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Weekly Taxol group

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Comments

  • Sissydi
    Sissydi Member Posts: 183
    edited June 2012

    I'm finally getting five o'clock shadow, lol! I have half my lashes, but I bet if I pulled them, they'd come right out! Been using the Nioxin on my hair, and the conditioner does really soften the baby hairs. I also use the Nioxin scalp treatment on my eyebrows, or what's coming in anyway :)

    I've also noticed my day 3's are getting more fatiguing. Went to bed at 10, and slept until 10! Still looking for neuropathy though.

  • jpmomof3
    jpmomof3 Member Posts: 198
    edited June 2012

    Yay five o'clock shadow!! Yeah, day three is my least favorite day too(i am there right now).  I hope you dont find the neuropathy! 

  • ladyfighter
    ladyfighter Member Posts: 57
    edited June 2012

    Taxol/herceptin #5, day 3

    Still dizzy, more if I bend my head forward or turn head. So annoying!! Finally took dizzy med from MO, just 30 min ago 1st time, shall see! Will try nap.

    Little tingling hands/feet no pains no ache.

    Don't feel good today :(

    Hope everyone is feeling good today ! Hugs xoxox

  • ladyfighter
    ladyfighter Member Posts: 57
    edited June 2012

    Oh what does five o'clock shadow means?

  • jpmomof3
    jpmomof3 Member Posts: 198
    edited June 2012

    Hey Ladyfighter.  Sorry you arent feeling well.  Day three after taxol is my worst too, its when the dexamethasone wears off.  Hope the tingling isnt too bad.  I find that drinking lots of fluids helps that.  That dizziness is really aggravating I am sure, I hoe the meds help.  the fluids may help it too.

    Five oclock shadow is what men's beards look like at five oclock in the day after shaving in the morning, just a hint of the beard growing back.  we are getting it on our heads!

    Hugs to you! hang in there.

  • Sissydi
    Sissydi Member Posts: 183
    edited June 2012

    Lady fighter, it meAns my peach fuzz started coming in blonde, but now it's brunette....so I look like a man who hadn't shaved all day, and by "5oclock" , they have a little growth, like a shadow on their face!

  • hopeful123
    hopeful123 Member Posts: 78
    edited June 2012

    The last two days were good. Today was day 3 after TX. Was very tired but otherwise ok. Hopefully the weekend will be fine too. One down, 11 more to go.... My eyebrows are really thinning out now.

    Lady fighter - hope you are feeling better.

    Jpmomof3- last one this Monday- how exciting

    Sissydi- you are half way there

  • hopeful123
    hopeful123 Member Posts: 78
    edited June 2012

    Jpmomof3-doing the happy dance for you-hope you are done.

  • jpmomof3
    jpmomof3 Member Posts: 198
    edited June 2012

    I am in the big girl chair right now for my last taxol. Yay yippee yay! I have a few days of no sleep and moodiness and hopefully not much else coming and then I am done freaking done with chemo hopefully forever. I never want to get stabbed in the chest with a giant freaking needle again. Woooo the Benadryl is starting to hit. I am going to PFC day 0 in a little more than one hour.



    Still got surgery and radiation to look forward to but I am not too worried yet about them. Getting chemo behind me is the worst part. Though as I said else where on this website it wasn't as bad as I would have thought. I think most of my side effect from the taxol are actually from the steroids. The AC sucked more but at least it didn't last as long. Somehow I worked through it all. And my hair is growing! Don't know when I will be brave enough to go topless. Hopefully in a few weeks when the effects of the taxol are gone it will really start to grow.



    Lady fighter, hope you are feeling better and hopeful hope you are still having minimal to no side effects. For anyone having any tingling, hydration has made that tingling disappear for me.

  • jpmomof3
    jpmomof3 Member Posts: 198
    edited June 2012

    Done! 12/12 done!

  • Sissydi
    Sissydi Member Posts: 183
    edited June 2012

    Yea Jpmom! Congrats! It must feel soo good......did my number 6 today......halfway there!

  • ladyfighter
    ladyfighter Member Posts: 57
    edited June 2012

    Jpmom, awesome!! Hugs! Are you staying with us??



    Hopeful, hope all good with you so far!



    Sissydi, half way! This thurs (hopefully) will be my half way too!



    I felt a lot better next day on 23rd, until yesterday I felt it was uti! Ugh called my MO this morn but he is on vac, so nurse said to go primary dr (I don't have gym/ob). Saw him and he thinks likely uti, had done urine sample,but no result until Friday (geez!) however he prescribe me antibiotic anyhow. I wonder if my next tx Thursday still on?? Gonna call MO office again tomorrow. Anyone continue treatments during antibiotic ? I'm supposed to go for blood work thurs right before chemo. Hmmm.



    Hope everyone is well! Xoxox

  • jpmomof3
    jpmomof3 Member Posts: 198
    edited June 2012

    Congrats on being halfway there ladies and yes I will stick around.  I hope i can anwer questions and will post how things go with my recovery from chemo phase.  I see some of you on the 2012 IDC sisters too!  It feels really really good to have this behind me.  I still have a few days of side effects and I know it will take months to recover, especially since I still have surgery and radiation coming up but I think that I am going to feel alot better very soon.

  • Sissydi
    Sissydi Member Posts: 183
    edited June 2012

    What kind of exercise, if any, are you all doing? Opinions from onc's? Mine said to do what I felt like doing, but I have heard others encourage it. I try to walk a mile a day, at least......was walking 6 miles every other day, but need to build my endurance up again. I'm not really pushing myself too hard, just really to get out and get blood flowing and muscles moving.

  • jpmomof3
    jpmomof3 Member Posts: 198
    edited June 2012

    I have been walking 3 miles a day any day that I am not working or if I have the time on short work days. I used to run 5 miles a day before this breast cancer crap. I didn't think running during chemo was a good idea although sometimes I really want to. The walks give me energy and then I feel drained a couple of hours afterward, but when I rest the energy comes back. I think it has really helped my energy and some uv light can help the mood in small amounts. And the fresh air. I try to walk in shade and put a hat on my mostly bald pate and lots of sunscreen. I really miss the running. I am not going to start until after the surgery and radiation is done, no reason to push things but I hope to keep walking most of that time.

  • floridatworeds
    floridatworeds Member Posts: 5
    edited June 2012

    Hi Everyone,

    I started weekly dose of Taxol, scare of what the affects will be. I will be going in on Friday mornings and hoping to be able to go back to work on Monday morning. Given I have to work for a living with no saving. But it is a comfort to hear you ladies have come out on top. Keep posting.

  • floridatworeds
    floridatworeds Member Posts: 5
    edited June 2012

    by the way my tumor was 1.9cm not 1 as it reads on profile, for some reason everytime I chose the 1-1.9cm it showed 1

  • jpmomof3
    jpmomof3 Member Posts: 198
    edited June 2012

    Ladies I am post final chemo 6 hours now. I am tired but happy. I will only sleep 5-6 hours with the help of ambien and will be flushed all day tomorrow. But last time I have to got through the side effects.



    Welcome Florida. Though sorry you have to be here too. Taxol isn't so bad for most especially compared to other types of chemo. I worked the whole time I took chemo. Like you my families income and my insurance depended on me working. The taxol was a breeze compared to AC that i took first. It is very doable. You may find that day three post taxol is the worst, if possible you may want to move your chemo day to Thursday's, but just see how it goes for you. Everyone reacts differently. Best wishes!



    Nighty night!

  • Sissydi
    Sissydi Member Posts: 183
    edited June 2012

    Welcome Florida! Taxol should be easier for you, but I agree with jpmom, day 3 is usually crash day.....steroids wear off, and your on the tired side. But you should do fine working through it.

  • Sissydi
    Sissydi Member Posts: 183
    edited June 2012

    Florida, are you located in Florida? I'm south of Jacksonville!

  • ccjj
    ccjj Member Posts: 26
    edited June 2012

    jpmomof3  congrats on finishing! Im so happy for you.  I finished my taxol end of January 2012 and in my experience you will start to feel more and more like yourself prior to all this bc mess. My hair started coming back around week 6 or 7 of taxol.  I ditched my wig in April.  My hair now is still very short but I have had it colored and the sides and back trimmed. Trying to get the top caught up a bit to the sides before growing it out.  Cant wait.  Hopefully this wont happen to you all, but I remember being very frustrated when my eyelashes and eyebrows pretty much all fell out about 3-4 weeks after finishing taxol.  I thought I had escaped it.  They grew back very quickly.  Also never lost any nails, but one finger nail appeared to be separating from the nail bed. I kept it very short and soaked it in epsom salts. I did have slight neuropathy that has gone away.  Good luck to all of you.

  • Sissydi
    Sissydi Member Posts: 183
    edited June 2012

    Thank you ccjj! Sharing your experience helps us to know there is an end to all this! I had my surgery in January, and it seems so long ago!

  • jpmomof3
    jpmomof3 Member Posts: 198
    edited June 2012

    ccjj, thanks so much for your info.  Its nice to hear how fast the recovery is.  I really hope to be topless as fast as you were too.  very encouraging!  My eyelashes fell out sudenly last week.  just a few really fine light lashes left, hope they grow back as fast as yours.  I just cant wait to get over all this BC shit.  I just want to get the surgery done and get the radiation done so I can put this whole ordeal behind me.  I cant wait to see the end of 2012 come.  I want to feel normal again!  I will bet that normal feels really freaking good.

  • Sissydi
    Sissydi Member Posts: 183
    edited June 2012

    That's the thing I miss most....feeling normal. I would love to have just one day of not thinking about it. Can't go by fast enough for me.

  • hopeful123
    hopeful123 Member Posts: 78
    edited June 2012

    Done with Tx 2, 10 more to go, this time I took zofran before I went in so the smells ans taste of saline used to flush my port didn't bother me.

    The SE with Tx 1 wasn't too bad, just fatigue. Hope Tx 2 isn't too bad.

    Jpmom- do keep posting, hair, feeling more normal and all. It is nice to keep looking at all the positives down the road

    Lady fighter - hope you are doing well and possible uti is resolved

    Sissydi- forgot what normal is. Have to wait and see if I ca,n ever get there.

    Ccjj- thanks for posting. Love reading these posts, gives me so much hope

    Florida- I just got started a week ago so we will be doin this together! I am working half the day and hanging out with the kids the other half. So I am able to do quite a bit, just get tired by 6.00 and DH takes over. Work is definitely doable but you would need plenty of rest in between.

  • jpmomof3
    jpmomof3 Member Posts: 198
    edited June 2012

    HI ladies,  I am post final taxol day two.  Not much sleep due to the steroids as expected and short tempered but doing great otherwise.  I am hydrating like crazy and that seems to keep the tingling at bay.  No neuropathy to speak of.  I have had minor tingling in the feet for 1-2 hours or so over the last 2 weeks but it goes away completely if i drink fluids.  My right great toe is feeling a bit sore. I lost my left big toenail a few weeks ago.  Probably a result of taxol and walking 3 miles.  I was hopeing that was the end but this soreness makes me think it might do the same thing.  It would be a mild bummer to get all the way through and have this happen now, but really not a big deal, just annoying.  I am at work now.  Looking forward to a day off tomorrow.  Day three is always my worst and then I am looking forward to steady improvement from here on.  Have a great day!

  • ladyfighter
    ladyfighter Member Posts: 57
    edited June 2012

    Reg dr called said I do have UTI, so Im on antibiotic, i feel better. But the dizzy spells (and few veritgo) still on and off, so annoying but I got used to it. MO said tx still on for tomorrow if WBC is good. So I go for bloodwork tomorrow morning first if WBC good then go for taxol/herceptin #6 (half way!). Tingling hands and feet comes and goes. I got some hair growing in my head! I kept petting my head lol. Eyelashes and eyebrows are so thin it is barely there.



    Jpmom , you are doing great! I wonder why some people done lumpectomy or any surgery before chemo while others do after chemo?



    Hopeful, you seemed doing well so far! :)



    Sissydi, I wonder if we all go back to normal once journey ends?? It's so hard! Btw, I forgot to mention I slept until 130pm on sat total of 14 hours!!! Lol hope your SE is minimal



    Floridatworeds, I think taxol is sooo much better than AC! But tell MO for any SE. Good luck!



    Ccjj, thanks so much for sharing! My hair seems to be growing but how soon did your eyelashes and eyebrows grow back ?



    Hope tomorrow my WBC is good enough (no neupogen at all on taxol tx), so I can keep going!!! Just wanted to get it done!! Anyone have any idea how long allowed in between from end of chemo to start radiation? I wanted to go to new York in sept but looks like my radiation falls on same month unless I delay the radiation? Haven't even met any Radiation doctor yet :/



    Hope everyone is having great night and minimal SE

    Hugs xoxoxo





  • jpmomof3
    jpmomof3 Member Posts: 198
    edited June 2012

    Ladyfighter, hope the UTI goes away fast, I hate those infections. And good luck on the counts, the taxol brought my counts just barely below normal and they stayed steady the whole time through taxol, I didn't have to do Neulasta or neupogen either.



    Most often people do surgery first and then chemo, that is the standard. I decided to do chemo first because I am trying to do a lumpectomy but have a large area of DCIS and a very small breast (barely A). They are hoping to shrink the cancer before removing it to give me the best chance at clear margins. It doesn't make a difference in recurrence or survival to do chemo first but it just seemed like a good idea.



    I am day 3 from my last taxol. Tired but good. It is going to be hotter than Hades here today so I am trying to get motivated to go for a walk early. Had some tingling yesterday but it's gone now. The steroids should be wearing off today. After today I am hoping for steady improvement.

  • gonegirl
    gonegirl Member Posts: 1,022
    edited June 2012

    You all are super women.  I just finished with 20 weekly taxol. At this point the neuropathy is still going (it got worse as we went on).  I'm praying it goes away.

    Otherwise, my side effects were exhaustion (day 3 was the worst), indigestion, some muscile spasms, and at first constipation.

    My hair thinned but not all of it fell out. My eye lashes have fallen out and my eye brows are almost all gone.  Glad to hear they come back quickly.

    I'm on a 2 month break from chemo. The cancer is greatly reduced on my liver (I am metastatic) but not all gone. Still have two spots that are about 1 cm each.

    My doctor is looking at possibly Taxotere.  I'm hoping we can do the combo of Tykerb/Herceptin instead since that has very few if no side effects.  I know chemo is saving my life, but that doesn't mean I like it.

  • Sissydi
    Sissydi Member Posts: 183
    edited June 2012

    Lady fighter, I had some tingling and mild numbness for the first time after Taxol 6. It kind of comes and goes, but thankfully goes! Praying you can do your #6!



    Jpmom, gotta do my walk today too....but it's super hot here as well....well see how far I get!



    Susan, great to see you on our thread! Thanks for sharing what you've been dealing with.....20 Taxol is a lot. So glad your having a break, and know that the Taxol is working from your shrinkage!