Weekly Taxol group
Comments
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Hey - anyone's WBC end up high? Mine was 7.2 yesterday, after a 3.0 last week? Nurse checked it w/the dr and they said it was ok. Just seemed odd, yes?
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I've been talking about removing my port for nearly 9 years since my diagnosis March 2006. Well needless to say my port is being accessed at least once a week since my SECOND diagnosis this year in March. That was one less surgery to have reinserting it although mine is considered "old school"! I Even have my own special nurse that goes to my port to access it correctly the first time. My point is, I'm glad I procrastinated having this port removed. tHe down side is that I wasn't not regularly having it flushed all of those years but it has gotten me thru 12 weeks of taxol and now I'm done. Im currently taking herceptin and perjetta every 3 weeks. Also hormone therapy.
Stage 3 first time around and Stage 4 Mets this time around. Taking life and enjoying it one day at a time.
No problem with taxol other than fatigue & loss of taste buds and appetite
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Today is the day for me!!! #12!!! Last taxol!!! Ever hopefully!!!!
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YAY LEIGH!!
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I just finished AC last week and start taxol once a week in 2 weeks. I now have a blood clot in my heart and have problems with breathing and couching and the fatigue is totaly debilitating.
I had double mastectomy with very clear margins and been saying this is my insurance policy but I am now 2nd guessing my choices. I am worried now that I will end up with permanent damage caused by the chemo. I was determined to go through with this but I am not sure now. Anyone else gone through something like this?
Karen
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Karen,
They are suspicious that I may have a pulmonary embolism going on due to my rapid heart beat and shortness of breath. I have been reading that this can be a side effect of chemo and also having underlying cancer can increase your "clotting factors". It must be more common than we all think because this is the first thing my MO said to me the other day to test if my heart rate doesn't start coming down. (my resting heart rate is around 86 and it goes up quickly while walking but my O2 sats stay at 100%). What is your resting heart rate?
You may want to ask about taxol and the risk category for your heart. It is my understanding that taxol isn't as hard on your heart as AC is- but, I know just enough to be dangerous. Now that they know your risk factors they should be able to manage them.....as for permanent damage, I am not certain if a pulmonary embolism will cause permanent damage to your heart (MIs do that), but, it could be good to gain an understanding that now that you have gotten one, is it more likely you will have more while on chemotherapy and will this "predisposition" continue after chemo is stopped.
Did you get a baseline echo of your heart? If so, for peace of mind, you could get another for comparison?! Also, are you able to eat and drink? That could add to your exhaustion. I got 2 liters of fluids the other day and I felt so much better. What about your hemoglobin? Are you anemic as well? All this contribute to the symptoms you describe.
I try to remember that my Docs have seen a lot of this stuff and to trust in their advice.....without, of course, being a self leader in your own care, and a knowing your body better than them, come to a compromise of a plan moving forward. You can take control of this and in doing so, come out on the other side stronger and healthier!!
Cheers and keep me posted!
Janet
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What were your hemoglobin counts when you got your transfusions? Mine are in the 8s and I am definitely symptomatic (shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat) and they seem to want to wait until I am at 7 before they infuse and that is frustrating me.
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Karen - I found AC so much more fatigue-ing than taxol. My nurse did say that it takes until about taxol #4 for the AC fatigue to be totally gone. I did find that starting about week 5 of taxol I had much, much more energy. And the infusions are not so bad -after taxol I would feel totally fine for the rest of the day, whereas AC made me want to lay on the couch.
I've been having trouble w/my port, and the nurse did say that chemo makes our blood thicker.
I think most of the women on here found taxol to be easier than AC. I would at least give it a try? You can always stop later, but you can't decide to start it in 6 months if you start to worry you didn't do enough.
Good luck!
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Batesburg, both of my transfusions were when my hemoglobin was under 8. 7.7 and 7.6 were my two magic numbers. I was at exactly 8 two other weeks and they didn't mention any transfusions. I would ask again or see if there's anything else that you can do for the side effects!
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Did they even mention a pulmonary embolism? Seems my Doc is going for ruling that out before treating for low hemoglobin. Makes sense to me that it would be the hemoglobin since I have been having on and off shortness of breath exactly when it started coming down.
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Nope, no mention of pulmonary embolism. I had just had a heart EKG or echo or whatever it's called a few weeks prior because of AC so maybe they already ruled that out?
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Pulmonary is heart, right? I had one caused by the port. I had to inject myself with bloodthinners 2x a day for 3 months. It went away pretty quickly but the doctor wanted me to stay on them until the port came out. I still worked out through the whole thing.
Sorry, I am foggy from my anesthesia/pain meds since I just had my surgery Tuesday and a second one Wednesday.
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A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot in the lung. Pulmonary is lung. Pulmonary embed ms can be very, very serious. They are nothing to mess with. Ever.
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week #11...almost there. It should have been week 12 but my allergic reaction week didn't count. The neuropathy has made this really hard...
Congrats Leigh for being done! Right behind you...
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Tresjoli
I just finished #12 too!!! Happy dance for us both and all those who have finished. The neuropathy is really hard on me too. I am hoping it will diminish in time like many others but we will just have to wait and see. Do you have it in the fingers also?
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I have neuropathy everywhere...my tongue, around my lips, hand fingers feet...
And now a bladder infection. Yippee! I can't wait to be done next week with taxol at least
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I'm 6 days away from my first of 12 weekly Taxol (Paclitaxel) and I'm getting nervous. My MO told me that I shouldn't have any problems since I tolerated AC so well but it sounds like a lot of you have had issues. I'll be so glad to get this all done and over with.
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Justmaxi,
I finished 12 wks Taxol mid April, the only problems I had were Diarrhea, and some nausea. My taste buds also went away which didn't help my appetite (they came back) but my mo recommended 3 tsps LGlutamine 2x a day to help prevent neuropathy, Everyone is different, with different SEs but I never had any neuropathy issues.
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Thanks Suladog, that's good to hear!
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justmaximom-try not to worry about taxol. Take 1 treatment at a time. I just left Taxol 4 of 12. I also did 4 dose dense Ac. I try to think of it this way-- we are putting things in our body that did not come with the factory model. Our body is amazingly capable of sending us signals about those things that do not belong.
I find that taxol is harder for me, but only because my side effects are different and the side effects I had on AC were just things I was more accustomed to. For me on Taxol, I just despise the particular impact that the side effect is having on my life style and needs. However, others might find them completely acceptable.
I have missed only two days of work in 12 weeks due to side effects. While I still hate the side effects, I do consider that pretty reasonable. Best wishes on your treatment. You can do this!!!
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I read the Taxol posts pre-treatment and I was scared based on all of the side effects.Please read this and understand that not everyone has a bad experience. I completed week 7 of 12 today.Yes, there have been many side effects, but they have been minimal and very manageable. Each person reacts differently and I've been very blessed. Please don't let the potential side effects scare you.
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I also have few side effects on Taxol. A bit of tingling. Some superficial acne. That's about it. Try to take it a week at a time. If you have an issue ask us about it, too. That way you are only dealing with what comes up instread of reading all the scary things that MAY or mostly likely will not happen. A lot of people who get neuropathy are doing DD.
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I'm also having much less SE with weekly taxol compared to dd AC. AC kicked my butt and I hated life after each treatment. Taxol has been easier, slightly diff. I'm just tired, some constipation depending on the week, and sleeplessness. Everyone is different!
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Anyone else experiencing this: My heart rate is a tad high when I am sitting or laying down (84-86 bpm) but then when I get up my heart starts pounding in my head and chest and it goes up to over 110 bpm easily and then I get exhausted easily and go back to sit down/lay down. My HGB was 8.4 last Friday and they seem reluctant to want to treat me with blood and then even suggested I get tested for pulmonary embolism????!!!!
So tired of the high heart rate and feeling tired. Sorry for the complaining.
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This is very similar to what I had. You should see a cardiologist. I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my heart and had to take injections of blood thinners for a few months. I also had a pericardial (sp) effusion meaning fluid around my heart which was either caused by cancer or chemo that I had to take Colchicine for. The blood clot was caused by the port in my arm and I began symptoms immediately almost when it was put in. My hemoglobin was never close to that low though. It always stayed pretty high. I was on AC though, when the symptoms began, not Taxol.
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anyone else have intense itchiness? no rash whatsoever but holy jeezus at least once a day I get insanely ithcy on my wrists, forearms, ankles, and calves! I wanted to scratch them off!!! UGH!
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I got a rash towards the end of Taxol.... it was red but only at night and itched like fire.. on my hands and legs... MO told me to keep taking steroids for 2 more days after last one and that cleared it right up. If you have some steroids left over from AC try taking one or half of one for a day or two and see if the itching stops!
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Re the rash, me, too. Curious if it will disappear now that I'm off taxol. It comes and goes, mostly on my fingers. I ignore it for the most part or run my hands under hot or cold water.
Weirdly, the neuropathy is only on my toes, with no itching or pain but numbness.
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Leigh, I was never given steroids to take home, only what they administered through the IV during treatment days! Maybe I'll try benadryl when it comes back tonight, which I'm assuming it will!
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tomorrow is my last abraxane. Woo hoo! I can see the finish line. I just can't taste my food or feel my feet.
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