Weekly Taxol group
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My platelets were slightly elevated just before the 4th infusion, but only slightly.
I also became anemic, I don't know if it's from Taxol or Herceptin, or something else. I was prescrIbed iron pills
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BB, was your anemia reflected in the bloodwork or did you have some kind of physical symptoms? I have had two spells in the past week of being so lightheaded I thought I was going to pass out - this morning I had to sit with my head between my knees for a good five minutes before it passed. I'm wondering if anemia is the culprit. I have always been borderline anemic.
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Molly, it came out in my blood work. My red blood cells and hemoglobin have been dropping steadily for a few weeks, so they tested my iron and it was way below the lower acceptable level. I have been feeling tired, but I though that was just normal chemo related tired. Nothing like what you described.
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I am 2 months post taxol. Taste issues are gone. I lost lashes and brows, several nails lifted, totally numb feet and have had bad joint pain in hips and knees since stopping. My legs feel like jelly from hips to knees. I also started Femara after taxol and am in the middle of rads so I'm not sure which is causing what. Hope all here get through to the other side of treatment. Love, Jean
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I'm having a lot of troubles with the Taxol. This was supposed to be the easier chemo but last week I had to skip it due to low blood counts and this week my blood counts were even lower so I couldn't do this treatment either. I ended up with a neupogen shot and I have to go back tomorrow to either have chemo or another neupogen shot. I do feel better this week than I did last week. Is anyone else having this problem? My WBC this week is 3.0 and Neutrophils were 1.1.
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Ok ladies I have asked this several times before on this board with no one responding to me, hopefully i will get some response this time when i ask... How many of you began to grow hair back on weekly Taxol? and how long did it take to start regrowing?
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Tripper, mine didn't start growing till a few weeks after I finished. Love, Jean
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I have only been on Taxol thus far and my hair fell out and is no longer growing. I'm nearing week #10.0 -
I'm on week 4 and so far no growth.
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I'm on week 4 of taxol and my head is going to have to be shaved today. It's falling out like crazy.
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I think mine started regrowing around week 8. But it was really thin and sparse and concentrated around the back and sides. I am 4 weeks PFC and it is still very sparse up front.
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I had regrowth between treatments 4 & 5. It started with the soft downy hair that felt amazing to me. So soft! I didn't have any bald or slow spots. Hair continued to grow from there on out. Since I didn't do wigs or scarves I continued to put sunscreen on my scalp throughout this time. I run outside and didn't want sunburn.
I hadn't lost my brows or lashes on AC, lost them between Taxol 2 & 3. But they also started back in around treatment 4. Lashes just seemed to pop out as if they'd been waiting to start growing outside the follicle.
Full disclosure - my lashes only started thinning about 3 weeks PFC. But they started popping in again. I think this is fairly common because I've read it occur to others. Sometimes others experience this 3-4 times over the course of 3-12 months PFC as self/ reported on BCO. I just had the one other time and it wasn't all of them / just thinning.
Hope this helps. We are all so different. See signature line for particulars.
Diana
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My hair started growing around #8 too but also just in the back and around the sides. I'm 2 weeks post treatment and the front is still shiny. My brows are completely gone and the last of my eyelashes fell out this week. The rest of my body hair is really growing. I'm back to shaving every two days. Neuropathy is still with me. I never had taste issues on Taxol. My nosebleeds that started week 7 stopped at the end of last week. Hang in there friends.
Now on to the next. Today is my first radiation.
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molly are u on weeky taxol
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Yes!
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Anyone out there with Early Stage Cancer hormone negative node negative but HER2 positive tumorstarting their treatment with the Taxol+Herceptin for 12 week then after Herceptin every 3 weeks for 9 months? Pretreat with Tagamet/Pepcid and Benadryl. But Me and Decadron (even 2.5 mg) weren't good together (felt underwater like pressure in head which started moment of infusion for 3 days which intensified during Taxol and 1st day) They switched (or reduced not sure) my iv steroid to one they injected in iv and add additional injection of benadryl right before Taxol. I also take 1 25mg Benadryl every 4 hours after I get home starting in afternoon for swelling symptoms. (Benadryl doesn't generally knock me out) After 2nd day this week I started on Zyrtec Daily this week. Pre treat adjustment Helped a lot. Wish I didn't need the steroid. I don't want swollen face or other side effects of that. I had the nosebleed start this week (3rd treatment) Fatigue at predictable times and my hair is starting to come out in the shower. Filled up 1/2 Styrofoam cup. When a breeze hits I feel like a dandelion. Lol! Hoping they keep reducing steroid meds. I don't do well on them. But 3 down, 9 to go! Ready to get this done without a stop! Really not as bad as I expected though so far.
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My hair started growing during the break I had between cytoxan treatments & starting Taxol, had 3rd weekly taxol yesterday & my hair is still growing - just a fuzz, but much more than I had 2 months ago!
Keeping nails short & painted dark & am icing & so far no problems. My taste buds have come back & its helping with my much needed weight gain - even enjoyed a small glass of red wine over Easter lunch after having no inclination to even look at achohol while on cytoxan.
Am feeling so good comparatively I'm trying to not worry that Taxol is having no effect on the cancer whatsoever :-) Have to wait for next round of 3 weekly treatments before we test TMs again...
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6doggies - How are your feet doing. My feet started feeling a little prickly after my first Taxol(I didn't even notice it) and then on day 5, I woke up with a feeling like a had a bad blister on my left foot. I followed the advice from Brandi999 to slather my feet with aquafor and cover with socks, and by the end of the morning it had gone from pain to just a prickly feeling, and then the feet felt much better the following day (day of my second infusion). Today (day after treatment 2) - my feet are both prickly again, not painful, but off. After reading up a bit more, I am currently using Bag Balm as my cream and it is definitely helping, but worried about how this progresses so I would really like to know how your feet are doing since you are a few weeks ahead of me.0
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Jen your issue really sounds like neuropathy and not hand and foot syndrome. Hand and foot syndrome feels like your skin is burned. The prickly stuff sounds like nerve pain.
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Hi ladies! I wanted to jump in and recommend using glycerin with your current lotion/cream to help with feet and hands. I had the same prickly type feeling and on the suggestion of another survivor on this site, I bought a bottle of "Now Foods" Glycerin and started adding a squirt to each handful of lotion. It made a big difference! The tough skin on my heels softened, and it helped me retain moisture all over so much better. My feet felt a lot better within only a couple of days.
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What I am getting sounds somewhere between what people describe for neuropathy (tingling) and hand-foot (burning). When I first noticed it, it felt like had a bad blister on my foot - after slathering lotion on it, it stopped hurting so much, but it was definitely a sharp pain when I put pressure on the foot. Neuropathy is certainly more common with taxol (and sounds like it is not as disabling as what 6doggies is facing). I did not have any odd sensations in my hands until this evening, now I am feeling some tingles/prickles. I am going to talk to my oncologists nurse tomorrow (was not able to connect today)and see if she has any suggestions. I am certainly hoping that it does not get too bad. I will definitely take the suggestion from texas94 and others on the group and will try Glycerin in my lotion. My feet have very thick calluses which might be contributing to the effect.0
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The only thing I have found for neuropathy prevention is 10 grams (10,000 mg) of glutamine 3 times a day (total of 30 grams) and B vitamins. I also take Lion's Mane for nerve repair. I have to say that my neuropathy is pretty bad for what little Taxol I've had but I think my body is seriously over reacting to it. Other people seem to have good results with that regimen. I seem to be the only person on the forum who is having horrid WBC counts with it. The hand and foot syndrome felt like I walked on a hot summer street and that was the one I used a lot of heavy moisterizer and socks.
I've had to skip 2 treatments so far because my blood counts have been so bad, even with neurontin shots and my neuropathy is out of control so early on. I have an appointment with my surgeon to look at my tumor and see if I can just forgo the rest of my treatments and move up the date of my surgery. I'm really hoping so because I can't stand this nerve pain, especially if it was a permanent thing. Even if that was taken care of though, I still have no immune system on it. Also my gums feel like they are deteriorating and all my teeth constantly ache. Is anyone else going through that? I've only had 3 treatments of Taxol so far.
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I finished Taxol on Jan.20th. Still have neuropathy in my feet that my MO said will go away in time. I hope sooner rather than later. I also had a very sensitive mouth and taste issues that resolved quickly. Love, Jean
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I am doing glutamine and b-6 but my doctor seems skeptical that it will make a difference.
The last couple of days the bottoms of my feet are a little achy or sore, almost like I have spent an entire day walking around a theme park or similar. Not tingly or numb, though. Is this the beginning of neuropathy or just some other weirdness? I really hope the latter. I have had 5 treatments so far.
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Oh my gosh, I was just reading back a few pages and saw the mentions of restless legs with the Benadryl. I got that yesterday for the first time! It drove me nuts! I had not experienced that at all with the first four treatments.
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molly- I was lucky and didn't have neuropathy in my feet/hands until after the 10th dose (which is great bc it only took about 3 mos to completely disappear), BUT I had the feeling you describe in your feet fairly early on (walking around theme park all day... achy, sore and almost kind of "hard" if that makes sense). The trick I mentioned above about adding a squirt of glycerin to every handful of lotion made a HUGE difference within a couple of days (I also apply lotion the second I get out of the shower when my skin is still warm, which I think helps too). I use the "Now Foods" brand of glycerin.
Also, for anyone who experiences restless legs with Benadryl, try drinking a cup of very strong tea or coffee. For some people, it will counteract the Benadryl. I had a severe adverse reaction to Benadryl way beyond "restless legs" and a cup of tea with 4 bags in it calmed me down within 10 minutes.
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Thank you, texas94! I am relieved to know that this foot achiness isn't necessarily a precursor to neuropathy. I am terrified in equal parts of having to quit the medicine early and also with the possibility of having permanent neuropathy. I am only 38 and was very active before this, running and taking exercise classes and such.
Unfortunately I quit caffeine after diagnosis so I wouldn't have to worry about getting my morning fix if I felt queasy. I ate a big lunch right before chemo this time, though, and usually go pretty much on an empty stomach. I wonder if that had something to do with it.
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JenH2015, Thank you for asking, they are so much better. This is gross, but the bottom of my feet turned into hard yellow dead skin and started to crack open and peel really bad, my hands just peeled and cracked open, no hard dead skin. I have to admit, after Brandi999, said what she thought it sounded like, I looked it up and I believe that I did this to myself, I would run on the treadmill, do step exercises and do things around the house, like putting up cabinets, painting, etc, when I should have been taking it easy and resting. I'm supposed to get my 3rd round of Taxol tomorrow; I'm hoping that I do and if I feel one little prickle in either foot, I will definitely be slowing my pace down. I have been putting Bag Balm on my feet both before bed and after showering in the morning and it has really helped.
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I've also heard that taking 5 mg of Melatonin will counteract the restless legs caused by Benedryl.
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