Weekly Taxol group
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6doggies - before I even started my chemo I asked my MO how would we know that it was working. He said we wouldn't. That certainly was not reassuring, but I guess this is what it is. I don't have a tumor that can be measured either - I had mastectomy prior to treatment. I try to just hope that it is working. I don't know what else I can do about it.
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6doggies- AC causes hair loss, but Taxol only causes hair thinning. Hair growth during Taxol is common. My hair has started growing too. It started around treatment 5 or 6.
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Molly1976, thank you for the information, I guess I just have to trust and follow the schedule that my team has me on, they have been doing this a lot longer than I have had BC!
BBwithBC45, I have to agree, what can we do but hope that it is working and it is what it is, still wish there was some test or something that they would invent to be able to tell if it is working or not, maybe one day that will happen.
jlstacey, thank you for the information, I had asked my Oncology Nurse about it and she said that my hair wouldn't grow back until I was completely done with Chemo, but I must say that I'm glad that it is growing back, I'm curious on how it will grow back, curly? what color? but now my eye brows and eye lashes are very very very thin!! Now if the rest of me would become thinner, that would be awesome!
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I haven't lost all my hair on Taxol - probably 90%, but not all. And a few of the little stubbles remaining do seem to be growing really slowly - my whole head looks pretty weird if you really examine it!
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PrincessofMeh - I understand the wanting to talk things through without freaking out those near you. My prognosis is good but, as I went through the early stages of diagnosis when I was not sure what I was dealing with, I had to balance the need to be honest with myself and my family with not making things too hard for my kids (who were 12 and 15 at diagnosis). Even now, I have to balance my need to deal with the diagnosis and treatment with my kids emotional well-being. (Getting ready to start chemo, I was having a really hard time wrapping my head around the concept, and, as a defense mechanism, talked about the joys of paying money to get poisoned - but that really bothered my 15 year old daughter, who needed to look at the chemo as something that was going to make me better and keep the cancer from coming back. She was right that her way of thinking about it was healthier than mine - but I also had to realize that she needed me to try to see it that way.)
My mother, who had breast cancer 20 years ago, volunteered for several years as a "reach for recovery" volunteer talking to people going through cancer (http://www.cancer.org/treatment/supportprogramsservices/reach-to-recovery). I wonder if that might be a resource to find someone that you can talk to who has experience with what you are going to but is not so close that you need to censor your feelings.0 -
Hello ladies,I have a question about dosage for you, what is your weekly dosage? Mine is listed as is Taxol 6mg/ml with 145 ml administered. Is this the standard weekly dose, 6 sounds low? My counts have been excellent, which is great, but also concerning that my immune system might be protecting the bad guys too.
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crs, I'm pretty sure mine is 144mg. I know it's based upon size (80mg/m2). I can check for sure tomorrow at my infusion and let you know.
I'm on #11 now and my white counts have been fine throughout. I don't think that means it's not working! Weekly taxol is supposed to be much easier on the immune system than dose-dense chemos.
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crs, 6 mg per ml and145 ml is 870 mg. The dosage depends on if it is weekly or biweekly, and it is based on height and weight. Your MO should be able to tell you exactly how he/she calculates it.
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Just went for my #1 and it got delayed a week due to low platelets. Might be due to blood thinners. Got a bunch of blood tests and waiting to hear. A little sad about the delay.
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Trvler
Sorry about the delay I know that can be frustrating, hopefully you will be able to start next week.
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KBeee
Thanks fort the info...I will be getting my starting my Taxol weekly for 12 weeks on June 10 but dont know the dose....I have so much to learn and hope to be able to come here more often. I just dont have a good week following my AC tx. I wonder why some of us will get it weekly and others every 2 weeks.
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molly 1976
so glad your doing so well.......keep it up. These are the things I like to hear!
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ANEW: Weekly Taxol is supposed to be easier to take. I haven't heard of anyone taking AC weekly.
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trvler My A/C was every 2 weeks.......Taxol will be weekly for 12 wks . I thought some get Taxol every 2 weeks
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Yes, New, you are correct.
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crs, just wanted to let you know I checked yesterday and my Taxol dose is 144mg. I am 5'5" and 150, so if you are close to my size that dose would make sense for you too.
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Anew, my taxol will be every 2 weeks as well. Some people get it every week because you get a lower dose and get it more frequently but people tolerate it better. I opted to go for every 2 weeks so I can finish earlier and go to surgery earlier. The difference in time between every week and every 2 weeks is 1 month.
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I'm weekly. After every 2 weeks AC treatment I'm much happier on the low dose taxol. Though I want to be done earlier I'm sticking with what my MO put me on.
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Hello all - I had my second Abraxane treatment on Wednesday and tolerated it fine - unlike the first Taxol. Much easier than AC, but the fatigue is kicking in big time today. I'm back on track for the 12, just a different schedule - three weeks on, one week off x 4.
Trvler - sorry to hear of the delay. I've been wondering how low the counts need to be before they postpone treatment.
JenH - I hear you on the kids. My 18 yo daughter came with me to treatment Wednesday, which was her choice. I thought I had prepared her for what to expect, but she did seem very uncomfortable at first. Later she told me she didn't realize that the bags would be hanging from poles for the infusions. She also needs me to be positive, but it can be tough some days.
PrincessofMeh - I understand the need to have a neutral party. I live in an area where good therapists are few and far between - the reach to recovery sounds promising.
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I think mine was 138k.
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Pennsygal, my deal with my daughter is that I am allowed to be stressed, but I also have to keep my eyes on the big picture. This is getting easier as time passes - the taxol is going really smoothly, not too much disruption with 8 of 12 down, so it is much easier for me to stay positive than before I started, when the idea of pumping myself full of poison weekly was pretty scary. My husband picks the kids up and then gets me as my infusions end about the time they get out of school. Last week, both kids came in and chatted with me for the last 10 minutes before I finished. The poles and bags didn't bother them - but, while my 13 yo son had no problem watching the nurse pull the need out of my port, my daughter did not want to see anything of the needle.0
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Hi ladies, just wondering when others experience the fatigue and general yucks after Taxol infusion. I just had 4 of 12 on Thursday and the routine seems to be that I am pretty tired on Friday. Then some tummy issues Saturday and sometimes Sunday. But then Monday I seem exhausted and still with the diharrea. I just wonder what the experience has been like for others. In comparison to the AC this is way better. The fatigue just seems delayed. Thanks for your input!
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HI Carrie,
I just had my 2 of 12 Taxol last Thursday and yes, I similarly feel the yucks over the weekend. I got knocked down with a sinus infection- just started on antibiotics today so I hope once this clears, I will not feel as badly. Do you also get Herceptin with the Taxol every 3rd week? I did not have AC, so do not have that to compare. I have not lost my hair yet, but I think it may be close. It seems to be thinning- wondering if it may be this week?
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Hi Kerry,
I do get Herceptin although right now it is weekly. I get Perjeta every three weeks. Once I am done with Taxol I will have Herceptin every three weeks. I lost my hair during the AC but my eyebrows hung on...until now. They are getting very thin. Depressing!
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I wish you well Carrie- looks like you are a couple weeks ahead of me in your treatment plan. Hope to keep in touch and provide support.
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Hi Ladies. I just finished 12 weekly Taxol/Herceptin treatments last week. My infusions were on Tuesdays, and I would have fatigue and aches mostly on Thursday and Friday. For me the worst however was the nausea. Zofran was not working on me and I would have a lot of nausea starting Wednesday mid morning, till Friday, and then it would gradually taper off till next Wednesday
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Congratulations on your completion of 12! I never want to wish my summer away, but this year I can't wait until I get there! Thank you for sharing your experience- it sounds like it's typical to feel lousy starting 24-48 hours post infusion, and lasting 2 days at its worst. I am only 2 weeks in, but I hope that it continues to be predictable. Do you mind me asking about your hair loss? I've read that some people who have Herceptin/Taxol only experience hair thinning and not complete hair loss. Wondering how long I should hang in there before buzzing it.
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Kerry, I did Penguin Cold Caps and I retained most of my hair. I think I lost less than 10% so far. In my other parts I lost most of my hair, I don't have to shave my legs now. My eyebrows are about 50% gone, and that started happening couple of weeks ago. Eyelashes are still here.
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I have #12 on Wednesday! My pattern is that my skin starts to hurt on Thursday night, Friday is the day when I feel genuinely bad with fatigue and spaciness, and I am usually almost fine again by Saturday. My weeks were very very predictable throughout. Some weeks I was a little less tired on Friday and more on Saturday, but the worst of my symptoms were always limited to those days. I also feel like the GI stuff has gotten a little better since the beginning, or maybe I've just forgotten what normal is.
kerry, you will know when it's time. I think mine was after infusion #4 - I turned around in the bathroom and noticed my shoulders and upper back were just covered with hair. I buzzed it that night. I never lost all of my hair - I still have maybe 5% left. I definitely look bald, though. Weirdly, a few stragglers here and there have kept growing throughout but most of my hair seems to have just stopped completely and is still the length of the initial buzz cut.
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BB- sounds like the Penguin Cap was very successful for you! And thank you Molly to for your info... and congratulations to you on # 12 this week! Great to hear from you both that this is manageable and will soon end! It's been helpful reading both your your posts.
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