TCh vs. ACTh
Comments
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Hi Erica,
Are you on adriamiacin? It exhausted me. Tired seems to be the nature of chemo but it does ebb and flow-some hours are good and some exhausting-BUT it will be over before you know it. All you have to do is get through the next moment which leads to getting through the next day-- I did it with a little help from my friends ativan at night and senna (for constipation-worked like a gem-senna in at night and other stuff out in the morning).
I went to wholefoods and got their organic chicken liver that I made into the chopped chicken liver with eggs that my grandmother made when i was little before i knew what liver was. I think it really helped with the anemia.
I'm now 6 months post chemo and it really does seem like a distant memory (hmm maybe that's memory loss?)
Stay strong and keep your sense of humor
Henny -
Thanks Henny,
I hate liver but am taking liver supplements. Yes I agree one day at a time. My friend will do her #4 on Monday and the Monday after that I will do my #3. I walked quite a bit this morning. Trying to keep up my excersize. I overdid a few days ago and was feeling pretty faint so I need to keep remembering I not at my peak fitness level...pushed too hard. I'm usually OK with moderate excercize.
Thanks for your encouragement--I'm not doing adrimyicin but the Taxetere, Carplatin, and Herceptin. Have my good days and not so good days but am Thankful for no bad taste in my mouth (knock on wood triple times)...
Erica -
I start Taxol/Carboplatin/Herceptin on Tuesday, and this thread has been SO helpful to me. I know I'll be posting with questions, but I'm grateful that I have all of your experience to draw from. Thanks for starting and contributing to this thread. (Stocking up on high fiber food and planning a trip to Whole Foods for chicken liver - I haven't had that in years!)
Sue
Dx 1/16/08, IDC, 2.2 cm, Stage IIa, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER-/PR-, HER2+
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Sue,
Good luck with your first chemo. That is the hardest because you don't know how you will react. Then you can prepare better for #2. Also, chemo #1 was so hard for me cause I had surgery the same morning to install my portacath and still was dealing with the effects of the surgery on top of the chemo. Come to think of it I had a scary biopsy plus three surgeries before i started my first chemo. Jeeze, no wonder I'm annemic! Still can't eat liver though...
Erica -
The naturopath I went to during my chemo recommended an egg a day to keep my protein level up and help with healing after the newly dividing cell took a mortal blow from chemo (his words). I ate organic eggs that a coworker who has chickens gave me but now that I think of it cookie dough had eggs too so that must be ok. What ever works
Henny -
Henny,
I love eggs. I have a scrambled one every morning. Also, my appetite has never during any phase been poor. I hope I don't put on too much weight cause I am eating so much more than I used to. Thanks for the tip on eggs.
Keep the tips coming on how to boost energy! MaryAnn and Cathy, how are you doing recently?
Erica -
Erica -- Thanks for asking. The side effects are a bit worse with each treatment, but still only a 2 or 3 on a scale of 1 to 10, so I try not to complain. I have #5 a week from Monday and then only one more after that. I'm meeting with the radiation oncologist this week to start the planning for radiation. In the beginning it seems like chemo will last forever, but you wake up one day and are almost done.
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Cathy--You go girl! Sorry to hear about the side effects and thank goodness only one more for you. I hear we get a 4 to 6 week break before radiation. Is that true for you? That will be a nice break and chance for you to recuperate.
I still am not even at the half way point yet. I have not yet spoken to my radiation oncologist but plan to do so in the next month or so. I will be doing my #3 on the same day you are doing #5. For some reason my days #4 and 5 are the worst and after day 5 I start feeling a little better. By day 7 and 8 I start feeling more like my normal self. So it is hard to work through those days but i need to keep in mind I will start feeling better. I hate the sleepless nights and the steroids that kicks the whole thing off. -
Hi Everyone, I had TCH number five last Thursday and felt great over the weekend but now I feel like I have been hit by a truck. I expect this to last most of this week so I'm just going to grin and bear it. The "chemo fog" is most annoying ... can't concentrate and/or get anything done. But we are all getting there and we can do this!
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MaryAnn--Wow, you are on #5!!! Only one more to go for you too! I'm jealous. But the only way I can get there is to go down the same road myself. You are almost finished so i know you can hang in there. Be nice to yourself in any way you can. Hopefully within a day or two you will start feeling like your old self...until then just rest and dream of the finish line!
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Hi Erica, I actually woke up feeling better today so I hope it holds out. I've decided that you just have to accept that some days you won't feel well and go with it. As long as I accept that I won't accomplish much when I feel lousy, I'm not so frustrated and I can just wait it out. You will be amazed ... pretty soon it will be you who are heading for your last treatment. It won't be long!
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Hi Cathy ... hope all is going well for you. Did you learn anything interesting from your radiation oncologist? I am waiting for a call from the RO my oncologist recommends, hopefully I should meet with her within a week or two.
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MaryAnn -- my appointment is tomorrow, so I'll let you know. I've been busy enjoying myself the past few days, so haven't been around here much. I'm a big Springsteen fan, so was in Sacramento for the show on Friday night and then the past two nights in Anaheim. It was nice to spend time with friends and barely think about cancer.
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Thanks, Cathy. Great to hear from you. My hubby and I also took a four day trip to the Gold Country and, for the first time, I can say that there were entire long stretches of time when I forgot about cancer. It was great! I'm re-evaluating what to do after chemo. Wondering if I should look again at a mastectomy option rather than the rads. My onc told me this is the time to decide because I will need to move on to one or the other in late May.
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MaryAnn--Hmmm, maybe this is sounding more appealing. I just didn't consider this--don't know why. I think it was because everyone was telling me what a breeze radiation is. Now that I learning it may not be such a breeze if I have a choice either or I might reconsider. If mastectomy would not save me from radiation of course I wouldn't go that path but if so I might reconsider.
Cathy--looking forward to hearing what you decide....
Thanks for being here...
Erica -
Met with the radiation oncologist and he was very open to my issues. My two big things are being able to go to my youngest's college freshman orientation in July and being able to continue aquacise. I won't be able to finish radiation by the orientation date, but the dr. said so many people need to take a radiation break towards the end of treatment due to skin issues that he's willing to let me schedule a two-day break to do the orientation. On the pool front, as long as my skin stays pink I can be in the pool. If it becomes bright red or starts breaking out I'll have to sit out. That seems reasonable and I'll do lots of aloe to try to keep it from getting that way. I'm doing the simulation the day after I finish chemo and starting radiation two weeks later.
My lumpectomy was on the right breast, so my heart won't be radiated. Had it been on the left side I would more strongly have considered mastectomy to avoid radiation. As it is, I don't know that the radiation risks/discomforts for me are significantly greater than the risks/discomforts of mastectomy and reconstruction.
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Cathy - thanks for posting and sharing the info with us. Did the radiation onc talk at all about increased risk of lymphadema from radiation? Or whether they plan to use "boosts" at all? I have VERY sensitive skin and I'm concerned about the burning ... if it happens to anyone, I think it will be me because the slightest thing causes irritation and redness. I also just had a bout of "breast lymphadema" in the breast where my tumor was removed (actually, one doctor said it was cellulitis and can occur anytime - even two to three years out.) So, I'm wondering if radiation is going to trigger more of this. My onc's NP is supposed to have scheduled an appt for me with a radiation onc but I'm not sure what's going on because she hasn't contacted me yet.
Erica - I would definitely only do the mastectomy if it avoided radiation.
Hope everyone is feeling fine!
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Since I didn't have node involvement, they will not be directly radiating under my arm. This seems to be the thing that increases the risk of lymphedema. He said he may have had a patient along the way with no node involvement that developed lymphedema, but he doesn't remember that ever happening.
Yes, I will be having boosts. I plan on using lots of corn starch to keep things dry and aloe several times a day to keep the skin from getting burned. I normally sunburn pretty easily, so figure I will probably get red part way through.
If you are looking at having a mastectomy to avoid radiation you need to find out how close to the chest wall was the tumor and/or how much node involvement. It seems like those are what trigger radiation being recommended even with mastectomy.
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Thanks for your post, Cathy. Yes, I was looking at the mastectomy to avoid the radiation. So, I need to do my homework before I see the radiation oncologist. I had a SNB with 6 nodes removed and one of the two sentinel nodes had a micromet of .2mm. The other five nodes were clean. The standard of care for my case is to go back and do a full axillary dissection. But of the six doctors I conferred with, no one agreed with that approach. They all said that my risks of lymphedema from the axillary dissection far outweighed my risk of the micromet causing problems down the road ... especially since I was having chemo anyway. Now I need to ask the radiation oncologist whether that micromet means I need radiation in the underarm area. My tumor was close to the chest wall but my pathology and surgeons write-up say that she obtained "wide margins" all around. I am getting a second opinion on the pathology just to be sure. Time for me to get a list of questions ready!
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Erica - how are you doing? Feeling ok?
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Hi everyone. Thought I would join this board since I am on the TCH regimen. So the side effects get worse with each treatment? I sailed through the first treatment, I think I expected it to be worse so when it wasn't I dealt with it!
I have my second treatment Monday. I keep up on the anti-naseau drugs even thought they put me in a fog. These three weeks have gone by so quickly!
I have heard that Herceptin is not so bad when you get it alone. Just the annoyance of having to go for the infusion every three weeks.
Thanks for letting me be part of your group!
Lisa
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Hi everyone. Thought I would join this board since I am on the TCH regimen. So the side effects get worse with each treatment? I sailed through the first treatment, I think I expected it to be worse so when it wasn't I dealt with it!
I have my second treatment Monday. I keep up on the anti-naseau drugs even thought they put me in a fog. These three weeks have gone by so quickly!
I have heard that Herceptin is not so bad when you get it alone. Just the annoyance of having to go for the infusion every three weeks.
Thanks for letting me be part of your group!
Lisa
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Welcome LisaAnn -- I don't know that my side effects have gotten worse each time as much as the ones I do get last longer. I have #5 this Monday, so am almost done. As an example, after the first treatment the icky mouth taste went away after about 10 days. This time I still have it. My taste buds still partially came back after about a week, so things didn't taste bad when I would eat them, but I need to eat mints or brush my teeth a lot to combat the taste in my mouth.
In some ways I found each round to be easier because I knew what to expect and could compensate. Knowing I'll be more tired the week of chemo (I get mine on Mondays), I try not to schedule much that week. I have a pretty good handle on what foods I can still eat when my taste buds are bad, so stock up on those. I know that I'll have the tingly fingers and toes for a week or so, but walking helps, so I get on the treadmill as soon as I can in the morning. Also, knowing that most of this stuff doesn't last very long makes it easier to handle. It really is a cycle each time, not four solid months of side effects.
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MaryAnn, doing OK i guess. I have been excercising every day this week and am very tired the last couple of days. My oncol PA says not to push my heart rate past 120 on treadmill. I was going past that. Might consider a procrit shot this Monday. Monday will be my chemo #3 and i have not yet had one. My hemoglobin has been between 10 and 11.
LisaAnn welcome to the group. I think it's all about knowing what to expect and managing the SE's so once you do your first you have a good idea of what you're dealing with.
I need to consult with a rad oncol. I am interesting in investigating IMRT as mine is on my left side and was near the chest area. Not sure how deep the margins were. I guess the rad oncol needs to consult with the surgeon...what should I bring with me when I have a consult with the rad oncol? We do have people who specialize in IMRT in this area. I did not have lymph nodes involved but I am concerned to try and protect my heart (of course)... guess I should start now as IMRT requires more up front planning. The thought does scare me...all of this is no cake walk that's for sure....Do any of you know anything about IMRT?
Cathy, excersize is good and I am thankful I have been able to do it but I wonder with the fatigue from rad how I will be able to keep this up...
MaryAnn was your's on your right or left side?
Take care ladies, heading into #3 on Monday (ugh)...
E -
Hi erica2 I am just two weeks post op masectomy. Have not begun chemo yet. er-pr-her+ 2.7cm, node involvement. Well , I spent two days in the hospital. Two vicodin caused me to become so constipated. Lasted about 4 days. Colace did not work for me. I stayed with my son for the first few days. He had these fiber pills, from the health store that he takes. They were great. I don't know offhand the brandname.Will try and find out . I am planning to buy some, in case I need them for the chemo.
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Erica -- don't know that it will turn out this way, but the rad. onc. said his experience is that people have about the same level of fatigue with radiation as with chemo. So, he felt that since I didn't have much of a problem with chemo, I shouldn't expect to be knocked on my butt with radiation. Since I'm starting mid-May, I'll be able to let you know how it goes before you get started.
I didn't need to bring anything to the rad. onc. because the breast center I use practices a team approach and has case review every week. They had me meet with him before surgery, because there was a possibility I would be able to do mammosite. Tumor was a bit too big, so it didn't work out that way, but he had all my records when I saw him this week.
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Erica - mine is on my right side.
Cathy-CA - I really like the fact that all your records are in one place and that they do the case reviews. My records are in two different places because I had my surgery at one medical center and my chemo at another. It is a challenge trying to keep everybody informed and on the same page. I am most aware of this now as I prepare to move to the next step (radiation or mastectomy).
LisaAnn - welcome and glad you found this thread. I agree with Cathy that it is not so much new side effects each time but that the ones you are familiar with last a bit longer. I completed chemo #5 and expect to have about one good week out of the three before chemo #6.
tomatojuice - welcome and glad you found those fiber pills!!
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Cathy--Interesting about the Mammosite. I don't think anyone even considered that for me. I never would have thought to get a rad oncol involved even before the surgery. It does make sense and I am wondering why they all don't do this. That said since my surgeon had to do a reincision to get margins I'm thinking I would not have been a candidate for this. I am in the same situation as you MaryAnn. I have two different practices, the surgeon and the heme oncol and they didn't seem to be talking together as I would have liked. And now I will have a third party involved. I'll let you know how it goes....hoping it won't be too painful (in more ways than one!)...
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Tomatojuice, wow, glad you are out of the hospital. I sure am interested in the fiber pills. Please let us know. I am eating a Kashi cereal now that is like eating pure gravel. I think tomorrow morning I will pre-soak it in my milk for an hour or so before i eat it! It has 9 grams of fiber in one cup but not sure how much longer my teeth will last! Welcome to our group and thanks for sharing with us.
Erica -
Erica2, I also had a reincision to gain clear margins and did have mammosite radiation. My surgeon mentioned that I might be a candidate for it at my follow-up appointment for the 2nd surgery. I ended up speaking to the medical oncologist and rad. oncologist that day instead of beginning the second half of my chemo txs.(All doctors are connected to same clinic.) They both thought it would work, so two weeks later I was in surgery a third time to insert the tubing and balloon. The next day I began the first of five days of radiation tx. That was quite an experience, however it was a short one compared to traditional rads. And I had no fatigue with that rad. tx. That was nice too.
I agree that the se with chemo lasts a bit longer each time. Since I had three rounds, a three month break for all the other stuff, then the last three, it was easier for me. And within weeks you begin to feel much better. Herceptin does have its own se's but it isn't anything like the Taxotere and Carboplatin.
Good luck to all.
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