TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP
Comments
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LindaKR - your explanations are always excellent! Starting Herceptin this week so your post (like so many others from other trip pos regulars) is a big help!
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Linda - Thank you for the great explanation. All my meds were run at a slower rate and so far I have had few SE's. Of course this is only my 3rd day post chemo, so we will see.
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The plastic surgeon said this might happen. After getting the expander fills on Friday the output on the drains was up to 47.5 and 52.5 yesterday. He had said the extra fluid might force more of the drainage fluid out.
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San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in 2 days. Some google alerts suggest news re Neuvax. We have a few ladies in the trial right now. Here's hoping for some great news.
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Day 3 of just herceptin and taxol, and I feel good. I keep waiting for that awful belly pain to start like I had with the TCH, but so far, no problems. I'm just really tired. That I can live with.
Hope everyone is having a low symptom day and gets to relax. Go on ladies, leave those dog turds on the rug. They add character!
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Good Morning---just checking in to see how Bren and Pbrain are getting along today.
Bren it sounds pretty ood for u, I hope that stays just that way.
And Pbrain I hope too u'r doing well.
I'll be back
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Pbrain,
Did you have nausea with the taxol/herceptin? How many treatments will you have?
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Waiting, I had taxotere, carboplatin and herceptin at first, and I was so sick I ended up in the hospital for 5 days. So my MO put me on just taxol and herceptin. I had my first treatment last friday and am doing well. No nausea, but I stayed on top of the nausea meds this time and didn't wait for it to appear. I hear there is a lot of potential for neuropathy with this treatment, but so far, so good. It seems easier for me to tolerate at this point than the TCH. And I actually have an appetite. My only complaint is that I'm really, really thirsty. I can't get enough water!
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PBrain, I knew your MO was adjusting your cocktail but I don't recall reading about the carboplatin being removed. Did he feel that the carboplatin was what was causing the extreme nausea?
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Pbrain make sure u'r drinking water now--I mean just plain water . That helps more--
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Lee, I don't know. He called the woman who is currently running the large clinical trial for taxol and herceptin alone for early stage breast cancer to see what she thought. I guess at this point, they have 6 year data that say it is just as effective as 6 rounds of TCH. He felt he was giving me too much chemo for a stage I patient. I don't know, I would have welcomed the too much chemo if it didn't make me so dang sick. My MO told me the most important thing that I am doing is the herceptin and the radiation. He said the chemo is just to enhance the herceptin.
I am clueless as usual, but I have to trust that he knows what he's doing. And Cami, I'm on Liter 2 of H2O right now!!
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Lee, I can't beleive you still have the drains in! I sure hope you can get them out soon.
Pbrain, glad you are doing better this time around.
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Thanks, PBrain. I missed that along the way but I would be thrilled to receive less chemotherapy. I'm so happy to hear you're feeling better on this round.
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PBrain, I am also doing taxol + Herceptin at the suggestion of my MO. I'm stage 1a. My MO is very much data driven, and I trust him to have made the right decision based on the data out there. I'm very glad to have been given this option, which seems to have been so much easier than other chemo regimens!
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Pbrain, drinking is good but make sure not just water. Soup counts too. You don't want to mess up those electrolytes. Granted being thirsty is a sign of diabetes so if it continues make sure you mention this to your onc… not sure if your glucose levels are messing up.
I had neurpathy with Taxotere. Some people get it and some don't. Just be sure to report if you get it. Mine started with tx2 but only my left heel has permanent damage… numbness. Granted it hasn't been too bad for several months so many it is repairing?
Hi Bren (((waves)))
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Hi Bren -
How are you feeling today?
RE: drains . . . I'm finding it kind of hard to believe as well but I'm glad they're there because who knows what kind of bloated mess I would be without them.
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Taxol/herceptin weekly did give me some neuropathy. Just "mild" and only the tips of my fingers as far as I can tell, although I wonder if I have a tiny bit in feet as I lose my balance more than I used to. Not often, but when I'm balancing on one leg - like when trying to put my pants on!
I have found that since moving to herceptin only the neuropathy gets worse in the couple of days after each infusion, so I really think it is not only the taxol that causes it.
The Taxol/herceptin was so much more tolerable than the other chemo drugs (until I got a very rare SE, pneumonitis from the Taxol) and I had no nausea and my hair started growing back while I was on it.
Jenn0 -
Lee, not too bad. tired and constipated. Haven't been able to resolve that bit of discomfort yet. Nothing has worked yet. Now that I am not taking steroids I am hoping to sleep tonight too.
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Bren what have you tried for constipation. I found Metamucil 3X a day as directed on the package and lots of water worked for me. Also ate dried apricots but prunes work just as well.
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Bren, pbrain, I am so glad it going better for you both.
LeeA, I had one of my drains in over four weeks. I did get slightly swollen from fluid buildup the next week, after he removed it, and he tried to drain it. Didn't get much. Then i lost my implant to infection the next week. Now, there is really no way to know if the two are connected. But, if I were you,.I'd be saying, "I love my drain, I love my drain...." LOL
I firgot who asked about fluids, but I just made sure that they gave me what ever was left in the bag. Cause they only infuse about 50cc after your infusion,to clean out the tubes. and there is usually 100 cc left or more in the bag. At my first center they always Hung a 500 cc bag, my new one is only a 250 bag. But if I had diarrhea, and I called them to report, they would have me come in for a bag. its easier to stay. Of course, it took me to tx 3 before i figured it out! LOL to all, much love.0 -
Bren58, have you tried prunes? I've been eating quite a few of them since I had the BMX; however, I'm certainly not back to my beloved "regular" status - which I greatly miss
. It used to be: eat breakfast
Soon thereafter: morning constitution
Now...well, who knows. Someone mentioned (perhaps not here) that the codeine in Vicodin can cause constipation. I've tried to cut back on the Vicodin but I have been taking it before bedtime (or chairtime, as I've come to call it
).My chiropractor recommended a product that I suppose I should start taking it again - although I'm not certain what I should or shouldn't be taking with the chemo/Herceptin part of this "journey" coming so quickly down the pike - anyway, it's called Natural Calm Magnesium Supplement. It's supposed to help with constipation as well as muscle pain/discomfort. I take it before going to bed, that is, when I take it - I take it before going to bed. It doesn't taste too bad.
All that aside, I hope you continue on with the "not too bad" status!
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Narcotics are definitely constipating
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LeeA, just be sure to let your MO know about your supplement. I am short of magnesium and take pills. Butt too much leads to the big d, which leads to low potassium! So be careful.
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Moonflwer, yep, I think I prefer the drains over the alternative...
They might be a pain in the butt if I had to be out of the house for hours at a time - or had to dress for success or if I was a pole dancer by trade but as it is, they're no problem whatsoever.
I figure the fluid really does need to come out - whatever it is.
It's still a pale orange color (sorry if that's TMI). The little clots and such (again, probably TMI) have diminished considerably.
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Now I'm freaking out because my husband changed the batteries in our handy dandy blood pressure monitor machine thingy and mine was quite low (not freaking out about that) but his was quite high but he won't tell me what it was. If I nag him about what it actually was I'm sure I'll just cause it to go higher...
One reason why he changed the batteries is because the NP at the BS's office thinks I need to be evaluated for high blood pressure. In their office the top number is typically in the mid-150s! At home, i.e. about an hour ago, it was 110/70! The next time I go to their office I'm going to take our at-home device to compare my blood pressure with both devices.
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Moonflwer - thanks for that piece of advice!
I need to start a notebook with all my questions so I'm ready at each appointment.
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FYI dried Apricots are high in potassium
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LeeA, it could be that your BP is that high when you are at your centre. Mine is pretty much always higher at the centre or my PCP office than it is at home. In fact they thought I might have hypertension until I started taking it at home and proved to them that I have "white coat syndrome" ie high BP around doctors offices and hospitals.
Jenn0 -
Hi, I have learned a lot from your posts, I read that herceptin slows down your healing process. I have never had a problem with brittle nails, just had my 9th herceptin. I get tired, nauseous, muscles hurt and bad chemo brain. My taxotere was reduced 25% because of nueropathy and now I have horrible hot flashes.
my 5yr old rubbed my head then said, "mom I touched your brain ." So cute.0 -
There is nothing much I can contibute to constipation--Now B/p I know some things about that and Potassium. but that's it.
But it sounds like u uys are doing better this time, I hope it keeps up for u.The only reason I said plain water is that usually soup and vitamin water makes u more thirsty--for some reasons they do that for me, But plain water helps the thirst factor the best- And if u mouth is dry don't forget to use Biotene and the rinse that helps too. That's why I liked getting it every week and they did the blood panel, they could keep up with all the problems so they never got to bad for me or them. They would treat something right away so it didn;t et to out of hand.
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Jennt28,
Despite both telling them and showing them the home records (DH takes my BP 3X a day and includes it with the drain output) the NP still seems concerned. We've thought it was white coat syndrome since the beginning.
I think the only way to prove it is to take our bp monitor in to the next visit. I even took a photo with my cell phone of one of my BP results (at home).
Oh well. I know they just have to be careful...
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