Weekly Taxol group
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Taxol/Herceptin weekly for 12 weeks starts for me Friday the 24th.
Hoping for the best! Just read through the posts to give me some advice from those who have walked the road before me. Thank you ladies!!
Second time BC first timer chemo, rads and AI's
Daniella
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bravepoint-I'm experiencing the same. Mine is about 1/2" long and is mostly white/grey. I'm just sick about that because I had NO grey before. Is your hair covering your whole head? Mine does not and I still have patches of shiny scalp. There's almost like a perfect line from the front of my head to the back of hair/no hair. The right side looks somewhat normal and the left has very little. I scare myself looking in the mirror. Hows your eyebrows/lashes? Mine thinned during Taxol but didn't completely fall out until after chemo was done. I've been finished 4 weeks now and I might be able to see a faint brow line again but no lashes. Or maybe I'm imagining it. All I can say is this stinks!!!
I was just looking at your diagnosis. Mine is very, very similar.
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Seq24 , i am 19 days PFC. My brow and lashes came out around #9 taxol and till now I still don't have any eye brow and lashes. I am so tempted to go for eye brow embroidery. I too have very little hair which started growing since Taxol #1. I shaved my hair just before my second AC. Now the back of my hair is also coming out although very very sparse, they are black. Those that came out during Taxol are now about an inch long.
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seq24, My hair is longer on top than the sides but it appears to be coming in all over my head. I did have great roots and a bit at the sides before but I didn't expect it all to come back white. I've been told it's partially to the body that causes that and that it will take a good 18 months for my hair to relax and return to "normal". I never lost all my eyebrows or eyelashes probably 75% of them. My eyebrows are growing back white so it's hard to see unless I put on my DH's strong glasses! I agree it does stink! Our diagnoses are very similar. I'm PR- and very weak , 3% ER+. I still have 4 more treatments to go. Envious of you being done!!
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mine came back white too.. remember smeagles from lord of the ring? I laugh coz sometimes, i remember him ( dont know if its a male or female)when i look at myself in the mirror..
Bravepoint: i was looking at your dx n we start at d same time with ac n has to stop twice (i had shingles n etc) . Did u stop too? Im on no 9 going for 10 this week..
Any of your eyeaight getting bad? Mine start with d ac then because i stop for 2 weeks, it got better ( like normal) , now its back again.., on no.9. My back seems like its been squeezed, it comes n goes..😩
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Novbaby, Nope, no breaks at all. I had my first AC October 7th and then did 4 cycles every 3 weeks. Taxol started December 30th so this Friday is #9. You must have had less to do?
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bravepont: mine was ac every 2 weeks, taxol weekly for 12 weeks.. i did not know your ac was every 3 weeks..
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Just wanted to stop in and say goodbye to all you lovely ladies. I finished my final Taxol today! Yay! After 5 months and 16 infusions ( 4 A/C and 12 Taxol) I am so happy to stop having poisonous chemicals pumped into my body on a weekly basis.
Now to recover, then on to surgery.
Good luck to all of you still going through the process. Hang in there. You'll get through it. And it feels so good to get to the other side.
Trish
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bravepoint--you will get there! It is nice to be done with chemo. As soon as I finished I got a 3 week break then started radiation. I had #7 of 30 today then 5-10 years of hormone therapy. I wonder if this will ever be truly done!
Sounds like your hair is behaving just like mine. I can feel eyebrows coming back but I can't see them so I assume they are going to be white too. Keep me posted on how your hair is coming. 18 months to normal hair? That's a LONG time!
novbaby--changes in eyesight are common with AC/Taxol. I noticed it too. With the AC it would come and go. Once I started Taxol it was continuous but since being finished I do think it's improved some. I did notice yesterday when driving that I have a harder time seeing distances than before. My MO said that the effects of chemo stay in our bodies about 3 months. Once that amount of time has passed I will go get my eyes checked.
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Novbaby- It will be almost 6 months of chemo by the time I'm done! My neutrophils are dropping but I'm really hoping they can recover each week and stay above the 1.0 so I can finish March a7th as planned.
Seq24- I'll let you know what happens with my hair. I suspect it's going to curl then I'll look like a sheep! I start radiation April 18th for 29 treatments so I too get a break in between. My MO wants me to do hormone therapy but with such a low ER+, I'm not sure if the benefits outweigh the side effects. We'll be discussing that next visit.
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Congrats KB on finishing Taxol!!!
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Huge CONGRATS to those finishing their Taxol treatments...WOO HOO!!!
I had my 9th Taxol yesterday. I'm noticing a lot of new vertical ridges in some fingernails. Have others experienced that and was it a precursor to nails splitting and cracking?
Lyn
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Lynn...my nails are completely black..and 2 of them are lifting from the nail bed...trying to come off...
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VLH,
Thanks for the well wishes. It feels so good to finally be done after five long months!
Like you, I started having issues with my nails toward the end. My thumbnails began hurting and are now peeling and cracking. My nails have always been weak, but this is worse. About all I can do is to keep them short and use a nail hardening polish.
The last few infusions are the toughest. The SE's start to get a little worse, but you can do it! Just keep focused on how good it will feel when you're done.
Trish
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wow kb congrats.. i salute u and all d ladies that undergoes chemo and finish it..u all are strong..
VLH: my friend got vertical ridges but her nails did not lift up, but she only have 4 tc chemo.. mine's black, so far, its still not lifting up(God forbids). Were u on ac x2 or acx3, just wondered coz we started d same time n im on the 10th today. I had a 3 week total break (breakx2), for shingles n chest pain.
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Ohmigosh, Nayda and Novbaby, I feel bad for you with the black nails. I had my AC every two weeks, but had a delay due to a nasty infection in my eyelid.
Thanks for the feedback and encouragement, Trish. I'm a bit disappointed that my final Taxol will be at a different facility since my oncologist will be out to spend spring break with her kids. Love her so don't begrudge her a well deserved vacation! My chemo nurses are great and it feels anticlimactic to have that last infusion with strangers.
Lyn
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thanks seq24 for your input oneyesight..
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vlh: how many total weeks delay/break did u have?let us know what your SE this wk.. mine was bad last week (my 9th).. hope its not bad this wk for me and u, and d other ladies.Im curious what is PFC? P must be post and c must be chemo? Whats F?
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KB870 - What a huge relief to be done. Congrats on making it thru!
I also find the SEs are getting worse. Heading into #9 tomorrow and for the first time I have some tingling in my left toes. My nails have horizontal ridges but no discoloration. It started right after AC. My thumbs are particularly bad and have a sort of second nail growing under neath. Yuk! So looking forward to being done with chemo....
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Trishyla, Congrats on finishing and good luck with surgery. Let us know the plan.
KB870, Let us know how Brachytherapy goes. There aren't many postings about it, but perhaps in other forums there are.
VLH, I empathize regarding finishing with a different oncologist and infusion nurses. I've had the same nurse for all my infusions and she's wonderful but she'll be on vacation and won't be there for the last two. I agree that I want these great providers to have and enjoy their vacations.
Seq24, Thanks for the information regarding eyesight. I've been wondering when to do the check-up post therapy.
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seq24: did you ever have itchiness in the soles of your feet? Just wondered coz you are taking claritin. I wonder if that helps.
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Novbaby, I've lost track. I missed a week at Thanksgiving because the AC hit me so hard that I ended up in the ER to rule out a blood clot or heart / lung damage. Then a couple of weeks for the eyelid infection. There was a significant delay starting chemo because I got an infection related to having a seroma drained near my sentinel node biopsy site.
Aterry, I'm sorry that you won't be able to finish treatment with your regular nurse. :-(
Lyn
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Hi, just joined the group, sorry if my first post is kinda long, it's been an eventful start of the year.
Just diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer this year when my twins turned 4 months, and 1 of my twins had to go for an hernia operation and my mum has to go for her gallbladder surgery soon too next month, so it's really an eventful start of the year for me.
Started my first chemo last week (3 weekly Herceptine, Pertuzumad and Taxol, and weekly taxol), mouth sores, diarrhea that lasted 5 days, fatigue sink in on day 3. Just had my #3 weekly taxol chemo yesterday, feeling pretty normal, not worse off.
Wondering if you can share from your experiences, are you able to coup with going subsequent chemo sessions by yourself (3 weekly Herceptine, Pertuzumad and Taxol, and weekly taxol), I feel like i am able to handle even if I am just on my #2 session, as I don't want to exhaust my husband having to go with the chemo session with me especially with the twins and operations and surgery that will be going on, but he is not convinced and want to keep me company.
Thanks in advance, cheers!0 -
novbaby--I wish I could be more help but I did not have itchiness on my feet. I took Claritin continuously throughout Taxol. If you haven't tried it, you might want to ask your MO or nurses to see if you can start taking it because it could help that. Apparently Claritin helps a lot of things. I've decided that just about anything is possible with chemo. My main problem with Taxol was the achiness in my legs and hips but that went away as soon as Taxol was done. After I finished I also noticed a small dent in two of my nails. It's growing out so I know it's not permanent. Good luck. Please be in touch.
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seq24: thank u for your response. I started taking the claritin today coz i could not take the itchl, so itchy.. i had d itch b4 but not this bad and it usually go away. I also feel like somebody is holding my neck.. weird sensation.
SanL: welcome.. wow u r so brave to go to the chemo center by yourself. There is no way i could do it since im so groggy from the benadryl they gave me.. im always sleepy or sleeping on my way home.. Dont they give u benadryl? Hope and pray your SE's not so bad..
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Hi all, I just had my weekly #7 Taxol (& Herceptin) yesterday. They also add Perjeta every 3 weeks.
They finally had to cut my Benadryl in half because of my restless legs and becoming too drowsy. I did much better with the half dose. I am fine to drive home alone after my chemo. By Friday night my face would get very red (one time I broke out in a horrible rash). So now, on Fri & Sat I take 2 Benadryl and this takes care of the problem. My nails are very thin and brittle, I try to keep them covered with a nail hardner and a dark polish. On my non perjeta weeks, I would usually be constipated till Sat, so now after treatment on Thursday I have a small can of prune juice & this helps move things along just enough. I eat small meals throughout the day rather then the traditional 3 large meals. And for some reason I can always eat crackers, they help during nausea and they taste okay. Some foods now a have a bitter taste to me. I also drink ginger tea and chew ginger candy for nausea. Sometimes the Nausea pills can cause constipation. I had cut my hair short before I started treatments, I still have hair on my head but it is just now starting to thin out. I'm not sure if I'll lose it all or not, just have to wait and see.my eyebrows have also thinned out, definitely have to use my brow pencil. Every once in awhile my right toe gets that tingly numb feeling. Some days I'm more achy then others. I use the baking soda salt rinse when my mouth starts getting that wierd feeling, it helps, So ,I have 5 more treatments to go ( then off to surgery) and herceptin treatments every 3 weeks. Still lots ahead, but thought I'd pop in to share my experience and to tell everyone to hang in there. There is light at the end of the tunnel ( so I am told). We have to stay positive! Good luck everyone
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SanL- Sorry to hear about your rough start to the year on so many fronts.... I was told not to drive myself as I get 2 Benadryl pre treatment which makes me sleepy. MY DH takes me or a friend.
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SanL: I drove myself to almost every treatment and felt fine. It was only a 15 minute drive, though. They cut my Benedryl in half for the Taxol treatments because I was concerned I would be really drowsy. The next day I had a super red face and neck, but it went away in 24 hours. I had people keep me company most of the time during treatment, but that was mostly for chatting purposes. When I was alone I would read or take a nap.
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Hi all, I'm scheduled to start chemo 3/7, my MO put in an order for me to receive taxotere but I think I may throw my lot in for taxol. She said she would substitute taxol for taxotere at the drop of a hat and it was my choice so I'm trying to follow along here to see what's coming my way. Does or did anyone use those ice pack mittens or socks to deal with the neuropathy? Did it help? It sounds like a more mellow version of cold capping and I'm wondering if people wore them the whole time and if it was at all useful. Thanks for bothering to post all the SEs and how everyone is coping with them. Its overwhelming but so useful to have all this information available.
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bratmobile--I had 4 rounds of AC then 12 rounds of Taxol. I iced my hands and feet during Taxol. Doctors will tell you that there are no official studies to prove that this works but I can say first hand that it did for me. I am 5 weeks PFC right now and I did not get neuropathy. My cancer center provided the cold mittens and foot covers. I found that the mittens did not stay cold enough and I made my own to wear once the mittens they provided were not cold enough anymore. I also took B complex and B6 to prevent neuropathy. Oncologist told me 60% of people get neuropathy so I was going to do anything I could to prevent it.
This is a post I wrote on Jan 29 with photos of the mitts I made. You might need to scroll down the page a ways to find it.
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics...
Good luck and keep us posted.
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