Weekly Taxol group
Comments
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erin- you've got this!! Instead of looking at it as 29 days to go look at it as you've come so far and have rocked it!! We all have our bad days, many worse than others and you wanted to quit but you didn't!! The SE don't go away right away but once your done they won't, or shouldn't, get worse! Head up and start strong, which you are no matter what!!!
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thanks Kber for your responds what to expect and what to do with taxol. I am nervous to start it but I admire all ladies here that could fight through and I am learning from you allwhat to expect.
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I’m about 4 weeks PFC, and I think I’m feeling worse than I felt the whole 12 cycles!
My eyebrows fell out over the last three days, which is devastating. Even more so, an aesthetician I talked to told me most women NEVER get their eyebrows back. Is this true?!
I get numbness in my hands overnight/in the morning, but it definitely begins from a point in my shoulders and gets better once the day wears on. I wonder if it’s more related to my going back to the gym.
Ugh, is there ever an end to this??
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Your eyebrows will come back. They (and lashes) just fall out later and take a while to grow back. It also frequently happens several times, about every four months, although I noticed that more with lashes than brows.
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I read somewhere that eyelashes and brows generally have a 4 month growth and shedding cycle. However, since they all come in a different times, they all fall out at different times and it's not noticeable. However, chemo resets the clock, so to speak and they all grow in and then fall out in sync. After a few 4 month cycles, the lash growth starts to vary more and more and they return to a more normal process where they don't all fall out at once.
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Thank you ladies!!! I was freaking out! I was cleared by my onc to get microbladed, which will help me feel more normal. My aesthetician works with chemo patients a lot. I’m sure when she said that it’s because she only sees the ones without eyebrows, the worst case scenarios..kinda like me and my job in the ER...I only see sick elderly people, so it’s like me saying that all elderly people have strokes.
It’s hard to separate the rational person from the cancer patient in us, isn’t it
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Poppy_Spruce-how has the fatigue been? Are you experiencing that worse than when on chemo? What about sleep? Also, did you feel the doom and gloom during Taxol? Did that go away?
AFM-Last night I finally got a good night's sleep, and I feel so much better this morning. It also may be because of the bone aches finally subsiding, and I'm scheduled for my next dose of taxol tomorrow. Looking forward to having #4 under my belt. As far as my work situation, I changed my times to come in the office to Mon, Wed, and Fri working 6 hours at the office, and the rest from home. I think it is helping me mentally.
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I found coming into the office definitely helped with my mood. I was more prone to depression like feelings when I was alone at home. Towards the end, tho, I had to bow to reality and work from home on Mondays for sure and usually one other day per week. My boss was very understanding and allowed me a lot of flexibility around when I came in, when I left and when I worked from home. I'll be forever grateful.
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Kber, I am so grateful too! My boss has been extremely supportive, and it makes me feel guilty for not holding my weight. I was a bit of a work-alcoholic before diagnosis. I still have 8 more weeks to go, plus my surgery, so I am really trying to do more now to get ready for later.
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Fellow workaholic here! I also feel somewhat guilty, but I figure that we were more than pulling our weight pre-diagnosis we paid it forward and can sleep easy. Or we could sleep easy if not for the steroids! I'm also trying to commit to building a healthier work / life balance post treatment.
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Lol! Agreed work life balance post treatment is a must!
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notdefined...I didn’t realize I had doom and gloom, but I totally did. My infusions were Thursdays and on Sat, I was so defeated and glum. It usually lifted by Sunday. It’s better now, but I still get down, mostly related to stress about my reconstruction and other physical aspects of cancer.
Fatigue sucks but I’m a nurse working 2-3 12hour shifts a week and trying to get back to the gym. It’s a lot, but I do so much better mentally when I’m working.
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I'm 10 days pfc and my body pains are increasing. My feet, legs and low back are killing me! There's not severe fatigue, my hair in growing up, my nails are ok, but the pain... When can I expect a relief?
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Thank you for sharing your experiences! It's good to know what I could be up against, although I know everyone is different.
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yndorian this is just your body trying to let go of chemo. Remember the effects are cumulative... I had about 10 days where the pain was unbearable and then it started to fade away. The toxins from taxol affect each of us differently but you will get through this. If it doesn't get better in a day or so please call your doctor and get them to prescribe something for the pain.
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I was complaining of generalized body aches and the nurse suggested it was low electrolytes. I am drinking a big bottle of Propel most days and it helps.
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MCBaker, that can be what is happening to me, I noticed that my blood pressure is quite low too. I'l try gatorade. Thanks for your suggestion, I had not related this facts untill now
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I think that I aren't drinking enought water either
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Nanette I'm in Tylenol and Celebrex. I'm glad to read you are better now. I will try to be patient. Thanks
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If you have neuropathy, how long before you saw any improvement? My feet are hurting so bad I can't sleep. My fingers seem better, but they were never as bad as my feet. Anyone have an suggestions to help with the pain?
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Gabapentin, gabapentin, gabapentin, gabapentin, gabapentin, gabapentin, gabapentin. I take 2100 mg a day. I was on it for another reason before. I have numbness from chemo neuropathy, but no pain.
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Mary- that is a significant daily dose of Gabapentin!! I'm a nurse and I don't think I've seen that high of a daily dose. Im glad it works for you!!
Annie- I wish I could give some advice and I'm sorry your dealing with so much of it! Hopefully it will start decreasing soon!!
Have a great day!!!
~Katie 💗
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I woke up early this morning with jolts of electricity shooting down my right leg. Applied some lidocaine cream externally and acetaminophen internally.
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Annie60, nerves tend to heal slowly, so you may not notice much improvement from day to day. But in any case, if you are having pain, you need help now. Nerve pain typically doesn't respond well to treatments that would work on ordinary pain, so I think you might benefit from seeing a neurologist, if you haven't already done so. A neurologist can advise you on the available treatments for nerve pain, and help you find one that will work for you. Good luck!
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I'm definitely experiencing an increase in Neuropathy symptoms post chemo, but I've seen a number of people report that it actually can get worse before it gets better. I had tingling in my hands for the last month of chemo, but only got numb toes the very last week. Just noticed pain in one of my fingertips when typing this morning. I have an apt with my MO today and I'll bring it up.
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MCBaker, did you have any side effect of gabapentin? I'm considering to asking my MO for a prescription. Neuropathy is increasing and my surgery is close. Thanks
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I did. Dizziness and sleepiness. Went away with time. They start you out low and gradually bring you up to the dosage you need. Once you reach that. you stay there, because further pain, later, becomes more a symptom of tolerance. The top dosage is incredibly high, half again what I am taking, IIRC.
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That's ok to me. I'm in clonazepam now, same SE. I'll ask my MO tomorrow. Thanks
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This is just my personal opinion on neuropathy post chemo. I believe that it feels worse because the other SE's are fading away. It's like having chemo brain.....you can have a 'mild' case of it and not realize it until you're PFC and then one day you realize how clear your head and thinking are. For me this is what it's been like. Sure I felt awful when I got down the end of the chemo cycle, who doesn't. But as my head began to clear I began to realize how awful the rest of me felt. So I dealt with each SE separately to sort them out. The last thing I'm dealing with is the neuropathy. I have really good days with my hands and then the weather will change and BOOM!!! I start dropping things or the pain comes back. BUT my feet are the worst. The other day I was out with DH doing some yard work and I was spraying weed killer in one of my flower gardens and I didn't realize I stepped into a nest of fire ants. I have about 12 bites across the top of my foot that I CAN'T FEEL!! My foot should be driving me crazy right now and it's not. DH did pick a couple of them open for me so they could drain and heal....I could feel that because of the pressure, but it's not driving me crazy like the 2 on my calf are. So when I see my MO tomorrow I'm going to mention it to him. I'm not sure if it's from Taxol or my lumbar spine as I have serious low back issues with crushed discs etc. I believe that Taxol injured my nerve endings and that's why I can't feel much in my left foot..... I haven't had any low back issues since about week 3 of Taxol. Now normally one would be incredibly grateful NOT to experience issues but for me NOT having pain in my Lower back is an issue as it's my warning of I've done too much.
For those of you experiencing neuropathy in your hands and feet know that a little here and a little there it does get better, just not over night. I read an article that said it could take up to 18 months for it to really get noticibly better.
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This is just my personal opinion on neuropathy post chemo. I believe that it feels worse because the other SE's are fading away. It's like having chemo brain.....you can have a 'mild' case of it and not realize it until you're PFC and then one day you realize how clear your head and thinking are. For me this is what it's been like. Sure I felt awful when I got down the end of the chemo cycle, who doesn't. But as my head began to clear I began to realize how awful the rest of me felt. So I dealt with each SE separately to sort them out. The last thing I'm dealing with is the neuropathy. I have really good days with my hands and then the weather will change and BOOM!!! I start dropping things or the pain comes back. BUT my feet are the worst. The other day I was out with DH doing some yard work and I was spraying weed killer in one of my flower gardens and I didn't realize I stepped into a nest of fire ants. I have about 12 bites across the top of my foot that I CAN'T FEEL!! My foot should be driving me crazy right now and it's not. DH did pick a couple of them open for me so they could drain and heal....I could feel that because of the pressure, but it's not driving me crazy like the 2 on my calf are. So when I see my MO tomorrow I'm going to mention it to him. I'm not sure if it's from Taxol or my lumbar spine as I have serious low back issues with crushed discs etc. I believe that Taxol injured my nerve endings and that's why I can't feel much in my left foot..... I haven't had any low back issues since about week 3 of Taxol. Now normally one would be incredibly grateful NOT to experience issues but for me NOT having pain in my Lower back is an issue as it's my warning of I've done too much.
For those of you experiencing neuropathy in your hands and feet know that a little here and a little there it does get better, just not over night. I read an article that said it could take up to 18 months for it to really get noticibly better.
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