ovarian cancer stage 3c: taxotere chemo questions

hello to you all and thanks so much for all that you share!

my mother was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer one month ago today. we have an incredible doctor who i think is very agressive and working very hard to get her cured (with the help of our Lord)!

she had her first chemo treatment the monday before thanksgiving and will have her next tuesday, 12/16/08. in her first treatment, she was supposed to take carboplatin and taxotere. well, a few minutes after the taxotere started she had a horrible allerigc reaction - it started with a flushed face and then led to her not being able to breathe, very bad chest pain, back pain...i experienced the worst few minutes of my life as i witnessed this reaction. they gave her benadryl and oxygen and flushed the taxotere out of her system. they skipped the taxotere completely that day and she was able to get the carboplatin with very little side effects.

on tuesday, her doctor will give her the taxotere again. i am very nervous about this, but understand that this is the most aggressive approach possible. she is taking medication to prevent another reaction starting 48 hours out from the chemo. they are also going to give her a very low dose at a slow pace and then pick it up as the treatment goes along. does anyone on here have any experience with this type of reaction and then trying the taxotere again?

i also understand that taxotere can cause extreme swelling. mom already has very bad swelling in her abdomen from the large amount of ascites in her abdomen. i am concerned that her abdominal swelling will intensify with the taxotere swelling side effects. does anyone have any knowledge, remedies, etc to offer on this possibility?

mom will have the upcoming session of chemo and one more before getting ready for surgery. her doctor believes this will increase his ability to optimal debulk her from 70% to 90%. anyone familiar with this type of treatment strategy, results?

i just want to get my mom better and i am researching every night to learn as much as i can to help every way that i can. thanks so much for your time and help!!

all the best!

On 12/11/2008 believe-in-miracles wrote:

hello to you all and thanks so much for all that you share!

my mother was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer one month ago today. we have an incredible doctor who i think is very agressive and working very hard to get her cured (with the help of our Lord)!

she had her first chemo treatment the monday before thanksgiving and will have her next tuesday, 12/16/08. in her first treatment, she was supposed to take carboplatin and taxotere. well, a few minutes after the taxotere started she had a horrible allerigc reaction - it started with a flushed face and then led to her not being able to breathe, very bad chest pain, back pain...i experienced the worst few minutes of my life as i witnessed this reaction. they gave her benadryl and oxygen and flushed the taxotere out of her system. they skipped the taxotere completely that day and she was able to get the carboplatin with very little side effects.

on tuesday, her doctor will give her the taxotere again. i am very nervous about this, but understand that this is the most aggressive approach possible. she is taking medication to prevent another reaction starting 48 hours out from the chemo. they are also going to give her a very low dose at a slow pace and then pick it up as the treatment goes along. does anyone on here have any experience with this type of reaction and then trying the taxotere again?

i also understand that taxotere can cause extreme swelling. mom already has very bad swelling in her abdomen from the large amount of ascites in her abdomen. i am concerned that her abdominal swelling will intensify with the taxotere swelling side effects. does anyone have any knowledge, remedies, etc to offer on this possibility?

mom will have the upcoming session of chemo and one more before getting ready for surgery. her doctor believes this will increase his ability to optimal debulk her from 70% to 90%. anyone familiar with this type of treatment strategy, results?

i just want to get my mom better and i am researching every night to learn as much as i can to help every way that i can. thanks so much for your time and help!!

all the best!

 

Hi Good luck with your mom, I will keep her in my prays, Miracles do happen if you believe.

I think you mean taxol which I have had with carbonplatin. I had have Ovairan stage 3c cancer too. I had surgery first though before chemo. I had debulking at time of surgery and I was cleaned out down to the microscopic partials. Chemo did the rest. But I still got a recurrence and am now on Chemo again but a different drug. Its trial and error.

As far as the reaction to Taxol, They should of givening benadryl and other preventing reaction drugs before giving taxol or any chemo drug. They also always should start new drugs off at a slower rate and increase as patient can tolerate it. Reactions can happening even with taking preventing drugs before hand.

Its good to learn and research, I still do even with a doctor in the family. Keep the spirits high and pray and think positive and Believe all things are possible.

Keep in touch Nancy

On 12/11/2008 believe-in-miracles wrote:

hello to you all and thanks so much for all that you share!

my mother was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer one month ago today. we have an incredible doctor who i think is very agressive and working very hard to get her cured (with the help of our Lord)!

she had her first chemo treatment the monday before thanksgiving and will have her next tuesday, 12/16/08. in her first treatment, she was supposed to take carboplatin and taxotere. well, a few minutes after the taxotere started she had a horrible allerigc reaction - it started with a flushed face and then led to her not being able to breathe, very bad chest pain, back pain...i experienced the worst few minutes of my life as i witnessed this reaction. they gave her benadryl and oxygen and flushed the taxotere out of her system. they skipped the taxotere completely that day and she was able to get the carboplatin with very little side effects.

on tuesday, her doctor will give her the taxotere again. i am very nervous about this, but understand that this is the most aggressive approach possible. she is taking medication to prevent another reaction starting 48 hours out from the chemo. they are also going to give her a very low dose at a slow pace and then pick it up as the treatment goes along. does anyone on here have any experience with this type of reaction and then trying the taxotere again?

i also understand that taxotere can cause extreme swelling. mom already has very bad swelling in her abdomen from the large amount of ascites in her abdomen. i am concerned that her abdominal swelling will intensify with the taxotere swelling side effects. does anyone have any knowledge, remedies, etc to offer on this possibility?

mom will have the upcoming session of chemo and one more before getting ready for surgery. her doctor believes this will increase his ability to optimal debulk her from 70% to 90%. anyone familiar with this type of treatment strategy, results?

i just want to get my mom better and i am researching every night to learn as much as i can to help every way that i can. thanks so much for your time and help!!

all the best!

 

Hi.  I, too, have stage 3C OC.  The MOST important thing is that a gyn oncologist does her surgery.  I guess by now she has had her second round of taxol and I hope all went well.  I have been under constant treatment going on 2 years now, have never been in remission, but I feel great.  I've taken a reprise from chemo until after the first of the year just because I needed a break.

I hope all goes well for your mom, but absolutely make sure her Dr is a gyn onc.

Hi: Keep up the prayers, they are good for both you and her. He listens He really does.  Chemo before surgery will help the doctor remove tumors easier and will less damage to surrounding tissue. It "lifts" up the tumors from what they are attached to. I was told this by one of the best gynacological (sp) surgeons on the west coast. Make sure she is getting dexamethazone steroid or some other pretreatment before chemo is applied.Tagamet helps with the stomach upset caused by the steroids. Also the BEST antinausea drug out there is Aloxi. Definately ask your Oncologist about giving your mom Aloxi at time of chemo. Memorize her pathology report and check to see what surface proteins her cancer is expressing. This is most important. OV cancer is not one disease, it has many varients. hopefully your mom has one of the proteins expressed that science has developed a weapon against. See what she is positive for HER2, EGFR, ER, PR, etc and ask the oncol what he/she suggests for what your Mom's tumor is expressing.  There are specific drugs out there that can be used in combination with carbo/taxol mix that target the specific varient that she has. Keep close track of her red and white cell counts during the chemo and make sure they track her vitamin D level (cancer loves low vitamin D blood level).  Also check out MD Anderson hospital in TX for use of curcumin afterwards to stave off reoccurance. God be with you.

On 12/11/2008 believe-in-miracles wrote:

hello to you all and thanks so much for all that you share!

my mother was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer one month ago today. we have an incredible doctor who i think is very agressive and working very hard to get her cured (with the help of our Lord)!

she had her first chemo treatment the monday before thanksgiving and will have her next tuesday, 12/16/08. in her first treatment, she was supposed to take carboplatin and taxotere. well, a few minutes after the taxotere started she had a horrible allerigc reaction - it started with a flushed face and then led to her not being able to breathe, very bad chest pain, back pain...i experienced the worst few minutes of my life as i witnessed this reaction. they gave her benadryl and oxygen and flushed the taxotere out of her system. they skipped the taxotere completely that day and she was able to get the carboplatin with very little side effects.

on tuesday, her doctor will give her the taxotere again. i am very nervous about this, but understand that this is the most aggressive approach possible. she is taking medication to prevent another reaction starting 48 hours out from the chemo. they are also going to give her a very low dose at a slow pace and then pick it up as the treatment goes along. does anyone on here have any experience with this type of reaction and then trying the taxotere again?

i also understand that taxotere can cause extreme swelling. mom already has very bad swelling in her abdomen from the large amount of ascites in her abdomen. i am concerned that her abdominal swelling will intensify with the taxotere swelling side effects. does anyone have any knowledge, remedies, etc to offer on this possibility?

mom will have the upcoming session of chemo and one more before getting ready for surgery. her doctor believes this will increase his ability to optimal debulk her from 70% to 90%. anyone familiar with this type of treatment strategy, results?

i just want to get my mom better and i am researching every night to learn as much as i can to help every way that i can. thanks so much for your time and help!!

all the best!

 

Hi,

Was your mother given steroids the day before and the day of chemo to prevent the allergic reaction?

My mother was diagnosed with stage IIIC ovarian cancer in September, had surgery and 4th round of chemo/taxol.

I did the same...as much research to learn as fast as I could.

Caren

On 12/11/2008 believe-in-miracles wrote:

hello to you all and thanks so much for all that you share!

my mother was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer one month ago today. we have an incredible doctor who i think is very agressive and working very hard to get her cured (with the help of our Lord)!

she had her first chemo treatment the monday before thanksgiving and will have her next tuesday, 12/16/08. in her first treatment, she was supposed to take carboplatin and taxotere. well, a few minutes after the taxotere started she had a horrible allerigc reaction - it started with a flushed face and then led to her not being able to breathe, very bad chest pain, back pain...i experienced the worst few minutes of my life as i witnessed this reaction. they gave her benadryl and oxygen and flushed the taxotere out of her system. they skipped the taxotere completely that day and she was able to get the carboplatin with very little side effects.

on tuesday, her doctor will give her the taxotere again. i am very nervous about this, but understand that this is the most aggressive approach possible. she is taking medication to prevent another reaction starting 48 hours out from the chemo. they are also going to give her a very low dose at a slow pace and then pick it up as the treatment goes along. does anyone on here have any experience with this type of reaction and then trying the taxotere again?

i also understand that taxotere can cause extreme swelling. mom already has very bad swelling in her abdomen from the large amount of ascites in her abdomen. i am concerned that her abdominal swelling will intensify with the taxotere swelling side effects. does anyone have any knowledge, remedies, etc to offer on this possibility?

mom will have the upcoming session of chemo and one more before getting ready for surgery. her doctor believes this will increase his ability to optimal debulk her from 70% to 90%. anyone familiar with this type of treatment strategy, results?

i just want to get my mom better and i am researching every night to learn as much as i can to help every way that i can. thanks so much for your time and help!!

all the best!

Hello Miracles-

 I was taking Taxotere and Carboplatin and had a reaction similar to your mother's. They gave me the same help when it occured and some extra steroids. They did continue that day but at a slower drip. Every time after that I took my steroids the night before and the morning of treatment and did not have a recurrence of the reaction. I believe they may have giver me some more steroids at the IV center too. This was before by hysterectomy/debulking surgery and my tumors did shrink a lot.

I did not have any ascites from the chemo but I had a lot before diagnosis, in my abdomen and as a result of that irritating the diaphragm I had collected fluid drained from around my lungs.  That is what led to the CAT scan that diagnosed me. My abdomen was drained more than once and the comfort that came with that was incredible. Also, their ability to send liquid to be biopsied confirmed the diagnosis. Ask why they don't want to drain the fluid. Won't hurt to ask!

I hope you get helpful and comforting feedback here but don't hold back on asking your medical professionals the hard questions. You deserve answers and support. Remember, they are working for you!

Best to you and all of us everywhere doing BATTLE with this disease.

Ann

Hello.  I expect you mum is well into her treatment now.

I was diagnosed in April 2008 with ovarian cancer IIIC.  I had 2 lots of chemo, then surgery, then another 4 lots of chemo. I'm currently in remission (touch wood).  They started me with Taxol, to which I had an allergic reaction, then changed to Taxotere with Carboplatin.  I felt sick after the first chemo, but after that was OK.  I certainly did not have any noticeable swelling.

I live in France and for 3 days before and after the treatment we're asked to take steroids to minimise any possible reactions.  I was also told to take anti-sickness drugs 1 day before and 3 days after (called Elend).  They also run an antisickness drug through you via the perf before the other drugs.  All in all, I didn't find the treatment too difficult.

 Can anyone give me any information about the reoccurrence of ovarian cancer?  I feel great now, but when I look on Internet, it would appear that overall survival percentages are not that high.

 Thanks.