January 2012 chemo

Hi all,

Thanks Nancyhb for your concern , due for nexr dose in 2 days and really don't know how I am going to do it. The side effects have just been horendous not one good day. All I do is wait for 8pm so I can take another sleeping tab and move onto the next day... since my onc has said that she got the lump our with clear margins I am so tempted to say no more treatment,,, has any one else does this?? or at least thought about it , if you have  done/said it what was the result.. ie how much much did your onc yell at you, or rather what was everyones considered opinion?

 and JENN28 I am at cabrini Brighton, and Iv'e got to agree with you. Have rung the breast care nurse three times now, she has got back to me eventually, but shows no interest or concern at all. All she says is see yoour local GP well Iv'e done that, and and that has not been all that much help, like you said GP's don't know about our individual BC journeys.

I think we have claritin here in Australia.. used for colds and flu but have never heard any talk about it being used in any way for BC so will ask the onc on Monday..

However although I whine and whinge every day ( in my head!! ) I cannot get over the fact that some of you and lots of others do this with children.. I am ready to to loose the plot every night as my husband gets home, do not know how I would do it with littles around. 

Still trying to work pt from home but not working as well as I thought. Most days my heart races, and I have dry mouth all the time.. take all the stuff I'm supposed too but makes talking on the phone sometimes for half hour at a time a bit trikey!! Sometimes by the time I get off the phone I have to run to the toilet.. have drunk so much water.

 oh well on to another day

bye for now Lynne 

Hotlyn, like you I am TN and the only line of defense we have is chemo.  Unlike others who are + with at least one receptor, no other proven tx will work for us. We will NOT be given arimidex or herceptin later because they do not work for TNBC. As I understand it, TNBC responds well to chemo, although it has a higher recurrence rate than other BCs in the first 5 years.  After 5 years, TNBC has a lower recurrence rate than other BCs. 

There is a website tnbcfoundation.org if you want to read more.  There is also a great explanatory booklet at  http://www.lbbc.org/Understanding-Breast-Cancer/Guides-to-Understanding-Breast-Cancer/Guide-to-Understanding-Triple-Negative-Breast-Cancer.  There are also other forums here dedicated to TN which include postings from women recently diagnosed like ourselves as well as women whose cancer has returned as mets. 

 Hotlyn, please talk to your onc.  It's not fun by any matter of means, but chemois our only remaining weapon after surgery.  Be strong - you are not alone in this.  We walk the road together.

Joyce

To BelaT and the rest....I went for tx#4 yesterday and it was a good day.  I haven't put it in my dx (denial?) but I am stage IV.  They found multiple pulmonary nodules during my first slew of scans.  They were too small to biopsy but glowed on the PET scan.  I had a repeat CT chest last week.  Yesterday my MO told me the largest had shrunk by over half and most all of the small ones were not detectable anymore!  YAY for me!  That means the chemo is working.  I just wanted to share and give some of you hope in knowing that all the SE's are worth it and a lack of bad SE's does not mean it's not doing the job.  At last, I had a shred of good news that I haven't had since October 18th and I am kicking cancer's ass!  Thanks ladies for being my support...I love you all!

You go Kelloggs!! You can beat this! I have two stage 4 friends and one has had it over 20 years and the other is going on 10. They have had to do chemo over the years but they have a good quality of life and are an inspiration to me. Chemo isnt fun but's our best defense right now.

Im only Stage 1 but I have very aggresive characteristics with mine. Grade 3 ,Lymphovascular invasion and HER2+++, Im 47. My doc said I could have a blood vessel carrying a cell in it and thats what this chemo is for so yes on one hand im cancer free at this point but on ther other hand Im not. Just not a risk I want to take beacause even with chemo there are no gaurentees but it's our best shot!!

Of coarse I trust God and He ultimaltly holds my future but I think when we have these medical options we gotta trust our ONC too. I do understand the wondering if I should keep going through this or take my chances also because of the possible damage chemo and herceptin does. We just have to weigh the odds and move forward. I do hope the SE's get better Lynn.

Lynn, I noticed your stage lll A. im wondering what makes your stage that high? Sometimes the stageing confuses me. Anyway, good reason for chemo. I do hope you start to have better days.

God Bless Everyone!!

Shell-seeker,

You are such brave person. I wish you the best. Good luck and fight .

Bela 

Kelloggs,



So happy for you! It's remarkable how your victory is like a victory for all of us! Bless your heart. : )

kelloggs--that is fantastic news! just keep kickin baby!!!!!

CatWhispurrer ,

I am sorry I have no knowledge.but you can ask for it.  

CatWhisperer-I will be doing the DD - every 2 weeks for Taxol as soon as I'm done AC (had 3rd tx yesterday). If it's any comfort, my MO said that Taxol is better tolerated and usually has fewer side effects than AC. I was never offered weekly Taxol and my MO is part of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philly

Cat After I finish next 2 biweekly ACs I will be getting taxol weekly for 12  weeks thenonto Herceptin. I am in NJ. From what I read the weeklies are easier on you.

Annie - the port is a wonderful thing! 

Ajajohn,

From what I understand the AC is much more difficult than the taxol. I am just getting taxol/herceptin for 12 weeks. The infusion takes a while because of the premeds and I had a scary reaction yesterday so they increases my steroids again. Yesterday was my #4, had a great week last week but I feel about to hit a wall right now. Think I am going to be really sick tomorrow. Overall though, I have been tolerating pretty well, I think.



Kellog. You go girl :-) So wonderful to hear your news.

Cat ~ Just "FYI" ~ 4 years ago I had 12 weekly tax treatments at UNMC, an NCI Cancer Center and have read several reports on these boards of others having this all over the country. Some research on these boards suggest that the 12 treatment dosing is slightly more effective than the others. Nearly everyone of the researchers agrees that the 12 times dosing is easier than the every three weeks dosing when it comes to side effects.

Thanks everyone for the feedback on 12 taxol versus DD taxol x4 every 2 weeks.   I also heard that the 12 weeklies is slightly more effective and less side effects.  If so, then that is what I would want to do but cannot find any data or research.  Could those of you getting it tell me your Cancer Center names so that I can point my MO to them?   He claims only MD Anderson is doing 12 weeklies.  I am in the Atlanta area and I think my MO only checked with Emory University here.

 On another note, got my hair buzzed off yesterday.   It was starting to fall out all over and I couldn't get my wigs trimmed or fitted correctly when putting them over my hair.  A nice beautician, also a cancer survivor, took me in her back room to do it.  She even trimmed and fitted my wigs and didn't charge me anything.    It was tramatic but I feel one more step with getting past this FC.   

Just a hopeful question

Has anyone found AC #3 easier than #2 ?