herceptin and fatigue

[v-ness]

hi all -

i am kind of new to this whole chemo & herceptin thing as i just started treatment on october 8. i've had 2 rounds of TCH with the H every single week. last week when i went in i had a low grade fever of 99 that went up to 100 after my herceptin infusion so i stayed home from work. today i was just ducky in the morning, bloodwork was fine, got my herceptin. i was reading for a while, then felt like a nap, only to realize my bag was empty so it was time to ring the bell for a nurse and go off to work. when i got to work i began to feel powerfully weak and fatigued all of a sudden. i left because i didn't want to push myself. i learned from you guys that herceptin has a 21 day half-life so i guess it's building up inside me now like the chemo.

could this just be a fluke or has anyone else gotten fatigued by herceptin? i've honestly done quite well these past 5 weeks except on chemo day and the past 2 herceptin days. that is to say, 2 days after my last chemo i was on the roof cleaning gutters and out leaf blowing - i.e. feeling strong with only minor fatigue.

i take a multi-vitamin every day along with vitamin d3 and echinacea & goldenseal. i haven't had the flu or even a cold in over a decade, other than this cancer i've been healthy as a horse. mom makes me a triple mushroom soup from The Cancer Cookbook that i think i'll ask for next week before chemo to jack myself up with healthy stuff. oh, and the day after every chemo i get a shot of neulasta so i haven't had any blood issues whatsoever.

i guess i am just a little down because i've been feeling so good much of the time for these 1st 5 weeks (of 18 total) and am disappointed that a 'little thing' like herceptin seems to be messing with me a little now. i have more than a year of the stuff to go, so i sure hope it isn't a pattern. i have barely any sick time left (i took 3 months off on med leave when my husband died) so every time i am out for chemo it is a 'vacation day'. some vacation. :)

valerie

[ElaineM]

I am happy to hear that you have been feeling so great.
Yes. Herceptin can cause you to be extra tired. For a list of Herceptin side effects you can go to www.herceptin.com (http://www.herceptin.com). There is also a thread about Herceptin side effects others have experienced on this site.
That triple mushroom soup sounds delicious and the mushrooms are so good for the immune system and the white blood counts. Care to share the recipe?
Take care.

[v-ness]

thank you, elaine. i'm sure the answer to everything is somewhere here on these boards and every question has probably been asked before. i was just taken by surprise because having herceptin previously was literally symptomless.

i was mistaken, the mushroom soup wasn't from the Cancer Cookbook, it's from the Barefoot Contessa. i tell you, it is delicious! you can find it on the Food Network's website at:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cream-of-wild-mushroom-soup-recipe/index.html

enjoy. valerie

[Ellie F]

Hi Valerie and welcome.
I feel herceptin does increase fatigue and I think a number of others will add their thoughts to.
Just wanted to respond to your comment that you had been very well, no flu or colds for a long time before you got breast cancer. This was exactly the same for myself. Interestingly at my last onc appointment a research nurse told me that some cancer researchers think that as the immune system has not been 'triggered' for a long time it in some way loses it's ability to detect and destroy rogue cells and cancer develops.
Makes you think.
Cheers Ellie

[v-ness]

"Just wanted to respond to your comment that you had been very well, no flu or colds for a long time before you got breast cancer. This was exactly the same for myself. Interestingly at my last onc appointment a research nurse told me that some cancer researchers think that as the immune system has not been 'triggered' for a long time it in some way loses it's ability to detect and destroy rogue cells and cancer develops.
Makes you think."

hi ellie- maybe so. i am beginning to seriously think that a major amount of loss, grief and stress has played a large hand in why i got breast cancer. it began on february 1, 2006 when my mother found my father dead in the garage from a stroke. then my husband was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in early november 2006 and died only 10 weeks later. only 6 months later my 10 yr old bunny petunia died of - get this - metastatic breast cancer. 3 years earlier the vet removed her mammary tumor and told me she had "3 months to live" and my little energizer bunny sure proved him wrong. then my most beloved cat mattie who i'd had for 13 years died rather suddenly from serious lung issues in june 2008. in november 2008 my favorite cat, dribbles, at the animal sanctuary i volunteer at twice a year died (he was lifetime care because he was incontinent) and i was the one who found him the morning he became deathly ill. in april 2009 my 18 yr old cat mikey died of old age related issues (hyper-thyroidism, hypertension and chronic kidney failure), and in july 2009 my cat squeaky died of jaw cancer only 2 weeks after diagnosis. obviously, by the time squeaky died i already had the cancer growing (there was no tumor in my march 2009 mammogram). in addition to all of this, my mother is chronically ill and requiring a lot of attention since my father died, which has caused me a huge amount of stress. i see a psych, and have for years, but i think all of this was too much for my system. i am currently reading a chapter on exactly this subject in dr. bernie siegel's book "love, medicine, & miracles". naturally, i don't discount any other factors, but i will bet anything that this tidal wave of loss dealt me a blow my immune system could no longer take.

oddly enough, the first website i ever found on breast cancer was one about chinese medicine and i almost fell over when i read that they listed 'loss of a spouse' as a major cause of breast cancer.

i thought i was coping with my losses all this time, but maybe i was going about it the wrong way somehow. after all, i was constantly feeling under great stress. believe it or not, i have had LESS stress since i was diagnosed with breast cancer. my klonopin intake has dropped markedly and i feel more at peace with myself. i don't want to allow any more stress to harm me and somehow my way of thinking has changed all on its own, making me more serene. i know my imagery of lara croft tomb raider killing my cancer cells (see my post on the newcomer board) is hardly 'serene', but i think a warrior can be serene as well. :)

valerie

[ElaineM]

Thanks for the link to the mushroom soup recipe. I am going to try it.
Good luck to you in all your future treatments.