Weekly Taxol group
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Hi! I just got my 4th taxol infusion today. 8 more to go! Taxol is much easier for me than ac, I feel almost no hindering side effects (like nausea and bad constipation. I do get loose stools every morning but I'm not complaining about it after 3 months of ac.. I'm starting to get the tingling and burning sensations on my feet and palms, also been twisting my ankle about once a day.. A little concerned about losing my mobility while on this med.
Just to share, I've been prescribed vitamins b1, b6, b12 to fight the neuropathy. Tomorrow will be my first day taking it. I'll update any changes here if anyone's keen to know.
My hair started to grow once I switched on taxol. I feel like a dandelion again, except the hair isn't falling out when I comb through them. And my period went missing once I switched to taxol. Been suffering from some severely low serotonin moments, but I think that's to do with circumstances, not the drug.
Hang in there ladies!
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For the neuropathy, if your MO will allow, you should ice! I was part of a study and had no numbness or tingling and no nail lifting - they just went a little brown. I can detail the process they used in the study if you want, but the results the researcher indicated to me was that it was very successful in preventing neuropathy!
Good luck!
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Hi Princess! Yes please share about the research! It'll be great to not go through those side effects. Also share more on the icing if possible?
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Just as an FYI, I did not ice and I did not have any nail issues at all. Mine were white and cloudy after AC, but the only thing I had with Taxol was a few sharp pains. No color change or lifting.
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I had Taxol first and had neuropathy starting after the 11th week in my toes and a bit on the ball of one foot. No fingernail problems, but I lost a couple of toenails.
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I wish there was a way to pin this - but here goes - my DRs office has the hand gloves and footies - as seen here:
http://www.amazon.com/Elasto-Gel-Therapy-Mitten-10...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443616249&sr=8-1&keywords=cold+therapy+gloves
They put a paper glove/footie on my then the cold glove - this is what the researcher thought most important - the gloves go on 15 MINS BEFORE taxol is started. my taxol was 60 mins - so at 30 mins into the taxol infusion, switch out the gloves to a second fresh cold pair and leave them on for 15 mins after the taxol (so 90 mins) - as I get premeds and the post work of unhooking you, it didn't make the total time take any longer.
The researchers were surprised by the results - no numbness/tingling/pain neuropathy in any patients. I had temperature sensitivity only, which is completely tolerable.
Now, those cold gloves are COLD. Uncomfortably cold for a few minutes but they do warm up- the little bit of discomfort is well worth it if it helps you avoid neuropathy - do check with your MO tho, I have heard that some do not allow it.
Good luck!
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Princess
May I ask where you live. I think there are a lot of chemo "parlors" that are way ahead with helping with patients side effects than others. Here where I live in Pa. I think we are way behind the times.
Rosieo
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Sure - I'm in the northern VA area - so far I love my MO's office and infusion room. The nurses are wonderful and they have a staff of researchers doing studies all the time (like the cryotherapy during taxol study to ward off neuropathy).
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Hi Sweetrose623 you asked about hair care for black women on weekly Taxol. Well, I'm not black but my hair is very thick and curly, and I always buy hair products designed for black women because they seem to suit my hair (I used to have a natural afro!). I have been on Taxol for 8 out of 12 weeks. I have kept all my hair (well, on my HEAD - let's not go below the waist!). Here's how I did it: a) get it cut fairly short (doesn't need to be dramatic), b) wear a cold cap during the chemo session, c) don't use any shampoo AT ALL, d) only wash with conditioner once a week, on about day 4 after chemo, e) don't use a hair dryer or towel, just let it dry naturally. My hair has grown so much I had to go and get it cut last week - that's the only time I had shampoo on it, but the hairdresser didn't comment and none fell out.
Hope this helps. On a different note, I've just got my first soggy toenail. Thanks ladies for telling me this is normal and from what you all say, it's not infected it just seems to be!
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Hi, everyone, I haven't checked in since I started Taxol 7 weeks ago. I had that anaphylactic reaction to the mixing compound so after two weeks, they switched me to Abraxane. Lost most of my hair a few weeks later. Question to you all about acne. I had a bunch, ugly big white heads early on, MO said it was steroid-induced. Since Abraxane, we have cut WAY back on steriods (2mg last week by IV only), and these whiteheads are rearing their very ugly heads again. Worse, I swear some of my synthetic wigs make it much worse, within a couple of hours - like flaring down my neck and chest. Has anyone else had this? Do you know what caused it? Has anything helped? I was cleared to use melaleuca and lavender, and that's the best help I've gotten but takes frequent application, and if I put one of those wigs back on, flares right back up again, and takes about 3 days to get it under control again. Like it doesn't suck enough to have ugly acne at 48, no hair to cover it and the wig makes it worse! Grrrr!
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ThePrincess, I participated in this study in Northern VA. I was glad to participate in the study. However, I still got some neuropathy starting around round 4 or 5 in the feet and then the hands around 9 or 10. I am 6 months PFC and it is still present. I do not have pain just some numbness and tingling. The MO just put me on B 12 as I was borderline deficient and am hoping this helps rebuild the nerves. Good Luck, MJ
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Hey Princess, thanks for the info! By the way, does anyone experience any teeth pain? Also, I've been feeling some aching on where my tumours and infected lymph nodes are.. I told my bs but he thinks it's my imagination. Anyone has similar sensations? The ache is real!
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I think the b vitamins are really important for preventing neuropathy. I missed my dose the other night and I noticed tingling yesterday and I hadn't had any in a while. I want to see if it continues or if maintaining the dose stops it.
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27Heart: I'm on week 11 of 12 and have had teeth pain some weeks, but only a few. I have body aches every week, some worse than others...and the surgery site feels very tight for a couple of days.
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27heart, I have aching and zingers where the tumor was as well as in my lymph node area, even after I've finished chemo. When I brought it up to my MO she said it's the chemo working and kind of dismissed it. I've also felt it on my non cancer side too which freaks me out.
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27heart, during my Taxol time I had a painful node right by my tooth which had a root canal done a few years before. I could feel that tooth being a little tender, even though I shouldn't feel it because it is dead. They did a CT scan of my neck then and everything was fine. The tenderness gradually resolved itself after a couple of months
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lovestrees I had the acne problem. I went to my derm and got retin a cream. Cleared the acne right up
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I don't mean to whine.. But it's day 4 of my 4th taxol cycle and my joints hurt so much. Urgh. And there's a familiar taste in my mouth again, haven't had it since my AC days. That sickly "chemo sweetness" is back.
Thanks for sharing your experiences ladies. I'm on vit b1, b6, b12 now, but the numbness on my extremes are still here. Just realised thrres chest tightness too. Guess I got to bear with it..
Hope the rest of you are coping fine!
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Good morning all. 27heart, I'm sorry to hear you are having issues but never worry about whining! If ever it's deserved, I think we definitely deserve to whine about anything right now
I had my 4th of 12 Taxol yesterday and I am really starting to do the countdown. Last week, I just did treatment and didn't see my MO. Apparently my liver enzymes were slightly elevated last week so we had to make sure they weren't any higher this week before she would let me get treatment yesterday. Thankfully, they were back down in normal levels. I really want to power through these next 8 treatments and be done with it. Well, except for radiation which I'll probably begin the first week of January.
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Hey justmaximom15! We're on the same schedule! Let's countdown together! Any tips on watching the liver enzymes?
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27: You whine all you want. That's what we are here for. Hugs to you.
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Hello,
I will be joining you ladies on OCT.8. I will also be getting herceptine every 3 weeks. I honestly think I may have most of the SE you all mention even before I start. The one that concerns me the most is my severe neuropathy. I ask my MO if it will get worse or if I did not need to worry since I had such a head start. She said she didn't know. Any one know of similar?
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27heart, I'll be happy to count it down with you! From what my MO said yesterday there's nothing really that I can do about the liver enzymes. She said that taxol is metabolized in the liver and can affect the enzymes. We just have to watch it to make sure there is no damage. This was the first time it was an issue for me and they weren't horribly high last week just a little above normal. This week they were back down well into the normal range. I can say that I have not been drinking alcohol since any of my treatments started but that has pretty much been my choice.
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OK, so we're allowed to moan in this thread?
I AM FED UP WITH HAVING NO EYEBROWS!
End of moan.
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My hair started coming back a little when I started taxol. Today I realised my pubes were also coming back. Nooooooooo
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Wow Ladies,
Being a previous Taxol group not so long ago and just returning to this link as I said I would when back in treatment. I made I think 7 Taxol and I did lose hair (or patches). After my 7th my MO said no more Taxol for me as I had what he called a severe allergic reaction to the Taxol (severe hives). He said that the next dose (if he let me have it) could be too dangerous. I was told that you can't go buy another patient on Taxol as EVERYONE will respond differently as all our cancers are individual. I have to say the Taxol was working (shrinking) on my liver tumors and lung tumours yet it did not help my bone cancer in hips and spine (had worsened). I was told that only radiation would help these as chemo wasn't. I started bone Radiation ASAP and was told after this I would get a break from treatment however I finished bone radiation that did help my worst pain on Wed. and Thursday had a bad fall in my home and taken out by EMS workers and was ultimately diagnosed with Brain Mets. I showed all the signs of a stoke but it was proven to be brain mets at my cancer center. I am also a diabetic so yes I did have some issues with numbness especially in feet but we can not tell how much was diabetic neuropathy or chemo induced. It is nothing I can't handle now anyways.
I hope this helps others with questions with their symptoms and if I can help anyone please feel free to PM me.
Keep up the fight gals as I still am!
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I'm finally shaving my head today. 3 weeks after finishing chemo. I held on and held on...but it's going to look awful when it grows in if I don't clean the slate. I'm pretty emotional about it. It feels so odd to shave it when chemo is OVER. Cancer just sucks.
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MsBrmpton Lets play Pollyanna. The object is to find something positive about anything negative. Pollyanna wished for something ?? in the next missionary barrel but all it had for a child was a pair of crutches. Her father tells her to be happy she doesn't need them. It is fun to see what you can come up with. The funnier the better. Now about your eyebrows. Just think, now you can put them any place on your face you want to.
Anybody want to play?
By the way, I have'nt noticed any one else that is on a 18 week course. Anybody out there??
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So sorry, Tresjolie. If it is any consolation, I had to do it post chemo too to clean up my head and I felt better afterwards. Maybe cut it some, see how you feel, and not buzz completely at first?
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I want eyebrows too. And eyelashes on my left eye would be AMAZING. Please and thank you. The hair down there in the nether region is growing but it's like fine baby hair and grey. UGH. No leg hair, no armpit hair. This no hair thing is getting old. Have some hair on my head but I need to even it out hopefully this week.
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