normally cause nail problems....they are discolored, lift and then eventually come off, however, they are not infected the way they became when doing abraxane. I guess I should not complain since many treatments did not cause any SEs at all and at least this one is working.
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I was thinking about how everyone's side effects are so different while on the same drug. My oncologist usually tells me a list of the most common side effects reported from a particular drug but I realize we are all on different dosages and have had different drugs prior to the drug we are newly prescribed. I don't think anyone (other than those of us that are living the progression of drugs) is cataloging how the body responds to 2 years of x amount of Xeloda followed by x amount of Taxol administered bi-weekly for x months followed x amount of Navelbine and so on. I for one haven't been good about documenting the side effects I have experienced on a daily basis.
All of your messages are so helpful because we can validate, commiserate and document each other's experiences as we have them. We are not abnormal because of our "uncommon" side effects. We are the trail blazers.
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Marybe, My nails are ok so far, but I've only had 4 doses of Taxol... Watch this space!
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I know when I did taxotere, my nails lifted up and then fell off. Not sure if the Taxol will do the same thing to me or not. I don't know when I'm starting Taxol. My next appointment is May 3rd. He did say it will be an every three week treatment. Wondering if I'll still get the Zometa drip during the Taxol treatment? Jean
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Probably for some of the treatments Jean. I got my Zometa while I got my Abraxane. Only problem with the every three weeks is that some months the monthly Zometa and 3-weekly Taxol won't coincide so you'll probably have to get two treatments those months.
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Marybe I start my 11th round of Taxol on Friday and my nails have turned slightly yellow but no lifting. My first 6 rounds were Taxol/Carboplatin, 2 rounds only Taxol and next 3 rounds Taxol/Avastin. Whew that took some thinking!
Jean Taxol has not been that bad, I am still working. Fatigue is the biggest s.e. I get my Zometa at the beginning of each round,3 weeks on Taxol/Avastin, 1 week off.
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Here is what my nails are doing....right hand much worse than left. lst they discolor, look sort of bruised and red, then the white moves down the nail and they get loose and lift up and I either catch them on something and rip the nail off or if I show the podiatrist he cuts it down as he did my thumb. I am not sure if that is new nail growing on my thumb or it it is the nailbed because it is softer than an actual finger nail. Small price to pay though if it works, huh?
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Marybe, my nails turned blackish like they were bruised and very tender when I did Abraxane. Since then I have had trouble with them being soft, cracked and splitting. I am on aromasin now(1 month) and now have a fine red raised rash that is so itchy. Taking Atarax to ease the itching somewhat plus sunburn gel that had lidocaine to ease the rash. Seems that no matter what drug, there is some funky SE! Glad you are doing so well on the "red devil" hugs Dawn
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Dawn, Oh my nails were a lot worse on abraxane....with it they were actually infected and the smell was awful. Does the onco know you have a rash from the aromasin? That was the hormonal that really worked great for me....took my tumor markers all the way down to 18!!! I doubt if I ever see that low again, but then again we never know, do we?
Have a good day everyone. Today is chemo day for me and I am hoping to get a nap in under a warm blanket while I am there.
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Marybe and others...nails are a big issue with Xeloda. I discussed it with my onc and what I have been doing is taking alcohol swabs and going around the sides of the nails, the cuticle area and under the nail as best I can to kill off any bacteria. I follow with a moisturizer, clean the actual nail and polish. I also disinfect everything I use with my nails - so far, while I do have the thickening, there is no lifting or any infection in my nails - both hands and feet. The onc gave his stamp of approval as he stated 'it can't hurt and if it is working, feel free to continue'.
I have no idea how this would work with other chemos - I did it through the Abraxane as well - but, I only had 2 rounds as it was having zero effect on stemming the spread of the cancer so I was switched to Xeloda in October of 2011 where nail lifting and loss are a common SE.
Marybe...hope you get a wonderful nap!
Hugs All!
LowRider
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Marybe: Have a good nap today.
On the nails subject, my toenails never got normal after treatment back in 2000/2001. My fingernails did recover though. We'll see what happens this time.
Wondering about appetite and Taxol. Does Taxol make food seem yucky? I know some things I'll just have to wait and see about, but my mind wanders. Bear with me. Jean
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Jean,
Try sucking lemon drops before your meals. Food tastes better that way! My nails looked like the picture after tax otero last spring. All but one toenail has recovered although they are all thin and split frequently.0 -
Hello, I have just found this thread. The mets were dagnosed about 2 months ago, and I have had 3 infusions of abraxane, but the liver numbers keep climbng. Now I am being scheduled to get a new port, and then start gemzar on May 7. Can anyone tell me anything about it?
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I wish there was a search button on this site, so i could search this and not steal a thread. I'm wondering about cbc results. My chemo was delayed for an hour yesterday with no explanation......they aren't big on explanations
So, finally the nurse brought in my results saying everything was just fine. I looked at the sheets and I only have on flag, the RDW which the nurse says is meaningless. But my WBC and RBC are a worry to me. There is a low range of normal and a high range of normal. Mine are both exactly the low range of normal. They are not under normal . they are the lowest normal For example, normal WBC is 3.5 to 10.5 and mine is 3.5
So, here is my question.....is this something to be worried about? Do you think its why I had to wait an hour?
Is there anything I can do to raise the WBC, RBC MCHC, HGB etc? Like any vitamins or ideas? I"m going to call the doctor in the morning, see what they say but often they skirt about issues worrying that they may make the patient upset. So, I thought I'd write here and ask
AND if low normal is just normal and I am worrying about nothing, feel free to tell me that too:)
After crying my eyes out as I felt my hair all over my lap and looked at these papers, I decided to try really hard to enjoy my days right now. I know everybody including myself says that, but I'm more determined than ever to just stay calm, stay happy, drink in the sunshine and enjoy.
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Soleil,
First, there is a search button on the site. If you look at the very top right, just under the log out button, you'll see the search button. It's great because you can find information on just about anything!
As to the low blood counts, it is one of the SE's of chemo. Mine are in the low normal, sometimes in the low range, after chemo. I do get a neulasta shot after the last chemo in each round to build up the white counts. There's also procrit and neupogen (spelling?) shots to bring up white and red counts. You might ask your onc about those. My understanding is the neulasta causes the bones to produce marrow, thus white cells. There can be bone pain after the shot but I've heard on this site that if you take claritin before and after that it helps. I take claritin every day anyway, so haven't had much trouble with the neulasta, but can't say for sure if it's the claritin or if I wouldn't have the pain anyway.
Crying is okay ... we have emotions and it's best not to hold them in. I love your determination .... keep strong! Glenna0 -
@becca,
So sorry about your mets. Not news that any of us want to hear. I've been on gemzar since last fall and am currently NED. I get it two weeks on and two weeks off. 24 hours after the second treatment I get a neulasta shot to bring the white counts up. It is one of the easiest chemos I've ever been on but I know SE's are different for different folks. My red and white counts do get low. They carefully watch the neutrophils. They have never gotten so low that I've had to skip the chemo, although they have allowed me to skip a treatment so I could go on a vacation. I love my port. I always dreaded the iv and the blood draws. Now it is a piece of cake. Of course it is a surgical procedure to insert it, but in and out surgery. I had no problems but then again, we are all different. I am one who has never had a problem with anesthesia and I know that's not the case with everyone. Hugs to you!0 -
Thank you so much for that post Marybe! I'm glad to see the long survival rates for state IV breast cancer patients. I rediagnosed December 2011. It had spread to my bones and liver. Now they are trying to get my tumor markers under control. They keep going up. Right now my CA 15-3 is now up to 168.7 and my CEA is now up to 313.7. I'm on Xeloda (one week on one week off). I couldnt handle the 2 weeks on one week off. I was getting bad burns on my feet. I'm 38yrs old and have 3 kids (two nine year olds and one 13yr) I lay in bed and worry every night about how much longer I have and if I'll get to see them graduate high school.
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I have mets to bones, last CT scan in Feb. 2012 showed no other mets. I was on Faslodex, but it suddenly seemed to stop working-my markers started taking big jumps. Next was one round of Gemzar, which didn't work at all, but made me so tired with no energy I could barely stand it. Next week I am starting Taxotere. I'm concerned about the side effects, and even if it does work, is it forever? The mets will still be in my bones, and I have been getting Zometa from the beginning. My very first treatment was Arimidex and Zometa, then the Faslodex. Now the onc. says I can't have hormone treatments anymore because I've been through 2. Does this make sense?
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The nausea with Gemzar is mild, I only had one round and my markers kept going up, so it wasn't working. The worst se for me was the lack of energy and extreme tiredness.
I hope you do well!
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