Weekly Taxol group
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Congrats on being done Angie!
I have scaled back my expectations of going in the office to twice a week. I am there for about 6 hours, and then I work the rest of the time from home.
I don't know if it helps, but using a heating pad makes me feel better with the body aches--at least until I get a hot flash. I also take hot baths for the pain. I have been getting good sleep which helps my mental state. I didn't experience the doom and gloom feeling this week.
No. 5 is tomorrow. My conference starts on Sunday, so I am hoping to have the energy to pack up for the kids and I. I am tired just thinking of it, but I am looking forward to some time at the beach.
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I am almost two months past my last Taxol treatment. I’m still having the leg pains, not as bad as they were when receiving the medication. I did 12 treatments & felt ok, but the neuropathy started after number 9. It wasn’t too bad, but OC cut the dosage back by 10 % to 20%. My neuropathy just went crazy, I’m in constant pain, I can hardly walk & i’m now prone to falls. I’ve had so many near misses it isn’t funny. My husband has to help me in & out of the shower because I’m afraid of falling. Walking was a big thing in my life, husband & I walk a lot on vacations & take hikes around here. I went from a very vibrant 70 year old to a decrepit old lady of 70 1/2
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I had the bone ache in both legs for several days after each Taxol. I found a heating pad helped
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Kber _ How are you doing? Do you have a date for your surgery yet?
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hi Yndorian. No date yet. Likely the second week in June.
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Sending hugs Pommom1809. I hope that the SE continue to fade.
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Kber, that is pretty much time to recover of the SE. My MO said I have to had my surgery before 40 days after chemo. I don't know why that rush. I'm running to do all the pre surgery to present it in time because they want to have it in his hands to schedule the surgery. I'm in a public hospital so this is like a marathon. I'm glad you are ok and wish you good luck with your surgery. Hugs
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Yndorian, its not actually a rush, its just the optimum time for doing the surgery in and to allow your body to recover enough from Chemo but not allow cancer time to start reproducing again
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I apologize for asking something that surely is asked and answered over and over. I'm wondering about the number of taxol treatments. I was prescribed TC and can't do it, as I keep reacting to the T taxotere. Likely I'll be switched to ACT with T as taxol. I see that most people have taxol x12. (Of course I might react to taxol, too, in which case I'd probably be switched to Abraxane.)
Have you had the discussion with MO about number of treatments? Is 12 a magic number? Is fewer a viable option? Is there research or links you can point me to?
Thanks in advance for any information.
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My dose is 12 weeks of taxol. Some others are on a dense dose of taxol 4 times every other week. If you are highly allergic I would imagine you would be on the 12 week plan? Good luck with your treatment.
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Pommom...I have been post Taxol for a year. I still have bad neuropathy in my feet. I did 6 weeks of PT which really helped with balance. I was a wall hugger!! My onco put me on Cymbalta and Gabapentin. It has helped, but nowhere near gone. I use a cane when I'm out and about, but can manage pretty well on my own when I'm home. I know exactly what you're going through. I used a lot of Bio-Freeze and a Lidocaine cream. Good luck. I hope yours eases quickly...unlike mine.
Hope
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MountainMia, there seems to be no research on what happens if you do less than 12, or why 12 in the first place. I've been looking into this a lot because I'm trying to create a case for stopping at 8.
At this point it's 12 just because everyone else has done 12, unless they stopped early because of neuropathy usually.
The original dosage was 175mg/m2 4 times, at 3 week intervals, so 700mg/m2 total. The weekly dose is 80mg/m2 for 12 weeks so 960mg/m2 total. The weekly had a better outcome than the 3-weekly but not huge, something like 76% vs 81%. Or maybe that's huge in medical terms, I'm not sure. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa070705...
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It's now been 10 days since my last taxol. Why don't i feel better? When does this fatigue let up?
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erin_ I'm 20 days PFC now. I did 4 AC and 12 Taxol. I started to feeling a bit better after 14/15 days. The fatigue wasn't my worst problem, I had body pains and a bad neuropathy in my feet. But I'm a bit better day after day. It isn't easy, it is slowly but you will be better. Just be patient. Hugs
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Margun, the body aches are a side effect yes. Erin--hugs. I wish you the best in your decision. There is not one right answer. I hope you can be at peace with whatever you decide. I have finished 5/12 treatments. The fatigue is worse than the beginning but not unbearable by any means. Plus, I've had trouble sleeping the last few nights more than usual. Congrats Angie on finishing ! Woo hoo. Thankfully I have not had a lot of other side effects--achiness is worst about day 4. A bit of tingling/numbness in thumbs and fingers on and off but not constant. I had to get another neupogen shot yesterday as my WBC was borderline on Wednesday again, treatment on Thursday. Am praying my count is good this next week because going out of town on Friday and want to leave in the morning, not wait till afternoon. First time out of town (except one all day college visit with my daughters, but that was not over night) since diagnosis so am excited for that.
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thanks everyone! So happy to finally finish chemo! 6 months! Felt like I climbed Mt Everest barefooted. I’m now 5 days PFC. Yesterday, went to dry sauna to sweat out as much toxins as possible. I must say, I feel so much better afterwards. Have had really brain fog since last 3 weekly Taxol treatments. But today, first time in weeks that I feel more clear headed.
Loiswb, good luck with wbc this week! Having something nice to look forward towards always gives a boost while we’re under treatment.
Wishing everyone good recovery and minimal SE’s.
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So glad you’re starting to fell better, Angie! What’s next? Will you do radiation? Did you have surgery before chemo
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kber, I’m so used to preparing for treatment on Tuesday’s, that it feels weird having “so much free time” this coming week! No doctor’s/ hospital appointments or recovery days to worry about. Feels nice, actually, to just relax and not be at hospital.
Have already had surgery and radiation. Chemo was adjuvant, due to mammaprint results. Next up, appointment next week for hormonal therapy plan. Most likely will begin tamoxifen. Hopefully it will not be too heavy on me.
How is California? Hope you’re enjoying time there. Photos, if you have some!
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Margun -
I had a lumpectomy with radiation in 2016 and my BC returned this January. At the time, I made a decision to do a lumpectomy only because I had DCIS. Fast forward 3 years and I wish I had gone ahead and done a mastectomy at that time! Get it over with and take care of the chances of it coming back. I had a mastectomy in March and found out in the path reports that my cancer type had changed to Her2 positive. All along it had been DCIS stage 0. I'm now having chemo because of that. Just my thoughts....
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Yay Angie!! I totally agree about the extra time without treatment!!
I'm 17 days pfc and like yndorian I noticed a good different about day 15 with aches though my though muscle on the right isn't overly happy.... I'll still take it. Less hot flashes as the days out go too.
Hope all you ladies had great weekends!!
~Katie 💗
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Hi all you taxol warriors. I started a new topic last night on using cold therapy to prevent peripheral neuropathy.
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics/871625?page=1#idx_1
I'm looking for advice, tips, and ideas for using cold socks, mitts, and other solutions to prevent the nerve damage that taxanes can cause. If you have some thoughts on that, I'd be really grateful if you could drop them on that thread. While there likely is a lot of information spread throughout these pages in Weekly Taxol, it would be great to have a central topic so others can find it more easily.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give.
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Great idea mountain!!
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I figured out that the fatigue was coming from the Clonazepam and olanzapine i had been taking. Stopped both and feeling a lot better today. Some fatigue this morning but then i didn't sleep that well. I just came from a long walk with my mother.
I'm planning to stop at 8 taxol and will tell my MO this on Wednesday. I know some people (like the MO) will think I'm insane and if you do too honestly you should say so and I'll listen. But I've had a second opinion saying it's acceptable, my oncotype was 25, I'm ER+ and will be on the lupron and the AIs, and as far as anyone knows I only had 2 nodes positive. The last is my weakest argument, but I did have the pet scan. But also my mental health is such that I don't feel I can continue.
Maybe back to work Monday. Honestly other than my daughter back full time, I want nothing more. Put on a nice dress, shave my legs... Well maybe not the legs yet but soon right?
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erin, I wish you all the best. I'm sure it will be wonderful to have your daughter back full time and get back to a routine. I miss normalcy.
Hugs🤗
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Erin- If you are sure about your decision go ahead! I wish you all the better
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I guess part of me is not sure, so that's why I invite people to tell me I'm crazy.
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Erin, don't make such a decision until you are 100% sure. It may be one you will regret for the rest of your life. And your daughter for the rest of hers.
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erin- If you are not sure, try to finish your treatment, taxol was very hard to me but now is in the past. It will be in the past for you too. Nothing guaranted us that ca won't come back, but 12 is a bit more guarranty than 8. I completely understand that you wanna stop, but it is just one more month. You can get it!
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Erin- As a nurse I'm curious how long you were on the clonazepam?? Sometimes stopping cold Turkey, not sure if that's what you did, can result in negative effects....
In regards to the Taxol, you are so close. I know it's easy for me to say as I'm not in your shoes. I agree with Yndorian that 12 is better odds then 8. See if it's possible for the dosing to be reduced. If you have previously mentioned it was I apologize. I know you trust your family friend who is an oncologist but he's not your oncologist. A second opinion is great but I would recommend if you go that direction get it from a currently practicing oncologist. If the f-ing beast comes back down the road are you going to be able to handle it knowing you stopped early? I know we all sadly have an increased risk, and I don't know if yours would be increased. You have the support of everyone on this board!!
Thoughts to everyone!!
~Katie 💗
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Erin_T: I know the decision is hard and I support you. As long as you are at peace with your decision, make it and move on. Do not listen to people try to tell you what you should do based on many of us believing that chemo is a 100% guarantee of non-recurrence. None of us know if and when cancer will return. I have decided to end chemo after my first Taxotere infusion last week that has me suffering badly from side effects. I am choosing quality of life over supposedly quantity with long-term side effects. I wish you the best in all your life's choices.
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