All Topics → Forum: Chemotherapy - Before, During and After → Topic: About to start Taxol after 4 doses of A-C
Posted on: Jun 8, 2009 01:04 PM
JudyNaomi wrote:
Last Tuesday, I had my last dose of A-C and am still suffering the effects of it. On Tuesday 16th June, I have the first of 4 doses of Taxol. The Oncologist insists that these will be easier than the first four. Have any of you had this regimen? Is there any truth in this? I am so afraid of the unknown again. I know that everyone reacts differently to these drugs, but I would like to hear from someone that has actually had it. Thank you!
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Jun 8, 2009 01:13 PM MicheleS wrote:
I did 4 AC's and am now doing 12 weekly taxols. I had a terrible time with the AC. While taxol isn't a picinc, I've found it to be waaaaaay easier. You can do this!
Jun 8, 2009 01:15 PM JudyNaomi wrote:
Thanks Michele. What side effects did you have from the Taxol? Was it easier on your stomach?
Jun 8, 2009 01:27 PM MicheleS wrote:
I am the vomit-queen (just go check the Feb 2009 thread! LOL!) and have had no "real" nausea from taxol. I still have the anticipatory nausea/vomiting because I was so bad during AC... but, that's not normal for most people. I do still get emmend and aloxi (sp?) in my IV during infusions but I'm thinking of trying to skip the emmend this round. I'm sort of afraid of doing that but I really feel like I'll be OK without it...
In any event, my worst SE's from taxol have been fatigue and some pain (in my neck and spine). I haven't had terrible neuropathy (just some annoying tingling but no pain). My finger nails look funny and a couple of my nailbeds are sore but it isn't that bad.
*Most* people would agree that taxol is easier. Your oncologist is telling you the truth! (But, I can remember being afraid too and not listening to my oncologist as he promised that it would get easier.)
Michele S
Jun 8, 2009 01:30 PM reen wrote:
I did 4 and 4. The Taxol was somewhat better. I think if you made it through the first 4, the next 4 are bearable. You're halfway there. Yay for you!! Hang in there.
Jun 8, 2009 03:40 PM konakat wrote:
I had minimal nausea on taxol -- the main side effect is flu-like aches -- achy bones. Give an over the counter painreliever a try but you may need to get a prescription pain killer. Once you've gotten through A/C, taxol is easier because you don't feel like puking all the time.
Jun 8, 2009 04:05 PM DENRulzBC wrote:
I just had my first of 4 Taxols last Thursday, I'm on the Dense Dose 4AC & 4T. I have read tips from other women about the aches and pains associated with the Taxol. Many women have suggested taking Claritin for the first 5 days. I did try that and so far have only had a very minimal lower back ache. I don't know if I can attribute it to the Claritin or am just lucky but I will continue the Claritin with the other treatments as I don't really want to test it. I will say that I do feel much better on the Taxol not nearly as wiped out. I did not have any nausea or vomiting with the AC as the anti-nausea drugs did work great for me. I hope you start to feel better with the Taxol as well, at least we can say that the toughest part is behind us. I will be thinking of you!
Jun 8, 2009 05:00 PM angie27 wrote:
I did the same, and is much easier than AC, I only had the metal taste, leg cramps, everyone is different, I hope is easy for you as it was for me.
Jun 8, 2009 08:34 PM cd1234 wrote:
I finished 4 cycles of AC. I have had 2 of my 12 of Taxol. It is MUCH better. I still feel very tired and my body is very achy on day 2-4 after treatment. The aches can get so bad that over the counter pain killers do nothing for me. I try to just work through the pain, as I am working full time, and have a 7 year old little boy, so I don't like to be doped up on meds. But, I take a Vicodin at night and it really helps me sleep. I have noticed that my hot flashes get worse on the day of treatment. I will take body aches over AC sickness anyday!
Jun 9, 2009 10:48 AM JudyNaomi wrote:
Thanks to you all for your replies. So hopefully things may be a little "better" on the Taxol. I have had so many stomach problems and loss of appetite, do you think that may improve with the Taxol? I am eating such plain food all the time.
Jun 9, 2009 11:53 AM kellyless wrote:
I am doing the 4 & 4. I had convinced myself that the Taxol would be WAY WAY better, and ended up disappointed and so blue my doc put me on anti-depressants. It is better, but it's still chemo! I've done 3, my final is this Friday (WOOT!) The good news: my nausea from the A/C went completely away - and no nausea is a huge relief! My mouth sores and super metallic test went away. I am not nearly as exhausted on Taxol, I rarely take a nap anymore. My side effects on Taxol:
1) I was pre-menapausal (45 yrs. old) and starting on the night of my very first treatment, I was plunged into full menapause. Hot flashes all night for the first 3 nights after each treatment, then they ease up a bit - but never go away. The anti-depressant I went on, Effexor, helps with the flashes a little as well.
2) My bone pain was pretty intense, I had to go on pain pills (hydrocodone, my friend deb took oxycontin) It was worse after dose 2, so since my white counts were so high the whole time from the Neulasta, my doc had me skip the neulasta shot on dose 3 - it was a little less painful - but I won't know until I show up for my final chemo friday and they do blood work what it did to my WBC. If it dropped very much, I'm taking the final Neulasta shot.
3) After the first does my hands, feet and face went numb. The most annoying was my fingers, as it made doing things difficult. Then my fingernails started getting dark spots - ew. My doc has had me put my hands in an ice bath during the 3 hour infusion since - and it works AMAZINGLY well for the numbness in my fingers! Also, the dark spots stopped on my nails - but I have 3 nails starting to come unnattached anyway. My feet continue to get number and number - and now they've swollen up in the last few days with water retention (a week after dose 3) I'm debating to call the doc about it - I never get swollen like this!
4) while my mouth is much, much better than it was on A/C, things still taste "funny".
5) my anemia continues to get a little worse each time, but it looks like I will squeak by and not need a transfusion thru it all - I'm very happy about that!
Jun 11, 2009 06:46 PM LJMorris wrote:
I just finished my last dose of taxol. I completed 4 AC and then 4 taxol. The taxol are easier, but I have had numb feet and hands. I always feel bad about 3 days after getting my infusion and I hate the wating to get sick. I found the taxol to be a mental game- Glad I am done
Jun 11, 2009 07:27 PM ktn wrote:
Hi- I also had the 4 AC and then the 4 Taxol. The AC was hard for me because of loss of appetite, nausea from just smelling food and constipation. Because I didn't have nausea problems with taxol I didn't need to take the steroids or zofran so that in itself helped. At night my legs ached and needed to be massaged! I drove my husband nuts! I did get a little numbness in my fingers but that's gone now. Two weeks after I finished Taxol (Dec) I lost my lashes and brows but they came back fast. I also had most of my hot flashes in Dec and have now been tested as past menopause. Thinking back.....sitting in the chemo lounge for 4 hours was hard but the Taxol was so much better. I even managed a 1 week vacation between treatments without a problem. just keep reminding yourself that there are only 4 treatments left! Best of luck...
Jun 12, 2009 03:15 PM Lainey64 wrote:
Judy, I also did DD 4 A/C & 4 Taxol. I got my appetite back with Taxol. No queasiness and I felt generally better. However, I did have some major body aches with Taxol. They would start about 48 hours after TX and last a good 3-4 days. They were pretty intense. After Taxol #1 my oncologist advised that I start taking ibuprofen before the pains start and keep with it round the clock. So that's what I did and it did help some. I know that some women have nail problems. So prior to TX I trimmed all my nails (fingers & toes) down really short and coated them with hard as nails. I kept them trimmed the entire time and had no problems. I would get tingling in my hands and fingers and found that running them under cold water helped alot. It also helped to squeeze things to work the tingling out.
Good luck to you!
Jun 12, 2009 03:45 PM JudyNaomi wrote:
Thank you all for your replies. I will let you know how the first cycle goes next week. Am still having trouble believing that this will end!
Jun 13, 2009 07:46 AM GettingBetterAllTheTime wrote:
Hang in there. Everyone has a different experience, but for me so far, taxol has been way easier. AC was tough - I had a lot of fatigue, mouth ulcers, loss of taste, nausea, constipation...
I just had my 2nd taxol yesterday. So far I can say I feel so much better. I did have muscle and joint pain for about 2 1/2 days, but claritin and tylenol helped a little and moving around helped a lot. So far that's really the only side effect I've had with taxol. My energy is coming back, my taste is coming back. I still have a little constipation but not as bad.
I know some people have not had as good experiences with taxol, but according to my oncologist, it's usually easier for most people, and that's been my experience. 
Jun 13, 2009 07:59 AM cp418 wrote:
I had very hard time on AC compared to Taxol. I had neuropathy on first Taxol and then rest of the treatments went smooth. I did have runny nose and eyes too on Taxol for last dose or two but then it resolved. AC destroyed my stomach and I had to take Protonix for heart burn for months to resolve it.
Jun 14, 2009 11:26 AM JudyNaomi wrote:
Thanks for your reply. I have also had serious stomach problems and they actually found H Pylori and now I am taking anti biotics for 10 days. The doctor said that when I am done, my stomach will go back to normal. How long did you suffer for after you finished cp418?
Jun 14, 2009 11:48 AM jenniferb wrote:
JudyNaomi:
I just had my second Taxol treatment on Monday (after 4 A/Cs) and one prior Taxol. I can't say it was any easier the first session. But, surprisingly, this second session was A-OK. I had minor aching back and very minor restless leg syndrome but I got up and out of the house every single day. For me, daily exercise and eating 100% organic with tons of fruits and vegetables are key life savers. I wish you the best in this transition time. Read my daily blog for more details and support. 3nbreastcancer.blogspot.com/
Jun 20, 2009 09:52 AM ddlatt wrote:
I had four AC and 4 Taxol. For me, Taxol was a million times better than AC. But there are two things that were difficult during Taxol, but finally I found relief. The bone pain for me was difficult, but once I started taking oxycodone 5mg (1/2 pill every 4-6 hours), I felt no pain. It helped with the soreness from the Neulasta also. Also I had unbearable itching of my hands, which was alleviated once I got a prescription for Atarax (hydroxyzine), which I took every 4 hours for weeks. I had numb feet once in a while on Taxol, but that was tolerable. Once I stopped Taxol, I had no more side effects except for the itching, so I kept taking Atarax for another couple of weeks. I finished Taxol on May 1st, and now I have no side effects at all. My hair and eyelashes and eyebrows are growing back quickly, and even going through radiation (35 treaments), I feel great.
I just remembered one more thing. When I had Taxol, they put Benadryl in the IV (which they did not do during AC). It caused me to have terrible burning in my veins and a rash on my arm. From then on, they gave me a Benadryl pill, which caused no side effects and also cut down on infusion time.
Jun 20, 2009 01:31 PM LRM216 wrote:
Great information from everyone - thank you, as I get my last AC treatment this week and then will begin the Taxol. For some reason, I am absolutely petrified of the Taxol and its side effects. I don't mean to hijack JudyNaomi's thread, but her post could have been mine! Felt yucky on day 3 and 4 of AC's, and queasy throughout, but I also suffered great bone pain from the Neulasta on the day after (yes, I took the Claritan and Aleve), then it would subside, and on days 8-10 after the infusion, I swear I could feel my bone marrow rebuilding - it really hurt for those days, and my Darvocet (which is all I have for pain) didn't help much, so when everyone talks of the flu like symptoms and bone aches, it's scary! But thanks to you all, your input has helped me a lot.
Good luck to you all -
Linda
Jun 20, 2009 01:57 PM, edited Jun 20, 2009 01:58 PM by ddlatt
LRM, claritin never worked for me with neulasta. nor did lortab. i needed something much stronger and finally got the oxocodone 5mg, which made all the difference. i never suffered from any pain or soreness after that, and i only took 1/2 pill. i never felt any more bone pain from taxol once i took oxycodone. i was queasy every single day on AC after treatment #3. no queasiness at all during taxol, and all my taste buds came back around the time of the first taxol treatment. good luck!
Jun 20, 2009 03:12 PM LRM216 wrote:
DDlatt - oh such beautiful words you wrote! Thanks so much. First thing I am going to do when I go for my last AC on Thursday is tell her to take her Darvocet's and chuck them and give me the 5mg oxycodone. I do work full time, so I may have to regulate when I can take them, but even the half a pill when I have these bone aches, would be a God send. The Darvocet is like taking two tylenols - it just doesn't cut it. I have gained 3 lbs (which I do not need to do) so I guess my taste buds weren't as bad off as yours during the AC, but you have put my mind to ease considerably with the Taxol, and the drug info is priceless. Continued success to you.
Linda
Jun 21, 2009 12:23 PM JudyNaomi wrote:
Thank you for all your replies. I had my first Taxol last Tuesday. Thurs through Sat, the muscle aches were unbearable. I didn't take any medication as my stomach is so sensitive. Maybe next cycle, I will take something for the pain.
Jun 22, 2009 11:23 AM Nancyb7912 wrote:
Funny about this Taxol - I'm on weekly X 12 with Herceptin after A/C X 4. I had terrible tastebud issues with A/C and was so glad to be able to taste again with Taxol. That was the 1st 6 weeks. I just completed # 7 on Friday and the tastebuds are gone again, albeit without that horrible metallic taste. Numbness, tingling and leg/ arm pain are omnipresent.
Again, though, no "fluishness" like with A/C. Onco gave me an Rx for Vicodin on Friday so I'll try it to get past the serious leg pain over the next couple of days. It usually lasts until Thursday before I get the next infusion, usually on Friday. Saturdays I almost feel normal before I head south again by Sunday afternoon. It's such a cyclical thing. I have to say I CAN'T WAIT until 7/24 and my last chemo!! 6 weeks of radiation has GOT to be a piece of cake in comparison! Both white and red cell counts also continue to sink steadily but I'm still successfully fighting off the shot - yeah! Getting lots of advice to consume potassium for the leg/ joint pain. Does that really work?
Getting a blush of hair on my scalp but now the brows and lashes are disappearing. One step forward, 2 steps back, as they say.
Jun 24, 2009 08:40 PM JudyNaomi wrote:
Hi all, I am due for my second Taxol this coming Monday. My heartburn is getting worse each day and neither the Oncologist or the GE can tell what is causing it. Nothing helps relieve it and every time I eat it gets worse. If I didn't have it, then I think I may have found the Taxol manageable. Also, I find myself crying alot all the time. Did anyone have heartburn through Chemo which went away when the Chemo ended? I think I may be able to find it more bearable if I knew that it would go away when all this is over.
Jun 24, 2009 09:37 PM aris wrote:
Now that you mention it, I am also having heartburn on the Taxol! I hadn't put it together, but I am taking pepcid pretty regularly. I'm trying to eat less portions and more frequently too. I thought it might be because I've gained weight with the chemo (and cancer diagnosis before the chemo), but maybe it's the Taxol. I haven't mentioned it to my oncologist yet, but I am finding some relief (not complete relief, but some) with the pepcid.
I'm not crying a lot, but I'm on an antidepressant and that does help with the tearyness that I used to feel.
I am very hopeful that most of these side effects will go away when the chemo is over (not immediately of course).
Hang in there, it will end one day!
Pam
Jun 24, 2009 09:47 PM sakura73 wrote:
I had my first of 12 Taxol on Tuesday. Today all my fingers and toes are hurting as if I had pegs attached to them. Feeling twitchy too, which I think is from steroid withdrawal. Oh what joy.
But I'll take this over the icky feeling from AC any day.
Jun 25, 2009 04:56 PM JudyNaomi wrote:
Thanks Aris. I have had heartburn since my second A-C. I will keep you posted after my second one on Monday.
Jun 26, 2009 08:25 AM Titan wrote:
Had my first taxol on Wed. Today is Friday. No side effects yet...feel MUCH better than the AC. The only thing I feel is TIRED! I never sleep well the two nights after a treatment no matter what.
Also.3 more taxols left then radiation for me...so attitude may be part of the reason I feel good.
It is so normal of being scared of each new thing they throw at you..It's so nice to be able to read about possible side effects etc on here.
Jun 26, 2009 04:55 PM JudyNaomi wrote:
You are so right Titan! This site is so helpful. I hope that the rest of the Taxols are ok for you. Hope you have a good weekend.