Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin

TonLee

Back at my second TCH, I had a severe reaction one night.  (I thought it was because I couldn't poop.)  Chills, fever, aches from head to toe and racing heart.

I only have 3 Herceptin left, and I took the 4th to last dose Friday.  I fasted all day because my weekly fast just happened to fall Friday.

Right now I have a fever, chills, heart is normally around 50 bpm, and sitting still is 132, my chest is tight, I ache, omg the pain is worse than anything I ever had before, and basically feel like I took an ENTIRE TCH and Neulasta treatment.  So I went back in my notes, and for fear of constipation, the last time this happened, I had cut my calories to liquids the day before and of tx.

I feel like I'm dying.  Guess if you don't hear from me again...I'm dead.  Isn't that dramatic?  I feel that bad...

I'm going to try and sleep it off......

Guess my dropping ejection fraction isn't helping......

Night ladies. 

TonLee

Ok, strangely I'm feeling a little better after drinking copious amounts of water....off to bed....sorry about the drama!

Omaz

Tonlee - take care of yourself!!!

SusieMTN

I am about half way thru TCH 6 treatments at 3 week intervals.  The first 3 were the pits.  Constipation, fatigue, hair loss and general bluck!  Nausea and vomiting too.  Changed the nausea meds and so far so good.  Also on Zometa.  One of my Chemo Nurse's told me to drink 3 liters of water.  I ddi accomplish that 2 days before and 2 after and then.....could not do it.  Love my Decadron days, lots of energy and I boy do I get stuff done.  My hair came out right away.  One big hunk on the side of my head that led to a buzz cut, and then another.  Now what a pleasure not to spend an hour on long hair. 

Hope all is going better for us TCH girls!

Susie

lago

Ana I wanted to do a BMX from the start but my BS said he really didn't want to remove  healthy tissue… but would support what ever I wanted to do. He said "lets wait to see what the MRI shows." I too always had calcifications in both breasts. Anyway the MRI did show 4 suspicious spots (In the good breast) but only one he was concerned about. He said I would probably have biopsies every year to monitor this. His recommendation at that point was to do a BMX. We didn't even bother with the biopsy. Ended up being a small amount of LCIS. We did the right thing in my situation.

So I guess I'm saying wait till you get the results of your MRI. Your BS is correct that the survival is the same (recurrence might be a bit higher with lumpectomy but survival the same). What you should ask is what is the chance of a new cancer in the breast if you do lumpectomy instead of MX.What are the chances of a new cancer in other breast if you don't do the BMX. This should help you make a more informed decision.

Luebbsgurl

Had #4 this past Thursday , completely wore out. Ended up in ER Friday night per onc office. Fever, chills, fatigued. They ran bloodwork out of my port and peripheral sticks to rule out any infection in my port. My bp and pulse along with fever were high. All blood and xray came back fine but er dr would not let me leave because my pulse so she scared me and said we are ending you for a ct scan we think it might be a blood clot in your lungs.....ugh.....talk about scared. Well, ct scan came back showing I have pneumonia. They released me to come home with meds and 10 day quarantine orders. Oh fun!!

I am no longer on the steroids either. Onc took me off them due to my bp running high and my weight gain. Wow!! Looked at myself today and I wasn't all bloated looking.



Tina

anafoefana

Tina,

I hope you are feeling better soon!  This is hard enough without adding to it!  I am glad you didn't have an infection in your port and that it wasn't a clot either!  What a scare!

Lago, thanks for your support.  I will wait to see what the MRI shows and what the BS recommends.  I think I mentally prepared for the most radical decision if I need to make it.  I don't want to think short term, although it would be nice to have a shorter recovery period.  

DonnaD001

Hello Everyone -

I have not been on this site, because I'm experiencing extremely positive results with the chemotherapy.  I've had very little side affects.  The Cleveland Clinic spoils you rotten at the Taussig Cancer Center when receiving the treatments!

I'm sorry to hear so many are having lots of difficulties. 

I'll have my third treatment soon.  I'm hoping for continued positive results.

The most important lesson I'm receiving from all of this is how important it is to get out and live life.  So, I'm living life as usual.  I've not had to make many changes at all in my daily routine.

I realize there may be a few days here and there where I need to take it easy, which is to be expected.

The level of care at the Cleveland Clinic is so thorough - that don't miss a beat!  I think this may be the reason why I have done so well thus far....I believe it will continue.

I also have a great group of women I work with who are very supportive.  I only associate with positive people who understand the importance of staying strong during this time!  Anyone who shows any negativity - I avoid.

I hope my remarks today may be an inspiration to others to keep pushing forward - live life, for life is for the living!

Izzy325

Thank you everyone for you comments about rads. I think part of it is the time. I have to work and it's been tough enough with weekly infusions. But going daily for several weeks seems like a tough schedule. But forward motion is the only way to go, so I will. And once I am on the other side looking back, it will feel fantastic.

Donna, I agree staying positive is the best medicine but emotional highs and lows are part of the healing. I think it's ok to feel and acknowledge the low times too.

Ana, good luck with your decision. It's a tough one.

Omaz

Izzy - I had my rads appt first thing in the morning (they worked very hard to accomodate me!) and then I went to work.  So basically on my drive to work I would stop off and get rads - !  I applied the different lotions and things that I used on my skin right at work during the day.  I also wore a lightweight tank top under my bra so I didn't get goop on my bra during the day.

EvelynMarie

Hi folks, just polling those who are done with TCH to see if anyone has low potassium levels. I had my last TCH on July 28, and every blood test since then has indicated low potassium. It hangs around 3.0.

I have been on prescription potassium pills since Aug. 8, and I am eating a potassium rich diet but the bloody thing won't go up. It fell as a matter of fact from 3.1 three weeks ago to 3.0 this week. Just curious to see if anyone else was experiencing the same thing.

I guess because I did so well for the most part with chemo that I thought my body would bounce back, and it hasn't, and that is the frustrating part. I'm doing well through radiation too ... that emu oil is working because the radiation therpaists keep saying how well my skin is doing.

Patience is a virtue ... one which I have to keep reminding myself.

Stay strong everyone ... this too shall pass.

dragonfly1

Hi all my amazing TCH friends! I just returned from a 2 week celebration vacation in Paris&England and I have to say that all of you who have been telling us it will get better were right! I got a small glimpse of my old self again and found the energy to walk all day long every day around Paris and even managed the climb to the top of Notre Dame among other things. It feels like a turning point for sure:) My DH was amazed that I was keeping up with him. I still feel incredibly stiff when I sit for too long but the chemo/radiation fatigue is finally letting go. For all who are in the midst of TCH, hang in there because there are much better days ahead!

Anafoefana I'm just beginning to catch up on the threads but I read your post about the dark skin spots. I developed dark patches all over both sides of my face-on my cheeks- and the doctor said it was likely melasma caused by a sudden shift in hormones because I had stopped taking birth control pills when I was diagnosed and had started chemo. It has gradually faded but has not completely gone away. I'm not sure if melasma occurs on other parts of the body. Definitely ask some questions because you never know if it's more serious i.e. a drug reaction of some kind. 

SpecialK

dragonfly - yay!!!  Missed you!  So glad you had a great time and managed to have enough energy to do and see all!

lago

I don't know what my potassium levels are but I do eat dried apricots daily (high in potassium).

Waving at Dragonfly although a bit jealous about the trip.

nmoss1000

Lago, funny you should mention I have been banana ing myself like crazy my bloodwork shows low potassium. 

Special K was it you that had the TE problem? I went today for my pre surgery appt for surgery next week an apparently all of my flying ruptured one of my TE's so they moved my exchange surgery up to this Weds. But after my PS was pushing on the ruptured TE I was sore after I left his office and low and behold a lump has formed right above my TE parallel with my armpit. I called my BS and going in tomorrow to get it checked out. Anyone know if there are lymph nodes there?  its 2 inches below my collar bone, parallel with armpit and center of what would have been my left breast. In center of my pectoral muscle. About 1.5 CM wide. The whole area I don't want to sound like a crazy person, but a cough is just not a cough anymore and last time I found a lump, you know the rest. SHould I see the BS or am I just being paranoid, it is a lump.

TonLee

NMoss,

I would def have the BS look at it.  Don't think you're paranoid at all.

How does flying rupture a TE??  That's interesting.  I've been flying a lot myself lately, and no problems with the TE.  How could you tell it ruptured?  Or could you?  DEETS WOMAN!  lol

 Keep us posted!!

nmoss1000

The PS said because of all the puncture from the fill up's and the pressure from flying did it in.. I was in the air 35+ hours in 7 days time, so that was on the extreme side. LOL DEETS, I could not tell until he told me today. Because I look down at it I see the curve, he was looking head on and saw the bottom was sagging and deflated. Just spoke to the PS and he thinks it may be a seroma and he will check it out when he is doing the exchange. He is very good and he specializes in recon only.

Grimbol

Omaz, I was glad to read that you wore a bra during rads.  I read from somewhere that they didn't at all and I was getting a little worried, I hated going to a wire free bra, the thought of not being able to wear one at all was not encouraging.  I only had the lumpectomy surgery. Still wondering about that!! I wasn't given a choice and didn't know enough at the time to question it, so much happens so quickly.  I guess time will tell if it was a good decision.

Dragonfly - I am definitely jealous of your trip.  My family is in England and I am usually there for about 3 weeks around this time of year.  I was just thinking about it yesterday, I live in SoCal and it's the first time I wear jeans and socks again, the day I fly to London!  Oh well, next year.....

zumbagirl

I agree, about getting out there and living, when my counts are good , I am at the gym teaching zumba classes, and when they are bad, I am doing zumba at home by myself in the living room. I finished my last chemo on Wed. but it completely wiped me out this weekend, and my nails are so sore, they are lifting and I have to keep cutting them back , so they don't catch on things. they are all deep burgundyish in color, and feel like they have been hit over and over again by a hammer. I went back to my other part time job at the bank yesteday after 5 days off, and it hurt to count money, but I know this to shall pass. I meet with the radiologist tomorrow to map out my 7 weeks of radiation.

Omaz

Grimbol - I bought a little larger bra so that my tank top would fit inside comfortably.  Be sure to lube all around your side and up to your armpit.  I took a picture of my field markings so that I would know where to put the lotions and aloe vera.  Also make sure there isn't any skin-skin contact.  Lube with lots of whatever you are using and do it often.

Wendyspet

Zumba - my nails got that feeling, too, the last 2 TCH's.  I don't see them lifting, but the "smashed in the door" feeling is there.  They started feeling better a week or so after #5, and now feeling funny after #6.  I hope yours are better.  I did take mine short, too.

I've been stalking the food network--I promise to never take taste for granted again!!!

dragonfly1

Grimbol Which part of England? My DH's family is all in England so we try to visit every year as well. Paris was our celebration for getting through chemo/rads and then we went to England for a week to see the family. They live in Devon but we all met at a rental in Dorset (Lyme Regis to be exact) this year because I just wasn't up to the extra traveling around. 

Grimbol

dragonfly - we lived in Poole in Dorset before we moved over here, hmm, 26 years ago now.  But these days I go visit my parents in Luton, Bedfordshire and then my brother and in-laws in London.  You get the better deal, Devon and Dorset are beautiful (as long as it's not raining!!), but London is very convenient and Luton is only an hours drive up the M1.

 Thanks Omaz, I will plan on buying up!  I expect I will begin rad in December, after I finish chemo.  I have a friend locally who went thru al of this a couple of years ago, along with her mom, and they had good recommendations for creams and lotions etc.

SpecialK

All - One year ago today I was diagnosed - I don't think I could have made this far, feeling this good, with a positive outlook, without all of your care and advice.  Thank you all!

Grimbol

so happy for you making it to your one year anniversary, Congrats. 

SpecialK

Grimbol - thanks!  The one year anniversary where I will feel like celebrating is one year from the time all known cancer was removed - Dec. 6th.  While I am certainly happy to be here a year from diagnosis, there is some emotion attached to this date for me.

pejkug3

Aw, SpecialK - kinda bittersweet?

(I can only imagine - I don't reach 1 year from diagnosis until 1/13 and surgery 1/27.)

lago

SpecialK I didn't look at my 1 year diagnosis as a marker either. It was the one year NED (Aug. 31st) when I had my BMX that I started to get excited! We'll be celebrating your NED in a couple of months too!

SpecialK

pejkug - yes, it is a weird feeling - also I think because pinktober is coming - last year it was a nightmare.

lago - yes, the holidays this year will be even more special because that date will be mixed in!

nmoss1000

Hi Special K! An anniversary is an anniversary ! congratulations! I am off to get my TE exchange in an hour! I just got a tshirt from a friend that reads "Yes there are fake because my real one's tried to kill me!"