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Nulasta shot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Posted 8/27/2005 6:29 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Kathy and Tammy

I had an appointment with the Dr today and she decided that my problems were caused from an allergic reaction to the taxotere I took on my first chemo last Thursday. All of my side effects were consistant with those. She said I could have had a small amount of pain from the actual Neulasta shot bt not have been as sick as I was. Today was my first day to actually go outside after a whole week, I actually got dressed!!!! I lived in my jammies this last week.

My Dr says she is going to take the Taxotere out of my chemo regimine. I guess this has happened before but to a small amount of people that react so severly. Lucky me huh!

Tammy I dont know what she will use if I dont have the Neulasta next time, I forgot to ask. Kathy I hope this makes you feel better. I dont want you to worry but I know you will anyway because I was told the same thing and I have still worried about all of it. Why is it going to be so long before you start your chemo? I pushed so hard to get it started because I figure the sooner I start the sooner I will be done :) Also I am very impatient.

Hugs to both of you
Bernadette
Posted 8/27/2005 12:03 PM (GMT 0)
Gosh Brnadette not sure what to think now I did have the same symptoms you did each time I had A/C and just made it though, at no time did my doc say it was a reaction to the neulasta shot he is one of the leading doctors doing reseach and wonder why he wouldn't have known, oh well, I made it though  the chemo without any lasting side effects. UUmm thats interesting.. not sure what to think but just glad its all over. I hope all goes well for you with the next tx's...I really am not totally convinced it was a allergic reaction I had but it really doesn't matter right now anyway just hope with ever it was for you its going to be better the next treatment...skeeter1 

Posted 8/27/2005 6:17 PM (GMT 0)
Skeeter

You had just AC and still had all of those symptoms, now Im worried that it really was the shot and I will have to go through that again. Were you down completly for days?? I was so sick I could not even sit up for more than a few minutes. Did your Dr say your reactions were due to the AC only? I was doing TAC which is AC plus Taxotere. I guess I wont know for sure until next time. I hope I can trust what my Dr says she too is one of the leading Drs in the Seattle area and works in a very large cancer center. I was given her name from my brother in law who is a retired onc Dr in this area, he was the top of the Dr list but only does consulting for hospitals now or I would have went to him. My sister in law is a Physicians assistant and works in oncology too. I have had some great help from them but try not to ask them too much because of the conflict of interest. I would hae went to my sister in law but she is at a hospitol that is too far for me to drive everyday for treatments when I get to the rads part. I just pray I dont have to go through that again. My Dr hugged me at my appointment and said dont ever let it go on so long please call if you are not feeling well.
Well it looks like Im the one rambling this time, I really appreciate your friendship even if we have never met!
Bernadette
Posted 8/27/2005 6:20 PM (GMT 0)

So will they replace the Taxotere with some other chemical to see if that works? I can't imagine being laid up in the bed for a week. sad   I'm glad you're finally feeling a little better.

I guess the reason it's taking me so long to do chemo is, I had the needle biopsy 1st. The doc said it was a little iffy. She wanted to take the lump out and do the biopsy on the lump to be sure, that was on 6/22. I already had my vac planned for 9/1-9/11. She only does surgeries on Wednesdays at the hospital near by. So my next suregry was 7/27 to make sure she got everything the 1st time and to take out 3 nodes. That next week, on 8/5 is when I went back to the surgeon's office to get the Mammosite inserted so I could do radiation. I did the radiation the week of 8/8, 2 treatments a day for 5 days. I believe I need a few weeks to recover from all that. It has been 3 weeks since they took out the catheter and I'm still having a little draining. I stopped by the office Thursday morn for the Onc to look at it. The streri strips haven't come off yet and it kind of looked like there was still a opening. She said there was an area that was still a little open but to leave the strips on and she gave me a prescription for an antibiotic. I told her I don't want to be developing a small infection and end up in the hospital while I'm on vacation. I wasn't going to change or cancel my vacation for anyone. Because of all this I have spent less time at the beach than I normally do in the summer, so I am going for a week and a half even if it kills me.

Posted 8/27/2005 9:52 PM (GMT 0)
Kathy

I did not realize that you had rads already mine are scheduled after the chemo. No wonder they are waiting that makes more sense. What is a mammosite??? and why do they insert it for rads? You had to do 2 a day, did you get burned bad? My mom had rads and got burndt the color of a blackberry but that was in the 80's when the technology was not as good. Why the rads ist? I have so many questions for everyone I talk to it makes me feel like a kid grabbing as muuch knowledge as possible.

I hope that you can relax and have a great time at the beach. I wish I was going too. We usally take our trailer out lots during the summer but have not had one outing yet. Have a glass of wine :) relax do lots of fun things.

Bernadette
Posted 8/28/2005 11:22 AM (GMT 0)
Bernadette, I started a topic on this a while back called "Brachytherapy". It's on page 3 of this forum. You can read my posts there. Also here is a link, but everyone can do it.  http://mammosite.com/index_mammo.asp

This is done from the inside so there is no outside skin damage.

Post Edited (Kattbird) : 8/28/2005 5:25:26 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/30/2005 1:58 AM (GMT 0)
Bern, I do not remember my WBC numbers...they definitely went low, but not so low that I was in trouble. I felt fine all the time, and they rebounded for each chemo. I kept a chart with my numbers to watch the highs and lows and it was very predictable for me. My onc was almost an hour away, so I went to my PCP for weekly blood draws. I would get my results right there and I faxed it to my onc's team. The nurse called me once and asked me how I felt, because my count was getting low...but I felt totally fine.

OK...now you are going to laugh. I saved everything from my cancer experience, I cannot explain it (I did participate in a video project at our local Gilda's Club about saving artifacts...and why we did it...)

On week 2 after my first chemo, my WBC was 2.0, gran was 0.6...I think that was the lowest it got. Then it would go back to normal. A week after chemo it was back up to 5.6 and 4.1. The next week it was 2.5 and 1.1...and so on.....

I have no idea how this compares to anyone else's experience, and I am not saying because I did it you should too,...just sharing my experience....I just know that I was not started on any supplements, where now it seems they do it precautionary. Maybe they will let you try it without next time, knowing that in the old days many people were ok with it. I think there are other alternatives, such as neupagen (sp?).

Hang in there...and don't be afraid to ask the doc if you need help. We all tend to be heroes, it is hard to ask for help sometimes. At least for me, anyway. Please don't let yourself suffer as long next time, as there may be other options.
Lori
Posted 8/30/2005 3:25 AM (GMT 0)
Lori

I cant believe there is another person on this earth that saves ALL of her cancer papers etc. I have saved every slip of paper, my surgery inst, my discharge, my wrist bands and so on. I started a journal (which I have never done) it is like doing yoga it relaxes me. I have not let anyone read it but I have thought of posting it, when this is all over. My family would love to read it.

My Dr told me that she would not let me get that sick again. I cant believe that I waited that long, I just figured that with cancer you have to suffer some. I guess you learn alot about cancer when you are going through it. My next chemo is on the 6th Ill see then if the change helps.

I still have hair at least for a few more days, hubby is going to shave his head too when mine goes :) I found a wig and a couple of hats no scarves yet. Did your hair color and texture change when it came back in? I wouldnt mind a little curl.
Posted 8/2/2006 7:45 PM (GMT 0)

I also had to take the Nulasta shot after each Chemo treatment and had similar side effects but it was not from the Nulasta shot. about 36 hours after my TAC Chemo cocktail for breast cancer, I was out of commission for approximately 5 - 6 days.

I know it depends on the Chemo drugs cocktail you are given and how your body reacts to it. But the Nulasta helped me to sustain my white blood cells and I was able to maintain my red blood cells with eating iron rich foods. I never had to take Procrit. Which was unusual I was told. After a while most patients had to take it especially as they got to the end of their sessions.

I was also achy, had the bone pain, my fever would go to about 99 degrees after the first session, it was the worst. I had to be hospitalized for three days because the chemicals they gave me were too strong. I had diarrhea and a fever of 102. After they adjusted my dosage it went much better and I was able to return to work after each Chemo session and work about 1.5 weeks before the next scheduled session. My sessions were ever three weeks.

I also lost my taste for food, my mouth was dry and but I never developed mouth sores. I ate peaches and applesauce, an all beef hotdog and sherbet. My appetite returned about the same time as my strength.

I was taking Emend for the nausea along with a steroid I was give just prior to the chemo session. I never had the debilitating nausea that I had heard of so much before starting this.

I also saved everything from my cancer experience.  Lab printouts, wristbands, discharge papers, cards, letters, and all the information I pulled from the internet.  Resource directories for help and support groups and even the reciepts from the parking gargarges.  I added those to my tax deductions.   What a year.  tongue

 

But Thank God, I made it through.... I will never forget 2005/2006.   I finished my radiation in April of this year and so fars things are looking good.

 

Posted 8/3/2006 2:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Bern.

I have been getting Neulasta for awhile. I have different reactiona after every shot. Sometimes I feel no symptoms, and sometimesI get bone and joint pain. Only once was the pain excruciating. Shows that everyone reacts differently. I had total numbness and pins and needles in my right arm (not from the shot) I worked hard to get some strength back. I was at a point where I could sign my name and hold the fork again. Two weeks ago I got my neulasta and guess what, it affected my arm, severe pain and more numbness/ loss of strength. I hate that shot,, but have to do it. Hope you are feeling better today.
Posted 8/4/2006 3:16 AM (GMT 0)
Caite

It sounds like you and I were on the same schedule for treatments. I finished my radiation in April too. I started my whole journey last July. I have had a lumpectomy, port a cath, lymph nodes removed and a mediatinoskopy.

Welcome to our group, you will find there are many wonderful caring women here.

L&H

Bernadette

Posted 9/13/2006 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
I, too, will get this shot after my treatment next Wednesday. It is a good thing I looked at your entries. I figured I would go right back to work the next day, but since I will be getting the shot, I will ask the onc about pain killers and plan not to be here on Thursday. I at least know what to expect and am scared, of course. Where do they give you the shot - in your arm? Does the shot itself hurt, too?
Posted 9/14/2006 2:12 AM (GMT 0)
Belinda

I had the worst time after my first chemo but the rest of them were not like that. I was able to work thru chemo but did take some time off too. I had the worst time catching every bug that came along. I had bronchitis which kept me from working for awhile.

Looking back on it now it does not seem that bad at all, I did not get as nauseous like some people do. Actually getting the shot was not bad just a little sting, my least favorite part was the body aches. They gave me all of my shots in the arm.

Take care,
Bernadette
Posted 10/31/2006 10:58 PM (GMT 0)

I WILL BE HAVING MY MEDIPORT PUT IN TOMORROW AND A/C CHEMO STARTED ON THURSDAY AND NULASTA SHOT ON FRIDAY .....WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT?

CODIE

Posted 10/31/2006 11:18 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't have any problems with the shot. I felt a little achy, but nothing to drag me down.

Posted 11/1/2006 3:15 AM (GMT 0)

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REPLY .......AS LIKE EVEYONE ELSE THAT I HAVE BEEN READING about ...I AM SO SCARED TO START CHEMO THAT IT HAS JUST about CONSUMED ME..... NOT LOOSING THE HAIR , OR SICKNESS...BUT WORRYING about THE SIDE EFFECTS THAT THESE DRUGS COULD CAUSE....

THANKS FOR THE REPLY.... AND I WILL KEEP YOU ALL POSTED AS TO HOW MY MEDIPORT INSERTION WENT AND HOW MY FIRST ROUND OF CHEMO GOES DAY AFTER TOMORROW THEN HOW THE NEULASTA SHOT NEXT DAY WENT ALSO...

CODIE

Posted 12/11/2008 1:00 AM (GMT 0)
Bernadette.....OMG!! Thankyou, for you!! I thought it was just ME!
I cannot stand NULASTA! I Lie in bed the next day (2 days later is actually worse!)
But YES....you are Not Alone!!!

I'm sorry....I just saw this website...not sure when you posted this, but I saw this, and
I thought "OMG! I am NOT alone!!!"

Well, if you read this anytime, give me a shout! What sucks too, about Nulasta, is that
I am still feeling it..I need to go sit or lie down right now, and my shot was 8 days ago!

Oh boy, just having cancer....sucks!

Take Care bernadette! Hope your doing well!!

Suzanne :)

Post Edited (Zanna) : 12/11/2008 5:42:27 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 10/23/2010 5:46 AM (GMT 0)
Nulasta, I was told I had to have the shot in order for them to give the Chemo every two weeks instead of three. Of course the shot is $6,000 so they must be making a bundle on it. It was my first Chemo treatment AC. I was so sick I ended up in the hospital with a heart rate of 48, severe chest pains, not bone pain, tingling arms, after my heart was checked and rececked I was sent home with WC at 1.0 only to go into the most severe GERD blowup I have ever had. I couldn't even swallow, or eat for about 3 days, so they did a scope. No nothing wrong there. I think I will skip that lovely treatment this go around. All it takes is just waiting a little longer between treatments. Nothing could be worse than Nulasta.................Although I am getting better, I still have a sore throat, two weeks after. I really thought I was dying and none of it was bone pain so I bet I too was allergic to the shot. Not worth another chance.. You feel pretty bad when your heart rate is 48 and oh yeh then it shot to 170 in the hospital...No Thanks.
Cray
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