Cytoxan Taxotere Chemo Ladies- February/March 2013
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No armpit hair, eyebrows came back but so blond you cant see them. My hair came back super dark and of course super curly as did my leg hair go figure . I have always been a blond with really light leg and armpit hair and brown eyebrows.........Sometimes its like looking at a stranger in the mirror I finally had to go get highlights in my hair as it was so weird for me .
Mu hair started coming in very thin but is super thick at 16 mts post chemo and I had my first haircut a month ago.
Huggs
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On the bright side, at least I don't have to pay for hair cuts. Before I had to go every four weeks, now I'm lucky if I go every three months.
Things are getting better overall though. More energy, digestive system slowly coming back to normal, muscle aches and joint pain has settled down.
Life is good!
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BUMP for those reading this thread. Wishing those on this chemo regimen minimal side effects and easy times.
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I am writing on behalf of my 78 year old mother, she had her first round of TC with the Neulasta on Wednesday 9/26. After treatment she felt good until Saturday night, she said she felt like she got hit by a train with aches and pains comparable to the worst flu ever.....Sunday she was feeling better but yesterday she was nauseous and did vomit 3 times but no more since. This morning she is still achy and sore and extremely tired. She is scheduled for 4 rounds and this morning asked me if she really had to get all 4 treatments, so I know she is definitely questioning the treatment. My question for everyone if it is possible to answered, can we expect her side effects to occur for her next rounds to be the same as what she experienced or do each treatments vary? I know if she doesn't get the neulasta every time she may not experience the associated neulasta aches and pains. I'm just curious if we should expect her to feel bad day 3 as last round and so on....also, will her treatments get stronger/worse as she goes on, (i.e. will 2 be worse than 1 and so on? any guidance is appreciated and thank you everyone in advance.
You are all inspiring and strong, I've read so many posts on here that have amazed me. Everyone here should be very proud of the hope and courage that you spread. I wish nothing but continued healing to all of you!
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Hi Tweet 1205! I am sorry your mom is suffering. I had the same. She may need more meds for the side effects, can you page the doctor and let them know right away? I ended up taking multiple meds for side effects, I also found that ativan helps nausea, I took Zofran, and claritin, and other meds I cannot remember. Let the docs know she needs more help. The sooner she gets the meds the better, because once you start throwing up it can be hard to calm it down. also stay hydrated, find a beverage she likes to sip and encourage her to keep drinking. Get painkillers for the joint pain if you can. She is lucky to have you.
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Thank you Annie-B-7-14, I will reach out to the doctor for additional medicines for her.
All the best to you and thank you for responding.
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tweet1205- Hope you were able to reach your mom's oncologist to get some help for her. Her doctor ( or the on call doctor) should be available 24/7 to help whether it is the weekend, day time, night time, or holiday. Never hesitate to contact the doctor especially because of your mom's age.
As for the nausea, was your mom given prescriptions for post chemo medications to take the first few days after chemo? If she was and didn't take them, that might be the reason the nausea. How was her eating and what did she eat before she felt nauseous?
Post chemo, I took Decadron(steroid) and Zofran on a schedule----7am and 7 pm with food and plenty of water. I also ate 5-6 small meals a day which I had read that eating small meals on a regular schedule may help keep the nausea at bay. The foods I ate were bland and not spicy.I did keep a daily food diary and a daily drug diary so i could keep track of things. I also drank at least 64 ounces of fluid a day which could be water, flavored water, tea, ginger ale, fruit with lots of juice such as watermelon, popsicles, jello. etc. Two books were given to me which helpful through my time in chemoland--- "Eating Well Through Cancer" by Gerald Miletello, MD and Holly Clegg and "The Cancer Fighting Kitchen" by Rebecca Katz.
As for the pain, the pain could be from the chemo and/or the Neulasta shot. I took regular Claritin the day of chemo and for 7 days after chemo to help with the bone pain associated with the Neulasta shot. Your mom may be experiencing with muscle aches from the chemo. Again, ask the oncologist what OTC pain medication she can take.
I know both of you may feel overwhelmed since the first round of chemo side effects came with perhaps some unexpected side effects. However, now that the first round is over, perhaps you will be a little more prepared for the next round. I do recall feeling like I had a bad flu after the first round of chemo but the 5 other rounds I had were not as bad as the first. I used to have my chemo on Tuesdays, felt fine on Wednesday and Thursday ( full of energy from the Decadron steroid) and Friday afternoon, I would start to feel the slide downward. I usually rested on Saturday and Sunday and was ready to go on Monday.
If you have more questions, please ask. Wishing your mom and you the best.
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Hi Tweet1205. I did 4 rounds of TC and found the schedule of what I called the "ick" days very consistent. For pre-chemo day, day 1 and day 2 I was also on Decadron, as well as Zofran day of chemo and then Compazine for days 2 through 4. I had very little nausea although I had very little appetite for the first week. Had little meals as I wanted - and just made a really strong effort to stay extremely hydrated - lots of water and watered juices. I also lost most taste for a week as the cells in your mouth turn over.
For me, the worst days were second half of day 3, and then day 4 was the worst - feeling pretty terrible. Day 5 I would start to recover and by day 6-7 I was feeling (relatively) pretty good.
Like MelroseMelrose, I was advised to take Claritin for the Neulasta - and found for the first infusion that 3 days of Claritin did not stop the aches, especially backache and spasms. So for the last 3 infusions I did a weeks worth of Claritin (7 days) and that helped me a great deal.
I also found skin reactions to be the worst for the first 2 infusions - very severe itching rashes on my hands, and lots of flushing. I used an OTC gold bond cream for the itching and it helped. By the 3rd infusion it was very light and I barely had any reaction for the 4th. I also had a problem with gum bleeding with brushing for the first infusion, and switched to Biotene rinse which worked very well.
I know some folks are able to power thru their chemo and keep up their schedules and work, etc. I am 55 and I worked from home as able the entire time, but some days that meant a few hours and then resting. The one thing I would say is if your mom is mobile, get her walking. It sounds a little counterintuitive at first, but it was some of the best advice I got. moving a little helped me feel better, and actually also helped with the aches - moving seemed to improve the joint pain. But it is also important to know that chemo makes you tired. The body is waging a war - and that fight takes a lot out of you.
I found the cycle very consistent, so if your mom found she is feeling a bit better by the end of the first week, she can probably count on that to continue. Everyone in my chemo group had a similar experience and found their bad days were consistent from infusion to infusion.
The other thing I would stay is make sure they keep up with your mom's bloodwork. I got very anemic and my potassium bottomed out, and that led to an irregular heartbeat. I had cardio follow up after and was put on a potassium supplement, but it sounds like if I had been on that since the beginning it might not have happened. Lots of protein is also important. Skin can get funny, and I used Cetaphil, but any hydrating lotion should be helpful.
It is weird to say but as MelroseMelrose notes, you learn the most in round 1 and then you have a better idea what to expect. And then about 3 weeks after the treatments are over, suddenly you start to feel a little better, and you strength comes back over time. It really took me about 4 weeks to feel like the effects were fully out of my system. I went into radiation after that, and by the end of 6 weeks of radiation really felt like I was getting back to my old self. But it took a while.
It is a hard road especially when first starting, but after the next one, your mom will already be halfway through. Wishing you both the best!
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Thank You Wildcolonialgirl & Melrosemelrose, moms Doctor changed her script to Zofran and she basically had immediate relief, she is feeling much better. She is still tired and feels drained but I think that is expected. Round 2 is October 17th, I will report back on how she is doing, hopefully better -now that we are a little more prepared! Thank you everyone! May you continue to be healthy & strong!
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tweet1205- Glad to hear your Mom is feeling better.
As you have probably read, staying hydrated in chemoland is important. Your mom should hydrate especially the day before the chemo round and continue to do so after the chemo infusion. The hydration helps the veins be plump and ready for chemo.
I also want to let you know that one of the side effects of Zofran is constipation. Drinking plenty of fluids and eating foods with fiber may help. I used to eat 1 to 2 Sun Sweet Ones Prunes after breakfast, lunch and/or dinner. These prunes come individually wrapped and can be found in grocery stores and Target.
Try to get exercise and keep moving everyday. Getting out of the house and walking around are 2 good things so that one doesn't forget that there is more to life than just chemoland.
Keep us posted..... Hugs to both of you.
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Hi Tweet:
My first round was very painful for about 24 hours after the Neulasta shot (which I had to give to myself). I did get Tramadol for the pain but on the second round of Docetaxel I didn't have any pain at all. The only consistent things I did have for all three rounds was diarrhea, minor muscle aches and joint pains similar to what you feel with the flu. I took Claritin but didn't find it helped me. I could barley walk for about two weeks after a treatment mostly because my muscles felt like jello. I did have steroids for the first three days, as well as Ondastetron for nausea. I also had Metonia in case I had nausea which I never had throughout all of any treatments. I did lose all taste and it did come back in about three weeks after the last treatment.
The only other thing I had was at about day 7 my temperature would rise and stay that way for about five days. I did have to go to emergency one time because it went about 38C (100 F). They didn't find anything and it was just how my body reacted to the chemo for those days.
The Neulasta did keep my white blood cells up but my Red Blood Cells tanked big time after the second round and there was some talk that I might have needed a blood transfusion to continue. In the end I barely held the line and didn't need the transfusion. I had this constant pounding sound of a jack hammer in my ears which was the lack of red blood cells. I made it through even though after the first round I wanted to quit. She will start to feel better as the days go on. Then it will be time for the next round. I found once you knew what to expect it made the next treatments easier.
Like the others have said, lots of water. It helps flush the chemo drug out of your system. Everyone is different in how they react to the drugs. Make sure you're in contact with your doctor if anything comes up. That's what they're there for. Be assertive if you need to.
Hopefully her second round won't be as hard on her. Also know that we're here for you anytime you need to talk, vent or whatever you're feeling.
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I went back a week after infusion EVERY treatment to get an additional bag of saline fluids. I just couldn't keep hydrated and this made me feel so much better for the next two weeks.
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I want to bump this for anyone starting TC (taxotere and cytoxan) chemo. You don't have to read all 159+ pages of comments!! Just dig through a few and it will give you a better idea of what to expect for SE.
Things to remember: a lot of people don't have a lot of horrid SE. The things you read are mostly from those who are feeling effects. If you have unexpected SE, CALL your doctor! They want to know, both to make you more comfortable and also to prevent things from getting worse. Also the thing most often recommended everywhere is to keep hydrating. Even if you're used to drinking a lot, drink a bit more than that.
I'll start this TCx4 tomorrow. Sooner we start, the sooner we're done.
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I already posted the below in the May 2019 chemo thread. Thought I'd put it here, too, since I'm doing TC.
Hi all. Reporting in about my 1st infusion today. I'm to do a TC (taxotere/cytoxan) regimen, 4 cycles 3 weeks apart.
First I had a blood draw for lab tests. I had CBC and a liver enzyme test, something else. Everything reported within range. After blood draw, I met the RO for the first time. She talked through the process, drew pictures of how the radiation is aimed, talked about SE. After chemo is over, I'll start 20 radiation treatments.
After the RO, I went back to the infusion clinic. Got settled in there, had 3 steroid pills by mouth and was started on an IV on something for nausea. About 40 minutes later the pharmacist came to verify the drugs they had for me and to talk through SE with me.
While the pharmacist was there, the nurse began the taxotere infusion at a slow speed. Got a few milliliters into it and I reacted, flushed and got hot. They stopped the infusion right away, more nurses showed up like magic fairies. They started pumping benadryl in me. Between the drugs and the reaction, I was a bit dizzy, slightly nauseous. That calmed pretty quickly in real time, but it seemed like a long time to me.
I had to pee (boy did I, and I think in less than 5 hours at the hospital, I went about 6 times. TMI!) So they got me up and carted me to the bathroom. After that and another 20 minutes or so, they started the infusion again. The pharmacist assured my husband that reacting a second time would be very rare, no reason to expect that would happen. But it did. I got very hot again, felt bad.
They stopped the infusion the second time. Contacted my MO. So far I'd only had about 20 ml of 250 in the bag.
The MO said to stop and send me home. I'll meet with him on Tuesday and might be scheduled to do my FIRST infusion next Friday. Yeah, have to start over.
I had a big nap this afternoon. The benadryl wiped me out and I feel very dull and druggy now. It's amazing I was capable of writing this!!
Besides being terribly dull, I'm also disappointed and a bit down. It took a lot to gear up for doing this first one today. My daughter would say it was crap on a crap cracker. Yeah. That.
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1st TC 4/24/19
2nd TC 5/16/19
Two down, two to go!
First treatment - started with an Aloxia infusion for nausea. Got really dizzy during steroid infusion, so they stopped it, did an EKG (I have a history of a-fib), and restarted it more slowly. Did okay with it after that. Then T very slowly, followed by C. I felt pretty good for a day and a half afterwards. Then I felt like a truck hit me - like I had the flu. Compazine controlled the nausea, but food was just ick most of the time. I alternated between constipation and diarrhea for a couple of days, but nothing severe. The inside of my mouth was very sensitive feeling, and I had a major sore throat. I didn't really have mouth sores. Went to see the NP a week after the first treatment. Got antibiotics (bc of sore throat) and Magic Mouthwash. Vaginal yeast infection - monistat. White count dropped very low (1.2) and slow to rebound, so I had two Neupogen injections. After the first injection, I had massive lower back muscle spasms and a serious headache that lasted 5+ days, along with general aches. Other blood counts were fine. After about 10 days, I started to feel better. Flew to my daughter's graduation at about Day 16. About two weeks after treatment, my hair (cut shorter before treatment) started really falling out - think carpeting the bathroom sink, so I got my head shaved. I didn't want to have a hair crisis while at graduation. I walked almost every day - at least around our longish block. I think I missed one day, maybe two? By the end of this cycle, hubby and I were walking daily 45 minutes to an hour at a fast pace.
Second treatment - Aloxia then steroid infusion, much slower this time - fewer issues. T a little faster, followed by C. Neulasta injection the day after - no major side effects from that except dull headache and general body aches. Like the first time, I was okay for a day or two, then the truck hit me again. Compazine worked well for the nausea, but I had a constipation crisis - TMI. I am now on daily Miralax, which is really helping. I have actual mouth sores this time. And I have a rash on my calves from the taxotere. I ran fever of 100.6 one night, so back to the NP, and I'm on antibiotics again. But with the Neulasta, white blood count didn't drop this time! I also had a day or so of high blood pressure and high pulse rate, but that has calmed down, thankfully. Overall now - a week after treatment - I feel much better. Mouth sores, fatigue, and icky food tastes are my biggest remaining side effects at this point. I've been able to walk every day except one, even though it's HOT in TN now - 90 degrees. We aren't back to 45 minutes or a fast pace yet, but we'll get there. I'm flying to visit my daughter next weekend, at the end of this cycle, right before my next treatment.
MountainMia - I am soooo sorry to hear about your issues during your first infusion. Try to keep your chin up! I'm sure it's hard. Every time I have a delay of any kind, I get mad and despondent. I want this ALL DONE. I hope your MO has good suggestions for getting you back on track. Keep us posted! Sending positive vibes your way.
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Hi SJW. Good to hear things are going okay, at any rate!
As for me, I'm switching to a AC regimen starting tomorrow. Not excited about that, either, but the MO said basically NO ONE reacts to that, and it should be successful.
All the best,
MMia
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Mia - do you mean your MO said AC was easy? Well we're all different.
I did 6x TCHP, lost 60 lbs, had constant diarrhea, got neuropathy & lymphadema. But that was a walk in the park compared to AC. I thought it was brutal. I was only able to do three of the 4 AC treatments.
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MinusTwo, NO, not that the treatment is easy. Just that almost no one reacts on infusion. I had reactions on infusion 3 times to taxotere, in two sessions, so they had to stop treatment both times. I haven't had a full chemo session yet. Today, with AC, should be my first complete chemo.
I know that SE AFTER infusion range greatly. I'm sorry you had such a hard time with it.
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Hope all goes well Mia
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I’m curious. Does everyone on TC get a Neulasta injection? I had my first TC treatment, but did not get a Neulasta shot. Also, did anyone get a few raised red bumps that come and go and itch?Not many.
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Bumming,
For my first TC treatment, I did not get Neulasta. Doc wanted to see how my white count responded. I had some issues a week after my treatment and saw the NP. White count was very low, and I was getting ready to travel, so I had neupogen injections two days in a row (shorter acting neulasta).
They gave me the Neulasta injection the day after my second TC treatment, since my white count dropped so low after the first one.
Tomorrow is #3, and I am supposed to get Neulasta On Pro (the auto injector thing) tomorrow for the first time.
After treatment #2, I had a red rash all over mostly the front of my calves. They did not itch, however. The NP said they were from the taxotere. They are mostly gone now; we'll see if they come back after #3.
Good luck!
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Thank you for responding. Good luck
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Bumming - like SJ, I did not have Neulasta the first time & my white cells tanked. I did have a Neulasta shot 24 hours after all the remaining five infusions.
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Thanks for responding. How did you know your wbc tanked? I haven't felt much different after coming off the steroids around day three
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I remember extreme exhaustion. Also my doc tested my blood 24 hours before every infusion. Sorry I can't remember if there was an extra blood test in the intervening 3 weeks. Hopefully someone closer to it will respond.
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Thank you. I was a bit tired, but I didn’t sleep the first 2 nights, so I figured that’s why I was so tired! This whole process has me a little freaked. I don’t know what is “normal” or what side effect should be addressed
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Does everyone lose their eyelashes on the TC treatment? I have my daughter’s wedding this summer and for some reason, my eyelashes have become important to me! Why, I have no idea! lol
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I was determined not to lose my eyelashes & eyebrows, so I treated them with Latisse. My MO couldn't specivically recommend but he didn't disapprove either. Can't remember now if it was once or twice a day. I did lose all the hair on my head. But although my brows & lashes got thin, I never did lose them entirely. It wasn't cheap, but it was my single concession to chemo vanity.
LATISSE® (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03%
LATISSE® is an FDA-approved treatment to grow eyelashes for people with inadequate or not enough lashes.
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thank you MinusTwo. I’ll check into that. I appreciate your taking the time to answer. This thread is helping me immensely to gain info and hope
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Bummin19, I'm having TC#4 tomorrow and I still have my eyelashes and eyebrows. I did nothing to prevent it, but ate a lot of protein, both animal and plant. I was worried about losing them too. Time will tell after the last one tomorrow and the weeks that follow
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