First doxetaxol herseptin and perjumab

Hi Blueflower

I am now two weeks after my final chemo session (I had two cycles of EC, followed by four of docetaxel/herceptin/perjeta).  I found with the doc/her/per that the side effects happened later than with EC, and that my worst days were Days 5-9, when the side effects of bone/joint pain and digestive problems (diarrhoea mainly, plus foul taste in the mouth and lack of appetite) could be quite severe.  In fact I am still having some digestive problems now, on Day 15 after my last cycle.  I mentioned this to my oncologist when I saw her this morning, and she said that this was common as the side effects of docetaxel are cumulative and build up over the cycles.  I have always found on doc/her/per that it took to about Day 17 before I felt normal again, whereas on EC it was much earlier.  So the pattern you are describing is very like the one I have had, and from other threads on this forum I think it is quite common.  Once I got used to how the doc/her/per cycle worked, I found it was manageable, but it was definitely more challenging than the EC.  Having said that, I have found from my last MRI scan that the doc/her/per treatment has completed dissolved my HER2+ tumour, so the harsh effects of these drugs is definitely worth the troublesome side effects.

I hope that you get a callback soon, and that your unit can give you some advice and meds to help with side effects.  I found that loperamide did the trick with the digestive problems (I also took some Imodium Instants with me when I went out, just in case the docetaxel struck suddenly).  

Blackcat xx