Cytoxan Taxotere Chemo Ladies- February/March 2013

twinkymom

revup-65 I'm sorry you have to start on this journey. You will find a lot of love and support here...along with great info.

As far as my first round went I had nausea, heartburn, and a rash. The heartburn and rash were pretty rough. I started on Prilosec for the heartburn and take it twice a day. I'm not sure what triggered it but at least I have it under control.

The rash came from my Taxotere and started on the back of my hands. Itchy!! Took Benadryl and applied Cortizone cream to help. It did spread to my trunk but thankfully it didn't itch.

The one things noticed was I kept swapping out SE. One would go away and another popped up.

I had my second treatment on Thursday and all I have felt is fatigue. No nausea but that's probably due to my taking Compozine.

Just stay on top of your meds...don't overdue it...rest.

Hang in there! Keep us posted!!

MinusTwo

rev-up: I had chemo on Wednesdays & a Neulasta shot on Thursdays. Since my MO gave me steroids to help w/the nausea & other SEs, I had Decadron morning & night the day before & the day of. I split the dose for the day after and took one on Thursday and one on Friday. So as you're guessing, I made it through to the weekend before crashing. Hardest between days 4 & 8. Good luck.

cubbieblue

Rev-up, my chemo is on Tuesdays and I have not had the Neulasta shot. I think my worst days are 3-8 when the body aches are at their peak.  My nausea has been very mild, but I got a headache from the Cytoxan and a rash from the Taxotere.  All in all the SEs have been pretty manageable as long as I stay on top of them, and I've been able to work most days.  But I'm a couch potato that first weekend after my chemo and I think it helps.  Best of luck to you.

Chloesmom

Had the chemo Tuesday. Felt fine Wed just tired. Was nauseous a little Thurs More Fri to Sun but doctor had me on so much anti nausea meds the first 3-4 days that I would say the hardest day was Fri or Sat but in reality the hardest part was how sleepy I was. They said everyone is different so I wouldn't bank on my experience

Wish you well!

ThinkingPositive

Had my last TC treatment on Feb 5th. Was the worst.. Has anyone experienced soreness in the legs from above the knees when you walk...they feel so achy and not sure whether its just from the shot still, the chemo, or what?? Its been over a week since treatment and not sure if I should still be feeling the achiness..even in my upper back/shoulders. My taste is still off.. First three treatments I was feeling fine a week later, this time just not the same. Seems to be lasting longer this time.

Sjacobs146

ThinkingPositive, my last treatment was the worst for me as well. I suppose that the SEs are cumulative

goldenpawsKim

I have my treatments on Thursdays every 3 weeks. My bad days are Sunday and Monday. By Tuesday I'm almost back to 100%. I have been very lucky w SE so far. Best of luck ♡ Kim

cubbieblue

ThinkingPositive, I've had two treatments had the achiness above the knees for about a week both times.  I also felt a little rubber-leggy.  It must have been from the chemo because I didn't have the shot.  The fatigue seems to have lasted a little longer with the second round for me.  But congrats to you on having your last TC treatment.

ThinkingPositive

Thanks cubbieblue...good luck with your next two treatments and hope that they aren't too bad for you. Today I am feeling really achy in my neck, shoulders and legs.. I can barely drink anything because I still have no taste back. Its been a week and 3 days since my treatment and never felt this way this long after the other three. And really tired too. I am hoping that its just the accumulation from the chemo's that is making me feel this way. Having issues with the tissue expander doesn't help... it feels so swollen under my arm and like a lead weight on my chest. I still need to think about whether or not to have radiation, as its my choice. Just so tired from researching and thinking.

Ratherbecooking

Thinking positive: I also had a weird soreness in the muscles of my neck and shoulders after CT#3, even hurt to touch the skin. Lasted a few days then went away. Congratulations on your last chemo treatment!! I hope to join you this Friday 2/20.

RevUP: After my CT #1 I needed 2 weeks off work because of the neulasta shot reaction. After CT #2 and 3 I took 1.5 weeks off each time. The neupogen shots weren't bad at all, I was just sooooo tired. I seem tireder after each round, so I agree SE effects are cumulative. I keep reminding myself this does have an end in sight, and from what I've read on this forum energy does slowly but surely come back.

Wishing all in chemo land an easy time...

Chloesmom

Well my hairdo is still intact ( if you can call my buzz cut a hairdo) but the releasing as they term it has begun from the waist down. Discovered in the shower today that chemo has given me a free Brazilian LOL!

revup-65

Hello all, thank you for all the good information, it helps, still stressed but know more going in. I have a couple questions,

How long do the chemo treatments take, do all of you have ports, I really hate getting one, they want to do it this week.

Anyone have problems with mouth sores or diarrhea. Anyone keep their hair. 

Thanks for all the help

Bikerbabe17

I'm getting a port this week, I've tiny veins, so it's something I want. I think it will be easier for me

speechmom22

I had my first CT on Feb 3. Was cruising along with little SE other than being tired until Saturday night. I spiked a fever of 102.1 and had to go to the ER. Blood work showed that I had low neutrophils. Got the neupogen shot and an antibiotic. Still felt lousy yesterday with some leg muscle aches and headache but much better today. Called my MO and I will now get the neulasta shot following the next chemo. Any advice on that one?? I was hoping to avoid it.

revup-65....my first CT lasted 3 hours. I had my blood work done the day before so that I didn't have to wait for the results at the infusion center. That eliminated about one hour. I have a port. It was placed at the same time I had my lumpectomy so I didn't need to go in for a separate procedure. I haven't had any problems with mouth sores or diarrhea. I use Biotene toothpaste and mouth rinse and that has been helpful. I actually take a dulcolax stool softener each morning because I was afraid of constipation. That also has been helpful for me.

Chloesmom...we started the same day. I still have my hair but it feels slightly thinner to me. Am ready to buzz it off when it starts to fall out.

Melrosemelrose

Revup-65- This may give you an idea of what to expect at the first infusion.

Prior to the first infusion, I was weighed and had my blood pressure, temperature and pulse taken. Then I was directed to my "golden" lounger aka The Big Girl Chair ( BGC). I had blood drawn for lab work to make sure my blood counts were good. I usually had an appointment with my onco on Infusion Day. I was hooked up to an IV for fluids and waited until my lab work came back. Then the waiting began to first find out if my blood counts were good, If they were, my onco signed the chemo pharmacy order. Then I would wait a while longer until the chemo drugs arrived. While I waited, my pre-chemo cocktail drugs would be administered ( Bendryl, Decadron and Ativan). In short, you may wait a while before you actually start the chemo infusions. I usually had the Taxotare infusion first which lasted at least an hour. Then I had the Cytoxan infusion which lasted between 30-45 minutes.

Here are some tips..... Make sure you hydrate the day before you have a round of chemo so that your veins will be plump. Do eat breakfast before you go in for the chemo. The reason for this is that the pre-chemo IV drugs can cause nausea and the infusion nurses prefer that you have something in your tummy before they administer those drugs. Do drink icy water/ suck on ice during the infusions since it may help prevent the mouth sores. If you are wondering if you can go and use the bathroom while having the infusion,the answer is yes!!! Just ask the infusion nurse to unplug the IV pole/unit from the electrical socket and you can take the pole with you to the bathroom. If it becomes lunch time, do eat. You may take a sandwich/snacks/ etc with you to the infusion center. Try to be patient while waiting for everything to happen on infusion day. I know that staying calm may not be easy to do but do your best. If you have questions about your infusion process, ask your onco and the infusion nurses. They are there to help you.

The mouth rinse formula that I used to help with my mouth sores is

1/4 teaspoon salt + 1/4 teaspoon baking soda + 1 cup of warm water.

Make a new batch after each swishing session. I swished a few times a day.

After you have had your chemo round and are at home, make sure you continue to drink plenty of fluids and keep emptying your bladder. You want to flush that chemo out of your body and the chemo can be hard on the bladder system. I usally got up in the middle of the night and went to the bathroom so fluids did not sit too long.

You may want to get this book called "Eating Well Through Cancer" by Holly Clegg and Gerald Miletello MD. The book has food menus, recipes and helpful tips of how to handle certain side effects and what to eat when you have those side effects. The book is divided into chapters by side effects which was helpful.

Just remember that you are not alone. If the side effects start to escalate, do call your onco no matter what day of the week it is or what time of day it is. There should be an on call onco available 24/7. It is the onco's job to help you and you don't need to afraid to ask for help. Yes, you may feel like you have a slight case of the flu once the side effects begin. However, you cannot always ride out the side effects as you might do when you have the flu.

Wishing you and those just starting the best..........

MinusTwo

Rev-up: Melrose has posted some great tips. I did one thing differently. I had blood work done & then saw my MO on Monday so when I got to the chemo chair on Wednesday everything was ready to go. Since I wanted an extra liter of fluid each time and wanted the chemo drugs to be run slowly based on what I'd read about side effects, it still sometimes took 5-7 hours. If you're going to do blood work the same day, it will probably add at least an hour waiting for those results.

roby7

Hi taxotere ladies

I started my taxotere and cytoxan treatment at 15 Jan. It was the last day of my period and I didn't have my period after that . I am 35 and my healthy breast still hurts like before ( I have fibrocystic disease ) any one have this too???? I thought that when my hormones become low the pain will go but it didn't. My dr said my body is confused I did mamogram and ultrasound and three biopsies in this breast last October it has

Fibrocystic disease

Usual Hyperthisia

Fibroadenomas

I decided to keep it as I don't have the gene I am really worried as I had pain in the other breast too years before my diagnosis

Any similar stories ?!!

Other question after my second session on 5 February I had very bad nausea I couldn't drink water as I should now I am ok but water tasts bitter any tips how to change this ?

Best wishes to all of us

ThinkingPositive

roby7, I have the same problem with water. I have tried to put lemon in the water and that was working at first, but as I got to my last treatment which was the same day as your treatment, Feb 5th, I can't even drink water with lemon. I find if I put a little sugar in the water with the lemon and make a lemonade, less sweeter than store bought, I can drink it. horrible. The other thing that I have been able to drink which I try to avoid is Pepsi. I drink that when all else fails. Unfortunately, I am still having this problem as my taste has not come back completely since Feb. 5th. Ususally it would come back about a week later. I guess the accumulation of the drugs can cause side effects to be a little different at the end.

Ratherbecooking

rev up: as always melrose had great advise. I didn't have a port - I am "calamity jane" and was certain things would go wrong with port or pic line, both of which my MO wanted. I insisted we use my veins, which had been good in the past. For the blood draws between infusions I had them use the smaller veins in my hand, and always asked them to use a "pediatric butterfly" to draw the blood, which was easier for them to use and didn't hurt as much. We had to "insist" that the head nurse do my IV insertions, she is great and really experienced so it has gone fine. My last CT is this Friday, so I am hoping my vein is good again. I also used the Biotene to help prevent mouth sores, twice or three times daily. Also I had ice chips all through the taxotere infusion, and drank all through the cytoxan. I did ice my fingers and toes from 15 minutes before to 15 minutes after the taxotere, and so far no nail changes. Also used Sally Hansen Hard as Nails, and used dark polish for infusion days on top of it. Hydrate hydrate the day before and day of and at least two days after, as the cytoxan can be hard on the bladder. I had no diarrhea, I also took stool softener and fiber because the steroids and pain meds are constipating. My hair all came out around day 14, so buzzed it off when it got bad. I only wear the wig out of the house and go natural at home. Good luck with your first infusion, and get lots of rest!

speechmom: I had a lot of joint and muscle pain with the Neulasta for CT #1, so have had the neupogen shots instead since then. They haven't caused me the same kind of pain, and got my numbers back up, so for me are worth the extra injections. I needed two after CT#2, and 4 after CT#3. So we will see what CT#4 brings.

roby7: I agree that plain water is hard to drink. I've been adding a little bit of cranberry juice to the water which helps, and also experimented with various kinds of herbal tea until I found one I could tolerate. hope one of those ideas works for you.

Chloesmom

Skin is peeling off in several places that look like dry blisters on my fingers. Wonder if this is chemo or if the chemo has given me a fungal thing going on. Anyone have something like that happen?

Melrosemelrose

roby7- flavor that water with fruit ( ie orange slices, etc) , fruit juice. You can also get fluids in by drinking tea, juices, ginger ale, soda, gatorade, eating fruit/veggies with high water content such as watermelon and grapes, eating popscicles, italian ices..... soups, broth, You may also want to use a straw when drinking since the fluid has less contact with your taste buds. Sorry you are having a hard time.

Chloesmom- I don't recall having peeling fingers but i do remember that my hands and feet got extremely dry from the chemo. My hands got very dry because I was a frequent handwasher ( I became a germaphobe when i started chemo and still am to a certain extent.) I did apply cream to my hands and feet to help the dryness. Yours may be from the chemo. Check with you MO to be sure.

cubbieblue

Chloesmom, I had a rash on my hand which consisted of itchy red bumps, which later dried and peeled.  There were other areas on that same hand which were dry and were flaky but not really peelable, if that makes sense... :-/

ThinkingPositive

Chloesmom, I have the same thing on the back of both of the heels of my feet. It started as inflammation, red and sore, and when I walked it rubbed against my shoes and really hurt. The inflammation went away and turned into what looked like blisters that dried and are now peeling. The back of my heels look exactly like your finger.

Chloesmom

thanks all about hands! One more thing. I put lanolin on them last night and it's better

TortyLass

I'm on Day 6 of TC#2 and my fingernails are sore - they feel bruised, but no discoloration or anything else. When my cuticles started to feel tight/dry, I started using SolarOil on them, rubbing it into my nails and cuticles and then buffing my nails.

When my feet started to feel dry, I began using Miracle Foot Repair cream nightly and they've been fine since.

So far so good... I hope it continues

katcar0001

Chloesmom--I am so terribly sorry about your father and your brother! I am behind on your status, and I hope you are doing better. What a tough time! The whole bc and chemo thing is hard enough without the additional heartache and trouble! Thinking about you and hope you are having a good day.

jedimom

Hello everyone,

I did my last chemo on 11/3/14 & finished my rads on 2/3/15. Chemo was way, way, harder than radiation. For me each chemo was harder than the previous and by my last tx I was very sick all the time. I am still very tired, I'm good for about half a day then I kind of go kaput. My hair started coming back in Jan. and I started having to shave my legs again

My question is this - during my chemo I had intense finger pain and chemo induced neuropathy in my hands and feet. Which has improved somewhat, but now my fingernails are peeling off. The nailbeds are shrinking away and the nails lift up from the finger. Has anyone else had this delayed chem SE?

Tobycc

Chloe's mom, so sad to hear. Take care of you, even though yiur heart is aching! I did pain Meds from the shot, and the patch for nausea

MinusTwo

jedimom - sorry to hear about your nails. Did you ice during theTaxotere? I did ice, but nails were also damaged by Herceptin for a year. Yes, reaction can be delayed. Hair & nails can take an entire year to completely grow past the damaged stage. I belatedly found out dermatologists are the docs for hair and nails in addition to skin. My derm gave me a prescription for antibiotic drops since I had an infection under the nails. She also gave me a paint on RX to help keep from getting a fungus. I had Herceptin until October. 5 months later I still have two finger nails that continually pull back from the nail bed. I'll think I've got it licked & then within 30 days there a day of pain & they pull back again. Keep your nails very short. Some people get relief from Tea Tree Oil. A steroid ointment is another option - again an RX.

jedimom

Thanks Minus two

I did not use ice on my nails during chemo, I just learned about that. I had read about ice packs for your hair but not your nails. Thanks for letting me know about your experience. I have cut my nails short and I'm keeping them painted