Perjeta/Herceptin/Taxotere

MicheTheVanquisher

That's awesome Carolsue! Nice to have positive felt results from the chemo! I felt great when they started chemo, even my blood work came back normal but the PET scan and biopsy told all! Seems like it would make more sense if among the downside effects of the chemo there were some immediate "I feel betters"! You can at least tell the nurses you actually feel better when they ask! Here's hoping your PET scan looks great!

thekiwikid

I finished my 18 weeks of taxol on Monday and will continue with Herceptin every 3 weeks. I had a really good response to the treatment and my cancer makers have dropped heaps. (the CEA maker works for me started at 352 and is now 25) I am very pleased to be finished chemo but am feeling very anxious about Herceptin only!! I know Herceptin can work for some people for a long time and I am hoping that I might be one of them but this is my third line chemo I changed from TNBC to HER2+ and I am not sure if that has an impact on how long Herceptin works for. Does anyone out there have any tips for Herceptin like supplement or diet changes that may help??  I would really  love to hear from anyone that has had  third line chemo with Herceptin and is getting good longevity from it.

bhd1

does anyone know where is Kingcour?  I am worried

MicheTheVanquisher

Kiwikid, did you ask about adding Perjeta to the herceptin regime? It makes it a double whammy to the HER2+.

Look up articles on Herceptin and Perjeta: 

http://www.perjeta.com/patient/receiving/treatment...

From an article on this site: "HER2-positive breast cancers have too many copies of the HER2/neu gene,
which make too much of the HER2 protein. HER2-positive breast cancers
tend to be more aggressive than cancers that are HER2-negative. Both
Herceptin and Perjeta work against HER2-positive breast cancers by
blocking the cancer cells' ability to receive growth signals. Both
medicines are given intravenously."

thekiwikid

Hi MichTheVanqusiher - Perjeta has just become available in New Zealand in the last few months. I am having Herceptin through the public health system because it is not covered by many insurance companies, mine included! Perjeta is only available through private chemo care and also not covered by many insurance companies. It costs $8000 for each Herceptin treatment  plus the perjeta costs.  Currently you can only have chemo treatment in either the public health system or privately, not a combination of both. I am working with my oncologist to see if there is anyway around this so I can continue to have Herceptin in the public system and pay for perjeta privately....quite frustrating and all red tape. I will add perjeta to the mix as soon as I can.

DivineMrsM

ladies, hope you don't mind my popping in here, but I was wondering about lilylady.  I don't post on this thread, but know lilylady from other threads and we started on these boards about the same time. I check to see what she's been up to from time to time and see that she hasn't been on these boards for over two months, a bit unusual for her.  Does anyone have any info on her?  Thanks.

spicypetunia

partial re-post from another thread, but figured this is the info I was looking for when starting out a few months ago....

recently diagnosed and good results from last restaging (#2 since dx):

after 4
rounds of THP (taxotere, herceptin & perjeta, all infused every 3
weeks): 2 tumors (1 liver & 1 breast) are no longer visible and
everything else has decreased in size - from 30-50% (from initial dx).
the breast tumor that has disappeared was almost 4cm at dx.

this is especially good news as my first restaging/scans
showed only slight/very slight decreases in sizes across the board. I
had understood that as this was my first dx, and I was completely
treatment naive, that my first response would be my best -- but
apparently, as they say, each case is different. I'm happy for that
right now. so, if you're in a similar boat, and your first response
isn't huge, it doesn't necessarily mean the treatment won't work
during the next rounds.

hoping it continues to work like
gangbusters for me and all others! the plan is to
continue with THP until best response (NED or stable) is reached or I
can no longer tolerate taxotere. so far, I'm tolerating it very
well and hoping I can get good mileage out of this tx. restaging again
after 2 more rounds.

spicypetunia

I was so grateful to find this topic a few months ago and actually did read through the entire 40+ page discussion as I began treatment (had some killer insomnia and thus tons of time due to freaking-out over dx). I found it helpful and somewhat comforting to have an idea of what could be coming. so, fwiw, here's
my SE rundown. I wish all a successful and easy time with this tx and
am so sorry to anyone who is struggling with it. also, it really does seem that everyone responds differently to the tx, so keep that in mind. disclaimer: this is my first experience with any chemo and I've only had 5 rounds to date.

of note: after
round 1, I had pretty much ALL of the SE - bad mouth sores, rash,
neuropathy, raging diarrhea, bloody nose, hoarse voice, you name it - oddly, it only
happened after round 1. SE after rounds 2, 3, 4, 5 have all been MUCH
more mild. go figure. no dose adjustments were made.

hair: hasn't actually
all fallen out (yet, I guess, 3 months in. not sure how common this is
but doesn't make much of a difference). it's thin and a little patchy
(likely due to wig-wearing) but I would have wanted to shave it anyway. the falling-out part was more stressful to me than the having it
shaved and it was way too thin to look like "me" in any event. my eyelashes
and eyebrows are thinner but nothing that anyone besides me can really
notice. really hoping to hang onto those but would consider very well-selected perm make-up if they fall out.

nails: doing ok. I work hard to keep my nails dry and
short and keep them polished to help strengthen. I have only "iced" them
during one tx but would have done so more often had I known I could have at the facility where I was getting infusions.
ice helped a little with the burning feeling in fingers and feet, that I sometimes get with tx.

nausea: I take the post-tx meds religiously and fortunately, they've worked.

digestive:

- diarrhea pretty much all the time. it is manageable and not impeding
activities, so it's more of an inconvenience than anything else. also,
check max dose of immodium - much easier to get it under control
after I learned that I could take more than what the box said. I work
ridiculously hard at staying hydrated - constantly.

- heartburn was an issue and decreased appetite but an rx for Nexium has helped a lot.

- mouth - gets very dry and I have a bad "taste" nearly all of the
time. food tastes "off" (read: bad, but not metallic) and I'm super
sensitive to acids (lemon, vinegar), salt, and any pepper (I was the
opposite before this). I haven't had the bad mouth sores since round 1
but I rinse often with biotene. miracle berries didn't help with my palate problems but maybe they'll work for you & you can easily buy them on amazon, and yes, MO did give the official "ok": miracle berry and chemo palate side-effects article

nose: I get the drippy/runny nose - at
times worse than others. have had issues with the crusty nose (which can
be a major annoyance) and regular nose bleeds. a humidifier actually
did help a ton as did the saline spray and nasal gel. drippy nose isn't that
annoying, especially when it's not dripping red!

eyes: I get
blurry vision - usually only for a few days after tx but sometimes a bit
longer. not sure which med to attribute this to but it's not that bad. not sure this is a THP SE - might be due to a post-tx anti-nausea med.

neuropathy:
I had fairly badly burning feet and finger tips after round 1 and could
hardly wear shoes without putting icepacks in them. with an rx and
complementary therapies to help it has steadily improved. I get a little clumsy
with my fingertips, a little burning feeling in my nail-beds, and a bit of tingling in my feet these
days but really very little. I take gabapentin, supplements to target neuropathy
issues, occasional reflexology & acupuncture, and do some accu-pressue
on myself - basically threw the kitchen sink at it. this was the one SE
that really messed with me - it impacted my QOL.

aches: varies a
bit with each round. some rounds I've been very achy/fluish, others less so. I
try to stay active especially when aching more and it actually does seem
to help. I know that's annoying to hear.

fatigue: it's there and
it does seem to be increasing with time. while I'm still tolerating
things well I try to ignore it as much as possible. again, being more
active really does help. again, annoying. fwiw, while my stamina and
strength feel greatly decreased, I'm still able to go to the gym, play
tennis and be generally active - I just need to pace myself well.

skin: I had a rash after round 1
but since then only a tendency to breakout or get a red rash on my face
(rx for clindamycin keeps it almost invisible). my skin is super dry all over.

brain:
I get "chemobrain" for varying amounts of time post tx. usually at
least a few days, sometimes seems to linger into the weeks count -
basically, feels like I can't multi-task at all. it's frustrating and
annoying and embarrassing but luckily, it starts to fade.... and then,
it seems, it's time for another tx. my memory is not as sharp as I'm
used to, so I'm dedicated to taking notes, making lists, and writing
EVERYTHING down - it helps a lot. I basically assume I'm going to forget
whatever it is I'd like to remember.

other: not sure if it's the taxotere or lupron
shots but our sex-life was really suffering - pain, dryness and tearing
to mention a few. found a great thread on this site that has helped with a great suggestion. doesn't make everything perfect, but absolutely helps make things a
whole world better - which is unspeakably wonderful for both me and dh.
you can google "scream cream" or click here: scream cream thread - the first page or so should give you what you need to request an rx from an md and learn how to use it.

hope THP is the lottery treatment for all who read this and that this assists to help feel slightly more informed as tx begins.

RonnieKay

You are a true Warrior Woman, Spicey!!!  What a great post...putting it all down on paper (so to speak!).  I am a person that wants to know what to expect..or look for...and then I can have that yep...knew it could happen, or the yahoo....that didn't happen!  Hope this helps other sisters who may face P/H/T.  Hope it kicks those naughty cells to the curb

Anonymous

Fantastic news spicyp.

Hoping we get the same when we get there (wife is on round 2/6 of THP with similar liver mets situation). 

Can't be too confident as everybody responds differently, but there seems to be a lot of "good" stories with HER2+ women and all the new drugs, so hopefully we get a nice surprise when they do the mid-treatment scan.

Glad to hear you're handling Taxotere well. Been my wife's experience as well, but it's early days, and I hear the SEs are sometimes cumulative (although obviously not in your case apparently).

bhd1

spicey have untried lglutamine for neuropathy?  30 grams starting on infusion day and  for five days after

spicypetunia

thanks bhd1, that's one of the (too many) supplements I'm using. thinking about weening off of the gabapentin to see if things stay good with just supplements and the rest --- but dragging my feet on that. it's soooo nice to not be struggling with the neuropathy.

also, I failed to mention: I bought super squishy-soled sneakers in a size too big and found very heavy-duty gel inserts. feels like walking on thick clouds. not so cute on a Saturday night, but hey, I'm happy to be out and about. as a shoe-horse, I never thought I'd give my heels a break, but it definitely makes things better.

MicheTheVanquisher

I'm curious how many people do more than 6 infusions of Taxotere? I just had my 5th of 6 Taxotere (every 3 weeks, the 75 mg/m² dose) plus HP (indefinitely). 

I've had few side effects, kept my hair by using penguin cold caps, take steroids night before, day of, plus day after chemo and that seems to keep nausea at bay (found this out after chemo 2), and the nuelasta has kept my blood counts up very well. Tumor markers and liver enzymes (which at first test were only slightly high in spite of numerous lesions in my liver) are normal and now tumors have decreased 30% after chemo 2 and again after chemo 4. I doubt they'll be as small as I'd like (invisible) by the end of 6 which I'm scheduled for but would 8 do the trick? I'm tolerating the chemo quite well. Oh, plus it will take care on any pre skin cancer for my very pale complexion, yeah, double dip! 

Well, I'm really tired but getting more reading done and catching up on Doc Martin and Masterpiece Theater. My memory is shot most of the time. 

Yes, food tastes terrible and has the texture of cardboard and sandpaper but hey, great excuse to down locally made delicious ice cream and fruit & yogurt smoothies and creamy soups and creamy pasta sauces and mashed potatoes with lots of cream and roasted garlic. It's weird exercising less (or at least not as vigorously), eating tons more fat and sugar (honey and milk in my tea rather than beloved coffee with milk which tastes terrible now) and not gaining weight. The Onc said chemo burns calories--hey, anyone ready for the new chemo diet??? 

My skin feels like sandpaper much of the time although using Almond Oil just out of the shower and then putting on some sort of healthy body lotion lotion really helps. The almond oil really made the difference. I religiously use high SPF lotion on face and hands and any exposed skin. 

For cracking finger tips ( I have slight numb sensation on my finger tips too, not enough to call it neuropathy, feels like when I've been out in the cold too much).  I've found 20% urea hand lotion (Uremol) does the trick for cracking skin better than anything, unfortunately I can only find it in Canada. Any one know of a US source?

Well, that was longer than planned. I hope this works for us all--we need the magic bullet! Hey, anyone looking into vaccine trials?

Thoughts of love and grace to you all,

Miche

spicypetunia

wow Michethevanquisher, looks like we're about a week apart - this board really is incredible.

fwiw: at dx local MO advised doing 6 rounds of THP and then stopping the tax + herceptin/perjeta "for life". MDA MO recommended going until 2 rounds past best response (measured as complete response or plateau in change) or until I can no longer tolerate taxotere. MDA MO conveyed her rec to local MO and I'm on-board, so we're all on the same page and hoping I make it until 2 rounds past best response. gist of reasoning: get as much effect out of taxotere as possible before stopping - makes sense to me. we did talk about adding-in carboplatin as it attacks the cells in a different way than taxotere but due to a couple of factors, I'm holding-off... for now. 

I find it challenging to not have a chemo end-date in sight - but I'm working on thinking of taxotere as something of a lucky privilege that I'm fortunate to get as long as I'm able. not sure if this is less challenging than no end-date, but I'm trying. maybe some locally made ice cream would help... great suggestion Michethevanquisher! thank you for the other tips as well!

I'm also interested to hear from others who may be doing something different from the standard 6 THP, drop T.

thanks!

Anonymous

Perhaps not particularly insightful to you as my wife is four rounds behind you two, but been told pretty much the same thing by the oncologist. THP is on for 6 theoretically, but possibly more if 1) she continues to handle as well as she has for far and 2) response/progress hasn't stalled yet. Then it's on with HP only as long as no progression (that in turn raises the question of how insurance is going to deal with this after the 2y cap period they've told us about, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there).

If anything, we find the no-set-date for chemo encouraging, as it gives hope somewhat (8 must be better than 6, right? )

I have also wondered about TCHP vs. THP after reading things here and there, but we haven't had the chance to ask the oncologist yet. Sounds like C is extra punitive for unproven added benefits versus THP, but would love to know more.

As a sidenote, I must say how much this board has helped over the past couple of weeks or so. Reading through the threads, seeing the absolutely mindboggling display of courage by all of you Stage IV women has done wonders for (my) morale. With the primary already shrinking (or is it just us persuading ourselves it is so? ) and treatment and disease talk slowly becoming part of our daily routine, it *almost* feels like a normal world again. Thanks, thanks to all.

MicheTheVanquisher

"Sounds like C is extra punitive for unproven added benefits versus THP, but would love to know more."

This is what my Onc said too plus she put me on the lower dose of Taxotere and it's working, shrinking those tumors. Am waiting to hear from her now to see what she thinks about doing more than 6 rounds since I'm tolerating it all quite well. 

spicypetunia

If others have learned anything about this I'd be thrilled to hear more. here's what I've gleaned:

(I'd ask your resident experts or do your own research to learn the details as I am just repeating): it was explained to me that carboplatin and taxotere each act differently on the cancer cells (attack the cells in different ways) - so, if there are some cells that don't "respond" or aren't susceptible to taxotere, it's possible that they could be eradicated through the different tactic taken by carboplatin. running them concurrently is harder on the body, especially as they carry the risk of many of the same side-effects, so it would likely be more punitive (great word for this - I like that way of expressing it - thanks Orpheus!) and possibly unnecessary if one can achieve complete response with THP. 

I can see that it could depend on your goals. I'm newly dx'd and still looking to be as aggressive as possible and also, am still very naive (both to chemos and in regard to having this disease). however, if stable is the goal, I could understand that adding another harsh chemo to the plan if you're already stable would not make much sense. as it seems to be always, these are personal decisions. taking advice from this board, I have clearly expressed my treatment goals with my medical team and ascertained that we are in alignment. while I can suffer "white-coat syndrome," and wasn't looking forward to discussing it, establishing that has made me much more comfortable.

for me, if things plateau with THP, I may give carboplatin a chance to bat clean-up. I was game to add it now, and MO said it was a fair consideration, but it would preclude me from a trial that I have my eye on for down-the-road (I am very cautiously hopeful in planning). however, there are so many factors that can preclude one from a trial, so I'm just playing it a bit safer in that regard now and understand that there are absolutely no sure-things.

I have not discussed recommendations in case of progression with both MOs: local MO said that next course of action would be TDM1 which sounds like standard-of-care and like what many on this board have done (many with good success, it seems).

Lauriesh

Hi, I just wanted to add that when I was on taxotere and herceptin ( perjeta wasn't approved yet)  I did add in carboplatin for 2 out of the 7 rounds that I had.  I woud say that I handled taxotere pretty well, but the carboplatin was just too much. The side effects were horrible. I added it in because I quickly had regression, but then when the  next scan didn't  show any further regression, I pushed my dr to add in the carbo.

I didn't have any regression at my next scan, even with the carbo added in, so  that is when I had Rfa for the one remaining liver met.

I have been Ned ever since ( over 3 years) 

Good luck all of you on this combo.

Laurie

MicheTheVanquisher

Spicy, I hear ya! Naive...how can anyone newly diagnosed not be. 

You wrote: "I'm newly dx'd and still looking to be as aggressive as possible and also, am still very naive (both to chemos and in regard to having this disease)" 

After my first diagnosis and everyone being so positive I was shocked when 18 mos later they found mets. It made me feel like I didn't do my homework and I live with an MD, a heart surgeon. He feels like he fell into the same trap of not looking deeply into, well any part of this because everyone was so positive about the surgery results. He wasn't interested in oncology because it's so hard to figure out and can be thankless--with heart surgery he can go in and fix--doesn't always work but people either come off the table or don't and usually they do. 

I'm curious what trials you're looking at. I'm hoping for a vaccine trial but the one I'm a likely candidate for doesn't include Perjeta, just Herceptin along with the vaccine. And you have to be in remission to start.  Jeez, how do you decide what to try? How do you quit using something that has proven at least in some cases to work in order to try something new? All we all want is the magic bullet. 

Yesterday I'd say I was doing terrifically on chemo, today I feel shaky and tired and my finger tips feel numb and my feet are cramping up. Well, at least it's not all a steady state of awfulness. Except mentally, really, this is my life now? 

carolsue63

I'm so thankful for the comments some of you have made about Carboplatin. Sometimes I read how well some people tolerate Taxotere, and I wonder why why why can't I be somebody who tolerates it well?? Never realized carbo was responsible for making things that much worse.  Not that it changes anything, and I'm finished now anyway, but sometimes it's just good to know why things are the way they are. So thanks for speaking up. You never know when somebody needs to hear what you have to say or how helpful it might be. :-)

RonnieKay

I read your THP experiences with such hope for you all!  With my first dx I was on tax/cytoxen/herceptin.  I got thru it with no hair & no taste buds but pretty well. My onc called me a poster child for chemo.  Everyone was shocked at 2nd dx in the same spot (I had brachytherapy radiation-prime candidate until it came back!), but less than 2 mm, mx & no txt.  So...on 3rd dx, my onc said no tax, since I'd had it before.  She also said she'd wanted me in hercep for life, but that can't happen w/ins until stage 4 (lots of bc in fam even tho brca -).  Long story short-I've been on hercep/perj & Navelbine 16 months and onc says it's best to stay on this regimen for life...2 wks in, 1 week off.  I can totally do it...I wish I didn't have to but...I wish C didn't exist either .   My onc says Navelbine got lost in the shuffle between being sold to a company that was promoting their own drugs, so was never fully promoted.  I know some have had tough times on it, but I know that I, as well as others have seen great tumor reduction & stable...w/maybe fewer ses than some other drugs.  Maybe worth a "whataya think" for your oncs down the road...many, many years from now!!!!  

Dita183426

just answering the question if anyone has gone beyond 6 taxol treatments.  I did 8 and my onc took me of it just leaving herceptin and perjeta. Her explanation was that she believed that those two were doing the work anyway.  I think given that i had never been treated with herceptin or perjeta before had something to do with it.

RonnieKay

The hope is herceptin/perjeta keep targeting the cells that would be spreading.  I don't believe it matters that you've had it before.  My onc said she would've liked to keep me on it from 1st diagnosis, 2009, but ins wouldn't allow it back then (stage 2) and perjeta's new.  Just for most, it doesn't have the ses chemo does...but it usually doesn't have to do the tumor war. 

Anonymous

Our onc told us that the beauty of Perjeta is that clinical tests do show the THP regimen materially outperforms TH-only, even after the chemo is dropped. They don't have long-term data yet, but he says it's not out of the question that the addition of P actually helps with delaying eventual Herceptin resistance. Early days both for the regimen and obviously for my wife, but the fact that researchers already see much better results is very encouraging. And of course, TDM1 looks promising too, although they don't seem to quite know who exactly benefits the most from it, and as spicyp says, we'd rather not have the discussion of "what happens when/if this thing starts progressing again" with our onc just yet.

spicyp -- interesting what you were saying in terms of being careful about treatment with the view towards enrolling in clinical trials down the road. Is this something your onc looks after for you, or are you looking at it yourself? Are you thinking vaccines in this case or something else? Sorry if I'm too nosy. This is something I never thought we'd have to care about so interested to know if you are happy to share.

spicypetunia

took a nice long-weekend break from all things medical. have to say, it was great (even if I didn't manage to take a break from some of the ses as much as I wanted but, hey, didn't hold us back, either). 

Laurie: thank you so much for chiming in. so nice to hear your experience!

Miche: I also have an MD helping me through this (EM). she's been incredible to accompany me to restaging appts and while she admits to a complete lack of knowledge when it comes to oncology, I've found her opinions and support in appointments invaluable. also, I agree completely, it is unbelievable that this is my life - I find it all still so surreal. 

RonnieKay: thank you for the tip on Navelbine. I've seen that some women on this board maintain tremendous lists and great resources for possible lines of treatment. I'm not there yet but am very grateful for the information.

Orpheus: thanks for sharing your MO's thoughts on perjeta. love that I can hear the opinions and thoughts of so many doctors through this site. regarding keeping an eye on future eligibility for clinical trials: I go to restaging appointments with lots of questions and through MO's answers, I found out that she was thinking ahead. it had not occurred to me that a decision now could impact trial participation later. I would not change a tx that is working for a chance at a trial but may take it into consideration when making a tx change, if that makes sense. 

regarding researching trials - and I'm learning all of this as I go, so please take it fwiw and please share your methods if you've been successful. I'm a very awkward online community participant and was reluctant to offer tmi - but if it can be an assist, here's my thinking/process:

 -- at each restaging appointment with MO I reiterate that I'm game to participate in a trial. I've been told by a few in the field that it behooves me to remind my team and not assume they "remember" that fact. (also, I'm a new patient to all of my medical team so this may not be necessary if you already have a relationship)

 -- I ask if there could be a fit with a trial or if they've heard of anything new. we have discussed not stopping a tx that is clearly working to try something that may or may not work. I agree with this but want to keep thinking things through in the hope of being a little better prepared when NED, plateau or progression occur. admittedly, my MOs don't seem to "like" to discuss the "what ifs" so I prepare a list of very specific questions and follow-ups to help keep things concrete. I have been very impressed that with each question my MO has been able to say something along the lines of: I thought of that too, and here's the reason(s) why/why not. while the answers have been more frustrating than anything else, it's been confidence building and informative. this is also where I've heard about trials that are coming down the pipeline that may be a better fit down the road.

 -- available trials: perhaps there are other/better resources out there, but one that helps narrow things down a bit: American Cancer Society. they have a clinical trial match service. you can call and provide your diagnostic stats and other factors and they compile a list of all matching trials in the country (I believe you have to "register" with them). I love it - they're fast and I get it all in an email. (I haven't checked to see how exhaustive their search is, but for now, it's been great). I've looked at the online trial registries but they tend to return too many options and after skimming for a couple of hours, I gave up. 

-- from what I've learned, herceptin and perjeta will likely make trial participation more challenging. I'm told there are more now that will allow herceptin but that perjeta is just too new. so, that'll be a big choice and part of why I'll only look at changing things up when there is good reason to do so. that said, I am BRCA2+ so am very interested in a PARP trial. as far as the vaccines or anything that requires that you be NED - I find these motivating and they aid in maintaining my determination to pursue aggressive treatment. I was itchy to get on TDM1 - but the more I learn, the more I'm understanding the value of getting the full effect of a tx before making changes. 

probably I should leave well enough alone and just put my trust in my amazing medical team, but I believe in being my own best advocate (squeaky wheel get the grease and such) and also find it emotionally beneficial to be as informed as possible. for me, the other contributing factor is that there seems to still be a great deal of subjectivity in the treatment of stage 4 disease and I'd like to choose from among as many options/possibilities as possible. as always, to each their own. hope this may be helpful to some.

RonnieKay

Spicey....if I needed an advocate, I'd hire you!  I think you're doing an awesome job getting info & sorting things out.  Keep it up!!!

fujiimama

officially week 3 post diep. Actually drove a short distance and took kiddies to the park and chatted with my friends. Felt good to be in the warm sun. That is

my great achievement for the day.

RonnieKay

woohoo Fujii!!!   I remember walking to the pool to watch everyone else swim...at about 2-3 weeks...felt marvelous! I didn't drive for about 5 weeks...but I didn't have anywhere to go .  Hope the drains are out...or on their way, can't remember timing on that.  Wear your compression when you can..no lifting...Mama Bear coming out here!  Glad you're healing!!!!

tcallegan

RonnieKay, I just read an earlier post from you regarding Navelbine. 

I was initially diagnosed in 2007 with Stage IIa.  Went through chemo and radiation.  Was cancer free until Feb 2013 when I was diagnosed with liver and bone mets.  I have been on three different regimens:  Ixempra and Xeloda, then Carbo/Gemzar/Herceptin, then Kadcyla.  And, of course, Xgeva for the bone mets.  While on the Carbo/Gemzar, my tumor markers and liver enzymes came down to normal

However, in March, I had new "spots" in my liver.  They changed me to Kadcyla at that time.  After three treatments, I have about 7 more tumors in my liver. So, I will receive my first Navelbine treatment tomorrow and continue with the Herceptin. 

From your post, it sounds like you have had good results with the Navelbine?  Can you tell me a little about the treatment?  What is your premeds?  How do you feel after?

Thanks!

 

Andi67

RonnieKay and Tcallegen,

I too am curious about the Navelbine....I've never heard of it. I am new to this site and have never heard of half of these chemo treatments....I guess I've been living in my own little BC bubble and it feels good to get out of it. I have mets to bones and liver, ER+/PR- and HER2+. Diagnosed in 2012.  I had two round of Adriomyasin (sp?) followed by 4 rounds of Taxol with Herceptin, and since then (Feb 2013) have been on Herceptin/Perj every three weeks, XGeva for bone mets, Lupron to shut down my ovaries and first Armidex and now Faslodex. Everything shrunk and as of Jan had stable PET Scan, but have had frustrating side effects....so stiff I can barely move in the morning (and sometimes all day) and very achy bones. Recently my tumor markers have risen slightly, so of course  am anxious about that.

I'd love to hear about your experience with Navelbine; what added benefit it might give you as well as well as how it makes you feel.

Thanks!

Andrea