Cytoxan Taxotere Chemo Ladies- February/March 2013
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I got enrolled in a clinical trial yesterday. The study is to try and find out why some women get muscle and joint pain on Arimidex and some do not. They will take some blood for genetic analysis before I start taking it and then I will keep a journal. I'm hoping I won't get the joint pain, but if I do, at least I will be helping them find out why.
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Hi all-
I usually post on the may or april boards- but thought I would share this info with you all too. A friend of mine told me about this program at the YMCA. Its free ( i think) to cancer survivors. I am definately looking into it since my stamina is totally in the toilet. Here's the link:
http://www.livestrong.org/What-We-Do/Our-Actions/Programs-Partnerships/LIVESTRONG-at-the-YMCA
I am day 12 post TC # 2. It has been a little easier than #1 but still crappy! Hope you all have a great day!
Kerri
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Time flies when it's someone else! Hard to believe some of you are finished or almost finished with rads! It's fantastic. I really like my RO, even though she missed my IBC (she wasn't the only doc to miss it). She really listened to me and took way more than 2 seconds with the weekly breast exam. I hope I like my RO in Houston as much.
2 more rounds! So sick of feeling sick and tired. I can't wait for it to be behind me!0 -
Congratulations on ringing the bell Patti! I think I saw my RO two or three times and he wasn't very informative either, my BS was my favorite also. btdemo I also have the problem with my nails they have rings at the base where they are growing out (one for each treatment) I feel like a tree. Also have a couple nails where the white part is heading toward the cuticle. I cut my nails fairly short and quit messing with them, I'm also using tea tree oil.
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cider8: hope you have an equally great RO in Houston. Communication and information really does make a difference. Only 2 more rounds for you! Woot Woot!
Melody46: thanks for the feedback. I also cut my nails short and laquered them with Sally Hansen's clear (to keep them from snagging on something and tearing).
kobrien: thanks for the link, it looks awesome. There is a Y pretty close to me that offers the program.
There are so many little things that seem to show up and are difficult to sort out: is it left over from chemo, new from rads, or some other unrelated (or related) issue. Need to watch everything to try to determine if it is significant or not. Thank goodness for these threads!
peace to all
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Good for you Annie. Remember to keep lotion on the breast for a couple of months for healing. And let's try and stay in touch with this pesky Armidex journey. I'm taking turmeric in my smoothy. The NP has me on a med to reduce bone loss. The journey continues...........................................................................!!!
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Icing the fingernails? Haven't heard that one.....what do I do? They seem fine so far, but I've just had round two last Friday.
Rash on my head, too, but I found a board where someone recommended Hibiclens, so I've been using that for shampoo and I put Aloe Vera gel on it to cool the bumps. It seems to really be helping.
Thanks ladies for the support!
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rdhdchick- Hope this helps. If you have questions or don't quite understand, please post your questions.
FOR THOSE ICING NAILS : Always clear anything you want to do with your oncos. You will need to clear it with your onco about icing since not all oncos will allow icing during the infusions. The Taxotere icing time period is 1 1/2 hours ( 15 minutes before the infusion, 1 hour during the infusion and 15 minutes after the infusion. For Taxol, the icing period is 3 1/2 hours ( 15 minutes before the infusion, 3 hours during the infusion and 15 minutes after the infusion). At the suggestion of my onco, I am using clear nail polish on my nails to help keep them strong and also icing the nails to help prevent nail damage which is a side effect of Taxotere. She suggested that use Sally Hansen Strong As Nails Clear Polish but I switched to Essie polish since it doesn't chip as much as the Sally Hansen brand. Essie polish costs more but for someone like me who never used nail polish before chemo, the fewer times I have to apply polish the better. I don't mani/pedis but some do. I'd rather avoid the germ issue at nail salons and taking of a chance of getting nicked.
ICING :
- Time period for icing- You will for 1/1/2 hours in total= 15 minutes before the Taxotere infusion + 1 hour during the infusion + 15 minutes after the infusion. For Taxol, the icing period is 3 1/2 hours ( 15 minutes before the infusion, 3 hours during the infusion and 15 minutes after the infusion).
- Ice- You can use frozen peas in quart size ziploc bags marked "Do no eat!!!" and reuse those bags of peas. Some have used small reusable/refreezable ice bags you can get at the drugstore in the first aid department. I opted to use ice. I have an ice tray that makes small rounded bottom circular ice. I tried the peas and decided I liked the ice better because I thought it stayed colder longer. My infusion center has ice available for me to use if I want to use it. I always bring an extra bag of ice just in case I need it.
- Transporting ice to infusion center- I use a cooler with a freezer pack plus take extra infusion ice bags.
- What to put the ice bags in- That is a personal preference. Some just put the ice bags on their feet and wrap a blanket around them so the bags don't fall off. Some use insulated lunch bags and put the ice bags in those. My hands and feet are small so I'm using some neoprene wine cooler bags that I bought at Target for $6.99 each. I figured I could use the wine bags later on. I'm still able to hold an insulated mug so I can drink really cold water and eat ice during the infusion. I have pretty small hands/feet which explains how I am able to use those Neoprene wine bags.
- Hand & Feet Protection- I wear thin sports socks on my feet when I ice the toes. The socks keep the rest of my feet warm during the icing. On my hands, I wear a pair of knitted wristlets/fingerless gloves to keep the rest of my hands warm. If you don't have knitted wristlets, you can make some from men's socks by cutting holes in the toe area. Some people take their feet/hands out of the ice periodically; however, I don't do that.
- Process- I let the infusion nurse know that i'm icing so we can coordinate when I should start the icing. Once I know when I'm going to start the infusion, I put the ice bags in the bottom of the Neoprene bags. I put the ones on my feet first and adjust the ice bags so my toes nails are covered. I then put the ones on my hands on and adjust the ice to cover my fingernails. My husband helped me with this process.
Also to help protect your nails and hands, use rubber gloves when washing dishes or cleaning around the house. Try to learn to not use your fingernails as tools--- no more opening cardboard boxes and no more using the nails as staple removers. Make sure you use some kind of cream/lotion on your hands and feet since they seem to dry out rather quickly with the chemo.
If you have any questions, please ask.
Wishing all of very peaceful and fun holiday weekend and a round of minimal side effects for all!!!!
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My center had mits for my hands that were frozen and always offered them to me. Ask your center if they have them.
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Thank you! I'll ask about it when I go in for my blood check tomorrow. I hadn't heard of this before. I hope it isn't too late!
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My center also had the frozen gel mitts as well as frozen slippers. I used them for each of my Taxotere infusions. I had no nail problems at all, but more importantly, I had minimal peripheral neuropathy, which was my main reason for icing.
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Hi everyone. I iced for my taxotere treatments on the advice of my hospital. My last chemo was may 8, and I thought I was clear, but yesterday my big toe nail fell off! My left thumb nail is starting to feel weird also. Grrrrr. I'm still taking glutamine and b6 for neuropathy- which I still feel, but you know what -I don't care because I got PCR and am so thankful for that! Hope everyone has minimal discomfort and a great weekend!
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Hi All...first time posting on this thread.
I completed treatment three and a,week in had an allergic reaction reaction to something. On the 4th my lips and both hands swelled along with red itching blotches all over that come and go. Occasional weasing. MO says it's odd it occurred on the 3rd round and we may have to change my treatment. Did any one experience such a thing....did they let you continue? Make any changes? Thanks0 -
I have heard of allergic reactions that began with the 3rd round of chemo. I know of one person that this occurred and her onco decided to make sure she was given extra steriods and benedryl to help counteract the allergic reaction. She was closely monitored closely during her infusions and may have been given extra IV fluids.
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elkatho I had a really bad reaction to my first two treatments like dr's running at me to get benadryl in the iv because I couldn't breathe. FINALLY on the 3rd and 4th treatment they had me take more steroids ahead of time and after treatment for an extra day. But most importantly they slowed the drip way way down and only upped the flow every 15 minutes they call it desensitizing. This made a huge difference and I was able to continue with the CT regimen. Are you doing 4 or 6?
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Melody sorry to hear you went through that, sounds supper scarey. Glad they got it under control for you. I am schedule for 6 treatments.I already take steroids the night before, day of and day after along with benaryl and steroids in IV before chemo. I've had no problem during infusion but I am sure suffering now one week out. Swelling is down but continue to get red itchy hot patches on my skin. It comes and goes. I am on a steroid for one more day and take benaryl to control the itching. It has been 4 days now. If it continues tomorrow I will call Dr again. I had a second opinion from a MO and he suggested only 4 treatments. I am definitely keeping that in mind.
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Elkatho, I'm looking at your diagnosis and thinking you might seriously want to consider stopping at four chemo treatments unless there's something I'm not seeing in your signature line, like a high Oncotype DX number or unless you are much younger than the average BC patient. You will see all my DX stats in my signature line for comparision.
My MO started off saying I would have four treatments and then two more if I tolerated them OK. Whenever it came up, he said that "six is better." I started noticing that on these boards most of the gals who were having six treatments had some higher risk factors I didn't, like a high oncotype score, triple negative tumor, lymph node involvement, etc.
I would not have hesitated to endure four treatments if I thought the two extra ones would have significantly reduced my risk of recurrence, but as I began to do more of my own research and read articles about chemo on this website, I began to question that. I became concerned about delaying radiation treatments too long and it also seemed like the five years worth of "anti-hormone" therapy was probably a more important piece of my treatment plan than chemo anyway.
So after my fourth treatment, I told my MO that I wanted to stop and explained my reasoning. He had no arguement at all and was just fine with my decision. When I had my followup with him 3 weeks after my final and fourth chemo treatment, he said that he thought I had been "well-treated" with the four CT infusions.
I like and respect my MO a lot, but I ended up with the impression that he'll do six treatments for all patients who can "tolerate" them and don't object. It just didn't make sense to me to do two extra treatments just because I could tolerate them. So now, when I would have been just recovering from that sixth chemo treatment, I'm almost through with radiation and have started Arimidex. I feel very comfortable with my decision.
Of course you have to make a decision you feel comfortable with, but given your diagnosis and the fact that at this point you don't seem to be tolerating the chemo very well, I think you need to take the attitude that this is your decision to make.
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Annie: I agree with you! My stats are very much like yours and I am doing 4 treatments, last one will be on July 9th. My oncotype dx was 19, and as you can see I had synchronous bilateral bc! I have not read anywhere that six treatments are better than 4. I have also noticed that six are given with node involvment or TNBC. My onc has not even suggested 6 and I have tolerated pretty well so far. IUnless my MO had a really good reason to do 6 I will certainly stop at 4 as each round has been a little more difficult to tolerate and recover from.
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Thanks Annielee and Gully I appreciate your input. I had a mammaprint which came back high risk. I think it only comes back high risk or low risk. I am 44 with no family history. In the beginning my MO did state 6 if I was tolerating it well, if not 4. I was doing pretty good up until this round. When I asked why 4 over 6 he told me (in my own words) 4 of TC was as good as 6 treatments of the other cocktails, so 6 might be better than 4. I am all for an aggressive approach if it will help and there are no long term side effects. I go back on the 17th for my 4th round we will see what he has to say. He said we may have to change my treatment ...maybe that is what he is thinking. It's scarey to go thru even one more round.
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my onco dx was 30 and I was pre menopause at 45 and they didn't say anything about doing 6 until midway, they said "there is an argument that if your tolerating it well 6 may be better" in the end they said 4 was enough especially since I wasn't tolerating it well. I agree with Annie that if there is no lymph node involvement and stage one, 6 seems like alot. Can I ask your age?
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Melody I was 43 at dx but turned 44 a month later. Premenopausal.
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It really is a personal choice, you seem pretty informed especially with a second opinion. I hope things go well for you at your next treatment, each one can bring different SE's. Hang in there
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I am 30 and node-negative too (but LVI and multifocal) and my onc never once suggested doing 6. I did tolerate the TC pretty well but am so glad I only needed 4... I also feel like I was on the brink of possibly irreversible side effects -- that's just my gut instict -- and if I did 2 more, it may have done more harm than good. Go with your gut (since it's all a crapshoot anyway!!)
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Indenial: I was 45 at dx and am 46 now, I also had LVI with bilateral bc and also node neg my MO has not mentioned 6 yet to me either. I am tolerating TC pretty well according to my MO, but do have some neuropathy that gets worse with each treatment. I have one more. I am concerned that two more after I finish my fourth could give me lasting neuropathy....just a gut feeling like indenial said..but there it is. It is all a crapshoot isnt it.....so frustrating really.
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Ultimately, if our MO is recommending six, we each have to make the decision we're most comfortable with and think we're less likely to regret later.
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I had six rounds of chemo and never questioned my onco on the number. I know that the number of rounds was determined by the pathology of my bc and other factors ( ie no nodes). In order for me to have qualified for the Herceptin clinical trial that I participate in, I had to have 6 rounds of chemo. Fortunately, I had minimal side effects and tolerated all of my rounds of chemo. As Annie Lane said, we are always in the driver's seat when it comes to determining what we want to do with our treatments; we just have to be comfortable with our individual decisions.
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Hello Ladies! I just wanted to update you that I had my last rad treatment today - WooooHoooo!! I feel like I have my life back! Now I'm just settling into my 5 years on Arimidex - so far, so good after 2 weeks on it. My hair is coming in and my son-in-law says I'm rockin' the Annie Lennox look.
I really have to update my avatar pic! I wish you all safe, effective treatments with minimal SEs. Hang in there and keep encouraging one another!0 -
ANNIELANE - Congratulations! You celebrate your little heart out. I just had my first rad today. 1 of 35 done. Can't wait to get on with my life too.
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CONGRATS ANNIELANE!!!!! So wonderful to hear that you have finished with the rads!!!
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Stopping back in so y'all can see my hair growth at 2 months post fourth & final chemo. Wouldn't you know that as my hair started coming in, my eyelashes started coming out, weeks after my last chemo?! I'd heard that happens often, so it didn't surprise me. I had permanent eyebrows and upper eyeliner done before chemo and when I go out I put on lower liner also to try to compensate for the lack of lashes.
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