The first three days of Ibrance were full of mild nausea, moderate fatigue, and general ill-feeling. Thankfully by the Monday I felt like myself again. The fatigue has continued, but who doesn't appreciate an afternoon nap? The first two weeks were basically fine.
Today, the beginning of week three, started with more fatigue (i.e., I didn't get out of bed until after 1 PM), and then moved on to diarrhea. So I am still in my pajamas, even though it's lovely outside and I had planned to run errands and do some garden work. Thankfully Dr G gave me great meds to address the diarrhea.
I'll take the Ibrance for one more week (21 days total), then get a week off. Dr G wants me to have labs taken again in two weeks. I'll see him after Passover and hopefully start another Ibrance cycle if my white, red and platelet counts stay high enough.
So I'm taking today off and will nap again in between doing loads of laundry. And that's life on chemo!
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Napping is always good. But it sounds like you are handling it well.
ReplyDeleteI'm on day 5 of my first cycle of it. I woke up dizzy the first morning, but mercifully that went away. I'm hoping your fatigue level improves!
ReplyDeleteRegarding napping, I am an international napping champion and applaud your supportive stance. The more you recharge, the better I say.
ReplyDeleteContinued good luck wishes from London, and may your Passover be full of joy and steadily increasing white and red blood counts.
Nothing wrong with a good nap! Hope your blood counts behave for you. *fingers crossed*
ReplyDeleteDay 10 for me. So far zero side effects. Thank you for this blog, there is so little info out there from the patients perspective.
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm getting ready to take Ibrance. I'm a little nervous after reading all the side effects. Knowing it's a new drug and there's not much info on others experiences. Would love to continue to hear how everyone is doing with it. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThis is my third week and I have had no severe side effects. I am taking it with Femara and the only side effects I am having could be from either one of the drugs. I seem to be losing hair a few strands at a time and I have a stiffness and some joint pain in my hands.
ReplyDeleteWeek 2 in Ibrance here. Nausia, throwi g up kind, hits me around 1Pm. Feel better afterwards. Today was first day it kept me tired and in bed all day
ReplyDeleteToday makes me 2nd day on Ibrance. No side effects yet.
ReplyDeleteAs of yesterday, I'd been on IBrance for 14 days, but my 2 week blood work showed that I had become Neutropenic. I had a neutrophil count of 800.
ReplyDeleteI had been taking the 125 mg dose, and now my doctor has stopped the IBrance until I have my next appt. in 2 weeks.
Days 1-12 went by with only moderate fatigue. Day 13, I started having stomach upset. Day 14, I was woozie, nauseous and very tired. Went back to bed for the rest of the day. Day 15, despite not having taken the IBrance today, I am still nauseous, have stomach acid burning my espohagus, plus the fatigue.
Doctor is supposed to start me on a lower dose of 100 mg next round. So we'll see how my blood counts, etc respond.
Day 14 on Ibrance for me. I did experience nausea right from the start, my oncologist prescribed Prochlorperazine for the nausea. I take it about 20 minutes before the Ibrance and that helps immensely.
ReplyDeleteSecond day i brance fatigue,diarrhea,nausea but coping ,in two i will check my blood.
ReplyDeleteSecond day i brance fatigue,diarrhea,nausea but coping ,in two i will check my blood.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI am on my 4th cycle (21 days) of Ibrance in addition to Femara (Letrozole). I can't really tell which medications cause which side effects since both of them are pretty stupid in that department. I have a lot of different side effects in the beginning: dizziness, fatigue, nause, muscle and joint pain. After 4 months, most of the side effects are the same. Diarrhea went away, so that's a plus! The fatigue is almost always constant. I have to take naps and rest a lot. I also bleed easily and my white blood cells (WBC) stay really low. My last two results were below 3 (normal is about 3.4-9.8) so that can definitely be the cause of the fatigue. The first two cycles I was on 125 mg and the side effects were pretty bad so my oncologist bumped me down to 100 mg. I think that made the diarrhea go away. I'm stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. It had gone to 4 places in my lung, hip, and ribs. Oh and some lymph nodes around my heart and stomach. The muscle spasms and joint pain were pretty hardcore tonight so I broke down and took some pain meds with phenerghan. I feel a lot better now!
My last PET scan was Thursday Feb 18 2016 and it said no activity, whereas in October the cancer was spreading like wildfire! The meds are working! I also just had my ovaries and tubes out in Nov, so that has made a huge difference! Thank you for sharing your story! I will continue my dance with this beast also! Blessings to all of us on our journey!
I started seeing hand and foot syndrome during 5th cycle. Taking a break from Ibrance and having scans and more scans. It is so helpful to know that I am not the only one with severe fatigue.
ReplyDeleteI am so depressed. I have been on femara & instance since the end of Dec. I started losing hair in May after 5 cycles of frmara & instance. I can not endure losing my hair. I lost my hair 20 years ago during my first bout of breast cancer. The heartburn is nonstop. I had my 2nd PET scan in April, it showed no new spots & all lymph notes are normal. My first PET scan showed positive lymph nodes I'm hilar region. I want alternatives Please
ReplyDeleteMy blood work was done EVERY WEEK for 3 month and was perfect, red, white cells and platelets... I was lucky! On Ibrance 100mg, Letrozole 2.5mg for 8 months. Stay positive! This beats the alternative...
ReplyDeleteFirst 2 cycles of Ibrance were a piece of cake. Now 2nd week of 3rd cycle and paying for first 2 cycles being good. Upset stomach, constipation, and there is not even a word for how tired I have been.
ReplyDeleteAfter just 1 cycle of Ibrance and letrozole I have been taken off treatment due to low white cell count. I am devastated. I had very few symptoms and thought I was tolerating the treatment well. I am stage 4 breast cancer with secondaries in my liver and omentum. The cancer returned after 18 years!
ReplyDelete