Abraxane
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Interesting! I will definitely look into those. Congrats on loosing the weight. I am trying a green smoothie instead of a meal several times a week. Hoping that helps the WBC as well.
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Good luck with the smoothies! My appetite is different on the abraxane - staying away from the carbs is much more difficult than when I was on the Ibrance/letrozole combo. I gave in at Christmas and had Christmas cookies. Just too hard to resist
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I found at at my last doctor appointment that I no longer have reflexes since starting abraxane. He said it was nerve damage from abraxane. He didn't act like it was serious. He did try to get away with testing them while I was laying down with my legs straight out but I scooted down real quick so my legs would hang. I think he just didn't feel like explaining it. I used to have unusually brisk reflexes. Now nothing at all. I also have a weird, I think numb, feeling around my waist. It makes it feel like I have pants on up to the waist. I do have numbness in my fingertips and toes but it doesn't hurt or bother me.
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Hi ladies,
Starting Abraxane again tomorrow after about 8 months. I took a break from it for a good 5 months with stable scans and then when progression showed up in October, my Onc started me on CMF because of troubles with Neuropathy while on Abraxane. Mid January scans show extensive bone progression so we made the decision to hit it again with Abraxane since it worked so well before.
I'll miss my hair as it has grown back during the past 8 months and it's the loveliest silver. Plus it's freezing cold here! Looking forward to getting to know you gals better
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Susan, I got a chemo break too over Christmas, counts were way down, started back up three weeks ago, and counts have taken a big jump so I'm praying abraxane kicks back in! Hope yours does too!!!
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Hi Everyone!
Well I just got the news that after my first round my markers dropped from 370 to 248...yay! They are always pretty spot on for progression, so for me this is big. The neuropathy has gotten a touch worse and my onc is going to reduce my dose a bit, but keep the Carboplatin on board too for now. Ugh...and the cold capping will continue.
I hope everyone is feeling well and staying warm...it’s -4 right now in New York.
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that's great news teacher!!!!! Abraxane has some horrible se's but it works!
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I had a scan last week and a second opinion today. My cancer has progressed on abraxane so the second opinion doctor is recommending stopping it. MO has recommended Faslodex as the next treatment (second opinion doctor concurs) so maybe I will start that instead of having chemo next week. I hope it works longer than my other treatments! I don’t want to blow through available treatments too quickly. I want to be around a while.
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Well I had the worst few day ever so far with this treatment. Yesterday I literally drug myself to work, aching all over and really winded doing the slightest thing. Not sure what can be done if anything but if it's going to be this way I can't continue to work ft. The good news is my tm is down to 288. Whoop!
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I have really had that shortness of breath too! I hate that! My on c says it's the red blood counts causing it. But am glad your tm are better!!!
Wandering! I'm so sorry abraxane has failed! I hope your next tx works really well!
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Hi Gracie, I'm glad to hear it's the blood counts. I thought I might have heart failure!
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In my case, I was really low on iron. So they hgave me iron to help. You might ask your doctor to check and see if you are low on iron. The shortness of breath is scary though! Don't overdo on the physical stuff until you talk to your onc!
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Gracie, I hope so too! I only had 5 months. 7 months on Ibrance. I really don’t like burning through treatments so fast so maybe the next one will work longer. I’ll be on Faslodex.
HLB, when I get the shortness of breath I just take a break from what I’m doing. I find it a little annoying to have to stop when I don’t think I’m working real hard but it’s the nature of the beast. I take care of my disabled son and watch his daughters after school (and now that his wife is divorcing him we have his girls on weekends) and I don’t rehave time to slow down but I do. Getting too tired is not in your best interest. Be aware of how you feel and take a break as soon as you feel it coming not waiting until you can’t move.
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hi everyone, I had my second abraxane indusion this Friday and hair had been shedding so my husband had shaved it all off. It feels better since I was getting headaches from it! Now I just need to let the kids know. It’s been cold so I got away with wearing beanies.
I have been just tired and sleepy since Friday and have no appetite.
I am Also feeling some weird pains in my back. I do have mets in my spine.
Sorry about your son wandering.
Hope everyone’s enjoying the weekend.
It’s been rainIng hard here.
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Thanks Libby, I have the 3rd treatment tomorrow and I'm a little reluctant due to how I've been feeling and the way it kicked my butt big time this week. If I didn't have to work it would be fine as I don't mind sitting around all day. I don't know how you do it having kids to take care of now!
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Minnie, I get weird pains too and I wonder if it's where the Mets are. It's like piercing pain in different areas.
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HLB, I only had 5 3-week treatments but the earlier ones were harder. My last memorable episode of SOB was while I was in yoga class last week . Too many downward dogs and I could feel my heart rate go up and a feeling of weakness even though I wanted to keep going I took a break, drank some water and then finished the class. And then went to bed early! I haven’t worked in a few years but don’t know if I could deal with the stress of so many people around me expecting everything to be normal. It’s hard enough at home. Hugs to you and hoping this gets a little easier for you.
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yes HLB! They are like stabbing/piercing pain all over my back and sometimes they catch me off guard and I’ll scream in pain. I have been taking Percocet for the pain so now I have just been sleeping most of time. My mets are in my spine the pain are gaining from all parts of my back including shoulder blades. I think they are more of nerve pain..I don’t know. I don’t see this in the list of SE so I’m kinda worried.
Wandering, I’m amazed and jealous of how active you are! I can’t move much from the pain and my Lymphedema and fluid in my lungs..:.
Thanks
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Minnie my Mets are in spine too, as well as ribs and pelvic area and hip bones. The pains seem to just pop up at random places, sometimes where I think there are Mets and others where I have no idea. One that is common and persistent is in the low pelvic area, it feels like my bladder is being pierced. It does happen quickly and catches me off guard. It doesn't feel like it's bones but I don't really know what it feels like because I never usually have pain.sometimes it's in the back and sometimes my left side also. Boy would I love to have some percocet for mine too! My oncologist is too stingy for that lol.
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Hi All,
Wow was it nice to have a week off. Especially when Mondays are trending to be icky, today I am smiling, but already dreading my upcoming treatment on Friday...it’s a vicious cycle! The cold capping adds to the drama.
Hope you all are feeling well.
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Minnie, I've been reading up on it a bit and I think the shooting pains are from neuropathy. I feel it in fingers and feet but it's not painful. Also having no reflexes is from nerve damage.
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Hi HLB, I checked chemocare.com and myalgia or muscle pain is on the SE list for Abrxane and I think it’s what I have. I have no mets on my shoulders and I feel a lot pain around that area as well. But I also think it’s neuropathy. My thumb is really numb.
Percocet helps a bit but I have to take every 4-6 hrs otherwise I will feel pain and it’s not fun...
Teachermom, good luck with cold capping and your next infusion. My hair started to shed and it was getting too messy so my DH shaved it all off the other day. I have been ok using beanies since it’s been cold.
Hope everyone has a good/painless week
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Well I just finished my 3rd treatment of 3rd cycle. I thought for sure something in the blood test would be low based on how poorly I've been feeling, but everything was good. oncologist came down to the Infusion room to ask me about symptoms and listen to my lungs, and did a TSH just be sure nothing was wrong there. He said if I wanted to skip this one it was OK, but I didn't want to because next week will be the week off. I don't want to mess it up because based on tm it's working very well. So we will see what happens this week.
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hi, I will be starting abraxane this Friday. I already get SOB w/exertion & had the worst neuropathies in my feet in Dec from imprexia. Has any tried gabapentin for neuropathy pains? Sue.
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Sue, I take gabapentin, it has helped mine a little. I also took L-Glutamine, my oncologist suggested it, but it didn't seem to do anything for me.
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Hi All,
I'm getting my 3rd treatment in my 3rd cycle today. I just got my TM back and it went up. I went from 343 (my High) down to 290 about a month ago and then 267 2 weeks ago. Now I'm going up. Has anyone else experienced this. God forbid we should get excited.
Thanks,
Karen
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Hi All,
So round one of second cycle today...I survived. It was a long day due to to Carboplatin and cold capping...so glad it’s over! Now to fear the side effects. I did make it to my kids high school ski race tonight...fresh air did me good! Another one tomorrow, early morning, so hoping I get some sleep!
Karen, I hope the tumor markers are just a flare and they start going back down! I know how upsetting it is in the moment though. I hope everyone else is feeeling well and plugging along. Happy Weekend
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Karen, I just had my 3rd treatment of 3rd cycle too. Mine went from 2200 when I started to 800 something, then 288. One week after that one is 273. Still down but only 15 so I also feel nervous that the effectiveness is already waning. I feel exactly like you said, God forbid we get hopeful for any length of time. I was hoping I might even get to a remission with this but now who knows. Hang in there. It could just be lots of cancer is getting killed off.
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Hi HLB,
Was your TM 2200 when you started Abraxane? Wow that really dropped. My highest has been the 343. I think I forgot the TM yesterday was 333. So 343 to 290 to 267 up to 333. Are you getting Carboplatin too? My Stage 4 was DX November 2017. I'm scheduled for pet scan on 2/20. I just told my husband that we just have to chill til then as that's what really counts. My primary tumor is in my cecum. Then just random abdominal lymph nodes (I think). Learning more than I ever wanted to know.
Karen
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Hi Karen, yes right before I started Abraxane it was 2200. It was actually up to 8000+ at one time, when I finished Ibrance/Faslodex. Idk why they are so outrageously high because I've only had bone Mets so far. The last scan showed cirrhosis, which I am not at risk for, so I think it's probably liver Mets even though it's not showing that way on the PET scan. I'm only on abraxane and XGEVA shot every 4 weeks. We do learn a lot don't we, especially on BCO. I learn far more here than I do from the doctor. Hopefully our markers will continue to go waaaaaay down! I am thinking maybe I felt so awful because of so much cancer being killed off in a short time. with the 2nd treatment, 3rd cycle I felt so bad I thought I couldn't tolerate another one. Then I had the 3rd treatment and I don't feel nearly as bad. Weird and unpredictable.
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