TCHP Ladies Late 2014 / Early 2015

SugarCakes - my ophthalmologist suggested Systane eye drops when I started chemo and I used it liberally. Don't know about the darkening.

Hi jumbledbamboo--don't worry...your herceptin only will be much smoother than THCP! Like night and day.

Please post what your MO says about no perjeta going forward, I am curious if its the same thing I was told. ("No, perjeta is not used after THCP." Both BS and MO said that, and I wasn't going to argue...but surely they are up on the latest information?!) Maybe they misunderstood and thought I was asking for it for myself, when I was really wanting to know why some needed it and others not.

My MO agreed to keep me on Herceptin and Perjeta post surgerybecause my insurance approved it. Although she always prefers evidence based medicine she figured I would have more anxiety if she took me off the Perjeta. The clinical trial studying outcomes of using Perjeta with Herceptin has still not been published. I believe she told me it is called the AFFINITY trial. She said she thinks it will be published next year.

I've had no side effects at all from Herceptin and Perjeta. I am actually feeling great! Took a 9 mile walk around the city today! I noticed my eyebrows are completely back and my eyelashes are getting there. I go in for radiation simulation tomorrow. Nervous about the tattoos

Hmmm... I did not have pcR... I'm not getting Perjeta with my Herceptin... I wonder if I should ask my MO? I trust him to be up on the latest, but who knows, really?

My insurance as been pretty good so far, too. But of course, they are stopping the kind of coverage I have (individual plan), so I'll be having to find a new carrier next year! gah! --Still... I hate when insurance coverage starts affecting treatment, for anyone!

I've had 5 Herceptin only infusions so far, and no SEs as far as I can tell (radiation was going on, so who knows what is due to what? but I didn't have much in the way of SEs from that--just red skin after 20 treatments). And I had nasty SEs from TCHP (hospitalized due to diarrhea/dehydration, some neuropathy, food tasted so bad I really couldn't eat much, fatigue), so I'm guessing it was most all due to the taxotere!

About Perjeta - I did not have pCR. In fact after TCHP and surgery, the boards recommended i do a chemo course of Adriamycin/Cytoxan before rads & before resuming my Herceptin. The MO also suggested I resume Perjeta but one of the listed SEs was neuropathy. I have enough of that already and unfortunately it looks like it's permanent. So it was my choice. We all tend to 2nd guess our choices, especially since Perjeta is so new, but my options are over. I'll be interested to see what all your docs are recommending now - 2 years after my choice.

Ok. So She said again that it was not indicated after TCHP. Im fine with that. I am still feeling sick to my stomach even with only Herceptin tho. I also really want a PET scan but there doesn't seem to be an indication for that right now. This runny nose and dry eye are annoying but I am nowhere near as sick

Has anyone had heart issues? I had a 24 hr. monitor but no results yet. Blood pressure low and heart rates 100-160 for a month. I have one treatment of six to go. #5 kicked my butt and I am dreading #6. I was so sick and down for 12 days before I felt human again. Would like some feedbacks on this. God Bless all that are going through this awful thing.

I got an echo when I was hospitalized during my 2nd cycle for dehydration (from D)... My heart rate was high, but dehydration can cause that. I usually have a fairly high heartbeat anyway. But the echo showed no damage. I had ekgs before my LX, but no other echos...

Do people get PETs post chemo?

Someone on another thread said she just had one and they discovered more cancer so her RT had to be postponed! Yikes. Makes one a bit paranoid... particularly since I didn't have a complete response to chemo. bleh. ... but I guess if my MO isn't recommending that I get one, it might be a good thing? (in that maybe that other person had other stuff going on, so that a PET was requested?)

april, I had a PET after being diagnosed and another one after finishing chemo. I think my MO likes ordering labs and scans...

My MO ordered just about every scan imaginable, but all before or at the beginning of neoadjuvent chemo. Got PET, brain scan, bone scan, CT, Breast MRI, etc. MUGU and an echo. But only got a bilateral breast MRI requested for the BS after that... and ekg. No other scans. I guess... because they didn't see any sign of any mets and no lymph involvement???

It IS hard to figure out what is prescribed and why. And some doctors really do have different ideas--or some insurance carrierers! I switched to my current MO because my first guy was totally inhibited by my carrier! They totally discouraged nearly all scans. Didn't want me to get a PET at all. I had to pay out of pocket for it because they dragged their feet, and I really wanted to have something before chemo started. So... at least I know my current guy isn't adverse to getting scans and tests!

I still like to know what is the standard, just in case. Probably because that first guy was ruled by insurance (it was one of those all-inclusive insurance HMO companies... they are good, but the treatment does tend to be a little more basic! They made me fight for Perjeta, for instance. That's a reason why I changed insurance during Open Enrollment in the beginning of the year, and switched MOs in the middle of treatment).

My lashes are also very short. At this point, with the pain I have it's not even on the concern radar. If it extensions make you feel better why not? Love, Jean

They do! I have several friends that do it and they look amazing!

if anyone uses Groupon check them out they always have coupons for eyelash extensions I was looking into it

Hey ladies! Wanted to wish everyone a happy new year! I had my last Herceptin/Perjetainfusion on Tuesday and I am getting my port out today! Whoo Whoo! Here is to a much better 2016 for all of us!