Chemotherapy for Stage IV
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hi Frapp miss ya how ya doing?
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I have to say that I usually never have that problem but I had to take two at hospital and it became painful. I came home and drank a big glass of prune juice over ice. Didn't even take three minutes for me to empty out.
I usually have the opposite problem, so the compazine and zofran have helped me stay normal not only with the nausea but with my morning constitutions.
Hope this helps.
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Soups with many different legumes can be helpful too (10 bean soup etc.) Jean
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10 bean soup sounds like a winner .... But then I have to cook. LOL!
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Hi Braids, I'm trying to get use to my new normal and keep up with life. I've applied and been approved for SSDI and now I'm in the no income stage so I'm robbing Peter to Pay Paul. The whole while just getting further into debt that SSDI will not help me out of once it starts paying. I have a house to empty so it can be sold while I am plastered to this couch with fatigue and pain. Not to mention driving two hours every week to receive my weekly chemo. Other than that, Mrs Lincoln, I'm trying to enjoy the play. :-). Oh well, what can you do but go with the flow. I try not to worry too much over things I have no control over as all that causes is problems for me.
I took a trip to LA over Memorial Day weekend with a friend to attend his nephews wedding. I got to see a couple of things in the mornings but then spent the rest of the day in my hotel room sleeping. When I got back I found out my red blood cells had dropped low enough to need a transfusion. No wonder I was so tired. I think I'm finally starting to catch up from that trip. I had my chemo yesterday so still up from the steroids. Feeling pretty good right now and hoping I don't get my usual crash tomorrow. So I'm taking advantage of catching up here and making lists of calls I need to make tomorrow.
So as you can see, I've been keeping busy. :-D
Best to all, pat0 -
Pat, you sure took on a lot going to LA. Good that you got to see some things that you wanted to see and could get some rest when you needed it. That's one reason I like to travel on my own schedule. Just never know how we're going to feel. Take care of yourself!
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wow sound about like me i had 3 weekend at the kerrville folk Festival on a high does of roids so i just stayed up all night talkin an listening to music and sleep when they wouild let me now only on 4 mg a day i let it dictate when i sleep. i have 2more rad boosts boy this has been the hardest thing yet i think it was harder then the port infection like ya said go with the flow and pick i,m thinking ogf all of you sending love light and blessings!!
chris
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I am new to this forum.
I was diagnosed in 2007 with Stage II breast cancer. Left mastectomy with 2 positive lymph nodes; I was ER/PR/Her2 +
I went through Cytoxin, Adriamycin, Taxol and Herceptin. I also went through Radiation treatments.
In February of this year, I was diagnosed with liver and bone mets. I had 30 tumors in my liver and several spots on my spine. The liver biopsy came back as Triple negative disease. I began treatment with Ixempra and xeloda. As I was being treated at home, I was waiting for my appt for second opinion at MDAnderson. After two treatments, I went to MDAnderson. They performed the tests on my liver biopsy and discovered I had both Her2 + and - tumors in my liver. The treatments continued with Ixempra and they added Herceptin (stopped the xeloda). My PET scan in May showed improvement. However, I had a CT this past week which showed more liver tumors. So, now my two doctors are discussing the situation to come up with a new recipe for treatment. Possibly Carbo/Gemzar. Is there anyone out there with a similar situation? Anyone on Carbo/Gemzar?0 -
welcome!!
Nope not me!!
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Hi tecallegan! Welcome. Sorry you have had progression. Hoping that your onc finds the right combo to get you stable. I've not had the carbo/Gemzar combo, but have done Gemzar. Like you, I was first diagnosed stage IIb and had nine years of remission. Have been in treatment for stage IV since 2009. Wish I could be of more help to you. Hang in there though! Jean
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Thanks! What was Gemzar like? Is fatigue the worst of it? I have had 6 Ixempra treatments, each one with more and more fatigue and, of course, the neutropenia. But, I get neulasta which controls that. I am kinda tired of feeling like I have the flu....
Thanks for responding
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Hi. I am new to this site and was just wondering how are you feeling with the Abraxane. I too am stage IV with mets to my liver. I was on Taxol for three months, then tried Faslodex for two months. My bc antigen kept elevating, so Faslodex wasn't working. I just had a PET scan yesterday. My oncolologist called late yesterday to say my liver was "lighting up" again and she wants me to do chemo again, this time Abraxane. So, with that said, I was curious to find out your side effects to this med. I'm hoping it isn't too bad. Thanks.
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Faslodex did not work for me. They tried it after abraxane. The abraxane got my numbers down but 5 months later things started to flare up again. It was a tolerable chemo. Some gastro issues and I did lose my hair. I was on a 3 week on one off cycle so by the end it became a very mental game for me. Now I am on doxil which is harder on me. The doctor is surprised as she thought abraxane would have been harder. Hope abraxane works well for you as it is a good chemo.
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Glenna, I also had a week off of chemo and my legs ached more than when I was on the chemo. Kinda of weird.
I've had the big C a lot with chemo. My onc put me on ducolax and also recommended I use miralax. I also started taking Fiber Choice tablets. Figured it couldn't hurt to bump up the old fiber. My onc also recommend prune juice (yuck)..sorry even the big C won't make me turn to that.
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Blondie1....Thanks for your input. I am always thinking ahead, and I'm hoping to make vacation plans for this summer. It stinks that I always have to make my plans around my chemo. I'm just grateful to have treatment options. Thanks again.
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Karen, abraxane worked well for me for about nine months with very little side effects. When I did have progression after nine months, it was to my chest wall, no other areas lit up and were still considered stable, (liver,lungs). But he switched me to Ixempra because he thought it was just a matter of time. To me the abraxane was very doable, other than it being weekly, and of course the hair thing, which didnt matter much to me cause it was already gone....
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tcallegan: Gemzar wasn't too bad. I wasn't on it for long. Mild nausea. I didn't quite feel myself, but I have to remember that, that may have been from progression too. For some reason, once the IV was started and the Gemzar was running my arm would throb real bad. The nurses would slow the drip rate down and the pain would stop. Fatigue is something I've had with all the chemos. I hope the Gemzar is easy on you too! Keep us posted.
Karen: I'm on my six month of the Abraxane (3 weeks on/1 week off). Neuropathy in hands and feet. Mild nausea and fatigue. The whole three weeks on and one off is a pain, but you get used to it. It's nice the week I don't have appointments. I get the Xgeva shot week three. The nurses record the dosing as Cycle 1/day 1, Cycle 1/day 8, Cycle 1/day 15. If your gonna track it with them, that's their language for it. Today I had cycle 6/day 8 (meaning sixth month, second week). Keep us posted too!
Jean
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Hi all,
Could any of you come up with a list (or tell me where to find it) of chemo options? Did any of you retake any of the chemos you had for early stage and it worked? How long is chemo usually given? For a while and then stopped? I'm new at this stage and remember chemo was only 6 cycles for early stage. I heard chemo is easier for us than for early stage and usually only one type at a time instead of combos? True? I also heard many don't cause hair loss, just hair thinning. True?
I appreciate your input dear sisters with more experience and willing to help out a newbie...
All the best of health to us all!0 -
I don't have a list, but I think there is one on the bco site. I am redoing taxol now (I also did it when I was stage three) together with carboplatin and velaparib. And I lost my hair. So that's the opposite of a few things you mentioned. I do think that stage four can use chemos with fewer side effects to help improve our QOL as much as possible. But often initial tx are still hard because oncs want to try to hit the cancer hard.
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Thanks Latte!
All the best of luck with your treatments and with G-d's help you should get to and stay NED!0 -
Anyone doing this immunotherapy trial?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/16/mpdl3280a-immunotherapy-drug-cancer_n_3281876.html
I am having my tumor tested for the protein.0 -
All the best of luck OBXK! Hope you qualify and that it works amazingly! Please keep us updated...
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I have gone on and off Cytoxan and it has worked every time for me. I had to fight for it this time, but it has shrunk my tumors and is working again. I go back to Cytoxan because I have such side effects from so many other medications and I hate the trial and errors that I've gone through.
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Thanks M360! Do you lose your hair? How long do you take it for? When do you stop? When your tumors are sufficiently small or until they are completely gone?
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Mary, Jean, thanks for your responses. Taxol was doable so I'm hoping I have the same reaction to the abraxane. I would do treatment on Thursday, then miss every Monday at work. I heard with abraxane you don't have to take premeds. Did the abraxane mess up your taste too? I'm trying to enjoy all my favorite foods before I start treatment next week. I must admit, I was enjoying having my hair come back. Thanks for your help. Wishing you well.
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Hi Karen: No premeds for me. Zofran drip before Abraxane drip though. I do have taste issues from the Abraxane. What I miss the most is the wonderful taste of water. Water just tastes terrible now, but I drink it down to help with the hydration and flushing. I haven't had hair in so, so long. I have some patchy hair, but am mostly bald. I do chemo on Mondays. Wishing you well as you start this new treatment. Jean
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Believe4Lif,
My hair did fall out each time, however if Ihad used a Cold Cap it would have just thinned a little. The hospital that I go to didn't have them three years ago and because my cancer is throughout my body, I chose not to use a Cold Cap this time. I would have earlier!
I was cancer free the first time of 9 rounds, again 9 rounds and right now I've done 5 but have complications with pulmonary embolism so I'm stopping to take care of that, I'm doing Lovenox, and they want me on Warfarin, which you can't do while doing chemo.
I hope that you make the right decisions for yourself.
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Thank you for your explanations and good wishes. Much appreciated. All the best to you and great health!
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Wow ... M360, I didn't know hospitals had cold caps. I thought they were something g you had to arrange for and pay out of pocket. I lost my hair on taxotere but haven't lost it on low dose taxol. Have been on it over 6 months so guess I can quit worrying. My hair has thinned quite a bit and when it came back after taxotere, it came back white! Maybe if I do lose it again it will come back dark!! My tumor has increased in size so a chemo change might be in my very near future!!
Try sucking a lemon drop before meals. Helps with the taste issues!!0 -
Just want to say, I LOVE MY WEEK OFF CHEMO!
It's not that I feel all that better, but it is so, so, nice not having an appointment on Monday morning. Hoping you all have a good week! Jean0
