Chemo is all done!
Yesterday I had my last dose of chemo! I have been feeling so excited knowing it's over, now to just get through the last lot of side effects from this infusion. the side effects are pretty full on for a few days between days 3-6 but i'm prepared for that anyway, I just work with the side effects & take each day as it comes. I did dose dense of AC x 4, then dose dense of Paclitaxel x 4. I handled both really well, ended up not needing the injection o boost my blood levels, I just altered my diet to be rich in the foods i needed. I have constant neuropathy though which is annoying as well as sleeplessness & lethargy. I had my radiation planning appointment on Tuesday, got all measured & marked up ready to start on 7th November, until 11th December - then 4 weeks later I start on Letrazole - i need to have a DEXA scan & blood tests to check my hormone levels, making sure my ovaries are no longer active. i wen through natural menopause 10 years ago & was on HRT for around 9 years, coming off when I got my bc diagnosis. I am so looking forward to my hair growing back! I really do miss having my long hair. Reading the info my oncologist gave me about the Lertazole, it says it can thin hair... i hope not too badly, i'm sick of being bald.
Hair loss and constipation - weekly paclitaxel and Herceptin 3 weekly, using cold cap
I'm hoping there is someone out there that has had similar treatment to me - weekly paclitaxel for 12 weeks and Herceptin every 3 weeks for 1 year. I'm up to my third cycle of paclitaxel tomorrow, which will also be day 15 since starting chemo. I'll start hormone treatment (as I'm triple positive) in early September after chemo finishes. I've opted to use the cold cap and have managed to get through the first two, but am anxious about tomorrow. When the cap starts to numb my head at about 8 minutes I get a pain in my neck and feel nausea and anxiety. The nurse gave me an Ativan for anxiety and that seemed to relax my neck and after a further 10 minutes when the tablet started working I was fine for the next 3 hours. I'm wondering if anyone that has undergone same treatment as me with cold cap still lost their hair, or minimal loss of hair. Trying to determine if it's worth the anxiety to keep my hair. I have to get through another 10 sessions, although the nurse did suggest to take the Ativan earlier to make sure it had kicked in before the cold cap was put on. It also seems that many people lose their hair on day 15 - they get a tingling / pain in their head and some have even suggested a popping feeling and then they start losing their hair in clumps. I'm washing my hair in luke warm water only twice per week in goats milk shampoo/conditioner - not rubbing, just smoothing through, no hair dryer, plus using a silk pillowcase. I have chemo on Thursday and have two steroids only on the day of the chemo. I find I'm fine on Friday, other than slight nausea which goes as soon as I have an anti-nausea tablet. Saturday is my bad day where I feel antsy and yuck, then the constipation sets in on Saturday night/Sunday. I'm trying to manage this by two coloxyl at night and a sachet of Movicol morning and night plus 10 prunes a day. I've now just ordered a Squatty Potty as I cannot bear to go through another weekend with this pain. Prior to BC and chemo on Thursdays when at work I used to look forward to the weekend, but now I dread Saturday and Sunday. Any feedback or suggestions is much appreciated. Tracey xo
So far so good with treatments - is diet attributing to this?
I started my treatments of Herceptin & the chemo Abraxane at the end of June, 2013, a month after being diagnosed. I have had 4 Rounds; a round being Week 1- Herceptin & Abraxane, Week 2 - Abraxane, Week 3 - free. At the end of Round 4, CT scans & ultrasound showed that my boob lump was reduced by half & the spots on my lungs were imperceptible with the largest spot (10mm) down to 4.9mm. I also had my portacath removed at this stage as the scar was not healing and the portacath seemed to be working its way out. However, it did function well deliving the cocktails :) As all has been going so well, my oncologist allowed us to take a 2 week holiday to the big island of Hawaii which I had booked before the BC journey began. So with a dose of Herceptin only, here I am, feeling very good & normal, apart from being bald & probably the only person hiking that is covered from head to toe to avoid the sun! :) When we get back in early October, a new portacath goes in & Round 5 starts. After Round 6, I will have surgery to remove what's remaining of the lump & a margin. Throughout the treatments I have been feeling relatively well. Tiredness, some metallic taste, sun damaged skin scabbing & now healed, skin rashes, hair loss, sore finger & toe nails would be all I can really think of. I have been 95% strict with my diet; lots of green & colored vegetables, red meat 3 or 4 times a week, fish & chicken, very little sweet food (not appreciated due to the metallic taste), the odd glass of red wine, very little gluten & no processed food with as much organically produced as possible, green & peppermint tea, fresh turmeric & ginger tea every morning. Just about every morning, a green juice plus a smoothie with a number of anti-oxidant foods in it as possible. Walking, some easy yoga & meditation also. So wondering if this is part of the reason I'm dealing with the treatment so well? Appreciate hearing about other people's diet & excercise regime. Cheers Gina
Plan of attack
I've detailed the schedule which doesn't mean much to non BC readers other than to note the dates - FINISH dates! Wednesdays is my choice of chemo day but if there is something on I can move it to Tuesday or Thursday any week. My treatment is tailored to the type of cancer I had (ER-, PR-, HER+) to help ensure any rogue cells gone undetected are eliminated and that it does not return! All the drugs will be administered intravenously - not using a port. For the first phase of chemo (3 months) the drugs are Adriamycin + Cyclophosphamide (known as AC). With the first phase I will definitely lose my hair (day 14 starts and all gone by day 16) but other side effects are variable. For the first 24 hours I need to be a bit careful not to share glasses, etc with others - my body fluids have poison in them (just an extra precaution cos I don't want to 'harm' anyone else). I am likely to feel crook 6-12 hours after treatment and this may last 3 to 5 days. This can also vary with some feeling very few side affects. One can only hope to be in that category!!! Then in the second week from treatment my immune system can bottom out so I need to be careful of germies (had my flu vac last Friday). In the third week after treatment I should feel the best. Then whammo with chemo again. With Phase 2 of chemo (3 months) the Taxol drug can also have side effects particularly as the doses progress - diarrhoea and tingling in hands/feet. [haha rereading.... the diarrhoea is NOT in the hands and feet] However, my hair can start to grow back gradually. This is a weekly IV drug for 12 weeks. Treatment with Herceptin (trastuzumab) is called Targeted Therapy as opposed to Chemo, Hormone or Radio Therapy. HER2 positive means the cells have higher than normal levels of protein. Herceptin stops these from growing and dividing. Before this phase I will have a heart scan again - first one next week and also had an ECG while in hospital for surgery. One side effect can be an impact on the effective functioning of the heart - just means if there are signs of this they stop treatment for a bit, the heart comes good and they starts treatment again. The Herceptin I have every 3 weeks starting with the start of the second phase of Chemo and continues for 12 months - 18 doses. I will also probably be having Radiotherapy for 5 or 6 weeks after phase 2 of chemo finishes which would start just before my birthday in September.
