anyone have this reaction to premeds to chemo?

Paix

Has anyone experienced an allergic reaction to the premeds given before chemo? My blood pressure dropped, oxygen dropped, shortness of breath. This went away within an hour, but my chemo was put off. I see my oncologist Wed so I'll know more then - he'll obviously make a change before the next round. Just curious if anyone already had this same reaction and which of the premeds caused it.

Snowkitty

Welcome
Sorry to have to meet here. You will find out anything you always didn't want to know about this crap.

No reactions to pre-meds from me. But the onco nurses are great and they will find something to prevent it next time, I'm sure. Maybe allergic to benadryl? Dunno.

Good luck & take care


Cindy

cahjah75

Hi and welcome
to the bc network. Your oncologist and onco nurses will figure out what is bothering you. I get a saline solution, benadryl, anti nausea, then Taxotere/Cytoxan.

My reactions are more from the Dex that I take the day before and after. I don't have any problems to the meds while they are giving them to me but the following few days I do have a definite shortness of breath, I get very bloated (I look like I'm ready to give birth to sextuplets!) and an unatural high from the Dex that keeps me from sleeping well the first 2 days after chemo. Last night I crashed and slept 12 hours! I'm already to lay down again.

Hang in there and I hope all is resolved!
{{hugs}} Char

Paix

cahjah75 said:

Hi and welcome
to the bc network. Your oncologist and onco nurses will figure out what is bothering you. I get a saline solution, benadryl, anti nausea, then Taxotere/Cytoxan.

My reactions are more from the Dex that I take the day before and after. I don't have any problems to the meds while they are giving them to me but the following few days I do have a definite shortness of breath, I get very bloated (I look like I'm ready to give birth to sextuplets!) and an unatural high from the Dex that keeps me from sleeping well the first 2 days after chemo. Last night I crashed and slept 12 hours! I'm already to lay down again.

Hang in there and I hope all is resolved!
{{hugs}} Char

Is the dex you mention the
Is the dex you mention the same thing as Decadron (a steroid)?
I took it the day before, and in the am before I went to chemo I had a rash around my various incisions - port, and from the mastectomy. Also, slight flush on the face. I showed the chemo nurse - she said the flush around the face was normal, but not so for the rest. The rashes died down yesterday. But this am it is back around the area of the port.
Thanks - know that it will get figured out!

cahjah75

Paix said:

Is the dex you mention the
Is the dex you mention the same thing as Decadron (a steroid)?
I took it the day before, and in the am before I went to chemo I had a rash around my various incisions - port, and from the mastectomy. Also, slight flush on the face. I showed the chemo nurse - she said the flush around the face was normal, but not so for the rest. The rashes died down yesterday. But this am it is back around the area of the port.
Thanks - know that it will get figured out!

I take
Dexamethasone twice a day before chemo and the 2 days following. Yes, it does cause my face to flush although I have Rosacea too! I don't think I noticed any flushing other than my face. My port incision is still a bit red but healing fine. For me it's the awful bloating feeling and the weight gain I don't like!
{{hugs}} Char

Jean 0609

Paix said:

Is the dex you mention the
Is the dex you mention the same thing as Decadron (a steroid)?
I took it the day before, and in the am before I went to chemo I had a rash around my various incisions - port, and from the mastectomy. Also, slight flush on the face. I showed the chemo nurse - she said the flush around the face was normal, but not so for the rest. The rashes died down yesterday. But this am it is back around the area of the port.
Thanks - know that it will get figured out!

Dexamethasone
Turned my face red as well as my left breast (the one I had my mastectomy and reconstruction). A little on my stomach too. Didn't have any redness around my port area. Does it feel warm? Make sure to take your temperature too.

Marsha Mulvey

Jean 0609 said:

Dexamethasone
Turned my face red as well as my left breast (the one I had my mastectomy and reconstruction). A little on my stomach too. Didn't have any redness around my port area. Does it feel warm? Make sure to take your temperature too.

Dex and Dec
To answer your question, Dexamethasone is the generic for Decadron.

While many others take the pill form, I received all of mine in the pre-chemo drip along with Benadryl and Pepcid - no pills at all. The only 2 things I can relate directly to the steroid was a flushed face the next day and lack of sleep. After the first 2 weeks of getting only 1-2 hours of sleep nightly, I told my onc. While he said we couldn't take it out of the treatment, we could reduce the amount. He cut it in half from 20mg to 10mg. Immediately the sleep improved to about 4-5 hours a night. The flushed face did continue the day or two after infusion. My treatments were weekly. Again, I can only tell of my experiences, as we all have different reactions - even with the same treatment.

Oh, I failed to mention the other 2 things caused by the steroid. I was tired-but-wired, causing that lack of sleep AND shakey-achy (the shakey feeling from the steroid, the achy feeling from the Taxol, Herceptin, and Zometa). These treatments were done for 10 consecutive weeks.

It has been 18 weeks since I got Taxol. For the first 15 of those, I continued on Herceptin and Zometa. Yesterday was my third week of adding Taxotere (cousin of Taxol), so I'm back on the Decadron again. This time I get only 8mg in the pre-chemo drip and take a 4mg pill the morning after. Basically, I'm having those same reactions again as stated above.

Good luck with everything and God bless us all.

Marsha