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Chelee · 09-19-2008, 12:46 PM

Laurie, After reading your post your problem sure seems like its due to the 30 minute infusion time. They need to slow it down for you. I'm serious...there have been too many other women that have had problems with 30 minute infusions of herceptin. (Not all...but quite a few.) When I did the 30 min infusions I always got a really bad headache, and twice I stood up and almost went down because I got so dizzy. It came on fast. My chemo nurse caught me just in time once..she could see how bad I looked. Once we changed my infusion time to 1 hr...no more problems. Then herceptin was a piece of cake.

Since you had no problems with the 90 min & 60 minute infusion I certainly think this could really be what's causing your shakes. Please talk to your onc and chemo nurse because that would be awful to have to take all those steriods for the entire year of herceptin if it wasn't necessary just by increasing your infusion time. There is another benefit to longer infusion times of herceptin...its easier on the heart. So I really believe if you have them slow it down to at least 1 hr this will get rid of your problems. (Then...no more steriods) Let me know how it goes. It sure is funny the only time you had problems with it was when it they gave it to you in 30 minutes?

You mentioned your headaches...my chemo nurse always gave me two tylenol before my infusions and it did seem to help. (Just another thought.) Let me know how it goes.

Chelee

09-19-2008, 12:46 PM	#8
Chelee Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Southern, CA Posts: 2,511	Laurie, After reading your post your problem sure seems like its due to the 30 minute infusion time. They need to slow it down for you. I'm serious...there have been too many other women that have had problems with 30 minute infusions of herceptin. (Not all...but quite a few.) When I did the 30 min infusions I always got a really bad headache, and twice I stood up and almost went down because I got so dizzy. It came on fast. My chemo nurse caught me just in time once..she could see how bad I looked. Once we changed my infusion time to 1 hr...no more problems. Then herceptin was a piece of cake. Since you had no problems with the 90 min & 60 minute infusion I certainly think this could really be what's causing your shakes. Please talk to your onc and chemo nurse because that would be awful to have to take all those steriods for the entire year of herceptin if it wasn't necessary just by increasing your infusion time. There is another benefit to longer infusion times of herceptin...its easier on the heart. So I really believe if you have them slow it down to at least 1 hr this will get rid of your problems. (Then...no more steriods) Let me know how it goes. It sure is funny the only time you had problems with it was when it they gave it to you in 30 minutes? You mentioned your headaches...my chemo nurse always gave me two tylenol before my infusions and it did seem to help. (Just another thought.) Let me know how it goes. Chelee __________________ DX: 12-20-05 - Stage IIIA, Her2/Neu, 3+++,Er & Pr weakly positive, 5 of 16 pos nodes. Rt. MRM on 1-3-06 -- No Rads due to compromised lungs. Chemo started 2-7-06 -- TCH - - Finished 6-12-06 Finished yr of wkly herceptin 3-19-07 3-15-07 Lt side prophylactic simple mastectomy. -- Ooph 4-05-07 9-21-09 PET/CT "Recurrence" to Rt. axllia, Rt. femur, ilium. Possible Sacrum & liver? Now stage IV. 9-28-09 Loading dose of Herceptin & started Zometa 9-29-09 Power Port Placement 10-24-09 Mass 6.4 x 4.7 cm on Rt. femur head. 11-19-09 RT. Femur surgery - Rod placed 12-7-09 Navelbine added to Herceptin/Zometa. 3-23-10 Ten days of rads to RT femur. Completed. 4-05-10 Quit Navelbine--Herceptin/Zometa alone. 5-4-10 Appt. with Dr. Slamon to see what is next? Waiting on FISH results from femur biopsy. Results to FISH was unsuccessful--this happens less then 2% of the time. 7-7-10 Recurrence to RT axilla again. Back to UCLA for options.