Halaven - Day 1

When they gave it to me bolus, I had instant neuropathy.  That went away in a few days.  When they infused it, I didn't get any neuropathy, but I did get more heartburn and cramps.  That may be just because it's #2.

Oh well, I just hope it works.  The only chemo that's worked for me is Navelbine and it wasn't perfect.

Cool, When I was taking abraxane despite being allergic, one of the remedies was slowing the drip.  Somehow, it makes it easier for your body.  Maybe the doctor can ask them to slow the drip.  Just a thought.

Alesta, so glad to read your post.  Sorry about the side effects, sound dreadful .  I think the weaker our bodies get, the worse those stupid mouth sores get.  I had mouth sores yesterday from xcheva.  Makes no sense but there they were .    I'm  happy to read  about the lack of ascites and hoping that you get the good results some of the others are getting.

Doctor says if I need a new chemo, I should go for Halavan.  I'm pretty scared of it.  KLo, you say you aren't strong, but I think all of you are! 

I've really not had a terrible time on any chemo.  Except for fatigue and a bit of heartburn here and there, none have been terrible. None have worked either - I wonder if that's a correlation?

Big questions for you Halevan ladies:  My mom has been thru 2 rounds.  The first round markers stablilized and the second they went up.  All of her white cell counts have been good so no neupogin, thank God.  Her liver numbers are good. She says she is feeling really good.  I know we can't really know without scans (waiting for her to finish 3rd round) but I havent heard her say shes feeling good and btw acting good in quite a while.  Is it possible that in spite of numbers this stuff is working?  This is her fourth chemo.  Is she running out?  Have any of you gone back and forth between chemo and hormonals with any success?  Sorry for the many questions.

To Cool-  My mom has seemed to be out of breath a few times, which is unusual for her, when she started Halevan.  Also she gets hers as a push.

To Alesta-  Someone on another thread said Valtrex for mouth sores.  Maybe you can aske your onc.

Thanks again. Mary

Ann, I bumped the Ritalin thread for you.

K-Lo, I have been off of Halaven for a bit over a month.  When I got my tumor marker results yesterday, I was expecting them to have risen.  But no!  They went from 134 to 112.  Not a big drop, but still a drop, and my markers are very accurate for me.  Guess the Halaven was continuing to work during that time.  I just started Tamoxifen this week.  Hoping it will hold things stable.  If not, I can go back on Halaven if I need too.  Thankful that the Halaven worked so well for me.

I'm so happy the PT was able to help with your shoulder pain!

I am not struggling with halaven now, I think the ritalin really helped.  It's become just another chemo.  It remains to be seen if it's effective.  My shortness of breath is not pleasant and I can definitely feel that tumor burning in my liver now, not great signs.  I also have pretty bad back pain but I do think that is cumulative from all my chemos. 

It's been easy on my white count and reds too.  So, I am fine with it.  

Hello Halaven Fighters,

I have just read through all your posts concerning your experiences with Halaven. I really appreciate all the information that you have shared. I have had 5 rounds of Halaven and have experienced much of the same side effects that each of you have discussed. Nueropathy, nausea and fatigue have been the side effects that love to knock me down. I have been on 5 different chemos since late 2011. I thought the extraordinary fatigue was from all the previous chemos so it is good to know that Halaven has had some impact on my tiredness.

I will finally get scans on November 12 and learn of the results on November 14. If Halaven hasn't made any headway with the cancer, my onc feels that the cancer is now resistant to the types of chemos that are available. Even though I knew that this would most likely happen at some point, I did find it hard to hear.

I have been Stage IV out the gate for 15 years. I know I have had a good run but I'm not ready to stop fighting. I am saying this on a day that I have felt fairly good. There are days when I am so tired I do not want to move and I think what kind of life is this. I never say those words to anyone but it feels cathartic to type them.

Is anyone doing any complimentary treatments such as Reiki, energy balancing, accupuncture etc.? I was trying Reiki but honestly, the fatigue just makes it so hard for me to go anywhere.  I was also not really feeling much of anything and the cost was bothering me. Let me know if anyone is doing anything that makes them feel better.

Thank you for letting me vent. I pray that all of you will get a miracle.

I was on Taxotere and Cytoxan at the beginning of the year, then I was NED in March. New PET CT in October shows reoccurance and new mets, so they are putting me back into Chemo but this time on Halaven.

Any tips for a newbie starting Halaven after Thanksgiving?

Does anyone know if there are any foods or OTC meds that conflict with Halaven's effectiveness?

I was never sick on Halaven. My fingers were number and I slept 20 hours on the 3rd day, but that was it. I really enjoyed my Halaven.

How's your hair doing,  Halaven women?   Mine seems to be stuck in a short tight curl, especially at the bottom, back.     Better than none for sure.    I had low=lights put in which softens the gray,  but I really cannot see growth.    hmmm

So you did not lose your hair on Halaven? I start on it next week and I was going to shave my head to get ready.

Really? That is great news. On the Taxotere I lost it all. Thanks for sharing that. Might just get a close cut.



We're there any foods or things to avoid when you were on the Halaven? Things that conflict with the meds doing its job?

My hair is there.  I look like Christopher Walken...   its standing up on the top.

Bought Latisse for eyebrows but don't know if i have the energy to apply it every day...........