Starting Chemo in February 2019
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tomorrow my ac is on unless I gave 38 c or more graver. For now it is 374 and 3 days now it is varying from 378-37.1 and I am unusually fatigued for the 3rd weak after chimo. Anyone experienced this? Or any clé why temperature is in tjis weird range. I am voughing but the dr listens to my lung and he said it is ok and no X-ray needed. Please let me know if you experienced thi
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Margun, I take my temperature daily and it varies a lot. The nurses and doctors told me several times that 100.4 F (which is 38 C) is the point of concern. They said if it gets to that point, I should call them, but below that was not a concern. Sounds like you’re still in the ok range. Good luck tomorrow!
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Margun - my mother’s temperature varies from 36.1 to 37.7 it is considered normal don’t worry.
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thank you Kathy and kkmsy. Mine it is not jut 37.8c. Today I am feeling very tired. Heavy eyes that I want to close and relax, heavy head and even heavy legs. This thing I experienced in the 1st week but not st the end of 3rd weak.thank
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Well, I had my first Taxol today. I am doing dose dense taxol every two weeks for 4 weeks. It went surprisingly well. I was very nervous about having a reaction but the only issue I had was I got extremely hot about 2 hours in. They stopped the infusion, took vitals and decided it was actually a reaction to the amount of steroids to prevent a reaction! How funny! Put an ice pack behind my neck, restarted infusion, and finished without a hitch! No hoping I will have very few SE! This is supposed to be the “easy” one!
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i on ac befire surgury. Anyone’s treatment was postponed to treat infection? How long the delay for chimo? Mine is Her2positive agressive and I am getting stressed
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Last of my buzz cut went down the drain. I was still not prepared
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My mom will have her 4th AC on Sunday and then followed by 12 weekly Taxol. Hopefully things get better from now on. Her 3rd AC hit her hard. So far her SEs included fatigue, insomnia, heartburn, loss of appetite, indigestion, and obviously hair loss.
Mncteach- how is your taxol so far? Hope you're doing well. I heard taxol is way easier than AC. May I ask why are you on dose dense taxol rather than the weekly one?
Anybody else started taxol?
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The taxol is much easier!! My only problem right now is I still seem to having the same reaction to the massive steroids that I had at the cancer center. Ended up calling on cal doc which was luckily my nurse Practitioner that saw the initial reaction at the center. She had me take Benadryl and I was able to sleep. Still red faced and chested along with tingly eyelids. I am waiting for them to consult with MO to see what next steps are.
As for dose dense— I asked the same question since everyone else seems to be on 12 weekly doses. The explanation was two fold— one I’m young (44) and younger people seem to tolerate it better. Second time, only have 8 weeks (since it’s every two weeks) instead of twelve and only have to come to center and miss work 4 times vs 12. She said we could adjust if necessary if I don’t handle it well. As long as this reaction is just related to steroids I did tolerate taxol well and actually feel pretty good!
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Mncteach-congrats of finishing AC! I am 43 and am scheduled to do the 12 weekly cycles of taxol. I find that interesting that there is a difference too, since we are both also TN. I would much prefer 8 over 12! I assume there are studies on both regimen's? Did you ice your hands and feet during treatment? I was following the weekly taxol group, and it may help against the neuropathy which is a potential SE.
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notdefined, the explanation I received was that the Taxol every two weeks was previously standard, but a study found that lower weekly doses were just as effective with fewer side effects. I’m 52 and otherwise healthy, so I’m wishing I would have asked about dose dense. The weekly treatments used up all of my sick days, so now I have to take unpaid time for AC and surgery.
I had my 3rd round of AC yesterday. Feeling okay so far; lazy and tired, with no appetite. I haven’t taken any anti-nausea meds yet, because I’m really not feeling nauseous. I had some nasty reflux last night, so I’m thinking it’s probably best if I don’t put too much in my stomach today.
I had an extra week between AC 2 and 3 due to a sinus infection, which was actually a nice break. I went on a college visit with my son and walked 12,000 steps, which I’m pretty sure I couldn’t have done if my treatment hadn’t been postponed.
Mncteach, hope your side effects resolve soon. Hang in there
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Update on SE from high doses of steroids— not only did it give this lovely sunburned look but my blood sugars are above 300 ( not diabetic) so now have to go see primary doc to see how they want to handle that while I’m on steroids.
I did not ice, have no neuropathy as of yet and basically would feel good if not dealing with the steroid reaction.
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Hi pinky,
I am in 50 too and was otherwise healthy no smoking and no alcohol. No family history. I had some emotional stress though in last years. Never happened to you how it could happen even though it is zero help
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Thanks for the explanation Pinky24! I wonder if I should ask if I can switch, as I am also in effort to preserve my sick leave.
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I’m sorry, laurencl. Nothing prepares us for this. A friend of mine told me “shed that hair cocoon - it’s not for battle!” Have a good cry, take a deep breath and carry on. We’re all here with you.
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mine starting shedding this week. So far emotions are all over the place. I’ll go to buzz/shaved when it really starts to fall out. Still no side effects after fifth treatment today of Taxol, other than hair. 7 more weeks then it’s on the AC AKA the red devil which scares the living hell out of me
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is untivomitting pills are steroids. I take them as suggested even sometimes I have no noses and even some appétit. However as soon as I take them I feel dizzy and breathing gets heavier. My question is you all take those noses pills even no noses or you take when you feel it’s needed? What se did you observe after taking them?
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Margun, steroids and anti-nausea pills are not the same thing. Steroids are to help with the side effects of the infusion, and you should take these as your doctor prescribes, not as needed. In my case, I take my steroids twice a day for 3 days, starting the day before my infusion.
Anti-nausea pills are taken as needed. I haven't had much trouble with nausea so I've only taken a few of these and can't comment on any side effects. Perhaps others can help.
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Margun,
After my first dose of AC, I took anti nausea pills every 8 hours because I was so afraid of getting sick. I did this for about 5 days, and felt dizzy most of the time. I never did get sick or felt nauseous. When I went for my second round, the nurses told me that the anti nausea drugs most likely made me dizzy, not the chemo and to cut back to a pill in the morning and one at night ( unless I needed it). I never did get sick and bounced back much faster.
Lauren
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Hello everyone! Yes, Paloma, your hair looks great! I had mine shaved and now the last few bristles are still hanging on and I swear it feels like more is growing in the back. Did not bounce back very fast after round 3 AC . Just felt yucky, no appetite, more tired, all week until today, finally feel good today. Appetite/taste some better but not normal. I can't find anything that tastes good to drink so I wasn't drinking enough.. Today I filled in eyebrows (I saw the tattoo pencil thing someone mentioned when I bought the eyebrow pencil, but didn't get it), and looked better. Gearing up to try my wig for church tomorrow, I'm nervous! Mangum, if they did staging scans at the start, I wouldn't be concerned about spread to your lungs. Even if you have an aggressive tumor I don't think it would change this quickly. You were asking about the AC vs the Taxol---everyone at my Clinic seems to indicate the AC is worse. If I stay on schedule I will get 4th AC on 4/4 and then 1st T on 4/18. Am planning to try and work a partial day the day after my treatment on the Taxol so am hoping it is easier (I've been taking the whole day off after each AC).
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Hi, today was my mom’s 4th AC session. Her MO said that her tumor has “lessened in intensity” and “changed in color” However, he seemed not happy with the result and told us that he doesn’t expect it to fully disappear! What the &$@&!! She still has 12 taxol to go after today’s AC. He decided to add something called “ carbon” or “carbo” to her upcoming taxol sessions. His reaction made me really anxious. I thought my mom was reacting well to chemo. I’m really scared now. I read somewhere here that the some tumors flat out, while others collapse in a ball. I don’t know how true is that.
Has anybody been in a similar situation?
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kkmsy. What type of scan did mo to say that Tumor lost intensity and change colour? T supposed to shrink bedsore all cycles over
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I had carboplatin (Carbo) with taxotere, and it was tolerable. My friend had carboplatin alone and did not even lose hair. I hope your Mom is able to see more shrinking with the carbo. I think your Mom's MO is smart to adjust the drugs to get a better response. Some TNBCs respond strongly to carboplatin.
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He didn't perform any scan. It was by pure physical exam. However, he didn't seem to like the outcome Which is baffling to me. I asked him why would add this despite the result and he said to accelerate the shrinkage and improve prognosis. I don't know if DD AC followed by Taxol/carbo will be tolerated by my mom.
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at least they saw tumor shrinking but only they want even better results.
In my case they have no idea ‘via physical ram if tumor is shrinking because it’s depth and my huge Brest. Still no scan they plan after all ac and taxol is finished and surgery performed. How crazy this is? Your mom and I have a similar chimo protocol. How old she is if you do not mind. I am 57 before this I was perfectly healthy. No smocking occasionally a glass of wine no drags. D’ightly Overweight. I your mom was in similar condition anyone has a clue how we ended up here? It does not help I know but anyone has a clue
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Hi Margun,
She is overweight and has been for most of her life. She is the kind of person that worries about everything all the time, and gets easily stressed. I truely believe that her constant worrying is the main reason behind her cancer, besides being overweight. She also has a thyroid condition that she has neglected for many years.
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She gets stressed about job or for family? If it is related to family and if your mom is sensitive perso, an emotional stress it's difficult to push aside. The importent is that she has a caring daughter and that she gets cure.However, she must think what makes here so much stressed and pushed it out from her life
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Sorry to hear the news wasn't great Kkmay. But I agree that changing the protocol is probably smart to try and get better response. No doubt they are taking into account her age and the likelihood of SE--and if she doesn't tolerate well, they can adjust it again. I don't know much about the details of how much exam plays into the picture, but it sounds like the best result at this point is to feel a change in the tumor that he did not detect, so he wants to tweak the plan now. I would be worried too, but try to trust the doctor and take one step at a time. HUGS!!
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loiswb-We are on the same timeline. I have my 4th AC on Thursday, and start my first Taxol on the 18th as well.
Just thinking of the next one makes me nauseous even though I have been fortunate enough to not get sick. I am having a really hard time drinking water. I can drink Gatorade, juice or soda. I am looking forward to being done with AC, although I have not gotten much assurance from the nurses on the Taxol treatments. I was told, it is "different" but not necessary "easier". Reading the comments in the weekly taxol forum has me thinking otherwise. At this point, I just feel like it will depend on how I feel, and how it compounds on a weekly basis.
Laurencl-My MO has a strict regimen for me to follow after treatment for anti-nausea meds. I told him that I wanted to tone them down, and he advised against it. I haven't gotten sick up to this point, but I don't know if that is thanks to following the regimen.
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Margun- she mostly get stressed about family, but most of the time I feel that the worrying is too much and unnecessary. Furthermore, she has a phobia of doctors and has not been to one in years. Actually, the reason why her tumor was so large at diagnosis is because she hadn't told anyone about it for months because she was so scared to go to the doctor. Before I knew about her BC, I supsected something is wrong with her because she was very depressed and quiet, which is very unusual of her. I begged her for weeks to tell me what's wrong, and she finally she brook down in tears and told me. Then, I took her to MO. It has been one of the most stressful times of our lives.
As for her modified treatment plan, the thing that annoyed me the most is that her MO did not assess the progress as statisfying. He even forgot which round of AC she is on! UGH
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