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DianneS · 04-04-2009, 10:17 PM

Hi Greg,

Kudos to you for doing all of the homework for your wife! How lucky she is to have you.

I just finished 5.5 treatments of Taxotere (not Taxol), Carboplatin and Herceptin. I had problems with the Taxotere every time. I had an allergic response which the oncology nurses dealt with by giving me hydrocortisone IV or increasing Benadryl IV. I also had Dexamethazone IV as well as taking it by pill the day before chemo, day of, and several days after to cut down on side effects of the Taxotere, which is standard, but my body just hated the stuff & devised different ways to react each time. The last treatment (March 12) I had a reaction similar to my first infusion: pain and tightness in the chest. Even with all the pre-meds. They ended up continuing the infusion with some saline to dilute the Taxotere. Other people have no problem with it. For me, the Carboplatin gave me no side effects. I am on just Herceptin now.

According to Slamon, the creator of Herceptin, his drug combination of choice is Taxotere, Carboplatin and of course, Herceptin, which is usually given first - at least it was for me, followed by the two other chemo drugs. There is some type of synergy between Taxotere and Carboplatin. My onc said 'it's no cakewalk, but it's do-able'. Course, she didn't have to do it. I had no problem with nausea, and was given Ondanestron in pill form 30 mins prior to IV of Carboplatin, and could take another one 8 hours later but never needed it.

We always wonder if we're doing the right thing when it comes to this. This is a hard decision and if you ask 20 people, you'll get 20 different ideas. I waited until almost 10 weeks to get started with my chemo because I was asking questions. I was told by someone to wait on the Adriamycin in case one has a recurrence as it can only be used once. Adriamycin can't be used in conjunction with Herceptin.

Best of luck and keep the forum posted!
Diannes

04-04-2009, 10:17 PM	#12
DianneS Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 327	Treatment decisions Hi Greg, Kudos to you for doing all of the homework for your wife! How lucky she is to have you. I just finished 5.5 treatments of Taxotere (not Taxol), Carboplatin and Herceptin. I had problems with the Taxotere every time. I had an allergic response which the oncology nurses dealt with by giving me hydrocortisone IV or increasing Benadryl IV. I also had Dexamethazone IV as well as taking it by pill the day before chemo, day of, and several days after to cut down on side effects of the Taxotere, which is standard, but my body just hated the stuff & devised different ways to react each time. The last treatment (March 12) I had a reaction similar to my first infusion: pain and tightness in the chest. Even with all the pre-meds. They ended up continuing the infusion with some saline to dilute the Taxotere. Other people have no problem with it. For me, the Carboplatin gave me no side effects. I am on just Herceptin now. According to Slamon, the creator of Herceptin, his drug combination of choice is Taxotere, Carboplatin and of course, Herceptin, which is usually given first - at least it was for me, followed by the two other chemo drugs. There is some type of synergy between Taxotere and Carboplatin. My onc said 'it's no cakewalk, but it's do-able'. Course, she didn't have to do it. I had no problem with nausea, and was given Ondanestron in pill form 30 mins prior to IV of Carboplatin, and could take another one 8 hours later but never needed it. We always wonder if we're doing the right thing when it comes to this. This is a hard decision and if you ask 20 people, you'll get 20 different ideas. I waited until almost 10 weeks to get started with my chemo because I was asking questions. I was told by someone to wait on the Adriamycin in case one has a recurrence as it can only be used once. Adriamycin can't be used in conjunction with Herceptin. Best of luck and keep the forum posted! Diannes