Experiences with TC-HP for HER2

DianaP2

hi there! I am one week into an 18 week regimen of TC-HP. (Infusion every 3 weeks)Would love to hear about your experiences with this! I have been mostly fatigued thus far, and have no taste, therefore no appetite. Any suggestions regarding how to make food/water palatable?

Melbo

I had TCHP in late 2020. I ended up watering down pedialyte and drinking that most of the time because I couldn’t stand the taste of regular water. I still had taste though — just some things tasted funny.

I would suggest checking out some of the ongoing chemo threads on the site. There is usually one that starts each month for people going through chemo — you can jump into any of the ongoing ones to participate or find some of the older ones to read through different experiences.

Good luck! It sucks to go through, but life can mostly return back to normal on the other side.

AMG2

Hi Diana, I'm sorry you find yourself here. I don't have experience with TC-HP, but am also Her2+ and just finished a 12 week Taxol + Herceptin regimen (so part of yours, but not the whole thing) that did seem to rearrange my taste buds every week and ruin my appetite. It also made water unappealing and I ended up dehydrated much of the time - try your best not to let that happen. For me, everything tasted quite bitter much of the time, or had no flavor at all. One week, everything was too sweet. Another, everything was too salty.

Sour things were frequently the only thing that tasted good, however, so with infusions on Wednesdays, and plenty of steroids still in me on Thursdays, I ended up eating a reuben sandwich each and every Thursday for the last 6 weeks or so, which was wonderful.

Liquids: green tea was actually appealing, and I got a lot of liquid that way toward the end.

Taste returning: I am 2 weeks out today, and yesterday, it seemed like everything finally started tasting normal again.

Best of luck to you, and I hope you're able to get some satisfying meals in over the next 17 weeks. Please keep us posted as you are able and up to it. We will be thinking of you.

MinusTwo

Diana: Here's a link to a general chemo tip thread

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics...

There are also several threads discussing TCHP. I would suggest reading last month's chemo thread and joining the Nov or December chemo threads.

SpecialK

diana - there are many on the triple positive thread who have had TCHP, or are on it now. Link to that thread below. I had TCH as the P was not yet approved for early stage patients at the time I was treated. I am not normally a water drinker under the best of circumstances, but I found that a splash of juice helped to make it more palatable. I ate bland foods for the first 10 days, then tried to add protein for the second 10 days - even if the texture/taste was not great - to try to keep my RBC and hemoglobin up for the next infusion. I iced my hands and feet during the Taxotere and had a nail care regimen. I used Aquaphor on my hands and feet and slept with cotton socks and gloves on at night. I used lubricating eyedrops as Taxotere can cause involuntary tearing caused by dry eyes - seems counter-intuitive, but that is the cause. I used a children's toothbrush to be gentle on my gums.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/80/topics/764183?page=1326#idx_39775

WC3

Hi Diana:

I couldn't drink regular water on TCHP. It had to be carbonated. I found Pelligrino to be the most palatable but lime flavored carbonated water also worked. Basically things that tasted bitter to me before chemotherapy I found palatable during chemotherapy.

A lot of my taste changes were from the anti nausea meds and dexamethasone. I was originally on Aloxi and Zofran for nausea, which worked well, but left a bad taste in my mouth. I was switched to Emend and Zofran which I had more nausea with but I less of the bad taste and the nausea was usually mild and resolved by the end of the first week.

I would lose my taste almost completely due to the chemotherapy itself for about three days somewhere mid cycle. During this time I liked lemon seasoned and vinegar marinated things like shirazi salad.

I didn't mind bland as long as I knew it was me and not the food but I couldn't tolerate meat.

DianaP2

thank you all so much for the suggestions! They make a lot of sense, and I’m going to try them. Thanks also for the referralsto the other links and boards. It is really helpful to read about others’ experiences…gives me hope that there is indeed a light at the end of this tunnel! Thanks everyone!

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