Weekly Taxol group
Comments
-
Cmunson5, saline spray really helped with my sinuses, I could not have made it through without it. It drove me crazy to feel so dry and stuffy and snore or not feel like I could breath. Good news is that mine cleared up the week I finished chemo. Hopefully yours will too! Good luck, almost there!!
0 -
fondue - I had no CT or PET scan prior to starting treatment, never even suggested to me. I am hormone positive, no node involvement. Only thing was Echocardiogram prior, which will be done every 3 months.
0 -
Hi, I'm stage 2A and had no scans before chemo. They never did a ki67 on me. I'm HER2 positive like you and like you I didn't have node involvement or lymphovascular invasion. Even though I've had LOTS of Xrays throughout my life due to another condition I have, I probably would go ahead with the scans because I sit here wondering sometimes, is it somewhere else in my body? My doc said with my profile: size of tumor, grade 3 and HER 2 positive I have a 20-25% chance of it coming back which makes me very nervous!
0 -
tonyaberryman- thinking if you. Hope you are doing well. Is your next Taxol tomorrow
0 -
MollyW - I finished chemotherapy in April 7 but I kept following this post mainly because I had a hard time with taxol (maybe worse then with AC) and I wanted to know if I was the only one... Since I started weekly taxol in january I had muscular and joint pain. Like others wrote here they usually started in the 3rd day after infusion and kept going until the next one. Then probably due to pre-medication (steroids ant anti-hystaminics) it would get better for three days. I thought they would disappear once I had finished chemo but it kept on going until this week (today was a good day!). During this time I took paracetamol (acetaminophen) ou ibuprofen as needed (1-2x a day) and I was able to do almost everything. But I was getting very tired - I felt like my joints had aged 20 years...
Once I started complaining about these pains I talked with the nurses and afterwards with several women that had also been on taxol (different schemes and different cancers) and they also had muscle and joint issues. I think sometimes MO don't value these SE because they are more focused in the life-threatening events and not so much concerned with quality of life. They are right of course but those pains had become my major daily limitation.
0 -
Thanks SCM12. I completely agree about some MOs being more focused on life threatening events. Did your pain go away after you finished treatment? I did find out my vitamin d levels are low. Hopefully some ibuprofen and vitamin d will help
0 -
My muscular pain got better first - around 8 weeks PFC. But my joint pain didn't get better until this week - I am now 14 weeks PFC. I was frightened I would have to feel like that forever. But now I think the pain is going away and its wonderful.
0 -
SCM12,
Oh my. 14 PFC for pain to go away
I am only 3wks PFC and going nuts over joint pain and aches. AC+ T 8DD I had.
I guess I should be more patient.
Mimi
0 -
Hi Fondue,
I am stage 1, tripple positive no lymph nodes involved, 12mm tumour, proliferation index was 30%. I was asking my surgeon and MO about CT, PET, MRI scans and they did not want to do it. They said opposite to me that my prognosis is extremely good and there is no need to do any further scans, because lymph node was clear.
I hope that helps!
All the best with your treatment!
Gin
0 -
SCM12- thank you so much for sharing that the joint/muscle pain from Taxol may not end as Taxol ends..... but that even after chemo, there is hope it does go away. I think your post is the first I had read about lingering joint/muscle pains. Guess it is a good thing I bought a large Aleve bottle. And will ask MO how soon after Taxol I can return to Turmeric as that helps my arthritis pain a lot
0 -
HapB - my MO said ok to all my supplements except Turmeric with Taxol. She said Turmeric would interfere and lessen results of the chemo and Sloan Kettering's web site says Turmeric may inhibit the antitumor action of chemo drugs
I was taking Relief Factor for arthritis pains (and it worked well) but had to stop in March for port surgery (as Turmeric is also like a blood thinner) and then stopped again for another surgery in Aoril and just didn't go back on it when chemo started (AC) as I found the steroids in my pre-meds helped with arthritis pains. But I will go back to Turmeric once cleared to do so
0 -
#12 done last Thursday. Thankful I made it through them all and thankful to this group here for all the information. Hoping the neuropathy that started will go away and not be permanent.I met with the LE specialist Fri for an eval and measurements and everything looks good with no difference in my arms. My left shoulder blade is not working with the rest of my shoulder, so that is part of what's causing the rom difficulty I'm having. Got some exercises to do and another appt. She agrees there is swelling under my arm and thinks some massage and maybe a compression tank can help. According to my BS there were no lymph nodes under my arm at all when she tried to do the SNB. She felt all the rads I go to in 2004 was what caused that. So it makes sense there might be drainage issues. Anyway, wishing everyone the best with treatment and recovery
0 -
cdv4251992-- woot woot!! Congrats on finishing 12 rounds of Taxol!!!
0 -
Way to go cdv!
0 -
Congratulations Cdv! I know your journey continues, but it must feel good to be finished with the Taxol portion.
I have just been cleared for Taxol #8 of 12 but it feels like a slog and I'm heading in for another beating. 😏
0 -
cdv,
Congrats!!
Mimi
0 -
hello all..I am starting my weekly (12) taxol/herceptin/perjeta this coming Friday. Was wondering if some could share side effects most common and ways to deal with them. I know neuropathy is one and some ice to avoid but what are some others?
0 -
Huey- SE are all over the board with Taxol. Many people get very few. Hope that will describe your experience.
Personally, I feel fine chemo day but can't sleep that night due to steroids. By 2nd round, my nose and sinuses dried out. Had to use Ayr Gel inside my nose because it was so dry it was sore. And spray my nose several times a day with Ocean saline spray. Also started getting bone and joint pains from day 4-6 and MO recommended Aleve. My first mouth sore showed up around treatment 3 or 4. Went back to rinsing after eating with water/salt/baking soda and applied Blistex Kanka on the sore. (Insurance would not cover magic mouth wash and I refused to pay $77 for it). I have my second mouth sore after Taxol 8. No nausea thus far. I am icing hands and feet but after Taxol 8, think I feel the beginning of neuropathy in my left hand. Experienced chemo brain for first time after Taxol 8 whenever I couldn't come up with a handful of words in a conversation
0 -
cdv - congratulations and well done. Sending love from Ireland 💕
0 -
hhuey - I will have taxol/herceptin #9 of 12 on Wednesday. I feel very fortunate, my SEs have been pretty minor and very manageable. I take a pepcid everyday for heartburn, a claritin and tylenol on days 3-5 for bone pain. I use Biotin toothpaste and mouth rinse daily and have not had any mouth sores, just very dry mouth. I use saline spray and dab on aquafor ointment at night for dry nose. I didn't ice hands or feet, so far no neuropathy. Premeds given IV are benedryl. Pepcid, antinausea meds and steroids. Infusion night I don't get much sleep, wide awake and the next day have lots of energy. Only 3 left after this week, then just herceptin every 3 weeks. Good luck, great information and support from this group!
0 -
BJI thank you so much for your input..hoping my treatments are uneventful as well
0 -
I'm done with Taxol! I had #12 yesterday! When I started #1, I had no idea of what to expect, how I would feel. Twelve weeks sounded like a lifetime. But it wasn't, and I think I'm stronger than before and ready to face what lies ahead -- mastectomy with reconstruction and Herceptin to finish out the year of treatment.
Our infusion room has a bell for patients to ring at the end of treatment, and the nurses told me I should ring it, even though I have nine months of Herceptin infusions ahead. So I rang it! I cried a little. I had no idea I would be so overwhelmed by the emotional experience of finishing! I'm tearing up now, thinking about it again.
To everyone, I've enjoyed reading your comments and knowing there are so many kind, helpful people in the world willing to share their experiences with others and offer up support and advice. I'm sending you all good vibes. You can do this! You are stronger than you think!
0 -
TooQuiet-- congrats on completing 12 Taxol!!!
Best of luck with surgery. Do you have a surgery date yet
0 -
Thanks, DodgersGirl!
I do not have a date yet, but hopefully it will be early September. I see my surgeon on Friday, so I may find out then.
0 -
TOOQUIET fantastic news you have finished all 12 weeks with no major side effects. I finished my 4 DD AC treatments without any major issues and anything minor was resolved quickly. I feel fortunate because a lot of women seem to have a rough time on the AC.. anyway I think a lot is about perspective to so I am going to just go with the flow and beat this battle one step at a time. Thank you for
0 -
I'm debating on going back to work or not during the 12 taxols..will end mid October then will have surgery and I work in a cafeteria at a local high school..any thoughts..I don't REALLY need the money but like the extra spending cash but thinking about physical strain and most of all germs but my doctor said the decision is mine and my husband supports me either way
0 -
Congratulations TooQuiet. Wishing you the best with the rest of your treatment.
0 -
Too quiet - congrats on finishing taxol! I have #9 tomorrow and can see the finish line. My SES have been manageable, but will be glad to finish up, then just herceptin for 9 months. My infusion ctr has bell to ring also when finished. Good luck with surgery!
0 -
I had Taxol #12 last week and and am so relieved to have that behind me. It took me 15 weeks and reduced dosage to do it, but I did it! My SEs were all over the place, but not consistent and not permanent, so all is good. Big surprise is that the last two were the easiest, and most free of problems. I lost my hair on AC, which started to grow back at the end of that treatment, and continued to grow throughout Taxol and Herceptin, albeit slowly. I did lose my eyelashes a second time on Taxol, but they are already growing back. My nails are in good shape, with no discoloration or lifting. I iced during infusions and have also been taking a prescription vitamin complex called Metanx, recommended by my MO. Rad mapping today and I go forward with that and weekly Herceptin. Someday this will be over...
0 -
Hello, I will be starting Taxol/Herceptin Aug 7. I hope that I can get thru with minor side effects!! The advice here is so helpful.Gives me an idea of what to expect and how to prepare. I'm ready! Bring it on
0
