Please help with taxatore, perjeta, herceptin

I'm not having the exact same treatment as you but it seems like you are having some really unpleasant SE's come on very quickly. Perhaps this is because the first one is a heavy loading dose of medication or maybe it's the Taxotere, which I hear is kind of harsh. I had a severe reaction to it and Taxol before success with Abraxane. I and many others have found Abraxane to work very well and be more easily tolerated. Tell your MO about your SE's and their affect on your quality of life maybe they can offer an alternate. If you suspect the Herceptin and/or Perjeta are causing problems, you can ask that they slow down the infusion time, that seems to help for many, myself included.

Lisa, I am not on here often (I am trying to live my life to the fullest) but I just saw your post. I apologise for being so late to your need.

I found out I have a real serious issue with Taxotere. (A nearly two week stay in the hospital after 1 treatment of Taxotere, yikes!)So, my oncologist switched it to Taxol and my life improved. (I was on Carboplatin, Taxol, Perjeta, and Herceptin. It was tough, and I had to be on a reduced amount, but managed 7 treatments. I am now on Herceptin and Perjeta.)

I want to pass on a piece of advice that has been a great help to me: since I am living with advanced breast cancer, it IS about quality of life. So, make sure your team is listening to you and understand that you won't tolerate misery. There is a difference between being tough and tolerating treatment that is making you very miserable. If they don't listen, change teams. It is about you!

I felt pretty discouraged on that tough regimine when I had to have 2 units of blood and wondered about throwing in the towel. But, I kept seeing my beautiful grandkids in my mind and decided that I would give my team a chance to help me get through this treatment, and they did.

I hope things have improved for you.

Blessings!

Hi lisajo6: Just seeing your posts. I responded to your other post, too. I am starting this regime next week. I agree with the advice above: if the drugs are harming your quality of life, speak up. My 2nd opinion doc said she thinks taxol is better tolerated, otherwise, she agreed with this regimine. I had taxotere, cyclophosphomide, and herceptin last go round. I did pretty well but was very fatigued. I was hoping that this go round would be better. I do want to try to take more leave from work this time. The tips above about being sure to stick to the steroid regime and hydrating I have found to be helpful. And get lots of rest. One thing about it: people seem to have very different experiences with these drugs and there is no predicting how it will go. Sure hope you are feeling better and that that plague is halted in its tracks!