January 2012 chemo

Jenn - I had periods (unusual heavy and long ones, at that) after my first two treatments. I sort of held out hope that my ovaries would survive the ordeal (though I plan to have them out because I'm brca+, so it's not like I'll be able to wait the 2 years I'd need to try to have kids... I'm 43 already). However, after #3, I had a tiny bit of spotting and then nothing. I do know one woman who made it through with what her MO calls 'fiesty ovaries' because she never went into menopause. There's so much difference between all of us in terms of what SEs we face, so it's hard to say any one or two SEs prove the chemo is working. I've retained most of my taste, haven't thrown up and except for a week after each tx, my energy hasn't flagged too much - BUT I did lose my hair (well, most of it - some of it's hanging on), so that's proof enough for me!

Rachel - love the new avatar!

Waitress - I'm on TAC, and #3 was definitely the hardest. From the December group, it seemed as though 3 was hard. I really kept all my anti-nausea meds close by (but they worked at least), and I overdid it with work. Plan on giving yourself more time to rest up for at least the week after than you may have in the past. Once I made it throught that first week, I felt much better, though I do still find myself getting tired more quickly at work or after walking a good distance.

Lumpy - I find I usually only pee pink for about five or six hours after the infusion. Still, if you're concerned, I'd definitely wear a pad. It's not just about the color - I read in one of the American Cancer Society brochures that pretty much all your bodily fluids (sorry to gross everyone out) are almost as toxic as the meds, so a pad could be helpful because you could change it pretty quickly if needed.  

CatWhispurrer ~ Taxol 12x or 4x~ There is a Clinical trial by the National Cancer Institute NCI, "ClinicalTrials.gov" that was to be finished in January 2012, for a dietary supplement to help with Neuropathy SE's (but they have not posted the results, and probably won't before I hit my 12 Taxol in 3 weeks from now). They list the 4 or 12 week option as well as several other Chemo regiments. Chemical name: Paclitaxel. Brand Name: Taxol. They refer to it by the Chemical name, not Brand...thought I'd put that in there for you.
Here is the link for that one.

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT00775645?show_locs=Y&view=record

Taxol is listed in wikipedia as an option with AC-T. Wiki states "AC-Taxol: AC given 3-weekly for 4 cycles followed by paclitaxel given either 3-weekly for 4 cycles or weekly (at a smaller dose) for 12 weeks" They list the reference material they received the information from...easier to link through Wiki if you want to do some long reading.
Here is the link if anyone is interested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_cancer_chemotherapy

The potential for Neuropathy SE's and the lose of any "Fine Motor Skills" is a major concern for me, just like it is for everyone...if they happen, they should be gone or almost gone before the next infusion....

been doing a little research on what is next on my list and have recovered enough to finally check the your posts...3rd was a bit ruff for me :-(

Warning:  TMI ahead!  :-)

I'm dreading next week's 3rd AC tx (Peggy, I'm so glad to hear your 3rd is going well!!)  I know the effects are cumulative, so I expect that that tx will be harder than the 2nd.  Day 10 was yesterday and I started feeling "normal" again.  I drank way more water this last time and took Mirilax and Dulcolax religiously, and avoided much of the constipation I experienced during the first treatment.  Instead, I've developed toxic bowel movements - can't describe it any other way.  My insides feel like I've got diarrhea, but my bowels appear softer than usual.  This has resulted in nasty hemorrhoids (I warned you!!) somehow. 

Otherwise, I've felt pretty darned good for the last 24 hours, and am happy about that!  Interestingly enough my hair hasn't fallen out completely; I shaved my head and noticed that I have some stubble growing back in!  It's hard not to wonder, like others, if the chemo is working if my hair isn't totally gone.  :-)

Nancy

Thank You Girls for posting

Ac#1 was doable and I tried to put it in my mind that they all would be the same. The acid reflux after #2 was really painful and made every other SE feel worse but was still doable. I am trying to keep working several days a week . I bartend and waitress and love both positions. We get a regular customer base who have all been great to me but when you are tired and feel so crappy it isn't fair to them or myself to be working. So I am still looking for hope #3 will pass with little SE.

Karen - I hope you're able to make that event on the 16th. I did feel tired after my 3rd tx, but I think if I had something to do, I would have made it through. Make sure you drink a lot and get a lot of rest the day or two before, and hopefully you'll be fine. Maybe they can up your steroids for the day...  As for the family visitors, now that the immediate 'threat' has passed, can you find a way to talk with your niece about your restrictions? I'd put it that way - that your MO has told you to stay away from young children, period. I had to do that yesterday to turn down an invitation to an acquaintance's (not close, but a mutual friend invited me), even though it was after the kids would be in bed.

Nancy - There's no such thing as TMI on this site (though I guess a warning is good if people really don't want to know!). I think I might have developed hemmorrhoids, although it hasn't been a major problem yet. Things were a little quieter this time around. I have my next tx on Thursday, so I suppose I should start the ducolax today or tomorrow to get everything at peak performance. I've taken Metamucil occasionally, and I think it helps.

Waitress - Glad you've been able to keep working a bit. Just make sure you're careful if any of those customers are sick - tis the season... I've been thankful that I've been able to continue working for the most part, though even the short periods I've taken off make it stressful because it makes it hard to get everything done, and it's hard to delegate things out to others.

Hopefully today's a quiet day here - catching up on reading newspapers, maybe a little cleaning. And I need to exercise. My motivation is flagging, and since it's too cold to enjoy a walk, I suppose I'll have to go to the fitness center and get on a bike. At least I can bring a book! 

Karen - Those are some great points! I just finished responding to someone in her 70s who is thinking she might come to the opposite conclusion - but each one of us needs to make our own decisions. Regarding the herpes - I had a year of abnormal pap smears because of HPV, which hasn't seemed to go away like it should, so I can sort of relate. I was told it shouldn't get any worse during chemo. Guess I'll find out when I get my next pap. And since I need to get my ovaries out and have recently learned I have a polyp in my uterus, I'm considering just having the package deal go clean up all the loose ends...

Cat ~ at the risk of being very bold (bc does that) I would ask your onc to show YOU the evidence that four times dosing is superior to 12 times. It is your right to know what his/her research is and on what data have they based your treatment plan. I remember a mini-meltdown I had in my oncs office when in a very loud voice I said, "For heavens sake I have CANCER, I have a right to know everything you are even thinking when it comes to my treatment plan." Fortunately, he did just that. As I recall his preference for the 12 times dosing of Taxol came from his own studies and studies at UCLA , UCSF and MDA. That was good enough for me.  I'm not following your oncs reasoning that "only MDA does that" because  it just ain't so.  It's their job to be informed of the most recent research and follow  at least standard of care and better yet, cutting edge treatment protocols. When I started on my bc journey I decided that I would have to get "real firm, real fast" and let the medical professionals know that I intended to be an active participant in my own treatment plan. Proactive became my philosophy. And that ends my soapbox. For what it's worth. Nico

Catwhispurrer,

I am also getting the 4xDD Taxol after AC. I, too as wondering about the difference between the 4xDD I was "prescribed" versus the 12x weekly treatment. After looking for info and studies to support that either was "better" I couldn't really find anything, So I questioned my ONC at my appointment last Thursday. She is the head Onc at the Seattle cancer clinic I am being treated at (which is rated #5 in the country). She told me about a study that has not yet been published officially, but presented in San Antonio the year prior, and that the 4 x DD (bi-weekly)  was just as effective as the 12xweekly.

Below is a study comparing 3 week Taxol and Taxotere with treatment every three weeks versus weekly.

"Overall, paclitaxel [Taxol] caused fewer side effects than docetaxel; however, peripheral neuropathy (grades 2, 3, and 4) was highest in the group treated with paclitaxel once a week."
The report of this trial was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in April 2008.
Publication: Sparano JA, Wang M, Martino S, Jones V, et al. Weekly paclitaxel in the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer. New England Journal of Medicine. 2008 Apr 17;358(16);1663-1671

Hope this helps. If you can find anything else, please let me know.

Nico - yes, I think I need to get a little more "bold."   I do believe the new "standard" is DDx4 but it just seems that there is more MO's going to the 12 weekly because of fewer side effects and a chance that if might be a little more effective.  What bothers me is that I haven't seen that data or research in writing......

Sleepless - I did see that study from years ago and I think that is why they don't do taxol every three weeks anymore.   What I am trying to figure out is why/who decided DDx4 (every 2 weeks) is better or as good as 12 weeklies.   All in all, you are getting only 8 weeks worth of taxol not 12 weeks too.   It is interesting that a few people and studies are now getting DDx6 cycles which would be the same as 12 weeklies.

TryingtoSaveMom - Did you see my post and links regarding Milk Thistle?   I hope your mom can get the okay to start taking it.   I should know if it is helping my liver enzymes when I get my bloodwork tomorrow.

Question regarding our profiles:

Several posts back, someone suggested we enter our treatment regimen as part of our signature status info.   On the profile page, where would we enter that?  I tried entering it at the bottom of some info but it only showed up on that particular post, not all of them.  What am I doing wrong? 

FLDreamer - You can add it to your signature - but it does only show up for new posts, not the old ones. I had the same reaction when I added mine.

Jane - I really do like my wig. I almost feel guilty for liking it so much. I ran into someone this evening who was raving about how great my hair looked... when did I have that done... etc. I went along initially ("Oh, just recently") but finally told her I was going through chemo. I guess right from the start, when I realized I was going to lose my hair, I decided it was going to be the time to experiment with being a redhead, and I guess it's working out well. And I understand about having new reactions to things/places. BC definitely creates new markers and milestones for us. I'm sure my chemo bag, which I got years ago and 'repurposed,' will always have more meaning in the future when it goes back to being a cosmetics case/travel bag.

catwhispurrer - Good luck on getting the issue settled. I've head a lot about the varying opinions (I thought I had heard the consensus was that they work equally well) but since it's not my regimen, I haven't paid enough attention to offer any advice.

Tryingtosavemom - I hope the doctor can find some ways to adjust her treatment so she can go forward. I'm TN too, so I understand how important chemo is. 

Thanks for your replies and kind words Cats, Jane and Rachel. Cats I saw your post about Milk Thistle and will mention it to mom and her oncologist. Actually the oncologist called today ( Yes on a Sunday believe it or not!) and says they'll do an endoscopy to see if there are any pancreatic stones - if there are and they're small they can remove them fairly easily without surgery she says. She also said last Fridays tests show mom's enzymes and WBC are finally stabilizing and AC chemo treatment number two should be able to go ahead finally - likely later this week.

I'll think good thoughts for all of you guys too. Hopefully everyone's week will go well and no bad side effects or setbacks for anyone.... and if scientists or researchers are reading out there - hurry up and find a cure so no more people have to go through this stuff!