Herceptin and fatigue

kcq
kcq Member Posts: 166
edited June 2014 in HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
Herceptin and fatigue
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  • kcq
    kcq Member Posts: 166
    edited November 2007

    I am currently on Herceptin.  The side effects are almost as bad as the chemo.  Not as nauseated, but just as fatigued.  I have heart palpatations and it takes everything out of me just to breath.  I feel like I have a brick on my chest.  I could hardly walk through WalMart this morning and I get really dizzy.  These are the EXACT same symptoms that I had with AC.  Anyone else experience this?  When I complained about these symptoms during chemo, I was ignored, so I dont want to say anything to my onc.  I am thinking about going to my family doc.  I do know that my white count is extremely low (2.5)  Maybe it is a side effect of that????  Thanks

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  • joeysjourney
    joeysjourney Member Posts: 9
    edited November 2007

    Hi Kim,

    I have been on Herceptin for a year and a half.  There were days that I felt the same way.  How long has it been since you have finished the AC treatments?  If you have just finished them, it may be why you are still feeling so badly.  Herceptin has been fairly mild for me.  However, I have always had a problem with going "up" ever since therapy.  Whether it is stairs, hiking a trail, or walking up a hill..I can barely do it.  You should be getting either Muga Scans or Echocardiograms to ensure that you heart is functioning properly.  Adriamycin and Herceptin can both be hard on the heart and you need these scans every 3 to 4 months to ensure they are working properly.  It might just take some time.  Hang in there...I have been fighting for 2.5 years and still actively keeping up the fight.   You can do it...it is hard, but you will find the strength.

    joey

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  • Margerie
    Margerie Member Posts: 526
    edited November 2007

    Hi Kim,

    You should be telling your onc- your symptoms are not something to be dismissed!!  I second the recommendation to have your heart checked out. Have you had a MUGA or an echo done?? Are you on a weekly dose or the every 3 week dose?  If the 3 week dose, maybe go back to once a week to see if that helps.

    After I finished chemo and was just on herceptin, I did have a hard time hiking which is my workout.  I would say it took me an entire year (doing 2 years of herceptin) after completing chemo to get my stamina back.  I am in better shape now than pre-bc and I am still on Herceptin every 3 weeks.  I do get an echo every 3 months and my heart function is steady. 

    Please do tell your onc- palpitations and dizziness are not to be scoffed at.  Wishing you the best!

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  • kcq
    kcq Member Posts: 166
    edited November 2007

    Thanks Marjorie--

    The only echogram that I had was in May before I started chemo.  I have not had one since.  I finished Taxol on 9/14/07 and began Herceptin the same day.  I go every three weeks.

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  • mthomp2020
    mthomp2020 Member Posts: 1,959
    edited November 2007

    I'm really surprised they didn't do a MUGA/echo before starting the Herceptin.  Not sure why they wouldn't have done that.  They did with me.  I went from A/C to Taxol/Herceptin, and they did a MUGA before the switch to make sure the A/C hadn't affected my heart function.  Definitely talk to your onc, or see your primary.  Both Adriamyacin and Herceptin can cause congestive heart failure.

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  • lisettemac
    lisettemac Member Posts: 213
    edited November 2007

    I have also had significant fatigue and am still on Herceptin.  Onc tells me there's "nothing wrong with me" (i.e., my blood count isn't low, it isn't my thyroid, etc).  They did say it could be the herceptin, though.

    What concerns me about your post is you saying you feel palpitations and shortness of breath.  I would *definitely* mention that to your Onc as herceptin can cause damage to your heart muscle.

    Best wishes to you.

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  • douglar
    douglar Member Posts: 10
    edited November 2007

    I'm on Herceptin every three weeks and have been since May.  My last AC was in April, so it's been a while. My last Abraxane was July 3. My side effects from Hercepting seem to be terrible joint pain and stiffness, extreme fatigue, heartburn and insomnia.  The fatigue and joint pain are all the time, but the heartburn and insomnia lessen after about the first week after treatment.  I have found it to been somewhat depressing because I thought I would feel better than this by now and there's still several months left.

    I have some dizzyness but I don't know if it is the Herceptin or the Lunesta that I take because I can't sleep from the Herceptin.  Definitely ask your doc to do the MUGA scan since you're having the heart symptoms.  It's all so hard on the heart.

    Also, don't hesitate to tell the onc everything.  Be sure they listen to you.

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  • cath52
    cath52 Member Posts: 15
    edited November 2007

    I have been finished with my herceptin treatments since July but my onco had a muga scan done every 3 months during my a/c and herceptin treatments. I would been on my onco about this. They watched my heart function closely because of being so tired all the time. Something is not right there if you ask me.

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