Cytoxan Taxotere Chemo Ladies- February/March 2013
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Thanks to this group. I have tried ginger ale (stirred out the bubbles) and actually had moments of "normalcy"!! Although 10 days out from my 3rd infusion I was feeling very dizzy and though I was going to faint. Since I had issues after round one, I called in and went in. Turns out my labs were fine, but I was dehydrated. I drink at least 60 oz of water every day so not sure how this happened. One thing might be the Claratin. I usually only took it during Neupogen shots, but Onc said to take it every day...think it dries you out. And the Onc nurse said a change in the weather to hot and humid somehow can contribute to dehyration.
4th and final round coming up next Friday. Thanks melrose, for reminding me the "anti-hormone" therapy is the Big Gun in my case. Will have to endure the final chemo then rads. But the anti-hormone sounds like the vital piece to my particular puzzle.
My fingernails hurt, are turning dark and have a ridge at the cuticle. Will I lose them? My toenails hurt but no discoloration so far.
What kind of SE can I look forward to after round 4?
Thanks ladies, good vibrations to you all for a good SE free weekend!
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btdemo try some tea tree oil I never had any problems with my nails but I used it regularly good luck, btw I'm kindof nervous about starting the tamoxifen too I wonder how many people DONT have problems with it and the SE's
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Melody,
I took Tamoxifen for the two months between DX and surgery and I had no noticeable side effects! I have herd that some people get terrible joint pain but I had none. Good luck to you and am wishing you no SE.
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btdemo- I was fortunate and only had some indentions and slight discoloration on my nails from the chemo. I also iced my fingernails and toe nails during the Taxotere portion of my chemo rounds which may have helped. Just be careful when doing things with your hands (like wearing rubber gloves when washing dishes or cleaning around the house or digging in the yeard.
Melody-I've been on Tamoxifen since the beginning of September 2012. I haven't noticed any major side effects. I did experience some joint pain when I first started taking the Tamoxifen but don't know if that was from the residual side effects of the chemo. I remember moving around so slowly and feeling very achy when I stood up after laying down or sitting. Yes, it does take the body some time to recover from the chemo. I still have the "not so hot" hot flashes but I had those during chemo. One thing you can do to help yourself is to view the Tamoxifen as a maintenance drug and not look at it as a 5 year sentence as some do. When one thinks about what that little white pill can do, then one realizes how powerful that drug is. For me, it is just something I can take, need to take and want to take. As I tell those who hesistate to take it, I take it for me, my family, my friends and in honor of all of those with triple negative bc who are are unable to take Tamoxifen and wish they had one more drug to help them.
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I use a scopolamine patch to keep nausea at bay and it lasts for 3 days so for anyone battling this SE check with your onc for an Rx.
Goldie 1431 - thanks for the wishes...I too hope I am too busy to even notice the SE from treatment #3!
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Melrose, I like your attitude about the Tamoxifen. I will probably be taking Armidex, which also has lots of potential side effects, but is probably going to be my best chance of preventing recurrence. When I made the decision to do chemo, my oldest daughter said, "Mom, we know you're doing this as much for us as you are for you." It meant so much to me that she recognized that and I hope to keep it in mind as I go through the next phases of treatment.
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Sorry to say ALL that the Tamoxifen put me down like I had the worst flu ever. In bed for 6 + days before I stopped it on my own. My 25 year history of reflux disease and irritable bowel made it impossible to tolerate. Just finished chemo. and heading to rads. next month. Then I will have ovaries removed like Angelina (want to b just like HER) to stop the estrogen production and see what drug my MO has in mind for me next!
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Carolyn, I'm surprised your MO started you on it so soon after finishing chemo. Chemo is so hard on the whole GI system anyway. Nevertheless, it sounds like it was not going to be your best option.
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AnnieLane - thanks for your comments and concern. I was started on the Tamoxifen before chemo and just could not tolerate it. That is why I chose to take the chemo. Done now and heading to rads. then the ovary removal. It's always something!
"Flowers" (aka cmbernardi)
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Hi all
Had my second round ot T/C on May 15(nuelasta the next day) and it's been horrible. Diarrhea bone pain depression, sore throat, like a big lump in your throat, ear aches, fatigue..well..who am I telling here? you all know what I mean. 2 more to go..June 5th and 26th and then Arimidex for 5 years. At least this time I was able to convince my MO to give me lortab for the hard week (and it's a hard, hard week for me.) I have no appetite and the diarrhea is bad so I am afraid to eat anything for fear it goes right thru..and I don't like taking Imodium bc I figure all that poisin needs to come out so if I am at home why not just do it?(TMI?) I cry all the time from the pain, even with the lortab.I am a BIG baband a mess! IDK if you remember but last cycle, day 9 post first infusion my boss "let me go" and I have been milling that around in my mind..why?? I was an inconvenience for her? I nanny'd her kids for 5 years and she a DOCTOR..her husband a SURGEON..OMG no contact with them or the kids which I am sure is adding to my depression. Anyone out there have to deal with depression and how?? Losing the hsir didn't help and I HATE my wig. i was pressured into it by a well meaning DH who just wanted outta there at the time. It's a different color thatn I am used to as well as style, I have African American type hair and this is a short straight style..Raquel Welch..Oh well ..my Sunday rant..sorry for this ladies when there is so much to be thankful for.
i go to LGFB on Monday maybe that's waht I need..camaraderie!?
thanks for listening
runnermom1956
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Melody46: thanks, I will try the tea tree oil.
melrose: Thanks for the tips, and...well said about perspective.
runnermom: I feel terrible for your situation, your onc should be able to mitigate some of your SEs with other meds, maybe review your chemo cocktail, etc. (I have to say that your employer "letting you go' infuriates me, I feel like starting and email campaign, a facebook campaign, call your elected officials etc. I realize few of us probably have the kind of energy necessary to mount that kind of fight, but gosh where is the compassion and humanity?? ok, rant over)
as for nausea, I had onc prescribe me phenergren (sp?) suppositories. After surgery it was the ONLY med that worked. Tho treating nausea from surgery narcotics is, apparently, different from chemo nausea, still...
And thank you to those who recommended ginger ale. I stir the bubbles out of it and drink it in between the tons of water I try to consume each day. And I actually had a few moments of normalcy!!!
Good vibrations to you all, it really is a roller coaster ride. Just when you think you understand some of the SEs, here come more. Thankful and grateful ther is this forum to rely on!!
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runnermom1956- Hope you are feeling better. You may want to call your onco and let him/her know about the severity of your side effects. Perhaps an adjustment in your meds may help. To help with the "D", you may want to eat a bland diet ( BRAT diet- banana, rice, apple sauce, plain toast) or maybe some mashed potatoes. I know you are having a difficult time but hang in there!!! You will get through all of this; rather you are getting through all of this. As for the hair thing, my poor little wig has abandonment issues--- Why? It's because I never took it out of the little plastic ziploc bag that I received it in. I stuck with either bandanas (Walmart 99 cents), Buffs, baseball caps or straw hats (Target) or just nothing. I do miss rubbing my little bald head sometimes because I found it rather comforting. As for the tears and feeling a little blue, it comes with the territory here. I know I cried during my time in chemoland' not so much because I was doing the chemo but because I was tired. My boo hoo periods never lasted more than a few minutes. You just have to decide that you are going to keep moving forward and hold that head high and keep a positive attitude. When you are finished in chemoland and look back at where you have been, you will know in your heart that all of this hard work and effort you are putting out right now is well worth the good times and not so good times you have been through.
Wishing everyone this coming week, a very good week and minimal side effects. You, gals are doing this and doing it well!!!! Hugs!!!
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Hi all and hoping everyone is doing great. I am 10 days post final chemo and feel just tired and queasy. I dodged the bullet of radiation (although it was in the original plan) and will be starting Armidex sooon. Does anyone have experience with SEs of Arimidex?
Also, how long after chemo does your hair start coming back in?
Thanks and wishing you all well.
xo Nancy
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Nancy - I am 11 days PFC. I have found some youtube videos that shows hair growth . Interesting to watch but it seems like it's going to be long haul:) Just search " hair growth after chemo" if you are interested.
For those of you worried about cumulative side effects, I am happy to report that the se of my last treatment have not been bad at all.
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Milo, I found a great thread, "Coping with the SE's of Armidex" I like it because the gals who started it seemed to be making a conscious effort to keep it positive, without denying anyone a place to vent. It seems like there are a few threads on these discussion boards where women just seem to feed off each other's negativity, but that is not one of them, nor is this
I've spent a lot of time reading the pages of that one taking notes about things to try in case I experience the different SEs. Of course too much of that and you start to think you'll experience every side effect possible, so I laid off it for awhile. I'm also ten days post final chemo and still need to get through radiation. No need to borrow trouble.
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Milo5-You may start feeling like fuzz on your head. It may be clear or gray in color and very thin. I know I felt that little fuzz after the 4th round of chemo but it would fall out after the next round of chemo. I decided to give myself a month after the final chemo to see what hair would sprout and not get upset if nothing had grown during the first weeks after the final chemo. Within 2 months of being PFC, I had enough hair to go out in public without a scarf/head covering. It was very very short at that point but it came in evenly. It was probably about less than 1/2 inch. At this point, I'm 9 months PFC and the hair is at least 2/1/2 inches long. I haven't trimmed it since it surprisely is still coming in evenly. I try to eat healthy and do not take any supplements (ie Biotin) to help with the hair growth. I think people just think I have a short haircut and don't know that a year ago, I had very little hair. Try to be patient with the hair return. You can go on the Hair, Hair Hair discussion thread and find some gals have posted pics of their hair growth. Congrats on being PFC!!!!
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btdemo I forgot to say I also iced my finger nails while doing taxotere, so between that and tea tree oil I had no problems, thanks for reminding me Melrose. I had a really hard time emotionally and although the crying only lasted for alittle bit the ups and downs were too much for me. I'm a month out of my last chemo and coming off the Paxil I used to get through it.
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Milo 5...I also just completed my last chemo 10 days ago. Am still schlepping around the house and mild nausea comes and goes. Thought because I was so happy about being finished with the chemo I could push through it. Did too much over the weekend and slept almost all day today. Still really kicks your butt doesnt it
I have some thin hair coming in about 1.4 of inch, but sure isnt covering very well. Anxious about when it will all fill in. Seems like the gray/white ones are growing but the dark ones arnt !!! WTH !0 -
Starynights- congratulations on finishing your chemo! You must be thrilled even though you are still having some side effects.
Today I had chemo #2 (of 6) and they reduced my steroid for yesterday and tomorrow and I feel much better this time. I hope that nausea does not hit. Tomorrow and Wednesday I will have saline infusions and also get my neulesta shot tomorrow. I hope my side effects will be manageable. No stomach cramping yet so that is a good sign!
I hope everyone has a good week.0 -
You know I think we can be especially prone to depression after the last chemo, because it's so easy to forget that we are still experiencing cumulative side effects and have a lot of recovering to do, so it may be awhile before we feel any better. Then it's easy to start focusing on how long term our treatment plan may be and start worrying about what side effects we may suffer from radiation and/or "anti-hormone" therapy. I found myself getting in that rut and had to make a conscious effort to limit my time on those threads for awhile.
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This past Saturday I discovered blood in my urine which can be a serious SE of Cytoxan - although I have been very diligent drinking more than enough water and fluids daily, Saturday I was out all day and being preoccupied probably only consumed 8 oz. By the time I got home I noticed my urine was pink and just an hour later was a bright red. I called my husband who was out of town and explained it to him. He said start drinking gallons of water and don't stop. I did and by the time I went to bed 4 hours later there was less evidence of blood and by the time I was up at 2AM all was back to normal and stayed that way the rest of the weekend.
I had infusion 3 of 6 of TC today but told my nurse about the blood so she ordered a urinalysis to check for microscopic blood or bacteria. It came back negative so my onc approved continuation of TC for the remainder of my treatment. My purpose for posting this is even though I was day 19 post treatment 2, the Cytoxan can still burn and damage your bladder so please be diligent with fluid consumption. I consider myself lucky to have dodged this bullet.
Good luck to my TC sisters this summer.
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AmyQ: I can imagine that was scary. I just had my 5th treatment and luckily haven't had any SE's regarding the kidneys. Hopefully it was just due to dehydration. Luckily your bloodwork came back ok. I would definately keep drinking lots of fluids though!!
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My mom's chemo was delayed til next week and I am trying to remain positive. I had a few days of second thoughts and lots of tears regarding the decision to proceed with it. (remember, my mom is the one who had the stroke last year). I have read so much but still don't feel prepared.
On some reputable websites (like, comprehensive cancer centers), I read that bodily fluids contain chemo agents for 48-72 hrs. after treatment and need to be handled with special gloves, laundry kept separate and washed twice, fluids (urine, blood, feces) kept off skin, etc.
During the day, my mom sometimes has accidents especially if we have company or she is very tired and doesn't communicate she has to go to bathroom. At night, I don't change her every few hrs. I use special overnight diapers that are supposed to keep urine away from the skin. Sometimes, they work but some mornings, either from a leak near the elastic or from too much urine, her PJs and bedpad are wet. In those cases, her skin is wet.
When I asked the oncologist via the nurse, he said he doesn't think there will be a problem but if so, he could arrange for a nurse. I am not sure I believe him. I found the warnings on several sites. When I look further on the internet, I found stories of long term chemo use in the home and caregivers getting nauseous and other serious side effects of exposure.
For those who had a chemo class- was there any mention of contact with urine, etc? The same would also apply to vomit. Any mention of special handling or cleaning?
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Regbeach, I haven't heard any of those warnings, but I didn't have any reason to research chemo from a caregiver's perspective either. Did the warnings make any differentiation between different chemo drugs? I would think long term exposure would be longer term than your mom's regimen would be, though. (Wondering if you got the PM I sent you a few days ago, by the way.)
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Regbeach, I heard a few people on the other regimes mention needing to flush twice etc. but I haven't heard it in reference to the TC. I personally don't have burning with urination or anything like that and received no warnings about bodily fluids during chemo teach or otherwise. Even the mentions of this I've seen in connection with other regimes haven't been to the extent you describe, is it possible that's for very different types of chemo treatment?
One thing I would consider with your mother is asking for extra IV hydration for her -- the day of chemo & perhaps continuing for 2-3 days after. This would help dilute the chemo (reducing your concerns about bodily fluid contact) but even more importantly, will help flush the chemo out of her system more quickly, keep her feeling better, etc.
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Milo5 and ALL
Yep! The last chemo. is a BIG TIME celebration but does not come without the SEs. Fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, bone pain, stiffness, anxiety, insomnia or hypersomnia, etc. and PILLS, PILLS, PILLS! HANG IN THERE ALL. I hope we can all truly say very soon that "WE are DONE with Chemo". I am thank goodness and heading to RADS. June 3 and then the oophorectomy. Oh well, it's always something!
Happy Weekend Everyone. Stay safe and well with minimal SEs and Peace, Luv and Blessings!
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SO HAPPY YOU ARE DONE WITH CHEMO!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Thanks annielane for reminding me the last chemo doesn't mean chemo SE are over. I had my final chemo Fri 5/24 and went into it just like any other. But the nurses, Onc, pharmacists etc were all congraulating me on my last infusion and I think I got caught up in it. But now it is back to managing SE for the next couple of weeks. Still, it is good to know infusitons are over. I am going to try to limit my forward thinking about rads and hormone blockers for a few weeks...
Do any of you still have stubble hair? I have some on top of my head that never fell out. Sides and back are smooth, but I haven't lost the stubble on top...not that it grows at all, but it never all went away. Will it fall out from final chemo? if not, is this something I need to be concerned with? Did chemo work, was it strong enuf? Or am I dreaming up things to worry about?
As always, thank you for the input and support.
Good vibrations to all for a good weekend, and a good Memorial Day.
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Congratulations on the final chemo, btdemo! Same as you, I had stubble on top and smooth on back and sides. I am now 5 weeks PFC and its coming in everywhere now. My fatigue is getting better everyday and I can climb a flight of stairs with just being slightly out of breath and minor leg muscle burn and weakness!
It does get better from here- but it happens slowly.0 -
btdemo- Congrats on the final chemo!!! Let your mind and body rest before the next steps of treatment. As for the hair, I had some hair that never fell out. Eventually the pre-chemo hair did fall out but new growth came. That wonderful duck down hair comes in ( not necessarily in the color you want or like). I used to rub my head to feel it; it was so comforting. There will be a point in time that you decide not to wear anymore head coverings. That happened for me about 2 months after I was PFC. Yes, it was very very short and was coming in evenly. My current driver's license pick was taken when I was 6-7 weeks PFC and taken without a head covering/wig/hat on. I know I get double takes from those who ask to see my license for identification since I have hair that is at least 2 1/2 inches long now. As always, be easy on yourself. You will feel better soon and your energy level will return. Don't forget to check out the Miaderm radiation cream before you actually start rads. You may have to order it on Amazon.
Thinking of all of you and hope each of you is having a relaxing weekend with minimal side effects.
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