Cytoxan Taxotere Chemo Ladies- February/March 2013
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Woo hoo Headeast...... just one more to go!!!
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Head east! What a feeling that must be! yay for you!0 -
Hi Ladies-
I will be joining you all on Monday 11/18 when I have my first cycle of TC chemo... This is my second time to the rodeo so to say--- had AC chemo in '07.
Will take a bit of time for me to catch up, but this board was a life saver to me in '07...
All the best,
Virginia0 -
hello dear ladies!
I had my third treatment and I am feeling ok. We will see what happens in the next days. I now have a prescription for Ativan and my nausea medicine was changed to one that wont be giving me headaches.
My counts, without the neulasta were great! I am eating and gaining weight, but it is all nutrients. Yesterday I had three bananas, three cups of garbanzo beans and two protein shakes with L Glutamine, one Blood builder a day. The other days I had brussel sprouts.
WBC 7.3
RBC 4.44
Platelet 332
Neutrophils 83
Neutrophils absolute 6
About the 4 vs 6 TCs, the MO told me my questions were valid and although there are no trials that compare them, we will see how I go until the 4th treatment and then we will both decide. He said no to Oncotype or MammaPrint. That their purpose is to decide if chemo treatment or not.0 -
Headeast -- congrats on 3 down -- just one to go, you got this!! I hope the Ativan works for you -- I take one before infusion, and then each night for the first few nights. I have had no nausea at all -- it doesn't really make me sleepy, but it takes the edge off everything.... Just like I don't really care so much, and I can then go to sleep and just feel normal kind of.
Hi Virginia -- welcome back to BCO. So sorry you have to go through this again, but glad you came back to this wonderful supportive group of sisters. From what I gather from the Oct. Chemo board, AC chemo kicks your butt a bit more than TC, not that any of this poison is a treat! Hope you are felling well and this treatment banishes the BC devil forever!0 -
VirginiaNJ, Welcome. I am so sorry that you have a recurrence and have to do,this again. I cannot even imagine your frustration. I think you will find that TC is not fun, but it is doable. I was surprised that your first was triple positive and this one is triple negative. Do you live in Virginia or NJ? I live in Iowa, but grew up in NJ.
Headeast, I am glad that you are done with your third infusion. My MO also said that the oncotype is just used to determine chemo or no chemo. I wanted it as an additional decision making tool to determine how aggressive the cancer is. My MO is doing a research study on 6TC vs AC+T for more advanced and aggressive cancers. Mine was too small, however a high oncotype would have qualified me. When I pointed that out for him, he agreed
. I did not do it then because I have had a heart murmur since birth, and so we both agreed that the TC was a better choice for me. It is such a tough call. It is frustrating that there are no studies comparing 4 vs6 TC. When 4vs6 AC was compared, 6 had higher recurrence, and lower overall survival rates. 6 is not always better, but we don't have that info for TC, and I cannot believe there are no clinical trials taking place on it. I am anxious to hear my MO's opinion on 4vs 6 for me; I wish I would know the results before my next appointment!!!!! You are kind of in the same boat....show up for number 4 not knowing if it is your last! I hope you are feeling good today and that your side effects stay away.0 -
Hi Virginia, I am sorry you are back here, but this is a wonderfully supportive group. I also saw that you had triple positive and then triple negative. Is that unusual?
Great news on the blood counts Head, this 4 vs 6 TC treatment question that we all have.
Kbee, I see my MO today and will ask him if he knows about any studies of 4 vs 6 and see what he says.
My hair line has thinned considerably, but the tingling is driving me nuts, i just want to be bald already!!!0 -
Hi, finally had my first treatment yesterday. I brought a large bottle of water. The nurse laughed about drinking lots of water. So now I'm peeing fire. Thanks to reading previous posts I'd bought wet wipes and butt paste, so I've gotten through the night without sending my husband to the store.
How much water should I be drinking now? How much water should I drink next time? Thanks!0 -
Hi Pat,
Congratulations on the first one. You are on your way!! I drink 8-10 glasses a day and continue to do it daily throughout chemo. I think the first drinking is about flushing out the chemo, the continual drinking is about staying hydrated. All this talk about drinking- I want a mint mojito. Oh well not till after chemo!!0 -
Good Morning!
Headeast-Yeaa on getting the 3rd done and over! To me, the 3rd was like a Wednesday..hump day that sucked and was a bit worse than the others..so once done the rest come and go quicker and easier. Ref to ativan..only time I ever took that was through chemo..and it was a blessing.
Pat-My infusion nurse said that she drinking was more important than eating..although she wanted me to eat..but the Cytoxan is really bad on the kidneys and they will shut down on you. I've read 3-4 quarts a day and she said to make sure half of that had some supplements in it..like orange juice (juice great when you can't taste anything) Gatorade, etc. I drank 2 bottles of Powerade w/ B vitamins and then refilled them with water as they were a quart and helped me keep up. Also, had soup a good bit (though watch the salt content).
School-I've not read of anyone that went all the way bald..I guess if you have chemo for a long time??..I can't begin to tell you how I looked..and am still looking. Mines started growing back ..feeling in bald spots around my ears..but it looks weird. Luckily, I can see color as I was scared it was going to come back grey..but if so..that is ok..as long as its back...Clairol.0 -
Thank you Kbeee and TeamKim!
I feel good today, with a pumpkin face beause of the steroids, same as the other infucsions. Slept thorugh the night with the help of AdvilPM.
PatAlameda, one less to go! Water intake from a book I read is: your weight in lbs divided by 2= the number of oz you need to drink. Fluids include soups, juices, shakes, among other. Good luck! You has your chemo the same day I did. Good luck!0 -
pat. hi
the nurse shouldnt have laughed !! It is vital to drink fluids to flush the poison thru your kidneys ( mainly cytoxan)
Day prior ( to beef up your veins) day of infusion and next couple of days.
I aimed for 2L but between 2L and 3L is best My onc said pure water not absorbed so well. Try to drink slightly flavoured water or any fluids (milk, juice etc etc ) except coffee( dehydrating)
You will pee and pee infusion day (cos of saline fluids they pump into you too ) its all good - dont let fluids build up in the kidneys empty them whenever you get the urge.
Good Luck. NC x0 -
PatAlameda- One of my infusion nurses warned me about drinking excessive amounts of water because one can get water intoxification. She advised me to drink other liquids besides water such as Gatorade, juice, tea, broth and to eat fruits with high water content such as watermelon and grapes and to eat jello and popsicles, slurpies/slushees. I know the water taste can become boring. I used to put fresh orange slices in my water. I also found that filtering the water made it taste a little better.
I agree with everyone else.... keep moving those fluids through and get up whenever to go to the bathroom. I know it's a little inconvenient in the middle of the night but it is worth the effort so that you get that chemo flushed out. If you find that you have a little burning after peeing, use a squirt sports bottle to rinse off your bottom with. It helps. I kept one of these bottles in each of my bathrooms so I would have it when I needed it.
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thanks very much for the welcome! My name is Virginia and I live in New Jersey
Yes, the dx of a triple negative was a bit of a blow... It sucks to be TN (aggressive) but it also means that the 5 years of Tamoxifen worked. Once I am done with chemo there is no other treatment. Prior to dx the onc wanted to put me on 5 more years of tamoxifen (for a total of 10 years) but she said no need now.
My first go round I did AC chemo - the red devil...you cannot repeat adriamycin due to issues with it damaging the heart- that is why I am doing TC chemo. My onc promised that this regimen was actually more tolerable than AC, and I tolerated that really well...(all things considered). She also told me not to shave my head. Although last time my head was tingling so bad it was actually a relief to have my head shaved.
Drinking water is huge as the others have said. I don't have a port (I didn't the first time either and I even had to have a year of Herceptin infusions, so I figure only 4 infusions in my veins will be a breeze lolll hopefully my veins cooperate!!!). I drink plenty of water to plump up my veins my first go round the infusion nurses said the water drinking (before/during/after) was key......so I am trying to drink plenty of water to prepare for Monday.0 -
Virginia, did your Mo say your recurrence had anything to do because you had a lumpectomy and not a mastectomy? I went to the mastectomy route because of the fear of recurrence...0 -
No, I think it's just bad luck / bad genes. My mom died at 53 from BC 30 plus years ago - tho I have tested negative for the BRCA tests (both the blood test and the newer Bart spit test that wasn't around with my first dx).
Tho try can't say with 100% certainty! I think the consensus is this was just a new primary breast cancer (the switch from trip pos to TN supports this as well...)
In hindsight, I wish I had gone the double mx then.....but honestly, my cancer was 4 millimeters....teeny tiny - so the lumpectomy was the right decision at the time....0 -
VirginiaNJ, yes, hard to have a double BMX decision with such small tumor0 -
Hi ladies,
I've been stalking your discussion for about a week now and decided to jump in. Had my first chemo a week ago today and I am finally back to feeling pretty good. Days 4 and 5 were my worst. I was exhausted and my throat and stomach hurt. Prilosec seemed to help and I think I am going to keep taking it through my next infusion.
I've been watching your posts about the number chemo infusions. I also wonder why some people have 4 and some have 6. I am scheduled for 6 infusions 3 weeks apart. My onco said he recommended in part because of my age (diagnosed at 39). With two kids at home, I decided early that I would do whatever it took to limit my chances of recurrence so when I was told 6 infusions, I said let's get started.
Also, I've had two fills in my expanders so I am starting to look like myself again.0 -
Welcome MN, glad you jumped in. I spoke to my MO about 4 vs 6. He said since there was no node involvement for me he recommended 4. He also said there are no studies out there looking at the efficacy of one over the other.
CK, I always thought all the hair on your head fell out, mine is shedding, but it is buzzed so low, I don't really notice it.
I really love my MO, I had a long list of questions which he patiently answered for me. I also said I was afraid of chemo brain because I really valued my intellect, he recommends crossword puzzles and sudoku to keep the cells firing. He said while it is nice to read, it is passive. Just thought I would share that.
Uds I am glad we are chemo buddies we can compare notes.
Oh and today I went to see my OBGYN because the hair falling out down below is causing folluclities, which is a nice way of saying bumps that hurt like heck!!!!!!
The joys of chemo...not!0 -
MinusTwo: So the Latisse worked for you? I am resigned to losing my hair, but I have 5 more infusions to go and I am dreading losing my eyelashes and eyebrows. I am definitely looking into that!
Anyone else using Latisse?0 -
SC: I have had the same issue "down there". I used Neosporin and also acne medicine, and it actually worked, much to my surprise.
MNMom, Welcome!! I am 43, have 3 kids (9, 11, 13) and wanted to be aggressive (which to me meant I wanted to do chemo rather than just Tamoxifen) which is probably why my MO put me on 6. We did not know I was node negative at the time. I am planning for 6, but if my oncotype comes back really low, we will likely switch to 4 because the risks would outweigh the benefits at that point. I will leave it up to my MO to decide. I am guessing it will come back moderate, so it will be 6 anyway. Landing in the hospital for several days this round has me worried though, about how much lower my counts will go, and it really woken me up to how at risk I really might be for doing a lot of rounds. I sailed through the first 2 rounds with minimal problems, and hoped my luck would continue! It is kind of driving me crazy not knowing when I will be done!!! OK...it is really driving me crazy! I do have my countdown going until January 3 though, so I keep telling myself to plan for that. 50 days to be exact. First it was 104 days, then below 100, then 3 more months, then 2 more months, now down to 50 days ... that's been my countdown... the time is creeping slower than a snail's pace, but getting there...........0 -
Thanks Kbee! I will try that, like I need any other SE!
I had a mastectomy, although my BS and MO were very clear that statistically in terns of reocurrrence it made no difference between that and a lumpectomy. I however, had dense breast and was going through a cycle of MRI, ultrasound and Mammo for the last two years and I was done...0 -
Hi Ladies. So sorry if this has been asked (and answered) repeatedly, but it's hard to go through so many pages of posts. Did you all lose your hair on TC chemo? Did it start about 2 weeks into treatment?
My oncologist has actually discouraged me from shaving my head... In '07 I had 4 rounds of AC chemo and by day 14, my scalp was so painful that shaving my head was actually a relief....
I start TC chemo on Monday.......
Many thanks in advance for your thoughts/experiences.....0 -
Hi KBeee, So sorry to hear about your hospital visit! I have 10- and 12-year-old daughters and one of my greatest fears is that I will end up in the hospital during chemo. I already had the in-laws come and stay for several weeks following my mx. The kids needed rides to activities, food, clean clothes, etc. My husband has crazy hours and helps out as much as he can, but if he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid. I am trying to keep all of our lives as normal as I can.
Today I am heading in for a checkup to have my numbers run. I am hoping for good white counts so they don't add the shot to my regimen. Wish me luck!0 -
MN-
MY oncologist recommended no Latisse, wants to kill all cells if you are adding rapidly growing things blocks chemo working there...
I had just gotten a bottle too, now waiting to use it til after...and I've heard a TON of girls not lose theirs!!0 -
Thank you audra67! I did a little surfing around and found similar info. I guess it makes sense to wait.0 -
If you are wondering about when the hair starts to go, maybe my experience will help you a little. I had 6 rounds of Cytoxan/Taxotere. About 14 days after my first infusion, my hair started to fall out. It didn't all fall at once which means I didn't wake up one morning and found myself completely bald and laying in a next a hair on my pillow. I could feel the texture of my hair changing.... it felt drier and I found more and more in the bottom of the shower drain. This is when I cut my short bob into a very short short boy hair cut. Yes, I made a bunch of little pony tails and snipped them off myself. My husband cleaned up my hair with his trusty electric clippers with a 1 inch cutting guard. At the 2nd round of chemo, I still had quite a bit of hair. My onco even asked who had cut my hair since it looked pretty good and I told I did it!!! That week of my second chemo, the hair continued to fall out more rapidly. I used a lint roller to help get the hair off of me, my clothes, my pillow and anywhere I had been. I never shaved or buzzed my head since I wanted to know if the chemo would take it all. It did not; in fact, I was left with a very very thin veil of sparse hair on my head. I didn't lose my eyebrows until the 4th round of chemo. Only my bottom eyelashes fell out; for some unknown reason, the top ones did not fall out. By the end of my 6 rounds, the eyebrows and the bottom eyelashes were gone. They did come back fairly rapidly. As for my hair, it came back very evenly, a little wavy and the same amount of gray as I had before I had chemo. My onco has been amazed that it did not turn all grey/white..I have not cut it since May 2012 when I did my boy hair cut. So it has now been 15 months since my final chemo and my hair is about 5-6 inches long. At this point, no one can tell that I ever had chemo.
While I was on chemo, I washed my head with Aveeno Baby Conditioning Natural Shampoo and used Neutrogena T Gel Shampoo to help when I got the bumps. Since finishing chemo, I use Nioxin Cleanser and Conditioner that I got from Marshalls/TJMaxx. You can buy the Nioxin products at Ulta. Do I really think the Nioxin works; I really can't say. I did have a prescription for Latisse that I never filled. Instead, I went to Target and bought an $8 Rimmel eyelash/eyebrow serum. Do I think that stuff works.... who really knows.
Just have to do whatever you feel comfortable doing with the hair. You are each very beautiful and special no matter what. Never forget that. HUGS to each of you moving through chemoland.
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melrose - thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my question!!! I guess I will find out soon enough --- it would be truly wonderful to not have to completely shave my head.
Would still love to hear others' experiences if you are willing to share.
Thanks again!!!0 -
MN mom, Glad They are checking your levels. I hope you don't need Neupogen or Neulasta. I asked to have my levels checked, but my MO said we would just be looking for problems where there probably were none...and that hey would rebound fine before he next treatment. Well...that philosophy landed me in the hospital with a neutropenic fever, so I am glad your MO is more proactive. Mine will be handled differently from now on. Like you, I have worked really hard to get my kids to all of their activities, attend all of their events, etc. I want this to disrupt their lives as little as possible. DH works crazy long hours, so much of the running around of the kids falls on me...thank goodness for carpools to cut it in half!
VirginiaNJ, I took a nonconformist approach to my hair. I knew it would stress me out, and I did not want the stress, so a few guys from work said they would all go out to a bar with me, have a few drinks, and come back and we would all shave our heads. We did this a few days before chemo started. 24 of the, shaved their heads with me!!!!!! I thought it was going to be about 6! It was a blast, and turned something that was stressing me out into a really fun, memorable evening. My stubble remained strong until day 13. I lost about 75-80% of it first round. Second round...day 13... most of the other remaining stubble began to loosen up and fall out. I have maybe 1-3% stubble. Thankfully, I really like my wig, which is what I am wearing in my profile picture. I am not used to hair that stays in place and isn't frizzy and unruly. That being said, I look forward to having hair back in a few months...helmet over a wig does not work, and I have to wear a helmet at work!0 -
LOL KBeee! What an awesome story! I am actually not freaked about losing my hair (been there done that). The first time my sister shaved my head with my whole family there - so we kind of turned it into a celebration as well. I was shocked when my onc said NOT to shave my head. That's why I am so curious RE everyone's experiences...
Your wig is beautiful!!! I still have mine from years ago - it's on the closet shelf. It was a very beautiful wig but I did grow to hate it. Lord only knows why I kept it....oh heck, who am I kidding? I couldn't bear to throw a wig that cost so much money in the trash lol.
Has anyone ordered a wig from TLC Direct (I think that's the site)? The wigs look so cute and they are reasonably priced. I wonder about the quality - and the fit bc I have a really huge head loll0
