Is this a lot

shortscake
shortscake Member Posts: 228
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hello and how is everyone? I went to the onc to day and i am done with the first round of chemo he wants me to have 2 more rounds of chemo that means 12 more treatment i have all ready had 6 chemo. total of 18.then he is going to do x rays to see what needs to be done next.just wanted to know if that is a lot of chemo?

Comments

  • New Flower
    New Flower Member Posts: 4,294
    #2
    Sorry
    Did he explain why do you need two more?
    Ask for the x-ray or test before an additional two. Usually the number of treatments is determined by the type and the stage of cancer,
    mine was ER +, Her -. I had 6 rounds Taxetere/Cytoxan.
    Hugs
  • RE
    RE Member Posts: 4,591 Member
    #3
    Hugs
    Hi Shortscake, I had 18 rounds of chemo my second time around. I had 6 the first time and 4 the last time. 18 is a lot but it is doable. I would ask why it is necessary so you have a clear picture why your onco feels it is needed. I had 9 years of no problems after my 18 chemos and when it did come back it was caught early and I only needed 4 chemos. Hang in there you are in my prayers.

    RE
  • shortscake
    shortscake Member Posts: 228
    #4
    I have
    I have IDC and its her2+ i guess that is why i am having so much chemo, he said in march he will do xrays and see what needs to do next also i do have cancer in my lungs but they are not saying that its lung cancer the chemo is killing what is in the lungs they are much clearer i do have to use oxygen when i go out shopping get short of breath.
  • Kat11
    Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
    #5
    shortscake said:

    I have
    I have IDC and its her2+ i guess that is why i am having so much chemo, he said in march he will do xrays and see what needs to do next also i do have cancer in my lungs but they are not saying that its lung cancer the chemo is killing what is in the lungs they are much clearer i do have to use oxygen when i go out shopping get short of breath.

    hey Shortscake
    I am also her2 pos with IDC and 2 nodes pos and I had to do 16 rounds. Now reads, so I thinks its pretty normal.
  • shortscake
    shortscake Member Posts: 228
    #6
    Kat11 said:

    hey Shortscake
    I am also her2 pos with IDC and 2 nodes pos and I had to do 16 rounds. Now reads, so I thinks its pretty normal.

    have not
    they have not test my nodes i have not had any surgery other then putting in my port. to day was the only time that my wbc was a little low they gave me something with the treatment sorry don't remember what it was i did have a reaction to it mouth, ears and arms started itching really bad so they had to stop it and give me benadryl and then start it back up.
  • Sam726
    Sam726 Member Posts: 233
    #7
    Kat11 said:

    hey Shortscake
    I am also her2 pos with IDC and 2 nodes pos and I had to do 16 rounds. Now reads, so I thinks its pretty normal.

    Her 2+
    I am HER2+ and only needed 6 rounds...cancer in 1 node. Dont know why so much...r u taking Herceptin?
  • shortscake
    shortscake Member Posts: 228
    #8
    Sam726 said:

    Her 2+
    I am HER2+ and only needed 6 rounds...cancer in 1 node. Dont know why so much...r u taking Herceptin?

    herceptin
    I get herceptin every 3 weeks and to day was not it, they gave me something for my low wbc, it was down to 3.67.
  • tommaseena
    tommaseena Member Posts: 1,769
    #9
    shortscake said:

    herceptin
    I get herceptin every 3 weeks and to day was not it, they gave me something for my low wbc, it was down to 3.67.

    I had
    I had 4 rounds of A/C and then 12 rounds of Taxol w/Herceptin and now just on Herceptin until the end of August.
    So I had 16 rounds of chemo and had all of these after my double mastectomy.

    I don't understand why they want to do two more--did they say why?

    Margo
  • shortscake
    shortscake Member Posts: 228
    #10
    tommaseena said:

    I had
    I had 4 rounds of A/C and then 12 rounds of Taxol w/Herceptin and now just on Herceptin until the end of August.
    So I had 16 rounds of chemo and had all of these after my double mastectomy.

    I don't understand why they want to do two more--did they say why?

    Margo

    The reason he said he wants to do more is to make sure the mass is smaller when he plan to do surgery if he plan to do surgery at all.
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #11
    shortscake said:

    The reason he said he wants to do more is to make sure the mass is smaller when he plan to do surgery if he plan to do surgery at all.

    When I started A/C I was
    When I started A/C I was told that I would probably have 4 doses (2 weeks apart) but depending on how/if it was shrinking, there might be 2 more. Was also told that IF it didn't respond to A/C, we'd be switching to another one. It turned out that both he and the surgeon were satisfied with the results from 4 doses and I had mastectomy 2 weeks after the 4th A/C. 3 weeks after surgery, I started 12 weekly doses of Taxol (have had 7 so far). So - I will have had 16 total doses. (If Dr. T had thought the 2 more were needed, it would have been a total of 18.)

    You mentioned that there is also a problem in your lung - so that might (possibly/probably) make for a very different treatment protocol than when dealing with one site/area.

    Good luck with getting your questions answered.

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