Chelee????

[Lien]

I'm getting really worried. I sent a message to her email address and haven't heard back. Does anybody know where she lives? Last name? Phone #? It's hard to find that kind of info from the Netherlands, Europe.

Love

Jacqueline

[Ellie F]

I sent and received many e-mails then suddenly no reply. She had been having a hard time on the chemo and I am now really worried as we have not heard from her. I don't know what else to do as it's difficult to find details out from England also.
Ellie

[ElaineM]

I wonder if Joe or Christine have a member list with last names and contact information? I wonder if they can contact her?
I think she lives in California. If you can get a last name you can do a search on http://www.pipl.com
and try to get her contact information. You can also try http://www.whitepages.com.
I hope she is just busy or her computer is out of order.

[Rich66]

Still nothing since the 6th on the other board.

[Ruth]

Hi Guys ~
I will call her...sorry I didn't see this earlier..and let you all know.
Love,
Ruth

[Ruth]

I just tried calling her and the phone line was all weird so I am thinking she is having internet/dsl problems. I will call again tomorrow. The phone line was full of static. I have a feeling she is OK but having internet problems.

Love,

Ruth

[Bill]

Thanks, Ruth! I was just getting ready to say that I thought that Chelee did have computer problems from time to time and that we should give her a few more days to get it straight before we saddled up the dogs to run up there.

[Chelee]

I'm ok...just alot going on. I'll let Jacqueline feel you in. I need to get to bed have a bone scan early. I'm having problems with my lungs mixed in with all kinds of things. I'll get it sorted out some how. I always welcome prayers for the clear scans and this lung problem. Thanks everyone.

Chelee

[schoolteacher]

Chelee,

Glad to hear from you. Hope you have a good day. I have missed you being on the board.

Amelia

[Unregistered]

Hi Chelee,

It's good to see you posting. I am sorry that you are dealing with more health issues, but relieved to see you here. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers right now.

Hugs,
Lexi

[dawn]

Glad to hear from you, I was so scared to read this post.

All the best, hoping you get everything sorted out

Dawn

[Shobha]

Dear Chelee,

So good to hear from you! Adding my prayers for you to feel better soon and have clean results for the scan and lung issues.

hugs,
shobha

[michka]

Dear Chelee, I am happy to have news although I am sorry you are reporting more worries. I hope the scans will be good. I am keeping you in my thoughts. Hugs. Michka

[Julie2]

Chelee,

I am thinking about you and praying that you will get clear scans.

Julie

[Barbara2]

Praying for answers and successful treatment.

[ElaineM]

Thanks for checking in Chelee. Get plenty of rest and take good care of yourself over the weekend, so you will be ready to do whatever you have to do about the latest bumps in the road towards good health.

[Lien]

Hi all,
Chelee wrote to me privately, and I am not sure how much she wants me to share. She is having trouble breathing, but the lung X-rays were clear. She's going back for more tests. She's on oxygen and she's exhausted, worried about how she will be able to have her chemo if the lung problem doesn't clear up.

She didn't want to post about all this, as she didn't want to worry us. Ofcourse we got even more worried because of her silence, so that didn't work.

You might as well post about everything Chelee. ;-))) That's what we're here for anyway; for helping you carry the burden of worrying and fretting. You may not have noticed, but we care about you. A lot.

Love

Jacqueline

[Rich66]

I have to mention that x-rays can sometimes miss clear mucous build-up. My father was thought to be having a heart attack since he was having trouble oxygenating and his recent x-ray was clear. After they found nothing wrong with his heart via angiography and were stumped, they did a broncoscopy and discovered copious amounts of clear mucous.
I know Chelee had post-taxotere pulmonary issues. I think I shared this with her a while back:




LINK (http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.springerlink.com/index/D7512757J428P380.pdf&ei=xFccS6TPC4f9nAeH8-nXAw&sa=X&oi=spellmeleon_result&resnum=2&ct=result&ved=0CA0QhgIwAQ&usg=AFQjCNFDWG_bYHMIZmXvv_SpuXRFXb-OLw)


Docetaxel-induced interstitial pneumonitis following non-small-cell lung cancer treatment

JournalClinical and Translational Oncology (http://www.springerlink.com/content/120717/?p=2bb8124e89d84c4199d6ddb173badc0a&pi=0) PublisherSpringer Milan ISSN1699-048X (Print) 1699-3055 (Online) IssueVolume 9, Number 9 / September, 2007 (http://www.springerlink.com/content/j2w0274812j4/?p=2bb8124e89d84c4199d6ddb173badc0a&pi=0) CategoryReview DOI10.1007/s12094-007-0106-4 Pages578-581 Subject CollectionMedicine (http://www.springerlink.com/medicine/) SpringerLink DateMonday, September 08, 2008 Add to marked items (http://www.springerlink.com/content/d7512757j428p380/?mark=d7512757j428p380)
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http://www.springerlink.com/images/common/spacer.gifPDF (60.0 KB) (http://www.springerlink.com/content/d7512757j428p380/fulltext.pdf)http://www.springerlink.com/images/common/spacer.gifFree Preview (http://www.springerlink.com/content/d7512757j428p380/fulltext.pdf?page=1)

Review

Docetaxel-induced interstitial pneumonitis following non-small-cell lung cancer treatment
C. Grande1 http://www.springerlink.com/images/contact.gif, M. J. Villanueva1, G. Huidobro1 and J. Casal1
(1) Servicio de OncologÃ*a Médica, Hospital Meixoeiro. Complejo Hospitalario y Universitario de Vigo, ES-36200 Vigo, Spain Received: 8 March 2007 Accepted: 18 June 2007 Published online: 21 October 2007
Abstract Interstitial pneumonitis has been described infrequently following administration of docetaxel, used alone or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents or concurrent irradiation, for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This toxicity is of special relevance in NSCLC, as clinical severity and differential diagnosis may be especially challenging. It seems to be due to type I and type IV hypersensitivity reactions to the drug. Clinical and radiographic features are nonspecific and diagnosis is made by exclusion. The rate of grade III–IV docetaxel-induced pneumonitis, ranging from 7 to 47%, depends on several factors, including total dose, chemotherapy schedule and especially concomitant docetaxel treatment with gemcitabine and radiotherapy. Although the usual outcome is cure, it sometimes eventually progresses to pulmonary fibrosis despite steroid treatment. This toxicity must be taken into account when planning treatment strategies for NSCLC in order to reduce its rate and to achieve prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Key words Docetaxel - Interstitial pneumonitis - Non-small-cell lung cancer

Fulltext Preview (Small, Large (http://resources.metapress.com/pdf-preview.axd?code=d7512757j428p380&size=largest))

[vlcarr]

Chelee, will be praying and thinking of you.

[Laurel]

Chelee,

Hanging with you, Girlfriend. I'll keep you in my prayers. I think Rich may be on to something. Hope you saw the post.

[sassy]

Hang in there Chelee!! Lean on us anytime. Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

[Jackie07]

Glad to hear from you Chelee. Sorry for your suffering. Please know that you are in our prayers.

[Midwest Alice]

Chellee you are in my prayers. So glad to hear word about you good or bad. We worry about you when we don't hear.

Shela had great results from a drug to bring up her MUGA and also helped her breathing. hang in there gril

[Sheila]

Chelee
Hoping the lung issues are improving...you are strong and a fighter...we are here for you!

[Sherryg683]

Chelee, I'm sorry to hear you are not feeling well. I feel you and I share a special bond (our sick sense of humor). You know I will pray for you girl. Please keep us posted and you know if you need to vent email me..sherry

['lizbeth]

Chelee,

I hope that you are feeling better and that you get good news from your tests.

'lizbeth

[tricia keegan]

I hope you're feeling better Chelee and keeping you in my thoughts. xx

[Lien]

Hi Chelee,

How are you doing today? Could you be having an allergic reaction to something, causing the difficulty breathing? It just occurred to me that I once had trouble breathing after being exposed to mould.

Hugs

Jacqueline

[Roselle]

This may be totally unrelated but I too had breathing issues for over 2 months while on Chemo/herceptin/neulasta. But mine seemed to be triggered by muscle weakness in my legs. Would try to climb stairs and felt as if I had been riding bike uphill. By the time I would get to the top of my stairs or walk very far, I would be so out of breath and heart racing and my muscles were failing. They never figured out what was causing it but when I went from neulasta to neupengen, it greatly improved. Even though I am newer here, my heart goes out to you and all you are going thru at this time!

[Barbara H.]

Hi Chelee?
I am so sorry that you are having lung issues. I actually had to go off the T-DM1 trial because the drug was causing lung inflammation for me which was found and monitored by CT scans with contrast. I am also the only one so far who has had this complication from this drug. I was very upset because it was working for me. It appeared as ground glass on the scans. Tykerb and Herceptin can also cause this, but fortunately so far I have not had this issue with these drugs. I highly suggest that you demand to have a CT ASAP with contrast done to rule out this side effect. My pulmonologist told me that this condition can progress very rapidly, and can be life threatening, which is why I obviously discontinued TDM1. I hope you see my message before you go to your appointment.
Thinking of you!!!
Barbara H.

[Jean]

Chelee,
Sorr to hear that you are having problems...sending prayers your way...hugs....also.

Jean

[Shobha]

Chelee,

Sending more prayers and positive thoughts your way!

hugs,
shobha

[Rich66]

Any new developments?

[Chelee]

Thanks for all the support and feedback...I read all your posts and appreciate each one of them. My lungs are much improved...but I still have oxygen here at home. But I am able to go to my appts now without carrying a tank with me. I'm not sure at this point if the Neupogen or chemo that caused it...or a an infection in my lungs? Several of our chemo nurses are awful sick...congestion in their sinues and lungs. (Makes me wonder?) But on another note we stopped my Neupogen and lowered my dose of Navelbine this last time and so far no problems other then slight tightness in my chest? So I don't know which one caused the problem? I really wish I knew which one was responsible because that is a very tolerable chemo combo I would like to keep using if need be.

I am currently going to a different cancer center for radiation to my right femur. I am to do ten days of rads & Monday will be day five. So far it's not been too bad except feeling tired. I had no pain in the hip once I recovered from my femur surgery. The leg finally felt great! I was walking without my cane and feeling pretty darned good. But now after only 4 days of rads to my femur I've noticed my hip and one place of my pelvis hurts. Also the arch of my foot is killing me when I walk. I don't know if all this is normal but I will be discussing this with the Rads Onc tomorrow before we start again. I was told radiation gets rid of pain...not causes it?

I did have a CT of chest, abdomen and pelvis along with a bone scan. Results of both were good. (Thank goodness.) Nothing new showed up. I was relieved to say the least. My onc wants to stop my Navelbine and save it since scans are stable...but another 2nd opinion breast specialist I went too said he would keep me on this combo for another 2 months. The City of Hope onc told me she would keep me on this for four months...so I guess it's up to me to decide. I'm kind of scared to be on only Herceptin at this point...not sure what do to?

Chelee

[Darlene Denise]

If it's any help, when I consulted at Dana Farber, it was recommended that I stay on the chemo with Herceptin at least 4 months, preferably 6 months before going with Herceptin alone. At the time I had just started Gemzar, which is not working and I just started Navelbine on Friday.

Sorry, you are having to deal with all of this extra crap. I hope it turns around for you asap!!

I'll be thinking of you!!

Darlene

[ElaineM]

Thanks for updating us Chelee. I am so glad you have started to feel a little better. I would go with a little more Navelbine just in case there are some microscopic cancer cells hanging around. You might be able to ask for a little lower dose to help avoid some of the problems you had.
Good health to you and the chemo nurses !! I hope you all continue to improve. Take care.

[Rich66]

Hmmm. I guess there's the saving the chemo concept vs the stopping allowing the cancer to regroup. Granted, the Herceptin might hold things. Would you be able to get a PET before deciding to stop the 'bine? Would you be continuing Zometa? Instead of relying totally on Herceptin, do you think your onc would consider something metronomic like Cytoxan or Endocrine therapy?

[Chelee]

Darlene, Yes that does help. The breast specialist I went too suggested two more months which would total 6 months if I was to continue. So it seems the bc specialist I went too and Dana Farber are on the same page.

Elaine, Thanks so much for your opinion also. I did well on the lowered dose of "bine" this last time so I think I will at least stick to that for a couple more months. I am not comfortable stopping this soon--so thanks girls.

Chelee

[Margerie]

thanks for the update Chelee, hope everything continues to improve and you are able to get out and enjoy some spring weather :)

[Lien]

Hi Chelee,

It's wonderful to hear from you , and even more wonderful to hear the good news. Lungs better, pain in hip much less, scans clean... Those are major things and I am doing my Happy Dutch Clog Dance for you.

I understand why you would be worried about the pain in your leg increasing and about the cause of your symptoms. That's only natural when your body has recently "betrayed" you and you don't really trust your onc. You will have to adjust to that and that takes time. However, it seems that you have a good medical team now (with the second opinions and all of us to chime in) and that you are doing better, feeling better. So you seem to be on the right track. My best friend is a dermatologist, and she once told me that quite often they don't know what works best and why for whom. So they practice trial an error, because it's all they've got.

The pain in your leg could be caused by the rads. Initially rads cause inflammation, so that could be the culprit. Ask your rads onc. or nurse.

Now about the duration of chemo: I think it would be wise to continue a bit longer. You seem to tolerate the lower dose well. But I"m no doctor, so perhaps you could ask the doc the reason why she wants you to stop, and the pro's and cons for both decisions?

Hugs

Jacqueline

[Chelee]

Thanks Margerie! We are having some beautiful weather right now...that's for sure. I plan on taking advantage of the sunny days this wk.

Jacqueline, Yes things have gotten better in many ways. The clean scans and lungs improving were major to me. Right now I more concerned as to why radiation to my femur seems to be causing me so much pain? I'm sure some of it is inflammation as you said. I like that Rads Onc at this new place...at least she answers my questions which is a nice change. I will call her early tomorrow before my appt and let her know what's going on. I now have swelling in the right ankle too...but maybe this is all normal. I've only had 4 days of rads to femur and its sure caused alot of pain in different places. I almost hate to see what another six days will do? But I won't panic until I talk to my Rads doc.

As to the chemo I already asked my onc why she wanted to stop my chemo? She said because all my scans were clean so she wants to stop & save things for later. I happen to disagree with her. We got off to a slow start with the chemo the way she was doing things. We only added the Navelbine in the mix on Dec. 7th...so I think it's far too soon. It's up to me anyway so she loses. The side affects haven't been too bad...thinning hair and slight neuropathy in a couple fingers...other then that its very doable. So I'll stick it out a bit longer. (Plus I'm still doing the Herceptin/Zometa)

Chelee

[Ellie F]

Hi and a big welcome back.I have missed you.I did taxotere and herceptin for 4 months though my second op onc suggested 3 months. It's a really hard call as there doesn't seem to be any definitive answer.

Hugs ellie

[Midwest Alice]

Chelee it is soooooooooooooo wonderful you are feeling much better. We have missed your up dates of your fight. I will be checking in on you.
Love and hugs,
Alice

[Laurel]

Happy to have popped on tonight to find your wonderful news, Chelee. I love your attitude! I am hoping your hip pain lessens. It makes sense to assume the pain may be related to the treatment. Having never had R.T. I do not know.

Glad you are breathing easier and moving in the right direction!

[Sandra in GA]

Chelee,
It is wonderful to hear from you! I am so happy that you are feeling better. You have been through a lot. Keep up that spunky spirit. It serves you well.
Sandra

[ElaineM]

Congratulations on the good scans. Maybe the nice radiologist can suggest something for your pain or at least tell you what is causing it.
I am happy that you are starting to feel a little better, except for the pain and that your scan results were good.

[Chelee]

Yes I am feeling better thank you all. I'm still dealing with this pain in femur & foot from the rads. I did get to talk to my Rads onc and she seemed concerned that my hip was hurting the way it is. She also sees the slight swelling in my foot and ankle which she didn't feel was normal. She felt it was more from the femur surgery I had.

But I disagree with her. Since I recovered from my femur surgery I have had no pain or swelling at all. My entire leg and hip was feeling better then ever. The pain in my hip and foot started the 2nd day of rads...I find it very hard to believe its just a coincidence? Then each day I went back for rads the pain in hip and foot has increased...so it has to be from rads. The Rads Onc said I could expect some inflammation which will "usually" go away...but she could not guarantee it. The Rads onc said I could stop now and if cancer does come back we could deal with it then, so I don't know what to think at this point? I've done 6 days and I suppose to do 10. Seems like it would be all for nothing if I stopped now. But I don't want to be crippled either. At least this Rads onc is really good at making herself available to me and actually answering questions...such a nice change. I'm not use to that. If anyone here has had rads to your femur feel free to jump in & share your experience. :)

Chelee

[tricia keegan]

I can't help with your question Chelee but just wanted to say how happy I am for you on the clear scans:)

[Margerie]

I am wondering if the rads/surgery messed up your lymph nodes and you are getting lymphedema in your legs?? I am sure you want to turn in your crown for Queen of Side Effects right now........ Hope you feel better soon.

[Shobha]

Hi Chelee,

So good to hear about your clean scans! Wishing you the best and continued NED status.

hugs,
shobha

[StephN]

Margerie - I just had the same thought about her lymph system. That would not normally explain the pain though.

My other idea is that a nerve has been upset by the radiation, as we do have some major nerves in that area.

Could be a combo of two problems, making the source harder to pin down.

Keep talking to your rads specialist and see if you can concentrate his/her mind on your leg.

[Rich66]

Seems possible that you could have an atypical reaction to rads since you had surgery there. I know the surgery didn't involve the foot but..the foot could be a further barometer and end of the line recipient of the disturbance "upstream".
When you talk of clean scans, are you referring to lack of growth or NED? Any talk of a PET?

[Chelee]

Rich, I believe that is the problem. I had pain in my foot and pelvic area prior to surgery. That pain was gone once I recovered. I had almost a 7 cm mass in my femur all the way at the top. My Ortho surgeon said he scrapped away alot of bone to get rid of that mass.

Since I started rads I can't help but noticed the places I had pain prior to my surgery are now the same places that hurt since I started rads. So the rads is hitting that area that he placed the rod and screws....must be distrubing the nerves which travel to my pelvis and foot. I tried to get my ortho onc on the phone today to discuss this with him--but he was in surgery darn it. I hope he calls me tomorrow because I don't know if I dare finish rads or not? My hip joint really hurts. I just pray this goes away after rads?

Chelee

[ElaineM]

Can you get the ortho doc to talk to the radiation doc?
They might be able to figure out something or make some adjustments together to help you get the treatments you need without all the pain and suffering.

[Chelee]

Hi Elaine, I found out today that my Rad onc did call & talk to my Ortho onc. They are both at different cancer centers so I was shocked. I'm not use to any of my doctors talking to each other...this is new to me. :) It's nice to see someone cares for a change. (I know my onc would of NEVER done that for me.) My Ortho onc really wants me to finish the rads so I'll do that. He feels the problems I have will settle down some time after I'm finished. I will be going up to see my Ortho soon. He will want a x-ray and to have a look at it. I think it will be fine from what both doc's say.

Chelee

[ElaineM]

I am so glad that the two doctors talked. They must be very good doctors. Is so nice to hear that some doctors work as a team to help a patient. Now if one of them can suggest something to help you with the discomfort until you finish radiation it would be great.