Cytoxan Taxotere Chemo Ladies- February/March 2013
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thanks Minus two... Learned from the best. AlL of YOU
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Toby -- What a GREAT report, you done good!!!! LOL!!!! Write down what you did the first time, so you can do the same thing next time. My first infusion was easy with no SE's, so I thought the second would be the same way and didn't properly prepare for it. It was a rough second time around for the first two weeks afterward. This time I will be starting on Sunday to prepare for the third round on Thursday. However, keep up the good work and remember to take your meds no matter how good you feel.
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Keep drinking those fluids, ladies!!! You want to help flush that chemo through and out of your body!!! If you are taking Zofran post chemo, that wonderful anti nausea med can cause constipation. I used to eat a breakfast of rolled oats, banana, blueberries and a sprinkling of Kelloggs All Bran. I also would eat a one to two of those Sunsweet prunes that are individually wrapped prunes after each lunch and dinner. They are moist and sweet. Increasing your fiber intake will help but remember to also keep your fluid intake up.
I definitely agree with MinusTwo about taking that Claritin for at least a week. I used to take it for 8-9 days and was lucky to not have Neulasta bone pain.
Wishing each of you a restful and relaxing weekend with minimal side effects!!!!!
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Hey everyone,
Felt great today, until about 5pm. Within 10 minutes, overcome by nausea...sweating, abdominal cramping, dry heaves, dizziness- the whole horrible thing. DH called the MO, who called in an additional rx. Hope this works.
Toby, glad you feel great! It should continue for the next 2 days.... hopefully beyond! Just stay on top of your meds so you don't get nauseous like me!
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poppy are taking Meds before you eat ? Are you eating well? Mpr ayers for feeling better!
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PoppyK- Here is what I did to help me try to stay ahead of the nausea..... I took my anti-nausea meds on a schedule and also made sure that i took them with food and plenty of water. Those anti-nausea meds can cause nausea on their own if taken on an empty stomach. I used to eat 5-6 small meals to help keep something in my tummy. For some reason, a fed tummy may stay happy during your time in chemoland. I kept a food diary and a drug diary so I could keep track of my pill taking, eating and drinking during my chemo treatment. I have to tell you that I had a similiar reaction after my first round of chemo but without the nausea. I woke up around 11 pm one night and felt terrible. I ended up sitting in my desk chair with a blanket and ginger ale and ice in a insulated mug for me to sip on. i told my poor DH to check on me periodically but not to bug me too much. I was feeling better the next day. I know the first round can be a little tough. I just hope that the next ones you have will be easier on you.
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Toby-Taking meds on time and with food. Eating small amounts, about 6 times a day. Well hydrated. The doc said the next 48hrs should be the hardest for me. They knew nausea would most likely be my problem. I had a horrible time with anesthesia, get motion sick easily... My normal self is ultra-sensitive to smells and tastes, so now with chemo, it's just awful.
It will get better and tomorrow is another day! Kicking cancers a&& is hard work!
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Oh, Poppy, I am so sorry to hear about that. I bet that scared the stuffing out of your DH. You will feel better in no time!! I always made sure I took my nausea medicine about 15 minutes before I ate any thing. I survived on smoothies, peanut butter crackers, Ritz crackers and Ginger Ale in between meals and then didn't eat much. I also made sure I had a drink and crackers on my night stand and when I got up in the middle of the night (because I drank so much), I would sit and eat a couple of crackers and drink a glass of water and most mornings I woke up with no nausea. If I did wake up with nausea, I would lay there and eat a cracker or two before getting ready for work. I agree with Melrose, keep a diary of what you eat and when you take your meds. It is helpful for the next round.
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Poppy - supposedly Emend is the nausea med that works when others fail.
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okay. I may not feel bad but I can't think worth ::));$&@! I have all my Meds out.... I take a ton anyway due to cardiac stuff
Zofran says take one every 8 hours. Should I take before I feel sick? Or wait to see if I get nauseated?
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I wasn't nauseated but the "rule" is, take as directed and do NOT wait until you feel sick. I'm sure someone else will chime in.
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I took that Zofran twice a day..... at my 7 am breakfast and at my 7 pm dinner. One wants to try to stay ahead of the nausea because once it gets started, it may not easy to get it under control. I had Phenegran as a backup anti-nausea med in the event the Zofran didn't work. Fortunately, I never had to take it. As a side note, before I had chemo, my onco asked me if I had morning sickness when I pregnant and if I did, how I felt. I told her I felt a little funky when I first got up in the morning but then felt better as the day progressed and the morning sickness stopped completely after the first month. She said that how I felt with morning sickness while pregnant may give me an idea as to whether i would get nausea and the severity of it if I did while on chemo. Happy to report, no nausea with the chemo but I did follow a routine of taking the Zofran on schedule regardless of how I felt. I am not one for taking drugs or meds but while I was in chemoland, the message was loud and clear to me that during chemo, taking prescriptions to help with chemo side effects was necessary. I knew I would not be taking those anti-nausea meds and steroids forever but only for the time I was in chemoland.
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Please don't wait until you feel nausea, it is to late by then. I took my Zofran about 15 minutes before I ate anything heavy and worked that into a schedule of about every 6 hours. I took Claritin, Aleve and stool softeners in the morning and evening as part of my daily routine. I hate taking pills, but I take them when I take my diabetes medicine and that works well for me. I had "morning sickness" on days 3 and 4, which are Saturday and Sunday for me and then I was feeling fine and back at work on Monday morning. You will figure out what works best for you, but I can tell you these ladies are a remarkable source of information and without their advise, I don't think I would feel as good as I have felt after each round of chemo.
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yes!!! Fluids fluids and more fluids!! It's a challenge but it helped me so much as well as the Claritin! I even took an extra half the week after shot...good luck ladies! Rosie
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how long did you take the Zofran? Tomorrow is day 5 for me if you count day of first chemo. Successfully warded it off.
Thanks!
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Toby, My MO instructions say to take the Zofran every 8 hours for 2-3 days after chemo... as needed. I'm still taking it (due to my lovely dates with nausea), but am planning on weaning myself off tomorrow. So glad it worked for you!
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Toby -- I took Zofran for about 5-7 days after my chemo, depending on how I felt when I got up in the morning. I made sure I had plenty of Ginger Ale and crackers to get me through the work day. There is nothing worse than having nausea all day!!!!! I am thrilled that it worked for you.
Go Chiefs!!!!!
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Hi all. Checking in one week post chemo. I'm afraid to jinx myself, but the side effects haven't been nearly as bad as I anticipated. I have been drinking water like it's my job, and trying to eat as well as I can. My doc upped my Lexapro and Ativan, so that has definitely helped with sleeping. So far, the worst has been a nagging little headache that won't quit, fatigue, and my mouth tastes like I swallowed a roll of nickels! I am using the biotene mouthwash and breathsavers mints. I am curious if my side effects are so minimal due to only receiving the Cytoxan portion of the treatment, and if it will be much worse once I begin receiving the Adriamycin with Cytoxan next round. Since only received the Cytoxan, should I still expect my hair to go on day 14? Did anybody here switch from TC to AC, and can share her experience? Headed for heart tests tomorrow, to get the all clear for the next cycle. Hoping for good results, so I can get this show on the road! Sending healing prayers to all of you who are on this journey--may your side effects be tiny and your blessings huge!
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Hi badhairday, sounds like you are doing pretty good.
So my 1st treatment went pretty good. I did have 2 bouts of diarrhea
when I got home but it may have been party because I've been constipated
the past few days from the stress so I took an exlax in the morning in
case the meds would make it worse.Only other issues I have is all
night and even now my fingers and toes are tingly and numb feeling.
I've had poor circulation all my life but I just want to make sure this
is normal SE. Anyone else ever had this happen? I read the big binder of cancer stuff they sent home with me and said I should notify the doc, the summary visit papers doesn't list this on when to call the doc if I have this. I made a call and am waiting for a call back if they don't call me back I'll just call the doc on Monday since its a diff doc on-call.0 -
Mulligan - unfortunately it sounds like neuropathy - CIPN - chemical induced peripheral neuropathy. By all means discuss it with your doc but probably not much they can do now. Hopefully it will recede between treatments, but the effects can be permanent and not at all nice. Most docs will reduce the dose of the med causing the problem - and Taxotere is a real culprit. There are some neuropathy threads on bco if you want to explore.
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Mulligan, I had to pull out my SE management guide because this is something that has been on my mind, too.
To add to what MinusTwo said: the guide says to notify "your doctor when you first experience symptoms.... because early treatment offers the best chance of managing the neuropathy." AND PN "may be managed in a variety of ways: with substances to protect against damage caused by chemotherapy or targeted therapy drugs, with exercises to ease discomfort and strengthen muscles, and with treatments and medications to relieve pain. If these measures fail... or if neuropathy becomes severe, your doctor will most likely change your cancer treatment. In some cases, a substance known as a chemoprotective agent may be given prior to or with a chemotherapy drug..."
I hope this helps!
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NOTE - Hate to be doom & gloom but... Not everyone is susceptible but CIPN is an SE of Taxotere & Carboplatin & occasionally Cytoxan. And each infusion is cumulative, which is why some MOs cut back on the volume of drug & some switch drugs. Unfortunately once you have it, there is no CURE for neuropathy. A lucky 70% with CIPN do get some better over a 2 year period. My neurologist said to remember that 'some better' can mean only some improvement and never back to where you started. There is no drug to help. The only drugs are to alleviate pain - not fix the numbness. Yes, you can do PT to help with balance, but again, that doesn't fix the feeling that my feet are like huge blocks of frozen ice at the end of my legs and I'm over a year PFC. Fingers aren't as bad but still don't work right anymore. So it is definitely important to talk to your doc before another infusion.
For prevention - Some people take L-Glutamine during chemo. My MO recommended B-6 and B-12. I also take Acetyl L-Carnetine. I did run the Taxotere at 60 minutes & iced my fingers & toes during the Taxotere and 15 minutes before & after. I used frozen peas in zip lock bags since those were easier to manage, and switched out the bags for fresh from the freezer 1/2 way through. The theory is that the drug doesn't "attack" so heavily in the areas that are too cold. Some MOs won't allow icing. I did it mainly so I wouldn't lose my nails, and it was some help for that since I only lost two nails, but it didn't appear to ward off CIPN for me.
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Thanks MinusTwo and PoppyK, I was afraid of this. The on-call doc called me back, it was such a weird convo since we don't know each other at all and I'm telling her my symptoms and in the same sentence of saying, "you shouldn't be having this so soon since it's your 1st treatment" to "the SE should go away in a few days, if it persists let us know". Talk about scaring me and then making like it's no big deal. I did read the thread about permanent neuropathy and I went and bought b6 today. I even iced the whole time during my session because of fear of losing my nails too! I'll have to make a list of the others to go buy. I've always had poor circulation and joints (suppose to take Glucosamine for the rest of my life but I've been slacking the past few years on it). Wonder if that is partly why I fell down the stairs last night. Well and the fact that someone left a ball at the bottom of the steps. Lucky for me, the brunt of my fall was to my hands and thighs. I notice the tingly and numbing more when I'm sitting or laying down. If I'm up I don't notice it as much, but then it's probably because I'm not paying attention to it. I'm already having chemo brain, I knew it would affect me since I've always had poor memory (it was pretty bad during my pregnancies) but I'll even be in the middle of talking and suddenly I'll feel like I'm totally lost, forgot what I was saying what was being said everything and then I start thinking of something else and get lost in that and have to back track to figure out where I was. I feel like I'm on a weird drug trip. hehe
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Mulligan- Hope you are feeling a little better today. I iced throughout my chemo (fingers and toes) and fortunately, I have minimal neuropathy. I did not take any supplements but did purchase them with the intent of taking them. I tried to keep moving everyday, even though there were some days that I was shuffling around. I do remember my feet and joint hurting when I would get up from sitting or lying down. Prior to chemo, I used to massage my feet and hands. However, during chemo, I stopped since I thought I may be massage too hard/too much and end up affecting the nerves. Instead, I would just keep wiggling those digits and rubbing my bare feet on the carpet in hopes to keep things stimulated. I don't recall if I had any true numbing as you and MinusTwo have experienced,. You may want to talk to your onco tomorrow and ask for some help.
As for the forgetfulness, yes.... easy to be in a fog while in chemoland. It may be a combination of many things..... the chemo itself, the anti-nausea drugs, the lack of restful sleep and just having brain overload trying to take care of many day to day things. It happens to many of us.
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Thanks Melrosemelrose, the numbing and tingling comes and goes. Sometimes it seems like it's gone, but then it seems to creep back up on me. Last night while I was in bed it wasn't as bad as it was the night of my chemo so maybe there's hope it's just minimal and will go away. One can hope.
I hear you, on being afraid to make things worse. I read I should keep my feet cool and not wear socks or restricting shoes but my feet get so cold all the time. So now I'm wearing socks and then taking them off when I think it may start getting too hot and putting it back on when I get cold.I'll be sure to follow up with my Onco thanks again everyone.
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Mulligan- FYI: I rarely went barefoot while I was in chemoland. I didn't like having cold feet plus I felt that the socks were a way to protect my feet a little if I stepped on something or stubbed my toes. I usually wore sneakers and did not wear sandals. No matter what, you just do what works for you and is comfortable for you. Everyone reacts differently to chemo and also reacts differently to the same chemo as someone else may be receiving. Just keep pushing forward and ask your onco for help as the side effects arise.
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Day 12 after the second infusion. I had a horrible bone pain for about a week. I finally feel almost normal this weekend. Since the bone pain was so severe, my onc decided to cut Neulasta shot dose in half for the next round. Also we discussed the number of my treatment. We started out with 4 to 6 rounds, depends how I can tolerate SEs. Now she think 4 rounds would be enough for me. I'm happy to hear I'm half way done, but also a little nervous cutting down the treatment I wonder if that affect recurrence rate.... My onc didn't seem to be concern though. Has anyone cut down the chemo infusion and finished earlier than planned?
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HockeyCat - did you take Claretin starting the day before & continuing at least 7 days? It has made a difference w/the Neulasta bone pain for many of us.
In answer to your question - My first chemo was Taxotere, Carboplatin, Herceptin & Perjeta. Six rounds didn't "dissolve" the tumor so after surgery I was supposed to have four rounds of Adriamycin & Cytoxan. They had to stop early after 3 due to the low blood count & other SEs.
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Hockeycat- As for 4 versus 6 rounds, there has been discussion about that before. Some are told from the beginning that they will receive 4 and yet once they become aware that some have 6, they want 6. You may want to discuss with your onco, the rationale behind the reduction and her assessment as to why she thought 6 was originally indicated in your case. It helps to know what specific aspects of your medical case and situation were determining factors as to your chemo regimen and the number of rounds. FYI: Most women I have met through these boards had 4 rounds of this chemo regimen while I had 6. I know my case went before a tumor board before i started chemo and while I was having chemo. I also know that the number of rounds I received was based upon my particular situation. I know I tolerated the chemo okay and did take Neulasta shots after rounds 3-6 and also took the regular 24 hour Claritin daily for 9 days starting the morning I received my afternoon Neulasta shot. There is an ongoing clinical trial studying the effects of Claritin on the Neulasta bone pain. I hope you doing well ...... Keep us posted.....
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MinusTwo - I took Claritin for the first two rounds but didn't help at all.
Melrose - thanks for the info. My case was reviewed by a tumor board, and they recommended chemo due to the size of tumor (5cm) and my age. If they knew my tumor was that big before the surgery, I probably had to do chemo before the surgery... Anyway, despite of the tumor board recommendation, my onco was willing to wait for oncotype test to determine. My score was 27, upper range of intermediate risk. So I decided to do chemo. My onc said 4 rounds minimum, as this is national guideline. I'll ask her again at the next appointment to see if it makes any difference between 4 and 6.
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