Rash

Molly110

Primavera said:

I've disappeared for a few days

I think I'm going to start a new thread because this is a rash thread and I think I hijacked it and then it turned into icing...and now going into coronavirus.

Hi Primavera,

Hi Primavera,

 

Since Els rash is under control, I'll bet she's fine with the "hijack." I've been wondering how you're doing. How is the treatment coming along?

 

Molly

Primavera

Treatment was stopped.

I've been staying with my aunt and her husband near the hospital for all these treatments. Even before I got diagnosed with the breast cancer. 

After the last adryamicin treatment, I got sent for an echocardiogram. My aunt and her husband got really sick at the same time. They went for a Covid test. When I was making an appointment with a cardiologist because the drug did damage my heart, they got a positive. The cardiologist didn't want to do telemedicine. Without cardiologist visit I couldn't continue. 

i took a cab to my boyfriends. Been scared. Sent to quarantine. Can't go back until the 29 with a negative test. 

 

Maxster

I hate Covid

I am sorry to hear about your complications!  What a mess.  This is such a terrible time to be getting treatment.  Hang in there.  I am sure it will work out.

MAbound

Primavera said:

Treatment was stopped.

I've been staying with my aunt and her husband near the hospital for all these treatments. Even before I got diagnosed with the breast cancer. 

After the last adryamicin treatment, I got sent for an echocardiogram. My aunt and her husband got really sick at the same time. They went for a Covid test. When I was making an appointment with a cardiologist because the drug did damage my heart, they got a positive. The cardiologist didn't want to do telemedicine. Without cardiologist visit I couldn't continue. 

i took a cab to my boyfriends. Been scared. Sent to quarantine. Can't go back until the 29 with a negative test. 

 

Upsetting to hear this

It's so scary that people get left hanging during treatment or for other needs because of the virus. I'm also so sorry to hear that your treatment has resulted in heart damage as a side effect. I pray that your relatives recover and that you won't get the virus on top of everything else that you are dealing with. Such scary times we are going through! Hugs to you as go through all of this! Vaccines just can't come fast enough!

Molly110

Primavera said:

Treatment was stopped.

I've been staying with my aunt and her husband near the hospital for all these treatments. Even before I got diagnosed with the breast cancer. 

After the last adryamicin treatment, I got sent for an echocardiogram. My aunt and her husband got really sick at the same time. They went for a Covid test. When I was making an appointment with a cardiologist because the drug did damage my heart, they got a positive. The cardiologist didn't want to do telemedicine. Without cardiologist visit I couldn't continue. 

i took a cab to my boyfriends. Been scared. Sent to quarantine. Can't go back until the 29 with a negative test. 

 

I'm so sorry that you have

I'm so sorry that you have one more thing to deal with, Primavera. I hope your family recover quickly and you don't have the virus. I think many people go through interruptions of treatment and then do fine. Everyone is pulling for you, I know. 

Warm best wishes,

Molly

els19

Sending prayers

Primavera, so sorry to hear you're going through so much. I'm sending prayers, and Only positive thoughts your way. And don't worry about a break in your treatment. It does happen quite often for one reason or another and I personally have a friend who did very well once back on tract. Hopefully this can be a brief respite that lets you take a break and build up more reserve for the next step. And don't worry about hacking this link. The best conversations on this board start out one way and diverge to much more interesting subjects. Try to rest and please keep posting to let us know how you're doing.

ConnieSW

Primavera

Once again my words fail me.  I just hope you and your family are ok.

MAbound

Thinking of you

I'm picturing you safe and snug with your boyfriend and praying for your aunt and uncle. Hope all is going ok.

Primavera

Thank you all

I can't continue my teatments until I get a negative testing for this virus.

I can't put my boyfriend through this, so I'm going to try to isolate.

My aunt and her husband are OK now.

I'm just all alone with this.

 

Molly110

Primavera, is the problem

Primavera, is the problem that you can't get tested or that you've had a positive test at some point and are waiting until you can get a negative test? Either way, my heart goes out to you. This is not a good time for you to have to be alone. 

Wishing you the very best very soon.

Molly

BluebirdOne

Primavera said:

Thank you all

I can't continue my teatments until I get a negative testing for this virus.

I can't put my boyfriend through this, so I'm going to try to isolate.

My aunt and her husband are OK now.

I'm just all alone with this.

 

Primavera, You may be alone at home to deal

with these issues, but you are not alone here because you have us! Let us know how you are doing and coping. 

xxoo

Denise 

Primavera

Molly110 said:

Primavera, is the problem

Primavera, is the problem that you can't get tested or that you've had a positive test at some point and are waiting until you can get a negative test? Either way, my heart goes out to you. This is not a good time for you to have to be alone. 

Wishing you the very best very soon.

Molly

Tested negative

It's been two weeks of fear and the cardiologist I was going to see (damage to my heart from Adriamycin) wouldn't see me through telemedicine. So everything was stopped while I isolated and then took the testing. My family is OK after going through this, although my aunt's husband who was intubated (scary) is out of the tubes this week. While you deal with the fear of getting it yourself, you have to deal with anyone in your family not making it.

Things are so crazy at hospitals that cardiologist is requesting telemedicine today at 3pm.

Then I can continue with the treatment, depending on what the damage has been. 

Take care everyone. I'm hoping there will be less of this virus around even if not everyone will be vaccinated this month or the next one.

els19

Happy for you

Primavera, I'm so happy to hear you tested negative and are now back on track. Life certainly throws curves, doesn't it? I hope your aunt and uncle continue to improve and you can continue treatment. Wishing you all the best!

ConnieSW

What a relief

I am so glad for you and your family. Good luck with resuming therapy.

Primavera

Thank you all.

Well, cardiologist said yesterday damage was irreversible and put me on two beta blockers. But damage is still leaving me in the normal range of heart function. 

But I told him I was anemic and out of breath and also that my next treatment which was supposed to be just Taxol for 12 weeks, somehow included a test drive of the next heart-killing drug (Herceptin) and also Perjetta. It was going to be an 8-hour chemo day. I told him I'm terrified of getting it all in one day, so he said he was going to recommend against it now that we know Adriamycin damaged my heart. I was not supposed to get Herceptin till next year, every three weeks.

They just called me from the cancer center and I resume treatment this Thursday. I asked nurse and my list of drugs is still the same as before, but it's probably because oncologist hasn't checked recommendations yet. Wish me luck! I'm already afraid of Taxol.

And thank you for the support.

Kaleena

Molly110 said:

Taxol reaction

Congratulations on being done with the first phase. You'll be okay with Taxol, even if you have a reaction, because the chemo nurse(s) will be really vigilant about it, and they know exactly what to do. Your reaction, if you should have one, will be over before you barely know you're having it. I had a reaction to the second taxol cycle, and the instant my face flushed and my breath caught the room was full of people, each of them efficiently doing something different, and then it was over -- all in just a few seconds. It was over before I could even be scared. For the remaining 4 cycles, they slowed down the infusion and gave me the dexamethasone (the steroid) and benadryl (antihistimine) the day before by pill and even more than usual by IV the day of. The only problem with that was that I needed more mitts and bootie gels because the chemo days were longer. 

 

I think you said you were at Dana Farber? Your treatment team will have so much experience with the taxol that they will not let anything bad happen to you if you do have a reaction. And most people don't, since it's a standard part of how taxol is used to give those premeds and to watch for a reaction once the taxol starts.

With everything you have already handled, I hope you find the new drugs manageable. 

Fingers crossed.

Molly

Hi Molly

I had a reaction to taxol.  Yes the nurses are there to take care of you.  After my reaction they sent me home.  I came back in two weeks and they started me on Gemzar instead.  No issues after that.

Primavera

Kaleena said:

Hi Molly

I had a reaction to taxol.  Yes the nurses are there to take care of you.  After my reaction they sent me home.  I came back in two weeks and they started me on Gemzar instead.  No issues after that.

I'm a breast cancer patient

They'll probably move me to Taxotere. But I have to get other heart damaging drugs at the same time as Taxol; like Hercepting/Perjeta.

They didn't start me on anything yesterday. I got to my appointment with my negative Covid test (my family is fighting it and I just fled my aunt's house where I've been because it's close to hospitals and went back to my boyfriend's miles away from the hospital). Such a tiresome day because of the snow storm.

I got blood instead. I became very anemic and out of breath and my heart was damaged a bit from the adriamycin. They've decided to get me stronger and re-start on the 29th. I've been out of treatment for more than a month now.

Primavera

Update

On that Thursday when I went for chemo, they gave me blood because I was in no shape to get chemo. Hemoglobin was so low.

Then we waited till yesterday to resume treatment. I could breathe again after the blood transfusions. So yesterday we went through with the Taxol, Perjeta and Herceptin (with caution from cardiologist).

They started with the Taxol at slow speed and since no allergic reaction happen ed, they moved it up and I ended up having it in 1.5 hr. at full speed.

I was there from 8:40am (lab work/oncologist, infusions/check of blood pressure, temperature, etc.) till 7pm. I wonder how much longer it would have been with slow settings.

I had Perjeta next and then Herceptin at the end. I won't know what they did to my (already) damaged heart, but I'm sure I'll have an echocardiogram soon. They told me to stay in my chair after Herceptin for an hour and a half for observation. Everything was OK. My cousin kept her phone close at night while we slept in case of any problems with these.

I feel great today and have nothing else to report about Taxol, but I know I still need 11 more of these, interspersed with Perjeta/Herceptin every three weeks.

That blood really helped. I had failed to notice how much in a bad shape I was after AC treatments. Then the two months running away from covid also helped me recover a bit.

Sadly, my uncle died yesterday. I was getting the updates of the news from his daughter right when I was having the bad-for-your-heart drugs, while my sister was telling me I shouldn't be stressing because nothing I could do about it.

Next week I get Taxol all by itself, but they're starting slow again, just in case. Short visit, though; no other drugs.

ConnieSW

Primavera said:

Update

On that Thursday when I went for chemo, they gave me blood because I was in no shape to get chemo. Hemoglobin was so low.

Then we waited till yesterday to resume treatment. I could breathe again after the blood transfusions. So yesterday we went through with the Taxol, Perjeta and Herceptin (with caution from cardiologist).

They started with the Taxol at slow speed and since no allergic reaction happen ed, they moved it up and I ended up having it in 1.5 hr. at full speed.

I was there from 8:40am (lab work/oncologist, infusions/check of blood pressure, temperature, etc.) till 7pm. I wonder how much longer it would have been with slow settings.

I had Perjeta next and then Herceptin at the end. I won't know what they did to my (already) damaged heart, but I'm sure I'll have an echocardiogram soon. They told me to stay in my chair after Herceptin for an hour and a half for observation. Everything was OK. My cousin kept her phone close at night while we slept in case of any problems with these.

I feel great today and have nothing else to report about Taxol, but I know I still need 11 more of these, interspersed with Perjeta/Herceptin every three weeks.

That blood really helped. I had failed to notice how much in a bad shape I was after AC treatments. Then the two months running away from covid also helped me recover a bit.

Sadly, my uncle died yesterday. I was getting the updates of the news from his daughter right when I was having the bad-for-your-heart drugs, while my sister was telling me I shouldn't be stressing because nothing I could do about it.

Next week I get Taxol all by itself, but they're starting slow again, just in case. Short visit, though; no other drugs.

Wow

That was a long day. 

I am sorry about your uncle.  Was it from the COVID complications?

TeddyandBears_Mom

So sorry for your loss

So sorry for your loss Primavera. 

That really was a long day for you. Make sure to rest when you need to. I suspect you feel good today due to the steroids. Don't be too concerned if you hit a fatigue stage sometime tomorrow. It is normal and gets better over time. I hope you continue to tolerate the treatments and get through everything without further damage to your heart.

Thanks for the update. We are here for you.

Love and Hugs,

Cindi