Weekly Taxol group
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JustMax and 27Heart congrats on finishing! I am right behind you with 2 left!
As far a taxol reactions go, I have seen one person have an allergic reaction to her first infusion, as others said the nurses and a doctor were right on it gave her oxygen and more meds and she was feeling better in less than 15 minutes. The nurses will go slow the first 2 times and watch you and the "good" thing if you are going to have a reaction it happens within the first few minutes of the infusion, it's not something that will happen later when you get home or anything like that. Overall chemo AC and Taxol has been tolerable for me, I have had very few side effects at all and have worked full time throughout, only taking days off for my infusions and doctor appointments.
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Justmaximom: Congratulations!! So happy for you!
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How long does taxol take to run in?
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I think the actual Taxol was about 1/2 hour. It was all the premeds that added to the total time which was about 3.5 hours including the blood work.
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homeschool4us, I think they might run it differently depending on the person. Like Trvler said, the pre-meds, bloodwork and in my case MO appt (saw her before every infusion) adds quite a bit of time but my actual taxol took a little over an hour to run.
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congrats ladies on being done!!!!
I think my taxol was about an hour once it started, but I know everyone is different.
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HomeSchool-my Taxol runs for an hour plus 30 minutes for the premeds, I think the first ran over 2 hours to make sure there was no have a reaction. On a good day with no waiting for doctor, labs, or getting in the chair I can get in and out in about 2 hours but it's usually closer to 3.
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I originally started with Taxotere as part of my chemo regimen, but had an allergic reaction 2 days later, (face broke out horribly) so they switched to weekly Taxol for 9 cycles. I seem to be tolerating it well. Just had my second cycle today and am feeling pretty good.
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hey ladies anyone stop DD taxol early? I had my 3rd dose last wed and am having issues with neuropathy in my hands and feet since dose #1. Also I am having issues with decreased urine flow since dose #2. The urine thing scares me because I read you can get neuropathy in your bladder. Anyone have issues with this? My mo decreased my dose last week by 40% and said if the neuropathy doesn't get better we can skip the last dose. Does the neuropathy get better?
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Shopgal: I had 12 weekly Taxol and my neuropathy (hands and feet) started about week 3. My MO held Taxol for 2 weeks due to this and it did improve....she said if it didn't she would likely stop the Taxol. Once I resumed, the neuropathy returned and MO offered to give me more breaks, but I pressed on and finished all 12 weeks. I'm 2 months PFC now, and my hands are practically back to normal. With my feet, there's been some improvement, but they're still pretty numb. Good luck!!
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hey I just started a new thread on this site called 'first steps' about gentle exercise during or after treatment. It's meant to complement the other exercise forums (which some of us were a bit intimidated by as everyone seemed to be running marathons or doing other super-human things!)
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MsBrompton, that's a great idea! But I tried to find this thread and I don't see it. May be it takes to be approved by moderators. Could you send a link?
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No, it's there, under 'fitness and getting back in shape': (sorry, new to this so probably didn't flag it properly)
First gear: (gentle) exercise during or after treatment
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I had my 11th taxol Wednesday, only one to go thank goodness. My taste buds today are the worst they have been since I started on the AC, I want mine back. Bleh. Not feeling flash tonight but have done rehab and some Christmas shopping. I am hoping not to feel any worse being so close to the end.
Karen
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I had my first Taxol 12/3. At the chemo center for 7 hours. 2 hours Herceptin, 2 hours Taxol, plus premed, labs, and see doctors. My MO put me on Herceptin Every 3 weeks so each visit would be shorter.
So far so good. Hate the waiting for something to happen Tomorrow would be day 2 after Taxol. The time most people here describe as Crash day....
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Tesla- are you using cold caps??
Hoping the best for you!!
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Tesla- 7 hours! ! I'm scared now! Please keep us updated on how you feel each day. I would love to get an idea of what to expect each day. As far as I know I'll still get weekly herceptin, but they told me that would only take 30 minutes after the first infusion.
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Sorry to scare you all. They said only first 2 treatment/infusions of Herceptin and Taxol would be longer with slower infusion rate to monitoring the allergic reactions.
I did good with my 1st Taxol. Broke out tears when the nurse told me to pick a chemo chair and that's when the reality set in. I have accessed my patient's power port before but still nervous when I got my own accessed. It's not badly at ALL. Totally better than IV stick trust me!!!
So far so good as SE goes. Still nervous about when is my SE gonna appear. Lots of people said Taxol is much easier than AC. But Taxol is my only chemo regimen so I have nothing to compare with.
Joes001: I'm not using cold caps. I found it too troublesome. I can't imagine packing coolers along with my other chemo items (iPad, charger, water, fruit, snack, lunch...etc). Plus I can't guarantee I will have someone with me every single treatment. Changing caps every 30 mins and being cold are not my favorite. I went to a wig shop and actually like the idea of having wig as back up. Once I tried on more wigsand found the one I like, loosing hair is not as scary as I thought.
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Telsa, losing your hair defintely isn't as awful as everything else chemo related. There are so many cute options for wigs, halos, hats and scarves. Being bald isthe least of my worries. I am going to ice my hands and feet thiugh because I absolutely hate the feeling of numb nads and feet and think neuropathy will drive me crazy. Not that icing will prevent it for sure, but it's worth a try.
I did have AC first, just had my last on Tuesday and my MO all but promises me taxol wil be easier. I too have a port and agree it's so much better than an iv. I hate the port in general though as I'm always aware of it and it bothers me.
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I had my first taxol dose Friday 12/4/15. Had tightness in my chest which sucked and was a little scary. The nurse slowed down the drip I was fine after that. Compared to A/C (had 4 rounds neoadjuvant) so far much easier. 11 more weeks can't go fast enough! I will follow this all up with 6 weeks of radiation. My hair was all ready growing back hoping my hair loss with taxol will be minimal! Stay positive ladies
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Kickinbootay and Telsa, curious as to how you are doing side effect wise in these first few days after your first taxol?
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Homeschool4us: I don't have any major side effect yet. #1 Chemo on Thursday 12/3. Feel normal on Friday. Little bit weak on my arms on Saturday and Sunday. I could sleep better if my new port is not bothering me. Little bit more tired that required one nap in the afternoon. I'm on long term disability and didn't work at this time.
So far took Compazine (anti-nausea) twice a day as preventative.
My chemo premed: Tylenol, Benadryl, Decadron, Aloxi (long acting anti nausea), Zantact.
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I start my 12 weekly Taxol on Dec 23 and I am feeling overwhelmed. The goal was to get through the 4 "bad" chemos and I did that easily with a lot of prayers. Now faced with 12 "little" ones I just don't have the same confidence. I'm also cold capping so the thought of doing it 12 more times has me even more overwhelmed. It is so worth it but it isn't easy - at least for me. I am praying for no side affects since its Christmas
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LRFTexan - I felt the same way as you do before starting Taxol. I tolerated AC well, but a whole new set of possible SEs was overwhelming and 12 weeks seemed like forever. I will have Taxol #8 this week and I am happy to report that things are going well. I feel much more normal than I did on AC and the weekly treatments seem to be flying by.
Because some people can have allergic reactions during Taxol, my MO prescribed a higher dose of dex (steroid) with my first two treatments. You may not sleep well the first few nights after tx, but you'll still be full of energy those days. 1:00 in the morning just might be your time to bake Christmas cookies. I didn't have a reaction, so they dropped the steroid dose starting with tx #3.
You can do this!
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Had my first Taxol + Herceptin yesterday - happy to say I feel like my normal self today. I was nervous about them accessing the port but that was easy and painless and I was so thankful to have had it. As much as I'm not one to take many medications all of those pre meds did the trick!! Hoping my energy level can remain high throughout this cycle
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thank you Vicki. I am sure it is fear of the unknown much like before AC. Appreciate your feedback very much.
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LRFTexan
I started the first of 12 weekly taxol yesterday. So far, NO se's! Maybe a tad bit tired, that's all. Unfortunately, my cold capping days are gone....I only lasted through 3 cap changings. The money, and the whole process from the dry ice, to the transporting coolers, to getting the cap on tight enough was quite overwhelming for me. Then the pain, even with tylenol, was unbearable for me!
Don't worry about the Taxol....people say that compared to AC, its mild!!
Good luck to ya!!
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jodes001,
Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate it. I have about 98% of my hair after 4 AC so I am still doing it but it is mentally tougher for me then I imagined it would be. I started coloring during treatment and it helped me stay focused and not on the caps I am very thankful and still literally pray everyday that I keep my hair! I am glad you are doing well and without side effects, that is such good news.
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Hi, glad you are all doing well with first Taxol.
Today is day 5 since my first Taxol. So far so good for me. Please drink plenty of fluid. I believe it helps my SEs (or maybe its because I only got taxol so far).
But hydration is the key to cell function or cell restore. I drank lots of fluid and that my urine color are the same as the toilet water! You don't want concentrated urine like tea color. One way to judge if you are hydrated enough or not! Nursing 101!!
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LRFTexan-I am headed to my Taxol #12 on Friday! It does end, at first I was like you, thought it would take forever but the time has really flown. I was surprised last week when my PS how long it had been since I started chemo and I figured it was 19 weeks, does not seem like it had been that long! I have not had any bad SE's, maybe a little neuropathy but not bad at all. I have dry mouth, nose, and eyes and I do tire easily after the steroids wear off about 48 hours after infusion, but that is it. I have been working full time the whole time and not missed any days other than infusions and doctors visits as I have to drive an hour and a half to my appointments.
Capping is a lot of work, hope you can keep it going! I had to quit capping after AC#2, got a really bad 2nd and 3rd degree burn on top of my head and stopped because it didn't heal before AC#3 and I didn't want to risk permanent damage to my scalp.
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