taxotere side effects

Thanks, cowpower.  I'll have to remember to ask them to lie me back next time, and I'll be doing some arm swinging, etc. before they attempt it, too.  Nice of you to check on us!

Hi Specialk. Our experiences are very similar in most ways. I'm glad you mentioned Herceptin ses. I keep thinking there wont be any at that point. The constant runny nose. Hopefully not bloody noses too like now. You used Aquafor, I use Neosporin.

I never had diarrhea. I get the opposite for six days beginning with every chemo day. So I start two doses of Metamucil the day before and continue for 5 more days. Doc says its the anti-nausea meds.

I did have awful stomach pain after C#1 but reducing the steroids plus starting Prevacid two days before did away with that. As far as energy, did you exercise at all after #5? It is harder now but I still feel a little better if I get out and walk.

My next decision is about the port in my chest. It is obnoxious. Ugly and hard to hide, ultra sensitive so I cant wear anything but high crew necks and I need a pillow to drive because the lap belt hits it. But if I have it removed after chemo, they have to use a vein for the 8 months of Herceptin and blood draws. Doc says it wd be ok but some say I should leave it in. Third option, the surgeon offered to put in a smaller one at no charge.

The hospital was out of stock of the standard port the day I was there so I have one designed for obese patients. It also has a stiff polyurethane tube that runs over the top of my clavicle. So ugly and uncomfortable! Big decision.

Thanks for all the feedback. This is such a helpful place.

MsW - I really did not exercise specifically, although I did walk intermittently after #5.  I still did everything around the house though - cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, etc., so I count that as exercise, lol!  During the days before the next tx I did get out more and walk around in the mall, and I always parked as far away as possible from the entrance, and took the stairs instead of the elevator.  I was fortunate to have a pediatric port installed during my BMX so I have no incision.  Mine is subclavian so it is just below the hollow of my throat and is visible all the time.  Living in Florida I don't have many occasions to wear turtlenecks so I am glad it is so small, it literally can't be seen.  I still have it because removing it will cause a new scar - so I just go every 6 weeks and have it flushed.  It might be worth trying to get a smaller port because that is a lot of sticks in the same arm over the rest of your Herceptin infusions!  One thing you might want to do if you do have it replaced is have your doc mark the location that is convenient for you - wear a bra for the marking so the straps don't interfere.  I read about that on another thread and thought it was smart. 

Speaking of ports, got mine Fri doing great almost 48 hrs later infection in incision had done nothing to cause it just bad luck now admitted to hospital. Yuk!)

SherylB, I am sorry about your trouble. I wish you speedy recovery.

halfcan - The nurse told me that ibuprofen is the best thing to take for the bone pain from Neulasta.  I had my first shot Monday, and have only had minor twinges so far -- guess I'm not home free yet, huh?

Thank you for positive thoughts. Infection/cellulitis responded well to antibiotics came home from hospital today. My chest is still sore with some swelling and redness but about 200% better.

sheryl

Trali mentioned the sore scalp - I tried sunburn lotion (aloe and lidocaine) which helped a little, but a good body lotion, like Keri or other unscented basic lotion worked fairly well to sooth the scalp. I had forgotten about that. It was miserable trying to sleep, scalp hurting from any little wrinkle in the pillow case, supersensitive to a wig liner and even more sensitive to the scratchy wig.... I am so glad to be past that! The good news was hair came in about 10-12 weeks after last chemo, bad news was that it would not do a darned thing I wanted it to, and still doesn"t! LOL! (of course, it never behaved before chemo, so why should I expect anything different now??)



The friend of mine who used cold caps said they were very time consuming, extremely uncomfortable, she couldn't hear anything so couldn't watch TV or a video during chemo, had to constantly change the head gear.... sounded like a royal pain, and I don't think I would have done it to save my hair either - to much fussing about, and at that time I didn't know the increased risk of scalp recurrence. For some people, it is worth it, but not for me!



SpecialK, I also had (and still have) burning in my large muscles in my upper arms and thighs. It is getting a little better, worse when I am tired. I have often thought it might be related to some type of nerve damage, similar to the peripheral neuropathy, but that is just a theory. I don't really think there is any data or studies to show what causes that particular pain. The pruning fingers has DEFINITELY improved over the past 3 months.



I echo SpecialK's comments on Procrit. Procrit is rarely used because there is a big risk of accelerating cancer and shorter survival in breast cancer patients. It used to be advertised heavily on TV, but those ads have been withdrawn since a whole bunch of people had these adverse effects, and there are a ton of other adverse effects. There are definitely risks with transfusions, too. Best wishes on recovering from the anemia and fatigue - best option is just rest and let the body heal if that is possible for you.



Neulasta can support the white blood cells and keep your chances of infection lower. However, it can also allow the MO to use the maximum dose that can then be toxic to other parts of the body, like the peripheral nerves. Before Neulasta, the WBC would be the limiting factor as to how high a dose could be given, and now with higher doses possible, nerve damage is more frequent. In theory, it also damages cancer cells more effectively, so it's a trade-off. Neulasta can cause a lot of aches and pains, and my MO initially said she didn't like to use it because if I had much pain I might not come back for the next chemo.... I got through the Neulasta with rest, pain meds, and the knowledge that it was, like most other SEs, just temporary.



Thinking positive thoughts for all of you tonight.

I think everyone is different... the Neulasta has been no big deal for me... I do take the Claritin each time, maybe that helps... but had some moderate achiness for a few days after the first one, just a little after the second one, and nothing much to speak of after subsequent ones.  It's doing its job very well, my WBC are higher every time.

I'm having a real problem with the muscle pain, now, too.  It started about a week after chemo #3.  Thanks for explaining what causes it (my onc couldn't be bothered to do that).  So, is there anything we can do to help the RBC get back up to normal levels, or is it just a matter of time?

My Onc won't let me use Claritin so it's tylenol or Ibuprofin when the bone pain hits from the daily Nuepogen shots. This time it hit on the morning of the 5th injection and lasted all day and into last night. I don't feel it this morning! Suffered through most of it because I was running a low fever and couldn't take anything. My heating pad became my best friend. :-). Today is day 8 post chemo and so far the SE's from the Tax haven't been as bad as last time. Hope it holds! Jeannieb - I was in the ER a few weeks ago with a fever and they told me that sometimes they never pinpoint the cause with chemo patients. Hope it resolves soon! Xox

Leafy greens, particularly dark ones like spinach, and fortified cereal - like Cream of Wheat, are also a way to increase your RBC/hemoglobin - I did consume more red meat than usual, my MO never gave much in the way of diet guidance. 

jeanieb - I also ran a low grade fever off and on throughout chemo - but I also experienced a lot of soft tissue irritation and may have just been generally inflamed.  My fever never broke the threshold of 100.5 so I never really did anything about it.

sherylb - glad you are home and better.

linda - if your hemoglobin is now normal I would lean toward nerve issues with your large muscle burning - only because I remember that you had pretty severe issues with neuropathy.  Some people are more sensitive and susecptible to nerve-related issues.  My mom was diagnosed many years ago with a degenerative neuro-muscular disorder and treated with Methotrexate (part of the CMF chemo) and she ended up with very severe neuropathy and eventually weakened muscles, but it was partly meds and partly the manifestation of her disease.  She became progressively weaker so be sure and watch for that - she was diagnosed by an endocrinologist and treated by a rheumatologist and neurologist long-term.  Have you found any improvement with exercise, or does that make it worse?

Websister - Thank you for your response.  I think they did the regular CBC when I went in to get fluids and do not know if they did anything else at that time, I am still on the antibiotic and have about 3 days left on them.  I looked at the results but have a hard time figuring them out.  I will not get the results of the scans until January 10 when I go see the doctor.  I wanted to get them done by the end of the year as we had met our total out of pocket deductible for the year, otherwise I would have had them done on the 8th.  My temp has never gotten higher than 100.3 but it is annoying.  I can usually tell because my heart beats really fast and just walking from room to room or up the stairs makes me tired.  I know that sounds strange for a temp only in the 99's but my body has always reacted this way.  I had a staph infection when they put the implants in for 7 weeks and a low grade temp the whole time and that is how my body reacts so I can usually tell.  I do feel better today but it seems like it gets worse in the afternoon and evening, which I know is normal for our bodies temps to go up a little at that time.  I also wonder if it is because I feel pretty good in the morning and so try and get lots of stuff done and then all of a sudden, bam, it hits and I have to lay down the rest of the day and evening.  I know I should rest for a half hour or so every few hours but when you feel good you just want to keep going or else I may not get back to it that day.

Special K - Thanks for letting me know you also ran a temp off and on.  I have the first week after but have never done it this long so it is good to know that someone else had that problem.  Now I just feel that it is nothing other than the chemo and that is fine with me, I can handle that, as long as I know what to expect I can deal with it.  I will see what he says about the break from Tax on Jan 10 and decide at that time, it will depend on how I feel between now and then as to whether I go for it and how long he is talking.  If he is talking just another 3 weeks I may go for that, but if he is talking longer, I will not do that.  It will also depend on what I find out from the scan results, if there is progression I will NOT take the break so I just have to wait until next week.

damn steroids, been up since 130am because of them it is now 725am.....will not get a nap until later...oh chemo went fine....no se's yet.....tomorrow is usually the day, but will fade today about 4 - 5 that is when it usually happens.

Sandy

Blondiex46, had the steroids today, too. Its now an hour since i took the ambien, and nothing. Not even a yawn.

fight4two - I see where you said you always have a temp in the 99s or even 100, does that last the whole 3 weeks until you go for your treatment again?  Did you do this from the very first treatment or was it a few treatments down the road before that happened? This is the first time that I have noticed it being 3 weeks off and on throughout the day.  I will have a temp for maybe half hour or hour and then gone, then back in an hour or two.  It has not done that to me before.  I have always run a temp the 5 to 7 days after treatment and after I get my round of fluids a week after treatment it seems to go away.  This time I got fluids December 27 and my temp stayed down until mid afternoon on the 29th.  I had to go for scans on December 31 and got fluids again.  My temp stayed away until January 2 and have had one ever since.  This was my 6th Tax treatment so I just wondered if it would get worse if I take more. 

Blondie46 - Was your temp from the Neulasta or from the Tax or both?  I have gotten the Neulasta for 5 of the 6 treatments but it never seemed to bother me that I know of.

SpecialK - Did your temp last the whole 3 weeks in between treatments all day long or did it come and go throughout the day for the whole 3 weeks also? 

I just wonder if I take the break the onc mentioned if when I go back to finish up will I start running the temp the whole time again or if my body has had time to rest and get some strength back maybe I won't run it for the 3 weeks in between.