Weekly Taxol group
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I had my last weekly Taxol on May 5. My hair thinned but didn't fall out and I didn't do any icing. About a week or so ago, I noticed my eyelashes and eyebrows on my left side were falling out. Just finished rads this week and started Arimidex Wednesday. It will be interesting to see what happens next...
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lab scientist I did AC first 4 sessions started in February.It has gone by fast Looking forward to the next step
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Numb, you mentioned crash on day 3, so do you experience muscles and body aches as well? It was worse for me during the first week. I wasn't expecting the aches and soreness on Saturday and Sunday after a good Thursday infusion and good Friday. During the second week, I started feeling the body aches but only after I managed to get up early and went for a walk. Came back took a bath with Epsom and the body aches came after 12 noon but not as intense as the previous week. Am I expecting this to linger till Wednesday before my next infusion? OMG is there anything you can take besides Tylenol and Ibuprofen week after week? Honestly, Taxol would be normal for me without these body aches. I don't really or maybe not yet other SE.
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HOUSTON - My crash on week 1 and 2 of Taxol consisted of slight pressure on my heart and anxiety, It only lasted a day and then it was gone. Today is my 3rd day on round 3 and so far I have not had the crash, but it is only 8.30 a.m. My nurse told me this was due to the steroids and for the last two weeks I was taking 28mg Dexamethasone but this week it is down to 16 mg, so I may not get the crash today, hopefully I won't. I have had no body aches since week one and they were very very minor then and only lasted about an hour. I think you need to go back and ask your Liaison nurse or Oncologist what you can do as this must be very uncomfortable for you.
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Houston, I'm having from day 3-7 muscle aches, bone aches, fevers coming and going and extreme exhaustion. My dr has given me Panadol Osteo (Aus brand long acting Tylenol), and said I can take half dexmethasone if I need to, because I'm struggling to eat on the worst days.
But it is totally unpredictable, other than it starts at the middle of the day on day 3! This week I am still feeling rubbish day 7, last week I was fine by the end of day 5!
It's going to be hard work getting through the twelve weeks. I had been told this was easier than AC, but I'm unconvinced. It's different, but the same level of difficulty. And because it is weekly I only get a couple of days break before it starts again, not a whole week
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Thanks Numb, I mentioned to my OC during first week but she just want me to take Tylenol or Ibuprofen. I did but I don't want to take it long term if the symptoms continue every week.
Bluekoala, I'm like you with the muscle aches started on the third day and it continues through day 7 but worse on day 3 and day 4. I don't know if this will continue then it shouldn't be normal. I check with my OC maybe something can be done. Thanks ladies.
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I had my third day on round 3 of Taxol yesterday and didn't get any crash .....yoo hoo !!! I guess this is because the steroids have been reduced and will be reduced even further until the 6th round and then zero. So hoping this means no more crashes.....the prayers are working !!
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Ladies, What do you do about horrible night sweat? I don't have that many hot flashes during the day, but at night it is so bad....
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Numb: great to hear the reduction in steroids is helping. Maybe it's something I'll have to ask my oncologist about!
Viktoryak: sorry I don't have any words of wisdom. Only to let you know I'm in the same boat. Just got my third Taxol and second Herceptin today, and I've been suffering from these every single night for a couple weeks. No daytime hot flashes either. Let us know if you here of a good remedy!
BTW, I got the green light to proceed with my third taxol today at the reduced dosage (had been delayed 1 week to monitor facial neuropathy). The facial numbness is still there, but hadn't gotten worse. I put bags of peas over my face during the infusion hoping there is something to this icing thing. Got lots of funny looks and heard the nurses talking about (oh, she heard something about this in a forum somewhere.) oh well, if it works, it'll all be worth being regarded as kooky. If it doesn't, at least I tried!!
I did allow myself a second here or there to take the bag off to eat my milkshake. It's all a form of icing, right?
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I don't know what to do about the hot flushes either. I'm just putting blankets on and off all through the night, early hours of the morning especially, and keeping the window open to let in the breeze.
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I'm new to the discussion boards and need to get caught up. In the meantime, I started weekly Taxol and Herception treatments on June 9. Thursday will be treatment #4. So far my side effects have been minimal. The day after treatment my face is flushed and hot and on day 15 I started losing hair. It is now day 19 and I am still losing hair, but slowly. I did not cut my hair when I started chemo and I am waiting to see what happens. What is everyone's experience on hair loss
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I did cold-caps...have all the hair on my head (maybe lost about 10%) BUT, I'm the same as Deaconlady...5 weeks after Taxol was finished, my eyebrows and eyelashes left the building. Hair on head still OK. Have re-growth already on brows...but lashes are slow growers.
Hot flashes suck. I find that they are not as severe as when they started 3 months ago though. More of a "flush" than a "flash"
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I was on 8 weeks of AC chemo before the weekly Taxol + Herceptin, so my hair was already long gone by Taxol.
Nolagirl, I agree the hot flashes are the worst. So far just night sweats for me, but I just invested in a fan with a remote-control - ha
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Halfway done!
Had Taxol #6 today with 8 mg of decadron, 12.5 mg benadryl, 10 mg reactine, and pepcid AC (dosage ?). I won't ask to reduce the pre-meds anymore. With the melatonin added last week, I was able to get my sleep back on track faster. I read about a few incidents of anaphylactic shock from Taxol, and I can tolerate a little steroid-induced insomnia one night to avoid that.
Except for fatigue and more hair thinning, I've had no other side effects. The nail darkening from AC has not spread. Been making sure the black nail polish covers the entire nail. Iced today, but didn't do a thorough job with hands.
No peripheral neuropathy or muscle/bone aches from chemo. I have sciatica and take a low dose of Lyrica for it. I've been doing some postural alignment exercises for the past month. They've been helping enough that I stopped taking Flexeril (muscle relaxant) about 2 weeks ago. I will keep the Lyrica since it may help prevent neuropathy from chemo. Taking only vitamin D, magnesium, and melatonin for supplements. Happy to drop a med. Have B vitamins and glutamine on standby.
The other thing I do each week is take a really salty bath. When I read that Taxol may cause skin problems by leaking through sweat glands, I wondered if a bath could help dilute any Taxol in the skin. I was already taking a weekly bath, but now I do it within a day of chemo. The salts I use also help up my magnesium level. Plus, it feels good.
Hair is coming in slowly in my scalp, but eyebrows have thinned a lot more on Taxol. Eyelashes left during AC, but I think I see some new growth in upper lashes. My scalp reminds me of a newly-seeded lawn where the old grass was removed. When it starts looking really scraggly, I'll have my husband buzz me. I use a seaweed mask on my scalp and face during my bath. Aloe gel and rosehip oil on other days when I think of it. One of those things actually got rid of a little, hard bump under my eyebrow. Just flattened and then disappeared. Bonus!
No hot flashes for me. Does that mean I'm not in chemopause?
Hope everyone is recovering well.
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nolagirl, I am sorry, you might have replied to me before about it but let me ask it again. Did you use any products on your eye brows and lashes? I am using Brian joseph gel and I believe I should continue with it after chemo for about 2 month more . i wonder if that will help. It is so bad when you think you over f..g chemo start loosing eyebrows...😞 I also do cold caps and scared as he'll for it to work after what we go through with them. Yesterday last 2 hours for me were torture..maybe because meds wore off...( I take taylonol, Xanax before I put them on + pre chemo coctail)
I had my #9 yesterday...3 more to go....
I usually take Xanax when go to bed for first 2 days after chemo but for some reason decide I will be ok without it...well..not the case:( woke. up at 3 am..I just took half pill of Xanax let's see if that will work for few hours.
Question: has anyone have experience with venlafaxin. I went to see phsycotrist yesterday at Sloan as a recommendation of my MO. She recommended this med. She says it helps with anxiety and night flashes and better sleep and basicly will fix my mood. Claims it is not addictive. I read one of sideefects loose of labido, possible inability to orgasm.and possible either loss or gain of weight. Well, loss I don't mind...but gain? Enough gain from all steroids and so on. Plus...I don't want to loose my sex libido or whatever left of it after this f..g chemo. Plus possibly not able to orgasm? WTF! Leave us at least something in this life!! But it's possible SE..it doesn't mean I will have them. But I am scared going on this road..adding more meds....anyone has any thoughts or experience in it?
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Hi victoryak, I have experience with venlafaxine. I tried it a few years back for depression, after my original depression med stopped working. I found it effective for depression but loss of libido was a SE--many antidepressants have this SE. I did not have inability to orgasm or weight changes either way. Also, I found very disturbing SEs when I forgot a dose--brain "zaps", really awful. Found out many others had the same. It was extremely difficult to get off this med. Good luck finding the best med for you. I suspect venlafaxine may be the only one that helps hot flashes, unfortunately.
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reflect, thank you for your reply. I can't believe shrink told me it's not addictive. What you described is really withdrawal symptom.
I feel like I rather suffer hot flashes then have lose of my Sex libido. I don't want my sex life end because of f..g cancer. Enough it's not the same anymore with all the chemicals they put in us
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Woke up in the middle of the night with the most intense pain in one hip. I couldn't move. Finally was able to get up to go to the toilet, but must have passed out from the pain on my way back to bed. Hip is still quite sore this morning.
Yay for the 'easier' treatment! Lol.
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Taxol #12 today! I am done.
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Milwmama Congratulations! Hope you celebrate big time!
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Hey All! Since Taxol #8, I've been experiencing way more fatigue, nausea, and heart palpitations. It puts a cramp in my daily routine. Going tomorrow for week #10, any words of advice welcomed!
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I had Taxol #12 today. I am done chemo. It has gone by quick and I had some amazing nurses who made it not be a scary situation. I am going to miss the nurses but onward to radiation on July 25.
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Congratulations blamoms! Hope you get to celebrate big time!
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Hi ladies, As a recommendation by ACC rep. I was using Brain Joseph's gel for eyelashes and eyebrows. I was told it helps to keep them from falling out. I am running out of gel and just tried to reorder it but their website disconnected and phone no longer in service. What happened?
Anyone knows what is going on? Any other suggestions how to, if possible avoid losing eyebrows on Taxol? Any products? I heard many people claim that they loose it 2 month after treatment... NO .. please not after we think we over. Didn't we have enough. I am totally having a nervous breakdown now...
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viktoryak: you can order Brian Joseph brow gel through a website called Simply Yours. i just ordered some.
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Labscientistmom, do you have a link?
Actually I think i found a Brian Joseph's website... I think it was just changed. They say shopping card under construction or something...0 -
victoryak: simplyyouboutique.com
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thank you!!!
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Hi all,
I just had my first of 12 weeks of Taxol with Herceptin yesterday. I went home feeling like I had a head cold and a hangover all at once. Today, just feeling a bit weary and my mouth feels like the Sahara. I'm juicing, drinking loads of water and just taking it easy.
For those who have been on the Taxol train longer, how long did it take before you lost your hair?
Cheers
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