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Chelee · 04-08-2006, 01:10 PM

Hi Sue, What you describe sounds pretty much like me. On my first chemo I had Herceptin, Taxotere, & Carbpotin. Was fine all day after infusion other then the normal stuff...taste, being tired, etc.
But that night after my first infusion I woke up to potty and got out of bed and fell to my left. Scared me to death. Thank goodness my waterbed has high sides so I could catch myself. I slowly worked my way to the bathroom & continued to be off balance as you said...not a true dizzy...but some where in between. Hard to explain...not vertigo ether. But I kept having problems with falling towards my left each time. I asked my infusion nurse about this...and my oncologist and they both said they had not heard of this?

I just had my second infusion and this time I was dizzy/off balance the minute I stood up from my infusion...which did not happen the first time following infusion.

But my first infusion was the herceptin, taxotere, & carbpotin...followed by weekly herceptin alone. This second time around they changed me to every three weeks with a concentrated dose of all three drugs. So the first time when I did the weekly herceptin following the one week of all three meds....I didn't get off balance till I got out of bed that night.

The second time when I was only having a three week does of all three it was imediately following infusion from the minute I stood up. I told my infusion nurse am I suppose to feel kind of dizzy/off balance? I told her its not a true dizzy...but I felt very unsteady and I always wanted to fall towards my left as you mentioned.

My last chemo was three weeks ago. I had that off balance feeling for several days after my last infusion. I hated it...it had me worried something else was wrong? Then it went away. But its been about three weeks since my last chemo and I started getting that off balance feeling again for about the last week out of the blue. Really bad when I wake up at night to use the bathroom! But it was happening in the day this last week too. I called my oncologist and infusion nurse and they said my red blood count was down a bit so come in for some Procrit and it would make me feel better. So I did that yesterday and and my LATE last night that I was NOT falling towards my left anymore. But I don't really know if it was the Procrit that helped....or it just went away? But the information sheet that comes with Procrit says you can get dizzy. Although like you said...and I did too...its not a true dizzy...its falling to the left.
I don't know if any of this helps you...but your post helps me because I hate it when they always tell me some side affect I mention that they never heard of it. Then I will read it here. You explained it really well Sue...because I was just like you...it was really hard to walk without falling over! In fact I would be careful but still fall back into my bedroom walls, bed...or when I was in the kitchen...I would grab the counter to catch my fall. My husband had to help me get into the oncologist yesterday due to this problem. I am just lost as to WHY it happened the first time at NIGHT AFTER I had been in bed sleeping...and only then. But this second time it happened imediately following chemo?

04-08-2006, 01:10 PM	#4
Chelee Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Southern, CA Posts: 2,511	Hi Sue, What you describe sounds pretty much like me. On my first chemo I had Herceptin, Taxotere, & Carbpotin. Was fine all day after infusion other then the normal stuff...taste, being tired, etc. But that night after my first infusion I woke up to potty and got out of bed and fell to my left. Scared me to death. Thank goodness my waterbed has high sides so I could catch myself. I slowly worked my way to the bathroom & continued to be off balance as you said...not a true dizzy...but some where in between. Hard to explain...not vertigo ether. But I kept having problems with falling towards my left each time. I asked my infusion nurse about this...and my oncologist and they both said they had not heard of this? *I just had my second infusion and this time I was dizzy/off balance the minute I stood up from my infusion...which did not happen the first time following infusion.* But my first infusion was the herceptin, taxotere, & carbpotin...followed by weekly herceptin alone. This second time around they changed me to every three weeks with a concentrated dose of all three drugs. So the first time when I did the weekly herceptin following the one week of all three meds....I didn't get off balance till I got out of bed that night. The second time when I was only having a three week does of all three it was imediately following infusion from the minute I stood up. I told my infusion nurse am I suppose to feel kind of dizzy/off balance? I told her its not a true dizzy...but I felt very unsteady and I always wanted to fall towards my left as you mentioned. My last chemo was three weeks ago. I had that off balance feeling for several days after my last infusion. I hated it...it had me worried something else was wrong? Then it went away. But its been about three weeks since my last chemo and I started getting that off balance feeling again for about the last week out of the blue. Really bad when I wake up at night to use the bathroom! But it was happening in the day this last week too. I called my oncologist and infusion nurse and they said my red blood count was down a bit so come in for some Procrit and it would make me feel better. So I did that yesterday and and my LATE last night that I was NOT falling towards my left anymore. But I don't really know if it was the Procrit that helped....or it just went away? But the information sheet that comes with Procrit says you can get dizzy. Although like you said...and I did too...its not a true dizzy...its falling to the left. I don't know if any of this helps you...but your post helps me because I hate it when they always tell me some side affect I mention that they never heard of it. Then I will read it here. You explained it really well Sue...because I was just like you...it was really hard to walk without falling over! In fact I would be careful but still fall back into my bedroom walls, bed...or when I was in the kitchen...I would grab the counter to catch my fall. My husband had to help me get into the oncologist yesterday due to this problem. I am just lost as to WHY it happened the first time at NIGHT AFTER I had been in bed sleeping...and only then. But this second time it happened imediately following chemo?