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scoombe71's avatar
scoombe71
Member
13 years ago

Docetaxel and Herceptin

Hi, Having breezed through the first cycle of my FEC treatment with only heartburn( treated with somac tablet) and mild fatigue in first week of treatment, I was wondering if anyone could share their experiences about docetaxel and herceptin and what to expect. In two weeks time, I will be undergoing the second half of chemo of the cocktail mixture of docetaxel, herceptin and a trial drug placebo. I am expected to finish chemo mid December this year ( thank God), and then I will continue with herceptin and the trial drug for the whole of 2013. Radiation therapy will also be fitted in somewhere lol. And to top it all off, I will be required to take tamoxifen after 2013 for the next five years.
chemotherapy
clinical-trials
Fatigue
herceptin
side-effects

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  • scoombe71's avatar
    scoombe71
    Member
    13 years ago

    Thank you bmc for your well wishes. Ive put my brave face one to face the next lot of new drugs ;-)

  • bmc's avatar
    bmc
    Member
    13 years ago

    I too have had a similar pathway of treatment laid out for me, and am heading towards my 12th round of herceptin - due to finish the course in mid-February 2013.

    For me, at the stage you are at it seemed to be a masssive task to complete everything, and I wondered how I would do it all. With the passing of time, absolute determination to succeed, and wonderfule support from everyone I am nearly done.

    There were some side effects from the docetaxyl that were managed by medication, and intermittent fatigue from the herceptin that I manage by having a nap some days. Keep talking to your oncologists and the oncology staff. You will get to know them all very well!

     I find that exercising as much as possible keeps me positive.  You will feel better and better phsically as you recover from the chemotherapy and on herceptin alone your energy levels will return quite quickly. Following my passion in a couple of other  interests  also helps take me outside the mental and emotional merry-go-round that I can occasionally find myself in.

    I wish you all the very best in your journey and please don't hesitate to stay on this site if you want to talk about herceptin or indeed anything at all. There is a lot of love and support freely given to help us all along.