Starting Chemo in October 2015

sorry I haven't been keeping up with everyone- got very busy preparing for Christmas and round 4. My sister-in-law and nephew decided to visit and my parents came, so although it was nice to see them all, it was a hard couple of days. I was glad to have my mom come for round 4 (Tuesday). The side effects came almost immediately this time instead of waiting for day 3. My MO also backed down my Taxotere to 80% because of neuropathy, but I am still having it this round.

To add to it all, my husband was on antibiotics for a sinus infection and ended up with c-diff! We are a pair. I am so sorry for anyone dealing with with infections, fevers, or other hospital stays. I hope you all can manage your side effects okay, and so happy for those of you almost done!

Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to you all. xxxoo

Hi everyone. I just found this group, though I'm now 4 rounds into my chemotherapy. I'm on Taxotere and Carboplatin, plus Herception and Perjeta. I also do a shot of Neulasta following each round. I have HER-2 positive IDC in my left breast, with some lymph node involvement. Surgery is supposed to follow chemo, probably around March. I meet with my oncological surgeon and the plastic/reconstructive surgeon in mid-January to talk about my options and the timing.

I've been feeling so frustrated this round with abdominal cramps and diarrhea. I'm doing a 21-day cycle, and in my past rounds, by about halfway through the second week, that side effect would generally go away. I'd finally start to have more of an appetite, and could start eating more normal foods (e.g. fruits and veggies, grains, etc.) without paying a price. I'm at week 3 now, basically, and still having the GI issues in the evenings. It's so frustrating because I'm starting to feel halfway decent in other respects and I want to enjoy food while I can before my next round on January 4.

I guess what I've heard about the effects being cumulative and getting worse over time must be true.

I'm simultaneously glad I only have two more rounds to go AND discouraged that I have to go through this twice more....

Hi MDW! I feel like we are in the exact same boat...IDC, samehormone receptor status, chemo schedule, etc. I have also suffered from diarrhea immensely and dread it each round.

FYI, my medical oncologist stopped my carboplatin last round based on new research just presented at an oncology conference in San Antonio last month which found that it's really not that effective against HER2+ disease. My side effects in general and diarrhea specifically were SO much better this past round. It might be something to consider asking your MO about before you do another round of carboplatin. It's very toxic as well and caused me some hearing loss and tinnitus. Feel free to send me a private message of you want to discuss this more.

Good luck on your next round...I am scheduled for round 5 of 6 on January 5.

Hi Durhamgirl,

We're practically twins, cancer/chemo-wise. Just one day apart in our infusion schedule. I'm at the point in my cycle now where I'm starting to feel anticipatory stress because I'm feeling decent now, but know I only have a few more days. I actually made it through yesterday evening w/out having to dash to the bathroom every few minutes, so maybe I'm clear of it for this round.

Thank you for the heads up on the carboplatin. I've wondered why my MO prescribed it because I don't often see it prescribed. I usually see women getting the Taxotere without it. When I googled it, I found one paper from way back in 2003 that indicated carboplatin helped boost treatment for HER-2 cancer, and I'm intrigued to hear that more current research might say otherwise. I'm going to send a note to my MO before we meet next week (I always see him the same day as infusion) and ask if he's heard about the findings out of the San Antonio conference. If there is anything that might help reduce my side effects without reducing my response to treatment, I'd be thrilled. I've always been wary of carboplatin--my first infusion, I hadn't had my port installed yet, and when they hooked up the bag of carboplatin, my vein where they had the IV needle inserted began to ache really bad. I've also had a bit of tinnitus each round but never knew what that might be connected to.

Good luck to you, too, with your upcoming Round 5!

https://www.sabcs.org

I had to register and then I could search all the abstracts. I actually read one abstract (P1-14-16) that confirmed TCH as appropriate for HER2 positive early stage cancer. i had my 4th round on December 22 and my MO did not take me off Carboplatin. (Although he did reduce the Taxotere because of neuropathy)

I really had to hunt, though eventually I found the specific study from the symposium I was looking for (related to HER-2 positive and carboplatin). I didn't find a complete, one-stop shop summary of the findings, though.

Bentyl is a prescription antispasmodic for IBS. Your MO should be able to prescribe it for you.

MDW, it's BENTYL not Benedryl. Bentyl is an anti-spasmodic drug that calms the gut so it's not in hyperactive mode. During my first 2 chemo weeks I take it 3 times a day, and Immodium 3 times a week. After that I can get by with just the Bentyl twice a day.

you all are so much more conscientious about researching than I am. I do trust my MO, which is not a reason not to do one's own research. Thanks for doing all that legwork! When my eyes are less fatigued from the chemo, I will be interested in reading all of that

I did ask my MO if she was recommending stopping the carboplatin for all of her HER2+ patients who were also on Herceptin/Perjeta and she said yes, so it wasn't just me.

Additionally, our friend who is a retired nephrologist from Duke was happy to hear that my MO stopped the carboplatin because apparently it is also very hard on the kidneys.

I have a lot of problems with my eyes and my vision, especially the first 7-10 days of each round! They get very watery, and my vision is blurry. I had lasik done about 13 years ago, and I was just starting to need readers before BC. Now I have some distance glasses, some readers, and I never can figure out what I need.

DurhamGirl- I did not intend to question your MO, please don't get me wrong! I just wanted to find the research to reference before I questioned my own MO.

Ah, and that's pretty much what I do-stare at screens. Either kindle, ipad or computer (Netflix binging) is about all I feel like doing for the first week!

I had taken a break from reading and researching too because it got too depressing. Today I decided to dig in to see if I could eliminate something. (carboplatin, rads, something!)  But I just ended up back in the same place. Most of my treatment has been driven by the Her2 status, and the rest by my high risk factors. (young age, grade 3)  I just really can't wait for the bad chemo to be over. Even though I have to do Herceptin for a year, it is not supposed to be as bad.

I have also been pretty down about the neuropathy in my fingers. I haven't been able to work since I started chemo, and now I am really afraid this will be permanent.

ok, time to end the pity party!

I too have a lot of vision issues with chemo. I have to wear my glasses now to read anything, pretty much, whereas previously I only wore them to read super small print. And driving at night feels sketchy to me now--even with glasses on.

Has anyone else had frequent eyelid muscle twitching?

DurhamGirl and AmyBeader: I'm also struggling to work. I've gone to working from home most of the time. My commute is a long one, and with side effects like diarrhea, being in the office would be too tough. But even though I do fortunately have the option to work from home, I find it very hard to focus on anything. I can deal with the basics of my job, but for now, I've had to hand over the reins on anything requiring a lot of analytical thought. My short-term memory is a mess, too. I have to write everything down or I forget it two seconds later.

AmyBeader, I'm really sorry that you're struggling with neuropathy and that it's (understandably) getting you down. Have you read or heard from your MO that the neuropathy could be permanent?

yes, I have very twitchy eye muscles...drives me nuts. I had one previously (pre-cancer, as if I can really remember that time particularly well...)that lasted a while and my internist indicated that it could be from fatigue. Hoping this is one of the side effects that eventually goes away...

Hi everyone! I am planning a trip to a day spa tomorrow with a girlfriend...it was a Hanukkah present from our husbands. I am definitely not going to use the jacuzzi/hot tub, but now I am suddenly worried about the steam room and sauna. Does anyone know anything about use of these therapies during chemo? I'm talking about light usage here, 10-15 minutes at a time, nor hours...

I just want to do *something* nice and relaxing during all of this craziness...

Hi there,

new here and chiming in from germany. I'm pretty glad to have found you and being able to read that I'm not the only one considering Imodium in the morning a couple of days after chemo, suffering twitchy eyes and occasionally streaming tears. Oh, yes, and my nailbeds and the skin under the nails is turning a vivid pink now that I'm on day nine of my fourth cycle of TCHP every three weeks.

At the moment the heartburn, that salty taste and the gritty food feeling are on the way out. Something I'd like to ask: Anyone of you having a hard time with bread, cakes and cookies while suffering that heartburn? Whenever I succumb to temptation I can wait for it - and that awful bloating - to get worse.

Since with me side effects come round nearly on scedule I'm now waiting for my nose to start bleeding while the gums start healing.