Starting TCH in June - Any Advice??

CaseyDoodle
CaseyDoodle Member Posts: 144
edited June 2014 in Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
Starting TCH in June - Any Advice??
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  • CaseyDoodle
    CaseyDoodle Member Posts: 144
    edited June 2008

    I am staring TCH (Taxotere - Carboplatin - Herceptin) on June 10th.  If anyone has gone or is going through it, I would appreciate any input.  Nausea??  Weakness??  Fatigue??  I am at a loss as to what I should expect.  I have read all the literature, but...

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  • esper65042
    esper65042 Member Posts: 6
    edited June 2008

    I just finished my 4th session couple weeks ago, and still feel fine. I never had nausea or weakness. I do have fatigue now and then but its sporadic, it comes and goes as quickly. You will be fine, they will give you a lot of prechemo-drugs to offset the side effects during your session.

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  • wendyk13
    wendyk13 Member Posts: 1,600
    edited June 2008

    Hi Kay....

    I was one of those "perky, pesty" chemo girls.  I did your protocol and finished chemo 5/9/2007 and my last Herceptin was 1/23/2008.  I never got sick, never got fatigued, kept all my finger and toe nails and Herceptin caused no cardiac problems.  The only thing I experienced was taste changes from the taxotere from day 5 thru day 8 or 9 after each chemo and crystal light I swore got rid of it.

    Was I lucky?  You betcha!  I did work out as much as I could and drank lots of water, and I don't really like water...but it flushes out the chemo faster. 

    I wish you the same!  If you would like to PM me with any questions, please do so!  Best of luck to you...and I won't say "it's doable" as if one more person told me that before chemo I swear I might have smacked them!

    (but...it is doable!)

    Hugs!

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  • CaseyDoodle
    CaseyDoodle Member Posts: 144
    edited June 2008

    Thanks for much esper and Wendy.  You ladies have given me a new perspective.  I guess from reading other posts, I have been expecting the very worst.  I know each person is different, but it is nice to hear of two people who have gone through it relatively well.

    I just took all my prescriptions to the pharmacy today to get them filled.  Now, it's just the waiting.

    Thanks again, so very much!

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  • HensonChi
    HensonChi Member Posts: 357
    edited July 2008

    Did you all lose your hair on TCH?

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  • vhqh
    vhqh Member Posts: 535
    edited July 2008

    I completed 5 rounds of TCH in February with relatively few problems.  I had nausea after each treatment which usually consisted of just a little queasiness that quickly passed.  I did end up with the flu after round 2, in retrospect I probably was already coming down with it at the time of treatment.  I started loosing my hair around day 21 and had been told that hair loss would happen, no ifs ands or buts about it.  The biggest problem I experienced was fatigue, after round 5 it was all I could do to get up and take a shower in the morning for the first week afterwards.  Due to a good response and my stage IV diagnosis, my oncologists chose to end it after 5 rounds.  His reasoning being that I will need more chemo in the future so why put more poison in my body now if I have already achieved the desired response?

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  • bethanybeane
    bethanybeane Member Posts: 334
    edited July 2008

    Hi Wendy  (and hi to others)

    You might not be checking this website so much now that you've successfully completed your chemo -- but I wanted to thank you for your upbeat message. I had my first TCH treatment July 2 -- and, two days ago I thought: what if these aches and pains are 6x worse by the last round?  Will I be able to hang in there with some dignity? It makes a difference to hear something is doable from someone who has done it. Feeling much better today and made this shopping list to take with me on a short walk with my husband through the grocery store.Thank you, Bethany 

    Hi to others: have been compiling this list from message boards and thought it might be nice to share: Refresh eye drops, Alleve, Claritin?, small Kleenex pkgs., baking soda, chapstick, breathsaver lozenges, Biotene gum_etc., soups, Benefiber, Immodium, Prilosec OTC (before and after treatment), Maalox, an extra digital thermometer, extra soft toothbrushes, satin pillowcase, lint roller ;-) (for stray hairs that might be sticking), anti-biotic ointment, COLACE!!!, unscented hand lotion, hand sanitizer or handwipes....and sounding good to me are also: avocadoes, vitamin water or crystal light, dried apricots, ginger tea...soups, celery..popcorn except for mouth soreness.

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  • Gina_M
    Gina_M Member Posts: 294
    edited July 2008

    Hi Bethanybeane,

    Don't know if you checked out the forum "Chemotherapy - Before, during, after treatment".  There are several topics that you might find useful.  One is a long compilation from several women of Chemo "Tips"; there are several specifcially for those of us just starting - including specific to TCH (also check out the one for Starting AC DDin June 2008, as it has morphed into a more general topic for all types of chemo.  Several of us are on the TCH in Juy topic also.  I start with my first treatment of TCH today at 11 AM.

    Gina_M

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  • bethanybeane
    bethanybeane Member Posts: 334
    edited July 2008

    Gina,

    Thank you for your note. I hope you've been able to solve the constipation issue? I had the same problem for 3 days (following 1st TCH on July 1 and 2.... but think that if I am more proactive next time, that maybe I can avoid the degree and duration. You and I are only a week apart on our schedules and so I hope we can help each other out.....I'm going to go check out the tips you mentioned and, if I run into some new things, I'll let you know here on this thread -- or I've noticed now that if I click on someone's name I can find all the threads where they've posted updates.  You ran 3 miles???? but then, I didn't run before this. I did make myself walk around the mall 2x yesterday although it took a smoothie stop to keep going. (it's too hot in Austin to walk outside during the day) You sound really strong and capable of sailing through this. 

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