TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP

it never even occurred to me to change my drip time. I’ll definitely keep that info in my back pocket as I get ready to switch to Kadcyla in a few months. I’m on HP now, and through radiation, and the quicker I can get it over with the better. No major side effects.

Diarrhea is a big side effect of TCHP for some people. Mine was controlled with Imodium, but I think it’s not that uncommon to have to change the formula if it’s too bad to control.

Hello. I finished my last (#12) chemo/herceptin combo last week. This week I’ve been experiencing heavy mood swings, but mostly very angry. I was receiving steroids each week before infusion among other premeds. Could the mood swings be withdraw from steroids, kind of like “roid rage”? Has anyone else experienced these types of mood swings?

wahoomama87…thanks for the tip. I am going to keep better track of the big D this round. My oncologist seems pretty open to adjusting so if it like the last round I will try to get her to reduce the Taxotere.

Dear cdw2020,

Welcome to the BCO community. We are so sorry about your diagnosis and so glad that you reached out and joined our community. If you complete your diagnosis and treatment profile and make your information public our members will be able to see a bit more about your situation as it will appear in your signature line. We are grateful that you are here. Let us know if we can be of assistance as you navigate your way around the boards.

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hi ladies-new to the forums. CDW2020-I will be having a mastectomy at the end of my 6 cycles. I had bone pain but it went away after a few days.

CDW2020 - I just finished my 6 rounds of chemo. BMX for me on August 24th - no reconstruction. Then I will probably have radiation (they haven't completely decided yet), plus finishing up the year of HP. No bone pain for me but definitely burning in my thigh muscles from the Neulasta. That's a common side effect. You can take Claratin for that and it will help.

Lamloved - I kept DETAILED notes about my side effects every round (daily notes). So I was able to really hone in and tell the MO exactly how my diarrhea had worsened, how many more days a cycle I was reliant on Immodium and prescription Lomotil, how much longer per cycle it was lasting, etc. It was super helpful in that conversation and made them very open to helping me solve the problem. It definitely worked - much better in Round 5 and then Round 6 was almost non-existent. I had only 2 days of it - one only required one immodium to solve. The 2nd time was more of an all day, lots of meds event, but once I resolved it, that was it. Normal since. Glad to see the back end of that chemo!

anna - did you take the Claritin and not the Zyrtec last round? The mechanism by which pain from Neulasta is relieved is by the antihistamine in Claritin which reduces edema in the marrow - which is caused by the rapidly reproducing blood cells. If you take Zyrtec in place of Claritin to help deal with asthma you may well get the same level of relief. Claritin was also trialed with Aleve for Neulasta pain, so you could try adding it to your Zyrtec also. I would be sure to start the Zyrtec prior to the Neulasta just like you would with Claritin, and continue it for several days even in the absence of any asthma symptoms so that you maximize the pain relief.

Greetings everyone, sorry you are on this board, but you are all in the right place. This was my lifeline when I was going through treatment. And I still keep coming back to check in to see how everyone is doing. Plus I feel like if I don't, it's a curse to myself lol. As you can tell, I would not be the poster child for Living Beyond BC. I'm convinced everything is a recurrence of some kind.

For my Covid time, I was avoiding the hospitals and taking all kinds of care as I figured it is hard to know how your immune system is compromised even years after treatment.

And then....I develop a ureter stone (I've had kidney stones before). Ended up in the emergency room, then the surgery center for a stent, and then back again a week later for stone removal and then the urologist office for stent removal. I did it all and managed to come out without Covid.

And I just want to say, I am not sure which I would rather do..chemo or a ureter stent. It was pretty uncomfortable for ten days.

So now, for my quiet year before medicare, I blew through the deductible and the out of pocket lol. Everything from here out is covered 100% so when I see my oncologist in a couple weeks, I am going to tell her to order whatever she wants lol.

I did not have Neulasta, but for those of you with some joint pain, try l glutamine. It helped me a lot.

I had diarrhea a lot during treatment, but after my mastectomy, I had constipation so bad that I thought I would end up in the emergency room. I'll take the diarrhea any day. To this day, I have it somewhat. I take Cymbalta for joint pain and that seems to trigger an episode once a day.

Sleep is an issue also. I have a prescription for Ambien which I try not to take too often. My daughter who lives in LA usually, has been home mostly for several months now as her job is remote for the most part and everything was shut down there. She convinced me to make a run to Illinois for some edibles. I swear to you I have never slept better in my life.

@fluffqueen - I echo Fab4Mom it's always good to see people that have reached end of treatment and, have gone awhile without recurrence. Sorry about the kidney stone.

For those of you who have done the Glutamine for neuropathy was is 15mg 2xdaily?

I'm starting to get the tingles/numbness in my left foot again. I'm still taking the B6+ALA but, I want to ask my MO about Glutamine when I see him next week.

Thanks Special K - my neuropathy was pretty much gone once I started taking the B6+ALA and, that was cycle 3 of TCHP.

It just started back last week, I did miss taking the ALA one night. However, I'm guessing it's related to the Kadcyla at 30 min instead of 90. I'm going to get my next treatment at 30 just so it doesn't interfere with my scheduled radiation appointment but, after that I'm going to request a 60 Min drip.

I'll ask my MO about Glutamine on Monday and try it for the next cycle ( I already have the powder, just need the OK).

i iced my feet for all 6 rounds of Chemo and my hands for 4 rounds of Chemo. I have no issues with my hands but I've had pins & needles in my feet from time to time. It cleared up with the B6+ALA but, Kadcyla might have kicked it in again.

Yesterday I remembered I have a patient portal so I sent a message about the Glutamine and got the OK. Started yesterday afternoon...I swear it's working. I had a little pins & needles in my right foot when I did my walk this morning but, that's about it. 😁

gundersk - I iced all during chemo but did lose a pinky toenail that grew back quickly, and had issues with my wedding ring fingernail, which had a previous injury. All other nails had no ridges, no lifting, no discolored areas, and no Mees lines. The one fingernail with problems would not stop lifting even long after chemo and eventually had to be completely removed. I would recommend several things - cut your nails as short as possible. Any length will exacerbate lifting as you move through daily life because the nail is not firmly attached to the nail bed and bumps against them lift further. Get some clear nail strengthening polish and paint it on often, I used OPI but Sally Hansen makes one too. Every other day or so - or twice a week, soak your nails in a diluted vinegar or bleach solution for a few minutes to help with any fungus or bacteria that may get trapped under the nails and make things worse. Wear gloves when doing housework or dishes to help keep things dry underneath the nails. If none of this helps go see a dermatologist - that is the specialist best suited to deal with an ongoing nail problem. Good luck!

Mees lines! I have those on my fingernails and never knew there was an actual name for it. They are very faint. Hoping they go away. No lifting and my nails are strong - slight discoloration in my toes but that is already fading. I take collagen daily, so I think that really helped. And I was religious about icing.

Has anyone had bad news come back on an echo? I've had two done so far (one as a baseline and one done earlier this week, right after my 3rd infusion). It came back with the results below, so I now have go in for an MRI with contrast on Monday. It freaks me out to think that I'm already experiencing issues, knowing that Herceptin is a year long treatment. The nurse first told me that my 4th infusion would need delayed and I about lost my mind! Another nurse called me back and said no, only the Herceptin would be delayed, if anything, based on results.

Study Result

Narrative

· Normal LV size with mildly reduced systolic function and with mild
global hypokinesis.
· Mildly decreased ejection fraction at 45-50%.
· Normal LV wall thickness.
· Grade 1 (mild) left ventricular diastolic dysfunction without elevated
left atrial pressure.
· Abnormal global strain (-13.2%).
· No significant valvular abnormality.
· Compared to the prior study, there is mild change. LVEF is now mildly
reduced with abnormal global strain.