Weekly Taxol group
Comments
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Margun— I worked through both AC and Taxol. I have no neuropathy as of yet. I work with children so my head has to be mostly clear. I do have some things that I forget but am able to focus and concentrate at work, just means I let other things go
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Hi Ladies!
Today was supposed to be mom's third taxol/carbo, but was canceled due to fever 38.5 °c. She was given antibiotics, and they did blood tests to check for bacteria and/or viruses. To be honest, I believe the fever is due to her being tired and weak. She has very low appetite and eats very little. She is also anxious and irritated most of the time.
Anyone has gone through a similar situation??
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The doctor can prescribe her some meds which can help with the anxiety.
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KKmay- I don't have any issues with food or fever, but I can relate to feeling irritable. I don't feel anxious, just kind of like there is a cloud over me. I have done 2 of 12 taxols. The body aches can be intense. Perhaps an anti-nausea medication can help with your mom's appetite?
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Taxol really messes with your emotions. I am blue and weepy during the later part of the week after a treatment.
Annie
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Just one more tomorrow. My last taxol... I mean the last. Nevermind what happens in the future. This is it with taxol. I made it for my family, but never again
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Just one more tomorrow. My last taxol... I mean the last. Nevermind what happens in the future. This is it with taxol. I made it for my family, but never again
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Kkmay,
I had a reaction to Taxol nearly a couple of days after 1st treatment. Started to develop a nagging cough the day after Taxol. Within a week, it began to look like a cold/ flu with low grade fever (38.1C).
MO believed that I had an infection of lungs and prescribed antibiotics. Did not work first go round. 2 weeks later, getting worse with cold/flu, and low grade fever remaining consistent. Breathing was nearly impossible. Another round of heavier antibiotics. But no success. Finally CT scan and it was conclusive of pneumonitis. Took MO nearly 6 weeks to make correct diagnosis.
Although, I should mention, I already had radiotherapy 4 months prior to Taxol. RO had warned of possiblibity of radiation pneumonitis after treatment. I've also read that taxane (Taxol or taxotere) can agitate lung inflammation. Which I believe to be in my case.
During the 6 weeks, I had no appetite. Lost weight. And felt like I had a terrible flu. Constant head, muscle and body aches. Nausea with night sweats and low grade fever. My wbc actually looked very normal, which meant my immune system was working hard. Due to feeling so sick for such an extended amount of time, I was depressed, moody, and easily irritated.
I’ve been on prednisone for nearly 4 weeks now. It’s helped against pneumonitis, flu like symptoms and chest cough. Breathing is easier. Temperatures back to normal. Since prednisone is a corticosteroid, I now have a very healthy appetite and have already gained back much of the weight. And am feeling so much better.
I’m not sure if your mom is going through something similar, but worth asking if antibiotics aren’t working.
Hope this helps and that your mom will have correct meds and begin to feel better soon.
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Hello fellow warriors
I am just starting taxol next week (completed 2 months of A/C) am I being overly optimistic that these next 12 weeks won't be as hellish as the last 2 months . Seriously I cannot adequately express my gratitude to all of you wonderful ladies for your gentle and honest words of wisdom, hope love and support that I have read here. I hope that I can contribute in a like manner as all of you, Admittedly however I do get downright overwhelmed sometimes with all of the assaults on my body, I am a born fighter so that is not the issue for me it is the fact that I have spent most of my 61 ish years fairly healthy so all of this just affirms that I would have been/AM a terrible patient,. Love and hugs to all.0 -
Welcome to the home of unwilling participants. Best to not compare one phase of your experience with another. Best to not compare your experience with that of others. Live in the moment. You can search patterns of symptoms among others here, all you want, but self-diagnosis is often misleading. Patterns can indicate a problem, and be insistent, as Angie was, no matter how stubborn your doctors are.
I have been going to a gym five to six days a week. They say that good nutrition, good sleep, and plenty of exercise will conquer neuropathy. I am spending more time per day exercising than I have ever done in my life, and I feel good.
As for toenails, I have spent the past two hours soaking my feet in hot to warm water with vinegar, Epsom salt, and salt. That is my biggest concern at the moment. Walking almost two miles a day gets difficult when your toenail beds are screaming.
Herceptin is easy, I don't even think about it until it comes up on my calendar.
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I also get VERY depressed on days 3 and 4 after infusion, taking day of infusion as day 1.....and each week it gets worse......I have asked someone to come and be with me on those two days as I find them so difficult and worse cos of the horrible taste etc.......
Today I got up out of the chair and next thing I know I m on the floor bleeding from my head.........i lost sensation in my feet and hands and can only attribute it to that.....had to go to hospital for stitches.......
Yndorian - congratulations....lst one...whooppee...
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Hi KKmay. I did develop a few mystery fevers while on Taxol, some quite high. However, the timing was such that it didn’t interfere with treatment. I generally got them right after chemo and they cleared up within 48 hours.
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My nurses checked out my hand foot symptoms and cheerily said I was about a 4 out of 10 on the peeling skin so I could go on with #7 treatment. They ran my Benadryl before my new steroid so kept that reaction down. In general it was a good visit but I just can’t shake the feet numbness and the body aches. I have cried so much lately it just seems like I always hurt. If I just keep telling myself 5 more txs to go. It didn’t help that I missed my 14yo sons awards banquet. I think I’m on the verge of asking to move on to radiation
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My blues got somewhat better after the dose was lowered. MO did this because of the skin toxicity not the depression but it did help. This week has been hard. I fell coming in the door last Tuesday after chemo. I found out I don't bounce at all. Last Taxol tomorrow. I am exhausted.
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Thank you ladies so much for your responses! Wishing you all the best in your journeys.
Her MO put her on a strong antibiotic. He said that after 3 days, the fever should start to subside. Today is day 2. It is worth to mention that her fever is a low grade now (37.8 °C). She seems tired all the time, and she suffers from insomnia. Thankfully, she is not coughing or anything. They also performed a test on her called “Blood culture”, the results should come out in a couple of days. I will let you know guys!
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MC Baker
Forgive me my amateur skillset in navigating this forum. Not sure if the following was meant for me or for all in a general
"Best to not compare one phase of your experience with another. Best to not compare your experience with that of others. Live in the moment. You can search patterns of symptoms among others here, all you want, but self-diagnosis is often misleading. Patterns can indicate a problem, and be insistent, as Angie was, no matter how stubborn your doctors are."
I can say most graciously, that I am not one to compare anything in my life to anyone else's experiences. I guess I just like to know what others have or currently are experiencing as a general idea of all the possibilities that are associated with this drug. Self diagnosis I agree is very often misleading and thankfully does not fall into my construct, Like most here I to have a team that is deciphering my specific case and mapping out the best plan forward. My doctors would probably label me as very inquisitive, not at all afraid of asking the hard questions or speaking out to request applicable and alternate solutions to the problems my specific case faces.
Anyway as far as your exercise regimen I applaud you. I worked through the A/C bi-weekly infusions and will still work through this next phase of treatment, sometimes up to 45 hrs a week. I laugh at my dr's who keep telling me to rest and not over do it. I mean I said but you guys have me running to 4 appts a week plus work so when do I rest? I got more rest before cancer
I get up at 5:30 am leave for work at 6:00 get there around 6:15 and dont leave to until 4:30. My job while situated in an office setting is such that I am constantly walking so I get upwards of 7-10,000 steps a day not too bad right now. Still I am not ashamed to admit that by time I get home around 5 I am pretty much done. I have not begun Taxol yet (Thursday this week will be my first) so who knows how all of this MAY change. Just looking to see how the effects have hindered or NOT others here that are also taking it.Peace
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Just a general set of advice-- given you just joined the site and I know nothing about you other than what I read in that first post.
You will end up slowing down. Remember your legal rights in asking for accommodations.
I am retired, so my activities at the gym are less strenuous than yours on the job.
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Chiming in on the balancing of work/home/rest. My husband is a stay at home dad, brings in minimal to no income. My income is based on production, so goes down if I don't work. My company has been accommodating and willing to work with me, but any income they pay that isn't "accounted for" will need to be paid back/made up later. So I feel I do need to work if at all possible. During my AC every 2 weeks, I worked full days the first 3 days of the week of treatment, about 1/2 day prior to my treatments (at 11am) and took Fridays off., and full week the second week. during the Taxol, which is weekly, I felt I couldn't take that much time off every week, and MO seemed to think if I managed that well during the AC, I could work more during the T. I also have 3 active teenage daughters and I do not want to miss all of their activities, though I know I can't go to everything. So for Taxol I am working Mon through Wed full days (except on Wednesdays I pop over to the Cancer Center for blood draw and MO visit if due, luckily I work on the same hospital campus so that time away is generally minimal), work Thursday mornings, get the treatment Thursday afternoon, and work a short day (10-3 or so) on Friday, in hopes that I will still have a bit of energy left for weekend stuff with family. I make a big effort to get to bed earlier than I used to. I try to do some exercise but have had to cut back some from my prior schedule (I also have to try and fit in exercises to prevent the lymphedema from the surgeries I had). I am in my mid-50's. I do not do well sitting at home doing nothing, so that is in my favor, but have had to struggle through a few days at work not feeling the best, so far. I am hoping that when I get to the last half of T, the kids being done with school/less activities will help and allow me to keep working. I get the 3rd one this week so not very far into it yet, but so far doing OK. Everyone is different though. I have been trying to ice during the T and have only noted painful thumb tips and fleeting tingling in various places so far, and just a bit of weepiness/irritability, but it's early still.
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Hi,
I've been able to maintain a 40 hour work week, but it has taken some flexibility on my part and on my employer's to do so. My chemo day was Friday and besides checking in on critical emails, I did not work on treatment days. Monday - Thursday I was able to get my job done, but Mondays were especially tough, tbh.
Also tbh, I was probably working 60 hours a week prior to chemo, so 40 hours has felt like part time. Luckily, I'm a salaried employee, so anything at 40 hours, or on bad weeks, supplemented with sick time, did not impact my take home pay or benefits eligibility.
Although it's flexed over our 25 year marriage, I've almost always been about 50% of our joint income and my husband has been historically quite good about assuming 50% of childcare and household duties. When I started treatment, his share has moved from closer to 75% to 99%, especially as I got to the end and was frankly exhausted. To be sure, not everything that used to get done got done, but everyone had dinner to eat and clean underwear in the mornings, so I count it as a success!
I just finished my last chemo on Friday (yay me!), so I'm still have some time before I recover my energy levels. I keep reminding my folks at work that I'll need time to bounce back to my prior productive performance. Plus I have surgery and radiation in the immediate future. I appreciate their patience to date, but I'm not done quite yet.
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Awesome Kber, congrats on finishing!! Yes, I guess I did not mention that since my husband is a stay at home dad, he does at least 75% of laundry, about 85% of cooking, all of the grocery shopping, plus all of yard work and other household stuff, which I'm sure is making a big difference in my ability to work compared to others who do all that PLUS work fulltime!
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I thought I was just being emotional, but after reading these posts, I have to say that while on Taxol, I did experience an emotional low every Saturday, which be Chemo Day 3. It was a funk I couldn’t pull my out of. I’m nearly 3 weeks PFC and it’s gotten better.
Still have shedding hair, and the whole eyebrow/lash thing, but right now, it’s the hot flashes that are killing me. I wake up 4 or 5 times a night. I’ve tried melatonin, Ativan and Benadryl...I’d just like to sleep through the night!
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Finished taxol today!!! I have no eyebrows, lashes or hair - well sparse hair that is white! I was a redhead. I don't care today. I AM DONE!! I quit so many times but finished the course. Big sign of relief! I expect exhaustion this week on day 3 and 4, where doing anything besides napping and the bathroom are out of the questions. My husband retired two years ago and assumed all household chores while I worked full time. I retired this year in May, found out I had cancer in August, on our anniversary, and started this forced march through the hell that is cancer treatments in September. Happy retirement to me. But my DH is doing everything and I am getting spoiled. I have nothing but admiration for those of you who work, have kids and have to keep pushing. My SE"s have been debilitating. I was a high school counselor who's door was always open. I could not have given my kids or the staff the help they needed this year. I am so glad I was able to come home. Anytime I start to feel sorry for my myself, I think of you all with all you have to do, and tell myself "suck it up buttercup." If you all can do this, so can I. You are an inspiration.
Annie
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Congratulations Annie!!
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@Kber, congratulations on finishing your chemo, I too will have surgery and radiation after 2 months of A/C chemo and now 12 wks of Taxol. Wishing you all the best ahead. It sounds like you are quite accustomed to being in motion already so I am thinking you will find your energy returning before you know it. It's a perfect time, the beginning of the summer months and you will be minus all of those bad chemo days. I am just a little envious but you earned it girl.
It's ironic but Monday's were always the worst for me as well, I think it was by then that the final traces of pre-meds had made their way out of my body and the chemo had full rein
I had to take Thursday's off for the infusion. 4 1/2 hrs and then by time I would get out and to my job it would have been somewhere around 2:30, no point going in then (at least that was my thinking) MO had allowed me 2 days per treatment for FMLA, mostly only took the one but I did take a Monday once when the nausea was terrible. Most of my dr's and nurse appts I just make up the time. Not one who likes to stay later so I just go in early and then any time that I need to complete my 40 hrs I just use PTO time, Never really use it, I am trying to save most of my time for surgery sometime in August. I know that short term disability will kick in but they only pay something like 66 % of your weekly pay and my employer allows me to make up the difference in my pay with my PTO time.I also carry the medical insurance for myself and my husband and while my employer would pick up the premium while I am out for surgery I just assume not owe that upon my return to work so making up my pay with my own PTO time will afford me the ability to continue paying those premiums bi-weekly without any hardship.
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@ Annie60, Congrats on staying the course and finishing, Wishing you all the best in the next chapter of your journey! You put in your time in, in the working world and earned your retirement, just so sorry that it had to throw a challenge such as cancer into what should have been your easier days. I am just a few years from retirement myself and honestly since cancer seemed to be in my path anyway I feel fortunate that it is happening now while I am still in a position to have all of the means necessary to battle it. Let yourself be spoiled, I am sure you have done your fair share of spoiling others yourself
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@loiswb WOW woman you make me tired just thinking of all that you seem to get done, good for you though I think that activity (when we can do it sensibly) is not only good for our bodies but our emotions too. I hope that you get to enjoy a slower summer, take some time to just settle in to a nice steady pace,
As an aside, I mentioned that I don't start Taxol until this Thursday but I did have a conversation with MO today about the Neuropathy that many claim to experience ( to include a few women that I work with who have taken it) Not sure if this works yet well because of obvious reasons but she told me she wanted me to start taking fish oil twice a day, According to her research findings into the neuropathy issues of Diabetes patients have unveiled that taking fish oil has dramatically minimize the affliction for them, She (MO) admitted that while there has not been much research done in how it affects chemo patients her feeling is that it is something safe enough to try and if it works good, if it doesn't at least it would not cause any harm and who knows might even lower the cholesterol
. Thinking about it though I had to think that neuropathy in Diabetics is a result of the disease while neuropathy in chemo patients is a se of the drug, Anyway just wanted to share that. I figure I will give it a try, I work as an accountant so I key all day everyday, I need to be able to do my job,0 -
Congrats to those who are finished! I have worked as much as I thought my body could take and my DH has been great about doing more at home. I feel like a slug sometimes but know my job is to fight the cancer and let everything else be
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Congratulations Annie, you are an inspiration
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All of you are troopers and my heart goes out to all of you.
My mom has been undergoing chemotherapy for the last few months. It has been a crazy ride because they initially diagnosed it as IBC, which has been changed now to an IDC. They were not sure of staging either, due to inflamed lymph nodes in the chest area (odd location for breast cancer to move to, as per the oncologist). The biopsy came out negative, so they will be testing it regularly, but are optimistic.
She has gone through 4 x AC. The last two were tough on her, since she is already anemic, and chemo doesn't help. She is now going through Taxol and is done 8/12 of those treatments. She has started complaining of point numbness in her lower back that comes and goes. She would not call it painful, necessarily, but it just feels weird. Has anyone else had such a side effect? She did have Neulasta shots around her navel, and the numbness is exactly behind the navel area on her back. We will be going for our scheduled appointment in a couple of weeks. Was just curious if anyone else has had that.
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I didn't had neulasta while AC. I had pain in my low back and specially in my pelvis during I had low wbc. It seems to be the bones forcing itself to produce more white cells. Neulasta can produce that kind of pain
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