HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Are pre-meds needed...

Chelee · 12-09-2009, 12:11 AM

Rich, I was on the oxygen the 12 days I was in the hospital. But once I was release to go home my 02 was still low so they had me on oxygen for a touch over 3 months. I had extreme SOB after I got out of the hospital...it was so bad that I couldn't even walk in my cancer center for my infusions. My husband took me to infusions in a wheel chair. I hated that. Thanks to the bad case of neutropenia caused by the Taxotere it did permanent damage to my lungs which was the last thing I needed.

Like you I wondered about the "ground glass infiltrates?" (Loved the windshield comment...too funny.)

Asked my onc about the ground glass infiltrates & he said I didn't have actually ground glass...it's just their way of describing things. (Medical lego I suppose?) When I first heard ground glass it freaked me out!

Herceptin is known to cause lung inflammation/reactions...so that's why they immediatly tried to blame on it. But I wasn't buying it thank goodness. I finished my yr on herceptin with no problems. I know it was the Taxotere...it's pretty rough...dropped my counts the first wk after taking it. By week 3 my wbc count was 6 if I remember right.

12-09-2009, 12:11 AM	#13
Chelee Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Southern, CA Posts: 2,511	Re: Are pre-meds needed... Rich, I was on the oxygen the 12 days I was in the hospital. But once I was release to go home my 02 was still low so they had me on oxygen for a touch over 3 months. I had extreme SOB after I got out of the hospital...it was so bad that I couldn't even walk in my cancer center for my infusions. My husband took me to infusions in a wheel chair. I hated that. Thanks to the bad case of neutropenia caused by the Taxotere it did permanent damage to my lungs which was the last thing I needed. Like you I wondered about the "ground glass infiltrates?" (Loved the windshield comment...too funny.) Asked my onc about the ground glass infiltrates & he said I didn't have actually ground glass...it's just their way of describing things. (Medical lego I suppose?) When I first heard ground glass it freaked me out! Herceptin is known to cause lung inflammation/reactions...so that's why they immediatly tried to blame on it. But I wasn't buying it thank goodness. I finished my yr on herceptin with no problems. I know it was the Taxotere...it's pretty rough...dropped my counts the first wk after taking it. By week 3 my wbc count was 6 if I remember right. __________________ 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.