Cytoxan Taxotere Chemo Ladies- February/March 2013
Comments
-
Jeri, the high blood sugar is more probably the result of the steroids -- which are known to drive glucose levels crazy even in non-diabetics. Is your endocrinologist aware of the steroids (if you are getting them along with your chemo)? He may have no idea they are being given to you. I'm a Type2 diabetic myself.
Carol0 -
Wishing everyone getting ready for the Big Girl Chair this week easy times and minimal ( if any) side effects!!!!
As for the hand shaking, try elbow bumping instead. I know that I was a little germaphobic while on chemo and opted for no hugging and no kisses even though family and friends wanted to. They all understood why I told them to save them until I was done and finished with all of my chemo.
0 -
Good luck today school counselor and all of the other girls going in today
I am tired and hemorrhaging with my stupid period and will be on the couch all day, very tired, still icing the swollen arm- elbow area seeming better but hand and wrist still look and feel awful!
just bought a book= being well even when you are sick,
my friend is a neuropsychologist and I have been talking to her about the panic/anxiety with tests, chemo, possible reocurrences, not sleeping well and asking her how to get over all of that- anyhow she recommended this book the writer also has been through cancer - will let you know if helpful0 -
SchoolCounselor and others going to The Big Girl Chair, just breathe. I will say I was freaking out about my chemo day. I hate needles. I have been known to stabbed doctors, nurses, and bite them. Yesterday, I just breathed and the needle went into the Port I was done. It wasn’t as scary as I imagine. I felt somewhat at peace with chemotherapy. It was an odd feeling, considering my views towards chemotherapy. I wish you gals getting chemo the best of luck on your first one and less SE afterwards. Best of Luck.
P.S. Called doctor left message about the anti-nausim meds, trying to get on the Zofran.0 -
Carol, it's nice to hear from a fellow diabetic. I have found it to be quite a balancing act to be treating these two diseases simultaneously. During my chemo treatments I stayed in close touch with my endo. He prescribed NPH for the days I was taking steroids and I also gave myself an injection when I was in the chair and they started running the dex. It did help but the steroids are so powerful they are hard to overcome. My disappointment is that I am now 8 weeks post final chemo and still seeing such high numbers. I'm going to do my best over these next two weeks to stick with the plan and see if these changes make a difference. I said to him jokingly, "You know you're asking me to do this over Thanksgiving?" He didn't have much sympathy. : ) I was so looking forward to a big helping of my daughter's macaroni and cheese!0 -
Last Friday I had my third TC. The first two days were fine, then on Day 3 the side effects started. Day 4 is always for some reason my worst day, and definitely this third time around was the worst. I was unable to get out of bed, unable to eat, unable to think, nauseous, felt like a zombie all day. First time in three cycles that I felt that bad, so it's definitely cumulative and shows up on round 3. I'm better now, even thinking about getting out of my pajamas today! At my clinic (Kaiser Oakland) they send us home with neupogen shots that we give to ourselves in the stomach for five days starting on day 3. It's supposed to spread it out so that the side effects aren't as bad. Also we have our blood tests done two days before chemo and the results are emailed to us the same day, usually within a few hours of having the test. That way the steroids don't interfere with the results.
As for the port, it saved me. My veins are nowhere to be found, and I have my blood drawn through the port as well as the infusions. They gave me some Lidocaine cream to put on the port an hour before so I don't feel the needle at all. I did have a problem with the port the first day because the catheter had a "kink" in it, but they eventually were able to manipulate it outside my body to remove the kink. That was strange. I'm so grateful that I got it. If you're like me and they have to poke you a million times before finding a good vein, it's a lifesaver.
Good luck with your test results on Friday, KBeee.0 -
jerigrace, i hope you are able to get your blood sugar levels back down to normal. That has to be really frustrating. It seems to be never-ending, doesn't it.
bondsy, I hope you are feeling better. Round 3 sent me for a loop too...I finally have felt much better this third week...just in time to be kicked to the curb again tomorrow for round 4. I wish my MO had been doing the neupogen shots, so my counts would not have fallen so low.
FDM, I hope you get some relief from the nausea. Be cautious if your mouth is actually swelling; that is a sign of an allergic reaction. The awful heartburn has been an issue for me too. Zantac somewhat helps.
Audra, I hope the monthly beast ends soon and does not make a reappearance any time soon. That is the last thing you need is to be losing more hemoglobin.
SC, I hope you are feeling OK after your chemo today. halfway done, correct? At least with the infusions........it does not feel halfway when you know side effects are coming.
i am looking forward to answers tomorrow...oncotype results...recurrence likelihood...4 or 6 treatments...neupogen or neulasta...infusion center or home...why after neupogen did my hear rate rise over 160... why the night of chemo does my heart rate drop into the 40s...I have a laundry list of questions! Hopefully MO will have some answers! I did have blood work today. most results will be in tomorrow, but my counts i got today. White count and neutrophils are finally mormal. Yay! For once, i am not anemic. i have been eating a TON of red meat! I am glad they do not check my cholesterol. I will deal with that after chemo; for now, i am just glad it helped to get my hemoglobin up.0 -
Hi there, got a question for you veterans. I know I'm supposed to expect "hair loss" round about day 14, I've also heard tell that the more private hair goes first. Do we have a "day" to expect that? I'm at day 9, and I'd say that my lower follicles are beginning to complain. Is that about on schedule?0 -
Pat, in my case they fwll at the same time, around day 14.0 -
me too around day 14, bald spots on day 17 and most of it washed out this morning at day 21...
very little underarm hair, the leg hair is holding on though...oh wait i just checked it is also mostly gone too!0 -
Pat, my head hair would not even "pull" out of day 11. By day 13 it came out by the pinch full. I tried right after going to the bathroom and having a surprise in my panties...all pretty much came out at once down there. I had already shaved my head, so i could only pinch little pinch fulls of stubble. The stubble came out even more on days 14 and 15. I used masking tape on it too...like removing dog hair off of clothes.
Tomorrow brings a trip to PS for a fill at 0745, and then a trip across the city (if you call it a city) to meet with MO, and then onto chemo. maybe I should swing in and see my BS... I could complete the trifecta.... maybe not; the chemo chair pretty much completes it. Looking forward to a hopefully nice weekend before the side effect truck runs me over on Monday.0 -
FairyDog: I get meds for nausea with my infusions. I get Kytril, Emend & Decadron. No reason they can't add them in. Then I take Zofran pills morning & night for a couple of days after the infusion. No nausea at all. Hope you get it resolved.
Claritin for Neulasta: I'm taking one the morning of chemo and then for 6 days. No bone pain with this batch. I'm wondering how much of the pain with the other cocktails were because of the Herceptin and the Perjeta? Guess I'll find out when I finally get back to just those two.0 -
MinusTwo- I never had any pain that I thought was from the Herceptin. The reason I say this is because I didn't have any side effects when I had the Herceptin only infusions which started once I had finished the 6 rounds of chemo. Hope you are feeling well. (((HUGS)))
As for the hair disappearing act, my hair loss began on Day 14 after the 1st round. Between that day and the days following the 2nd infusion that I noticed that the hair was continuing to change texture ( strawlike, dry) and more and more handfuls were coming out in the shower. My scalp did feel a little tender and sore. The best relief from that feeling was when I was able to put my head under the shower water. A lint roller was my tool of choice to remove the hair that just like it was everywhere..... on me, my clothes, my pillow, etc. Some gals I know even used duct tape to try to get the stubbles from their heads. Yes, the hair down south is usually the first to depart. My onco did warn me that it was possible that the leg hair would stay but lucky me, it left too. The eyebrows and eyelashes did not fall out until the 4th round. My eyebrows and bottom eyelashes were gone a few weeks after my 6th/final round of chemo. My top lashes did not fall out. Fortunately, the eyebrows and eye lashes returned fairly rapidly once my body figured out that there wasn't any more chemo coming. The eyebrows and eyelashes are on a different growth cycle than the head hair and can fall out and regrow several times during the first year post chemo.
0 -
I didn't have any SE's with Herceptin either.....but I didn't take Perjeta...
I also didn't lose my hair "down there" lol on AC chemo (it just thinned) --- brows and lashes only thinned as well....will be interesting to see now on this chemo. Figure I have bit more than a week to say goodbye to my hair...dang it...I have REALLY awesome hair too
Felt ok on infusion day (Monday) and pretty good tues and weds...then like complete crud yesterday. Had my last fill with PS tho, so at least that's done. Get to live with my "water balloons" til March befor I can do my exchange....
I got my period yesterday so that could be contributing to the general feel-crappiness state...
Hope everyone is hanging in there....0 -
why are we all getting our periods??? I thought chemo stopped them!!!0 -
I'd better not get MY period. Haven't had one for five years!0 -
My periods did not stop on AC chemo - nor did they stop on 5 years of Tamoxifen0 -
Melrose: The Mods just posted an interesting article on the 'Breaking Research' thread about increased heart risk w/herceptin in older women. This does list back & joint pain as a Herceptin SE. More to think about since a) I'm older and, b) I'm now taking Andriamycin.
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/73/topic/785923?page=9#idx_2480 -
I think heart problems are a general SE for Herceptin, sadly. I had regular Muga scans while on Herceptin to monitor my heart. Although, the effects might not be seen til years later0 -
Thanks Virginia - I've been having regular Echo scans. And of course they've stopped the Herceptin for the duration of the Andriamycin. I'm just amazed to have such mild side effects with the A/C & neulasta after the taxotere/carboplatin/herceptin & neulasta was so trying.
Edited to add - keep your fingers crossed it continues.0 -
yes for sure! Always have fingers crossed...and toes and anything else
They did not start my Herceptin until after I finished my AC chemo - I then went for infusions every 3 weeks for a year....
I tolerated the AC chemo really well. I am now doing TC and feel a bit more nauseous and have a terrible dry / metallic mouth. Never had that on AC. I too am tolerating the Neulasta shot well....but taking the Claritin just as an insurance policy...not convinced it matters for me bc I don't remember issues with Neulasta 7 years ago and I def didn't take Claritin back then.....0 -
Keeping my fingers crossed that everyone will come through all of this just fine!!!! I had regular quarterly 2D ECHO's while I was on Herceptin and fortunately my heart function has remained high. That is an interesting study, MinusTwo about the heart risks of Herceptin on older women. Hopefully we won't have any future issues because we did have Herceptin. It is always a tradeoff here.... to help prevent something, one may also help cause something else. Just keep moving forward.
Sending all, many many (((HUGS))) and lots of positive calming and healing prayers, thoughts and energy!!!!
0 -
Jeri - I hope you are able to get the blood sugars under control. My husband is diabetic, so I know firsthand how crummy it makes you feel when blood sugar is out of whack in either direction. I had no idea that pancreas damage could be a result of chemo.... (((Hugs)))
KBeeee -- good luck with all those decisions and news today -- hope you get some peace with a final plan you can live with.
Pat -- I lost all of my head hear between days 14-16. I had it buzzed to 1/2 inch, and there is still a little stubborn fuzz holding on, but I am not going to shave it. Pubic hair looks like someone took a lawn mower to the center, but parts on the side are normal and full. Very odd look, but who's lookin? Leg hair grows a bit between cycles, but only have to shave once a week to keep them smooth. Arm hair is normal and underarm hair is nonexistent. Have thinning nose hair and outer 3rd of eyebrows have thinned too. No effects to eyelashes yet. Really hoping I don't lose the eyebrows and eyelashes -- I think I would look like an alien.
Tx 3 is done, Neulasta today. I am on so many meds that I had to make a chart so that I don't forget anything. Blessed that I have been able to work throughout, with only two days off per cycle right after infusion. My SEs have been annoying, but manageable, so I am so very fortunate.... One more session on the big girl chair on Dec 12, and I am done with chemo and on to rads!0 -
My oncotype was low!!!!!! He said that he felt 4 was more than adequate, and 6 would definitely do more harm than good. He was glad that we got the oncotype. So...that means I am sitting down for my last chemo!!!!!!!!!!! I was NOT expecting those results! I am over the moon excited, and think I may stop and buy a lottery ticket on my way home.0 -
Congratulations, KBeee!!!0 -
yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy KBeeeee! Sooooooo so so so happy to see those results!!!!0 -
Good for you Kbeee!:) Awesome news! I hope your SE's are minimal at worst on this last go round.
I will be starting my chemo on Dec 3rd. It's good to hear that some of the SE's really aren't so bad for most of you. I picked up my pre-meds today. I have been so fortunate up to this point in my life that I have not had to be on anything. Nurse said Claritin prior to Neulasta was fine.
I hope you all have a comfortable and pain-free week-end!
((HUGS))
0 -
Yeah Kbeeeee!!!!!!!!!0 -
Yippee KBeee!!!!! Last one!!!!
0 -
Yay!!!!!!!! KBeee!!!!!!!! Doing the happy dance with you, girl!!!!!!0
