TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP

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  • karebear76
    karebear76 Member Posts: 150
    Cry TonLee. I HATE it too!!
  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    Cry BC sucks.
  • carberry
    carberry Member Posts: 997
    Prayers to her family!Cry
  • arlenea
    arlenea Member Posts: 1,150

    We really need a cure! 

  • Kay_G
    Kay_G Member Posts: 1,914

    Oh, no!  How sad.  BC absolutely sucks. 

  • Iamstronger
    Iamstronger Member Posts: 102

    That makes me so sad.  Prayers to her friends and family.

    V

  • nmoss1000
    nmoss1000 Member Posts: 324

    That is terrible news! My prayers to her friends and family. Ton

    Lee good point! I called and I think ( chemo brain ) it was either 3.1 or 5.1 either way the nurse said it was normal. I am going to call and have them fax over my bloodwork results. The lab takes longer than my TX of H so I have to wait a day. I will post actual number tomorrow.

  • arlenea
    arlenea Member Posts: 1,150

    NMoss:  Are your legs back to normal yet?  Starting to feel "normal" again, I hope?

    #4 has been a bear for me and still (10 days after), I am still feeling puney.

    Arlene

  • achpurple
    achpurple Member Posts: 245

    At my #4 Herceptin yesterday I saw my RO (which is only every third infusion with Herceptin only).  I got my script for Tamoxafin but am supposed to wait two weeks out from rads (Monday was my last) to start it.  Is that the typical timeframe to wait?

  • TonLee
    TonLee Member Posts: 1,589

    Ach,

    From what I understand from here and my Onc, most people wait until they are done with rads by a few weeks (recovery).  I started Tamox BEFORE rads because I wasn't sure exactly when I was going to start rads (healing issue) and because of all the txs, I believe Tamox is MY life saver.

  • dragonfly1
    dragonfly1 Member Posts: 516
    Tonlee I'm not starting Tamoxifen until after Rads but I'm curious because of all I've read/heard, in general, how are you doing on it? How are the SEs?
  • LindaKR
    LindaKR Member Posts: 1,304

    My MO started me on the AI's 3 weeks after chemo, and at about the same time that I started rads.

  • TonLee
    TonLee Member Posts: 1,589

    Dragon,

    I'm about two months or so in...minus a few days I've forgotten it!

    I have joint pain (but some say it can be rads associated so I'm gonna wait and see)...it messes with my sleep (not as deep) no matter WHEN I take it.  I take it at night tho because the first week I took it in the morning and it made me weak and tired all day long.

    Most of that seems to be working itself out.

    The only SE that I find horribly life altering is the short term memory loss.  I hope it gets better..but I'm not kidding you....if I am distracted from a task chances are I will forget to return to it.  This includes, picking up kids, leaving water running, the stove on...etc.  It's friggin terrible.

    But I hope it gets better...if not, I will try to retrain my brain on it ... by building routines into things I can't forget...like what time to p/u my kids from camp!!

  • nmoss1000
    nmoss1000 Member Posts: 324

    Hey Arlene, Legs are a bit better but still cannot walk a mile without burning pain. But at least it eases up a bit on somedays. It's Myalgia induced by the Taxotere and I just have to wait it out. Myonc said I could wait a month before start Tamoxifen and I go next week to test if I am in permanent menopause. Big Fun. I am sorry # 4 has been hard for you, that was my hardest & longest too. I am over 3-4 weeks out and I still have no energy, eye twitches, hair is shedding and leg pain but I am holding on and I am counting down until the 5 week week mark I keep hearing about.Hang in there and I hope it subsides for you soon.

  • dragonfly1
    dragonfly1 Member Posts: 516

    Tonlee Didn't you have these awful taxotears to the point that you considered eye stints? I'm 2.5 weeks past TCH #6 and my eyes are a mess. My eyes are full of tears all the time and I even wake up with my eyes matted together because I think the tears continue in my sleep...Remind me of what you did and when the weeping ended-I'm tired of crying!

  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    dragonfly I had taxoteres. I did see an ophthalmologist because I also kept getting a blood burst in one eye. She told me both the tears and the blood burst were from dry eyes. Recommended eye-drops (don't get the ones for red eyes). I wanted to wait it out to see if it repaired on its own. It did get better but I will still get a little runny eyes if its very windy. Still hoping it gets better as time goes on. If not I might have to do the eye drops. Maybe it's time for the ophthalmologist.
  • bucky317
    bucky317 Member Posts: 178

    So sad to hear the news of Konakat :(  I hate breast cancer!!!  Its not fair to fight so hard and long and lose the battle. I am sure she is watching over from above and not in amy more pain. Amen.

    Arlene and Nmoss:Hope you feel better soon!!  Makes me look forward to #3  NOT!!!!

  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    dragonfly - I was also told that the teary eyes are from dry eyes and to use natural tears often.  I had more trouble with the twitching but I also had the tears to the point that it was hard to read.  Hope you get some relief.
  • Christean
    Christean Member Posts: 84

    My heart and prayers go out to Konakat and her loved ones.  It's just tragic and sad.

    Today was my first TCH and it  went really well.  I feel really good.  I was in the chemo chair from about 10am  until 6:00 p.m. and I really had no side effects at all today.   Infact, when I got home, I decided to take a walk.  So, I went for about 1/2 mile or so...and along the road I found a $5 bill.  I know it is a lucky $5 bill - and it means that everything is going to be ok for me.  I've really had no SE's other than a bit of a headache about an hour ago, so I took my meds and it is gone.   I am getting tired and I'm going to go to bed pretty soon...but this is so much better than I though it would be.  I hope this continues and I'm one of the lucky ones with very few side effects...will we find out once we know how the next few days go.  Going in for my Neulasta injection tomorrow   I hope everyone is doing well and had a fabulous day

  • specialk
    specialk Member Posts: 9,261

    christean - Wow! You wrote really BIG!  Don't forget your Claritin an hour before your Neulasta injection and for several days afterward.  I am glad that you had an easy time today but remember (I hate to burst your bubble of optimism!) the SE's don't usually begin until day 3.  For most days 3-5 are the worst, but some of us had fairly intense issues for 10 days - mostly GI upset, bone pain and fatigue.  Remember to stay in front of nausea, it will be harder to medicate after the fact.  I hope you continue on as you did today - that would be so great!

  • Christean
    Christean Member Posts: 84

    I know I wrote big, but wasn't sure how I did it-and couldn't find the way to unfix it...and I was just too tired to keep messing with it.  I'm sorry everyone.  I didn't mean to yell at you!  :}

  • JeanneR
    JeanneR Member Posts: 38

    Christean - LOL I though you wrote big because you were soooo happy. I know how you feel, I started Thursday too and also am doing great so far and happy it was not as bad as I expected. A nurse will come to my house to give me my Neulasta injection today, I hope my baby chihuahua will behave and not scare the hell out of her. Whenever something positive happen these days, I feel like yelling the good stuff to everybody. Hug

  • Christean
    Christean Member Posts: 84

    Jeanne R- 

    Is your chemo regimen Taxotere/carboplatin/herceptin ?  If it is...well we started the same regimen on the same day.  That is pretty cool.  Let me know.

  • Kay_G
    Kay_G Member Posts: 1,914

    I had Taxotere/Herceptin last Wed. (10 days ago).  Doing really well, no SE's to speak of.  So different than AC and Taxol.  Wish I could get the next one now instead of having to wait 3 weeks between.  I am so anxious for this to be over.

  • TonLee
    TonLee Member Posts: 1,589

    WOO HOO Chris!  One down!!  I was pretty good with SE until about #3....and then it wasn't horrible...I worked out the entire time.  I hope it goes even better for you :)

    Dragon, I went to the Opth.  He wanted to put stints in....I declined and took the steroid eyedrops instead (they helped a little bit).  Here's the thing.  If there is damage, it is already done.  Stints won't help you.  However, they can put Pyrex glass tubes in (those are permanent).  The Opth told me that 4 weeks after chemo the taxotears should stop.  If they don't, they make an appt for an eye exam.  Some women do have perm. damage.

    My left eye still waters....I hate that...can't keep liner on it..but it is so small I barely notice.

    The woman next year had chemo 15 years ago...her eyes still water A LOT....

    Hope that helps.

  • bucky317
    bucky317 Member Posts: 178

    Jeanne and Christean  Congrats!!!  one down the hatch or should I say vein. Special K is right, make sure you keep taking your nausea meds around the clock ( mine was amend every 8 hours for first three days) don't wait till you feel sick. After the three days I stopped and really didn't need anything for nausea, although I still took the Ativan at night. (that helps with stomach queasiness also.) I felt fine my 1st tx. until day 4 (but of course everyone is different). My second tx, was better, but I felt more tired and the SE came on day 2-3. Good Luck girls!! you are going to do great!!!  

    FYI my worst SE has been facial acne, which thankfully, I have been taking an antibiotic for and it has cleared it all up.  My onc. is keeping me on it till I am done, I couldn't leave the house, it was so bad. My sincerest sympathies for those who suffer from acne. Freddy Kruger had nothing on me!!!!

  • dragonfly1
    dragonfly1 Member Posts: 516

    I took the advice of Sewingnut, Lago and others and managed to get an appt with the eye doctor today re: the "taxotears" Mine are really bad at this point after the 6th TCH and are running all the time. I was really worried about the risk of the tear ducts being scarred/permanently damaged as other people have described. The eye doctor checked the tear ducts and said they are clear at this point but that he will check them again in 2 weeks. He said that even though the problem comes from dry eyes (caused by Tax) that eye drops won't really help. He recommended warm compresses 2x/day. He said there is definitely a risk of damage to the tear ducts but he reassured me that "taxotears" are usually transient and should clear up naturally. For those who have chronic "taxotears" please have your eye doctor check your eyes...

    Also interesting, my eye doctor is some sort of an expert on eye conditions of the retina and asked if I would be prescribed Tamoxifen based on the history I gave him. When I said yes he said that it is really important to have an annual eye exam with particular attention to your retina because Tamoxifen can damage the retina. Great! One more thing to worry about...  

  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    dragonfly - Thanks for the retina information, I already have a retinal problem and will talk to my eye doc about the tamoxifen at my appt next month.
  • arlenea
    arlenea Member Posts: 1,150

    Thanks for the information Dragon.  Fortunately, I haven't had the taxotears with #4 and glad it was my last one. 

    I'm having enough stomach distress to make up for it.  Everything I eat leaves within minutes so now I'm on liquids and hope that helps.  The BIG D is not fun and I wish I was able to 'go' normally.  I don't want to take anything to block me up as I want the chemo out of me.

    Thanks for any natural suggestions.

    Arlene

  • dragonfly1
    dragonfly1 Member Posts: 516
    Arlene The GI problems were my worst SE by far during TCH and I had severe cramping/D every cycle-nothing ever helped except going to the all liquid diet for 4 days until the Tax cleared my system and then I was able to get back to normal. But it left me really weak (not to mention irritable)...Are you getting plenty of liquids and other supplements since you can't eat properly? I used Ensure or Carnation shakes (hope I never taste either one ever again but they sure helped at the time). When was your last TCH? I always had the worst problem from day 6-10 and then it got a lot better...