Severe Reaction -Rushed to Hospital

marybeth

My first chemo was Tues 3/15 and I was feeling great. Yesterday I went for a scheduled Neulasta shot (to promote WBC production before it drops) and within an hour I was rushed to the hosp by ambulance. It came on suddenly - Initially, I felt the bone pain they told me might happen but it was so severe I almost dropped to the floor, then a full body flush, heart racing, very short of breath and very weak. By the time the ambulance got there (6 min) , I had developed severe stomach cramps, gone pale, worse shortness of breath and my heart rate went down to 50 -BP stayed in a normal range. I was in triage when the cramping subsided and I started feeling a little better so they just monitored me for the next hour and 1/2 and then my vitals were normal. So it all straightend itself out without any benedryl etc. The pamphlet I have says Neulasta is made with the E Coli bacteria... I have a call in to the Dr. (they had called ahead that I was coming in by amulance so knew about the reaction) and I want to know what alternative we have. Today I feel crappy but I think that might be the chemo - little shaky, tired, just not well. Does Dr. Jay have any insight and has anyone else out there experienced such a reaction? (I think this is going to be a very long summer for me!) Thanks for any insight you can give. That was REALLY scary! MB
_________________
Dx 12/28/04 at age 51
DCIS and ductal carcinoma invasive
6mm tumor
lumpectomy 1/5/05 unsuccessful margins
left mastectomy 1/14/05
1 +/5 lymph nodes
Chemo started 3/15 AC, then Taxol
Herceptin 6 rounds/stopped b/c of low EF
Armimidex
right prophylactic mastectomy 2/17/06
Implants 1/07, final w/tatto 9/07

penelopez · Senior User Joined: 11 Oct 2004 Posts: 165

Marybeth ~ How awful! I can't even begin to imagine how scared you were!

I can't offer any help because I never had a Neulasta shot. I had chemo every 3 weeks instead.

Just wanted to let you know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. I'm glad that that's over but sorry you're still feeling crappy. Hope you feel better soon.

Keep us posted.

Hugs,

Margie

Minnlady13

(((MaryBeth))) This sound just awful! How frightening. Glad you are now all right. I sure hope they find something that will work and not cause such a drastic reaction. Take care, Lauri
_________________
Diagnosed 4/11/1996
Lumpectomy, 6 mm tumor
Neg. nodes
ER/PR+
33 rads
Tamoxifen, 5 yrs.
NED

sgishelly

Hi,

I had the Neulasta shot and had no problems at all...thanks goodness!! The other alternative would be doing the chemo every 3 weeks with no shot. Hopefully your doc will have other alternatives or suggestions.
_________________
Shelly
Dx Nov 1, 2004 at 40 y/o
Right MRM, Left Simple Mast. - 12/9/04
Stage 2A IDC -
Primary tumor 1cm
3+ / 14 nodes, ER/PR+, HER2-
34 rads - finished 5/25
chemo - AC and Taxol FINISHED 7/6/05
beginning reconstruction 2/06
brain mets 4/06 - now stage 4

Cindy · Senior User Joined: 01 Dec 2004 Posts: 167

Whew, MB!! How frightning that must have been. Glad to hear you are doing better. I can't blame you for wanting to find an alternative. Hope everything goes well from this day forward. Blessings.
_________________
Where is the cure???
www.truefacesofbreastcancer.org
www.diepbreastreconstruction.org
www.bcsisters.org/forum
www.mybreastcancerstore.com

marybeth

Thanks for all of the replies and good wishes. I was feeling really crappy yesterday and the Dr. office called to tell me that the manufactuer said that my reaction happenes in 1 in 4,000 patients! My Dr's practice has never seen it so this is very scary. As it turns out, Neulasta is a time released drug over a 12 day period so the office had me come in to be checked out and thought that I was feeling some effects of both chemo and the shot. So they put me on Prednisone for the next 10 days to block the reaction and benedryl yesterday and today. I feel better today but not great, at least I'm not as shaky, have a bit more energy and actually think I may be able to get in the shower but that will be about it I think, then back to bed.

There is another shot that can boost WBC but it has some of the same componets in it so there's no way we're trying that. So, my treatment plan has changed to once every 3 weeks for 4 A/C, followed by a lower dose of Taxol every week for 12 weeks (instead of 4 rounds every other week). I'm now on the 6 month plan rather than 4 months.

Since I may be having a combined reaction to chemo and the shot, can someone tell me what is 'typically' normal for a chemo reaction and how long you should feel crappy? Do you actually get back to feeling 'normal' between treatments at some point? Thanks everyone, you're great support! MB
_________________
Dx 12/28/04 at age 51
DCIS and ductal carcinoma invasive
6mm tumor
lumpectomy 1/5/05 unsuccessful margins
left mastectomy 1/14/05
1 +/5 lymph nodes
Chemo started 3/15 AC, then Taxol
Herceptin 6 rounds/stopped b/c of low EF
Armimidex
right prophylactic mastectomy 2/17/06
Implants 1/07, final w/tatto 9/07

susanp

Hi Marybeth,

So sorry this has happened to you. The complications we sometimes get may actually be worse than the treatment!

I did the AC every three weeks and the Taxol every week. After the AC treatment I kinda felt flu like symptoms for about 5 days afterward. Didn't do much except rest a lot. The second week was better, and the third was enjoyable. Each treatment was basically the same. With the Taxol, I thought at first they forgot to put the drugs in the mix! But what happened to me is it had more of a cumulative effect, the more tx's under my belt, the more fatigue I felt. Also had trouble sleeping the night of infusion due to the steriods so I needed to take the Ambien just that night. There is a new drug out, Abraxane (sp?) which delivers the taxol without needing the steriods. Don't know if that would be an option for you. Anyway, rest often, eat right, exercise mildly when you can (yoga is great!) and you should do fine. Chin up!

Take care,
Susan
_________________
Take care,
Susan

dx 3/20/03
MRM 3/24/03
8cm tumor, 1+ node, ER-, PR+, HER2+
Entered clinical trial, AC, taxol & Herceptin
30 Rads
finished all treatments 7/04
8 mos of tamoxifen, now on Arimidex
Had TRAM recontruction 5/04

AlaskaAngel · Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 12:53 pm Post subject: Adverse reactions

I'm sorry to hear you went through all that as part of treatment that is hard to do in the first place. It is harder to follow through after something like that. My treatment happened before the current regimen became standard, so the drugs I had were different. For better or worse, I opted not to have any hematopoietic stimulant throughout treatment.

I also had a few weird experiences with treatment that made it a little harder to go through with it. For better or worse, each time I chose to continue. One episode was a week of not being able to coordinate my brain with my fingers, and my fingers are part of how I make a living so that was difficult for me. Another episode was when I lost my eyesight for a very, very brief period of time. The medications hadn't changed, and no one knew what caused these problems or why they went away.

Thanks for sharing what you learned from your experience, and good luck with the rest of your treatments.

A.A.
_________________
Dx Dec 2001 at age 50
Lumpectomy Jan 2002, 1.6 cm IDC plus some DCIS
Node neg
ER+, PR+, HER2+++
CAF x 6, 35 rads+boost
NED
Tamoxfen 1 3/4 yrs
In 2 clinical trials
bc for mom and 1 sis and 1 aunt and 1 granny
ovarian cancer for 1 aunt

sgishelly

Mary Beth,

So sorry to hear that you are having a difficul time. My chemo (AC) experience was similar to others that have responded. I had treatments on Tuesdays every other week with the Neulastat shot the following day. I felt generally crappy for about 5-6 days...but then I started feeling better. Another thing I noticed was my eyesight got really screwed up...that also seemed to straighten out after about a week.

Good luck!!
_________________
Shelly
Dx Nov 1, 2004 at 40 y/o
Right MRM, Left Simple Mast. - 12/9/04
Stage 2A IDC -
Primary tumor 1cm
3+ / 14 nodes, ER/PR+, HER2-
34 rads - finished 5/25
chemo - AC and Taxol FINISHED 7/6/05
beginning reconstruction 2/06
brain mets 4/06 - now stage 4

Marion · Experienced user Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 60

Hi Mary Beth. How scary for you. I did A/C every other week with a Neulasta shot at the same time I got the chemo treatment. I had what felt like oncoming flu symptoms which lasted about 24-36 hours. On the third day I felt great and was able to work from home or go shopping. I was tired and rested whenever I needed but it was very tolerable with the nausea drug I was given. I wish you the best and our thoughts are with you.

Marion
_________________
Age: 48
Dx 10/14/04
lumpectomy 10/26
1.6 cm
Stage IIA
SN biopsy 10/29
1/14 nodes +
4 A/C
30 Rads
Taxotere complete
Tamoxifen for 5 years

marybeth

Hi again -- I'm feeling much better yesterday and today. It took a while but between that WBC shot, chemo and Prednisone to block that nasty reaction, I'll have to wait for next chemo round to see just how chemo alone affects me. Go for blood work Wed so I'll see if that shot did the trick it was supposed to (considering it threw me a whammy). I guess a week post next chemo I'll have a better idea of what my WBC will do on it's own. Just thought I'd check in and thank everyone again for your replies, prayers and thoughts. Praying for all of you on this end too!! MB
_________________
Dx 12/28/04 at age 51
DCIS and ductal carcinoma invasive
6mm tumor
lumpectomy 1/5/05 unsuccessful margins
left mastectomy 1/14/05
1 +/5 lymph nodes
Chemo started 3/15 AC, then Taxol
Herceptin 6 rounds/stopped b/c of low EF
Armimidex
right prophylactic mastectomy 2/17/06
Implants 1/07, final w/tatto 9/07

AlaskaAngel · Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 11:00 pm Post subject: Chemo

Hi Marybeth

Glad to hear you have made it through the first session of chemo and sound good. I just had my 3rd anniversary of the day I started chemo (3/12/02) so I too was looking at a 6-month chemo regimen back then. I was done 7/31/02 and later had rads. Hair isn't everything, but my hair did came back curly and the same color as it had been before. Each hair is thinner than it used to be. I saved some when I cut it before chemo and looked under a 'scope to compare it. My hair is now just below my shoulders. I decided not to cut anything as it grew out and I am glad I did because the ends have stayed curly. Best wishes to you for gentle days ahead and speedy completion of your treatments.

A.A.
_________________
Dx Dec 2001 at age 50
Lumpectomy Jan 2002, 1.6 cm IDC plus some DCIS
Node neg
ER+, PR+, HER2+++
CAF x 6, 35 rads+boost
NED
Tamoxfen 1 3/4 yrs
In 2 clinical trials
bc for mom and 1 sis and 1 aunt and 1 granny
ovarian cancer for 1 aunt

Cindy · Senior User Joined: 01 Dec 2004 Posts: 167

Hi MB. I know your next chemo is approaching, probably tomorrow. Hope everything goes okay this time. Sending thoughts and prayers your way. Please let us know how you are and how things turned out. Blessings.
_________________
Where is the cure???
www.truefacesofbreastcancer.org
www.diepbreastreconstruction.org
www.bcsisters.org/forum
www.mybreastcancerstore.com

marybeth

Hi Cindy - thanks for thinking of me and yes, my 2nd chemo is tomorrow. A little nervous and hoping my reaction last time was from the shot -- I'm pretty sure it was but won't be totally convinced until I get past a couple of days without having to call an ambulance again LOL. On day 13 after my 1st chemo my hair started falling out so I had it shaved that day and started wearing my wig. At first, I thought I might have done it too early as I had a buzz cut but nothing else was falling out. Well, this weekend the little stubbies started to fall out and I now have bald spots all over the back of my head and little hairs on my shoulders. I would definitely recommend anyone else doing chemo to take control and shave it off at first 'sight'...it helped me b/c I took control and it's DONE. Ready to move on and have one more chemo down! MB
_________________
Dx 12/28/04 at age 51
DCIS and ductal carcinoma invasive
6mm tumor
lumpectomy 1/5/05 unsuccessful margins
left mastectomy 1/14/05
1 +/5 lymph nodes
Chemo started 3/15 AC, then Taxol
Herceptin 6 rounds/stopped b/c of low EF
Armimidex
right prophylactic mastectomy 2/17/06
Implants 1/07, final w/tatto 9/07

Cindy · Senior User Joined: 01 Dec 2004 Posts: 167

Hope all went well with your chemo and that you are fairing well. Your hair will grow back before your know it. Take care, dear.
_________________
Where is the cure???
www.truefacesofbreastcancer.org
www.diepbreastreconstruction.org
www.bcsisters.org/forum
www.mybreastcancerstore.com

	Cancer Forums Forum Index -> Breast Cancer Forum	All times are GMT - 5 Hours Goto page 1, 2 Next
Page 1 of 2

A website for discussions about any type of cancer, including lung cancer, breast cancer, mesothelioma, prostate cancer, laryngeal cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and others