Final Chemo!
 

It's final chemo Friday! Very anxious as the SEs are starting to build up. ...but this is the last one!

Questions about the transition to Herceptin only:

1. How long did it take you to feel relief from TC and begin to feel better (fatigue is my real problem)?

2. How long to get relief from neuropathy? I have a miserable and almost constant, visible to everyone, eye twitch and dead toes.

3. How do you feel on just Herceptin? SEs? I want the fatigue to clear up.

4. Radiation SEs? I start radiation on 10/21 for 25 txs.

Thanks for any insight!

It's final chemo Friday!!! I am almost there....

Re: Final Chemo!
 

Congrats!

1. How long did it take you to feel relief from TC and begin to feel better (fatigue is my real problem)?
For me, it was about a month. However, my feet/ankles were horribly swollen because my body was expecting the steroids after 3 weeks and didn't get it. Had to go on lasix for a while but it cleared up after a couple of weeks. You will feel better every week.

2. How long to get relief from neuropathy? I have a miserable and almost constant, visible to everyone, eye twitch and dead toes.
I did not have bad neuropathy, only my hands. I started taking B6 (100mg) and it seemed to help. There are other suggestions throughout this site, just search for neuropathy

3. How do you feel on just Herceptin? SEs? I want the fatigue to clear up.
Only side effect for me has been a runny nose. Truly, Herceptin alone for me has been very uneventful.

4. Radiation SEs? I start radiation on 10/21 for 25 txs.
Radiation is a grind because it is daily but a walk in the park compared to chemo. You may feel somewhat tired along the way and it all depends on how your skin reacts. I was pretty lucky. Only used aloe gel and didn't get really red until the last week. But my radiation oncologist was going for "crispy", so...

For me, surgery was easy, chemo was really a physical and psychological ordeal but doable and radiation the home stretch. I have 2 more Herceptins and my exchange surgery is scheduled for mid-October. It's been a long year and I wish my hair would grow faster, but I believe we come out of this stronger and with a better sense of what really matters in life.

Best
Janis

Re: Final Chemo!
 

I didn't have any neuropathy, but felt it took about a month to start to feel I was coming out of the chemo funk. Herceptin was easy I only had a runny nose, my RBC has remained low but slowly recovering. Radiation was easy, I didn't have any fatigue just turned red but no blistering or anything. Everyone is different though. Congrats of finishing chemo though one more thing to put behind you.
Suzanne

Re: Final Chemo!
 

Congratulations on finishing all your "hard" chemo!
You made it!
Hoping that H only, and radiation are a breeze by comparison!
:) Denise

Re: Final Chemo!
 

Herceptin was a breeze for me too as were rads, it took me about 6-8 weeks to get over the fatigue but a little longer for the neuropathy to clear but you're over the worst now and well done!!!

Re: Final Chemo!
 

Congratulations...!!!! It took me about a month for the fatigue to start to lift gradually, and probably another couple weeks after that to get over the neuropathy. That last dose of the chemo was the worst! And now it is all behind you. Kudos to you!

Re: Final Chemo!
 

Congratulations! You did it!
Thanks for asking those questions, I was wondering too, my last TCH is scheduled for Oct. 9th.

Re: Final Chemo!
 

Huge Congrats!! I finished July 22nd...indeed, the worst is behind you!!
Eye twitching...I had started a thread on that as I was dealing with it towards the end of my chemo. :(
I had spasms underneath my right eye, as well as twitching that would come and go daily for about a good month. Now I hardly notice any twitching, just a bit...I believe it definately was a side effect!!

As to Herceptin side effects...a runny nose is the most I can speak of...you've heard it from the others, this is a "walk in the park" compared to chemo!

Re: Final Chemo!
 

Congrats!! A huge milestone done!! I actually finished Herceptin a few weeks ago. Once I was off of Taxotere and Carboplatin - it took about 4 to 6 weeks to start losing that groggy feeling - but I still had it a little through the Herceptin. I also had the twitchy and watery (to the point of running) eyes and neuropathy. The eyes cleared up quickly. I still have neuropathy issues (it's been 10 months since TC) from time to time but it's not as bad. I think the Vit B complex and Biotin has helped some. It might be a lifetime thing now - but it's doable. Herceptin - runny nose - still have that - hope that goes away soon. Things will start to get better ... hair starts coming back... energy... you start to feel "normal-ish" again. Congratulations again~

Jeri

Re: Final Chemo!
 

After my first, initial treatment, I felt better quickly. It was week by week improvement. I didn't do radiation so don't know how that will play into your recovery, but a month past chemo my fatigue was minor. By three months it was gone (and then I had to start all over again!).

I've been on herceptin for years and have no SEs from it but a runny nose. Definitely no fatigue.

The most complicated aspect of your question is the neuropathy. I sure hope you've kept your doctor informed the entire time - mine switched chemos on me to try and curb the neuropathy, as it often is permanent. Not the eye twitch that will go away, but the numb toes is an all too common reality for post-cancer lives. I am very much not into any treatment or supplement but there is an exception - l-glutamine for neuropathy, and that's because UCLA has done some studies on it that show it helps prevent neuropathy in chemo patients. As soon as I started taking it, mine went away and I've had 7 different chemos and had none.

Maybe too late for you - I don't know if it works post-therapy. I took it the day before, the day of, and the day after treatment. It's a powder you dissolve in water if you are interested.

Let's hope you are one of the lucky ones and your neuropathy goes away, and quickly.

Congratulations on finishing the hardest part of treatment! The rest will be a breeze! :)