Weekly Taxol group
Comments
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Ywheels,
My ac went better. The first one was dose dense and landed me in hospital for four days. So my onc changed dosage and changed it to every 3 weeks. I would have treatment. Come home take halidol and a nausea suppository and go to bed. I would sleep a lot. Would get up have some jello I think. And back to bed I would go. Next day I would get hydrated and neulasta shot. Ac was really hard on me.
I think taxol was easier but as I said neuropathy got me. I took b complex vitamins. Will take them again. L glut amine powder is supposed to help. I took capsules. Did not seem to help.0 -
Ywheels, for neuropathy the recommendation I got was vitamin B6 (100 mg per day) and L-Glutamine (30 grams per day, divided into 2 or 3 servings). The capsules of L-glutamine that I found were only 500 mg, so to get 30 grams you'd have to take 60 capsules. Better is to get the powder from GNC. A heaping tablespoon is about 15 grams. Mix it into a liquid of your choice or something like yogurt. I had almost no neuropathy taking these two things, but I was on weekly taxol which I believe causes fewer problems than biweekly or triweekly. And maybe I was just lucky.
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mareluna: Thanks. Most have said AC is harder than Taxol and I plan on doing the B6 or 12 and L-Glutamine, though I didn't know about the powder. Thanks for sharing.
PatinMN: Thanks for sharing about the powder. As I said to mareluna, I didn't know that so that wil help. I am going to ask about weekly instead of bi-weekly. A few people have said that is better and I would love to get it over sooner. But again, not all MO's are the same!
Thanks both of you. It is so good to hear what others experienced. Best!
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I had my port placed yeaterday, hurts some but I have pain pills. Went directly to chemo appt. Had taxol/ herceptin with zofran and benadryl in the mix, I dozed through the whole thing. No serious side effects..just a metallic taste in my mouth and some restless leg thing. Spo far so good. Going back weeklu for the next 11 weeks. We'll see if any other side effects show up this week.
Linda
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Jwlinda,
I had the restless leg thing. I noticed it was benedryl causing it. Good luck with your treatments.0 -
I have restless legs during treatments and it is miserable. I am having pain and I guess what I would call tingling in my left arm (surgery side).
I also use lydocaine on my port at home -- 1 hour before, very thick, covered with plastic wrap. It really does help.
Taxol #5 tomorrow. It is so much better than AC, but I still dread every treatment.0 -
Shirley~Are you saying the RLS just lasts during the treatment? You're ok after you go home?
I've experienced restless legs a few times in my 62 years. The thought of it terrifies me.
I'm only supposed to get pre-meds for the first 2 treatments.
Blessings
Paula0 -
Yes just during treatmentso far.I think others have it between. NP told me today that it is the benedryl.
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The RLS- Did you have a reaction like that with benadryl before chemo? Like when you take it for allergies? I dont have any bad SEs with benadryl typically so I wondered if it is in conjunction with taxol.
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Never had rls prior. Noticed that it happened with benedryl infusion prior to taxol. I watched another lady in chemo going crazy with her legs too. Just plain uncomfortable.
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Debbie~I think the Benadryl is a pretty significant dose. More than we would take for an allergy or to sleep.
Maybe it's the Benadryl & steroids fighting against each other.
Blessings
Paula0 -
I figured it was a massive dose. I watched another girl in the infusion room go right to sleep (pretty much pass out) from the massive benadryl IV. We were being nosy and eased dropped b/c they were talking about this being her first taxol. So, we watched them keep all their eyes on her to see if she was going to tolerate taxol and she did really well. I was nervous watching. She was OUT! She was hooked up to every monitor imaginable to check vitals. I feel a bit better about that part. My MO nurses are so good. Thank god!!
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Wow! Interesting. I had no idea about the monitors. I do know they keep an emergency kit within reach, just in case. Epi-pens, syringes, etc.
Blessings
Paula0 -
The Benadryl didn't put me out, just drowsy. I did have the RLs though. They said I could have had Ativan if I wanted to sleep through it all. I had a metallic taste in my mouth and they gave me a peppermint to get rid of it. No other SEs during the rx. Today, 2 days later, I'm pretty tired and didn't sleep well last night, but that's it so far.Yea!!
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The benadryl discussion is interesting to me. My infusion center (Kaiser Permanente) doesn't do benadryl pre-medication. Just zyrtec, pepcid and decadron. They have benadryl on hand in case of a reaction (along with some kind of emergency kit) but you don't get it unless you need it.
First round of dose dense Taxol was a breeze for me. A loooong breeze, but a breeze nonetheless. I had been told it would be a 3 hour infusion but they started it really slowly and worked up to the full speed,ticking up slowly every half hour. They did take my blood pressure every time they increased it, but that was the only vitals they monitored. The infusion was much closer to 4 hours, almost 5 hours with the pre-meds. They did this so that if I was going to have an allergic reaction, they could catch it when the dose was still low and easily managed. I didn't have any reaction but the guy next to me did and it made me really appreciate their approach. Since I didn't have any benardryl, I left there feeling fine. Much better than after my last two AC. I am not struggling with nausea, and that is a blessing.
No nausea meds following treatment (I can take compazine if I feel yucky) but I still have to do the nupogen shots since I'm on the dose dense protocol. 1 down, 3 to go! The end is in sight (a long ways away, but finally in sight!)
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Taxol number 6 today. 4th without any premeds and doing good. I have been fighting a non chemo related tummy bug which has made things interesting. So far my SE have been bone/join pain on day three to four. I also have one big toenail that seems to be changing colors, but it doesn't hurt, no numbness or anything. My eyebrows and eyelashes have started to go. I got some Benefit brand brow wax and powder kit, and it looks decent. I felt like I looked sickly without the brows. No hair regrowth yet on my head, but I have noticed a little leg and underarm.
Wish me luck, we are taking the kids to a local indoor water park tomorrow night to get a way for some fun. I am looking forward to splashing around with the baby. I crammed the breast forms into my swim suit top (no time to order a mastectomy suit, and I wasn't forking out what the local botique wanted for them) jumped up and down, and now I am going to pray I don't loose a foob at the waterpark.
(Although that would be a little funny)0 -
Politicomama ~ good luck with the foob! I hope you have a great time with your kids and have no wardrobe malfunction stories to tell when it's over!
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Hi all,
I have had 5 weekly does of Taxol now and have the usual side effects, joint pain, nausea, tired feeling. I have recently started feeling faint also. Mostly when go to stand up or go up stairs. I was having a mamo on Friday and had to sit down towards the end because I felt like I was going down. Anybody else have this going on? Should I be worried? Thanks girls.
Hugs to ya all, Debbie
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Debbie - I felt faint a couple of times. I assumed it was because of my low blood count - hemoglobin and red blood cells were low, but not in the "danger" zone. I'm guessing that is what is causing your faintness, but do mention it to the nurses at your next chemo.
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I didn't have as much trouble with RLS on Thursday as I did with the previous week. The nurse told me they could give me something for it if I needed it as long as I had someone to drive me home, but I didn't need it. They cut down on my steroid Thursday and said they would cut down on Benedryl next week. I feel better today so far than I normally do on Saturday, so maybe decreasing the steriods helped. I feel like I'm on the downhill slide now. I'm over the half way mark with chemo! Only 7 more treatments to go. My eyebrows and eyelashes are getting thinner, but I noticed peach fuzz growing on my head this week!
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Shirley~YEA!!! For peach fuzz!!!
I finished AC 2 weeks ago. I'm looking everyday for the fuzz.
Blessings
Paula0 -
About the feeling that you're going to faint, my onc attributes it to anemia (I'm low but not in danger zone as someone else said). I've added a lot of anemia fighting foods such as spinach and red meat and my anemia is getting better. I still have to get up slowly or I'll have the feeling I'm going to faint. This didn't happen with AC. Could be the cumulative assault on my body.
Just be careful to do things slowly so you don't faint.
I have taxol this Monday and one more on March 11 and I'm done with chemo!!!
Peggy0 -
I will have my 2nd Taxol/Herceptin this tuesday. So far, so good with SEs. Do the Ses increase the more chemo you take? Should I expect to lose my hair? I feel strangely embarassed to read of all of you having these terrible problems with the chemo.
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Jw, are you on weekly taxol? That seems to make the differneces with SE's. With that said I just had taxol number 6 and I feel like am starting to feel it. I have been having on and off pangs of nausea, fatigue, and my big toenail on my left foot feels wierd and is starting to change color. I have not had nueropathy. I have had bone and joint pain. I lost my hair on AC. Some women just seem to thin on Taxol.
Is anyone else other this phase of treatment. Somedays I don't feel like I can take another six weeks, but then I think of those who are stage IV and quit my whining.
Survived the waterpark. Didn't use the foobs, figure we all come in all shapes and sizes, and I was right. No one obviously stared.
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On Friday I was 2 weeks post final AC. I'm so weak I had to sit on the toilet to put my makeup on before church this morning. My DH drops me at the door of the church and when it's over, he gets the truck and picks me up.
I'm so tired of being so tired. I have no idea how you ladies with jobs and small children do it. I don't get Neulasta, and I think by the time I'm 2 weeks out from chemo I become anemic, and so I don't have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen, so I'm weak and short of breath.
Now that I think about it, that has little to do with not getting Neulasta, as that's to help with WBC.
I'm hoping to get enough energy this week, so I can clean my house before starting taxol on Friday.
Blessings
Paula0 -
Is anyone else on dose dense (every 2 week) taxol experiencing abdominal cramping as a side effect? I started having muscle/bone pain in my legs this morning (day 3) but I have abdominal cramping ~ kinda nonspecific ~that is almost more troublesome. I haven't seen mention of it so I thought I'd ask.
Thanks.
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Yes, I am having weekly taxol/herceptin x12. I have had some abdominal cramping, but it comes and goes. My lumpectomy boob (R) has finally healed but still has sharp shooting pains occasionally. My port boob (L) is a yucky purple, but the pain has lessened. I am on coumadin from a previous stroke, so I guess I'm gonna bruise a lot anyway. Surgeon acted like this is normal.
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Good morning ladies.........5 days post Taxol #2 here and been feeling very weak and shaky the last couple days..........also kinda "stoned" as in my mind just isn't working right and I feel half asleep all the time. How long does it take for our blood counts to come back up........i have part 2 this wed and hope this doesn't just keep getting worse
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@ Ridergirl: My wife did Taxol #3 Thursday. She has been more wiped out on days 3-5, it seems.
She needed Neupogen (I think) after Taxol #3 for low WBC.
She had gotten the flu after Taxol #1.
Good luck going forward.0 -
Is it standard for us on weekly taxol to get the neupogen or neulesta shot?? or do they wait and see how the WBC is doing on its own... I am trying to figure this new schedule out so I can have my treatment day and have my down days when I am off.. I work thurs/fri/sat and really dont want to take those off... I have so many dofferent answers to when you start to feel bad after tx days. Some are saying days 3 and 4 are bad some are saying immedatly. UGH. I wish there was a solid schedule. I had the same thing happen when I was planning AC. Now that I have that figured out I will be done on the 8th.
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