Weekly Taxol group
Comments
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Millie - I was dose-reduced last week (infusion #4) to 80% due to neuropathy. There has been no discussion of adding treatments - my MO says that were just trying to get to 10 or more treatments, and then will call it good if the neuropathy persists.
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Hi Millie11, my last couple were reduced to 60% due to neuropathy side effects. I did not have to make up anything. They had wanted to completely cancel them and I refused.
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Millie11- I had my taxol reduced after the second infusion because my counts were too low. I get weekly
Taxol and they didn't make me get extra taxol treatments. The new dose can be as good as the original. They start you off at the maximum but reduced can work just as well.0 -
I'm not on Taxol but I am on Abraxane. Do any of you have ear/hearing issues? I already saw an ENT and he said my hearing is fine but to me it is muffled plus I hear various noises. ENT said it could be from the brain radiation I had last July, but I think Abraxane is causing it. Anyone?
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I started my first Tuesdays with Taxol yesterday. I'll be getting a Herceptin biosimilar and Perjeta. They were out of Perjeta yesterday so I'll get that next week. Not sure if I got the Herceptin. What I DID get was quite loopy from the Benadryl! Wow. Not sure if it was that or something else that gave me really bad restless legs during treatment. Treatment ran long, since they wanted to make sure I didn't have any reactions (I didn't). The Taxol was run over an hour. I'll have to find out if there's anything they can do for the restless legs. I just kept changing positions when all I wanted to do was sleep. No other side effects so far.
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I Finishd my13th round of Taxol almost two weeks ago, and then took a week off, will start 3 more weeks of Taxol starting this week. Is there anyone who has had many rounds of weekly taxol? How many months, years, have you been taking it? Just wondering. thanks, Nina
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Has anyone had issues with getting blood drawn through their port? The last 2 times getting lab work before infusions the nurse had trouble getting the blood to flow. It finally did but I wondered if there was an issue with the port.
Otherwise, an uneventful Taxol #3. I complained about the awful restless legs I had during treatment so they cut down on the Benadryl. I think it helped.
I lost 90% of my hair with the AC treatments, so not sure what to expect with Taxol. The wispy crew cut I have hasn't changed. My eyelashes and eyebrows are still here, although a little thinner.
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Hi blinx-
Yes, I did have trouble with getting blood flow through my port. First time was with AC and they ALL freaked out, but I could taste it in my mouth, so then it was fine. I then had trouble again with my Taxol infusions towards the end. As long as I could still get that horrible taste in my mouth and I always did, it was okay. I still have my port, will be getting it removed soon, and I have to have go in once every 6 weeks so they can access it to clean it and the last two times they've gotten blood flow. We all laugh about it in the chemo center where I go to have it flushed.
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Hi kotchaj -- thanks for sharing your experience. Do you mean you could taste blood or chemo in your mouth? With AC, I always seemed to have a chemical smell follow me. I couldn't stand it! Don't know if it was in my clothes or what, but with Taxol I don't smell it anymore.
Had an uneventful Taxol #5 this week. No problem with my port this time. That night though, ugh! Had 3 or 4 small bouts of diarrhea AFTER I went to bed. Took 2 tablets of Immodium, then later on 1 tablet. Eventually I could stop getting up and fell asleep.
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Spoke too soon! Today I had Taxol #6. Nurse tried everything but couldn't get a blood draw through my port. She flushed it several times, and asked me if I could taste it. I never could, but each time I felt a "coolness" when it was going through. Ended up taking blood for labs through a vein in my arm.
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Hi Blinx,
Sorry, just seeing your question. I could "taste" when they accessed my port. It was a metallic kind of icky taste. I kept telling them that if someone could flavor that stuff, they'd be a millionaire. I'd much rather pick a cherry flavor to taste than the icky flavor that I would get instead.
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Hi all you strong ladies!
Currently going through Taxol. Had 4 treatments out of 12 so far. (Started with 4 AC). Taxol hasn’t been easier than AC - for me at least. Horrible GI issues, bone pain, feel like I’m in a fog half the time, etc. I always say I’m going to stop going, but the next week rolls around and I’m ready to fight this again.
Anyway, have a question about hair. Does it start to grow back when your on Taxol?
Sending healing thoughts to everyone!
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Hi Bonniebleu!
Yes my hair grew back during Taxol ..it gave me such wonderful hope my body would heal. Like you I had a very difficult time on Taxol after AC treatment. I think it just may be the cumulative effect of it all, but I tend to agree that Taxol is very tricky indeed!
I remember the same issues you are reporting and intense fatigue. My WBC counts dropped a lot towards the end and required neupogen shots to elevate it so I could complete all twelve rounds of chemo.
Re GI issues I recall having very bad constipation issues and rather than awaiting them to arise I got ahead of the situation with taking laxative meds before infusions.
I am wishing you much strength and hoping you see some hair sprouts real soon.
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Week #7 done. This time, no trouble at all with the blood draw from my port. The nurse said it might have been dehydration before. By the end of the evenings, I sometimes just don't feel like drinking anything!
No real problems with diarrhea except when I ate something delicious and spicey. It came back and had its revenge.
This week's complaint is my fingernails. My index finger nails had gotten dark red splotches which then turned white, and the surface area was very painful -- like someone was pressing down on them. Nurse said that they were dried out and to try either tea tree oil or Nutra Nail. I'll try anything! The white parts on the other nails have gotten deep sections and there's lots of multi-colored parts. It's always something!
On another note, they said it was fine to get the latest Covid booster, so I did that on Saturday - Pfizer shot #4. Glad it was the weekend -- I slept all afternoon!
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Hi all! I went to my first consult with the oncologist yesterday. I'll have the 12 weeks of Taxol with Herceptin starting May 2, with the Herceptin continuing then every three weeks for the year. Radiation after Taxol and Tamoxifen after that. I'm 53 with original DCIS diagnosis that became IDC diagnosis when it was found during first lumpectomy. ER/PR+ and HER2+. IDC is grade 1 and 6mm.
On Taxol, I see some of you saying your hair grew back on Taxol? I'm not doing AC or anything else, and oncologist said I would likely lose my hair, but has anyone kept their hair while on just Taxol/Herceptin? My cancer center does not have cold caps available.
Any other tips for me to prep for this next week and a half before starting Taxol/Herceptin? Anything I need to buy? I see people mention pain with fingernails and onco mentioned that too. I have the dip powder on my nails. Think I should have that removed? If they're painful, don't want to get stuck with the "fake nails" on there and it's too painful to remove. I was also considering microblading my eyebrows in case I lose them (which oncologist said I had to do before treatment because she didn't want needles on me during treatment.) Anyone else done that?
Thanks for any advice. I'm really, really nervous about the chemo. I read about all these side effects and it scares me.Trying really hard to be strong, but I'm a planner who wants to be in control of everything. And unfortunately that's been taken away from me for this. So anything I can do to feel better prepared would help.
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Hi Allen cat-- Welcome to the thread! I lost my hair with AC, so can't comment on what Taxol might do. I was lucky enough to keep most of my eyebrows and eyelashes, so regular makeup is enough to fill in.
I do regret not looking into the cold gloves to prevent neuropathy and nail issues. I just finished week #8, so with only 4 more to go, I don't think they'd help me now. Oh well.
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I had Taxol and its friend a carboplatin chemo. 12 weeks every Friday after being diagnosed with BRCA2. I was reading my texts just now i sent to my friend in Texas with Stage 4. I took a nausea pill the first day and then rested. She reminded me the whole process was new. The steroids administered as well as the Benadryl. That really makes you super sleepy. I was sufficiently awake when done to drive myself home. I learned here that each of us have different side effects. The first few infusion weeks it was all about sleepy, nausea and constipation. I was given Zofran and another nausea pill and was told by an infusion nurse to rotate the two every 5 to six hours. You will feel better and i did for the next 9 infusions. BUT, the constipation was real. I started to be nauseated by Maalox, so i got Senna!! Ongoing, it has been the one side effect the dogged me the longest. When i could eat my shredded wheat in late February, I got back to near normal. Yet, after the 12 i was to get 4 of the A, Red Devil, every 2 weeks!! I got my first one in early February. At that point with 13 in, my tumor shrunk 1/2 and i was hospitalized. Pancytopenia. is something that effects all 3 components of your blood. Red, white and platelets. All were dangerously low. I did not recognize my fatigue as real. My sister in NY daid call triage. My friend took me in to the COH. 4 days as i also had a 100.8 fever. At this point the MO said NO MORE CHEMO. They started me on 27 days of a chemo pill called Talzenna. Same reaction. No chemo pills either. Surgery was next. A 5cm tumor in half still needs to be removed.
I have had some neuropathy, but not terrible. No need for extra care and i was grateful. Fingernails!! Slowly mine turned colors. More so on my right hand, but it is now April 21 and they are just growing out again. My chemo ended late December and it has taken that long for my body to start to recover. I never painted my nails as i wanted to make sure i kept them clean. I always figured if anyone was bothered by them, oh well! My MO said as long as they are not pussy or infected. Just looking at them today, I realize the most growth of new nail has happened the last 2 weeks. All the ugly blood stuff of different colors, mostly orange is gone from under the nails. Two broke off shorty then i have ever had, but the nail left was new. I will say that from October to early February, he dead nails were dead. I could not feel my finger tips. I felt like the women with extra long finger nails who use the finger pads. I also could not open jars. Weird. As my nails have grown back the feeling is returning. IT is hard to explain, just real odd.
Hair? I stopped by our "Positive Image Center" at the City of Hope and was told after my first treatment to come in for a cut after that. She said to cut some or all. My choice. I had it thinned and cut to my shoulders. I could have had the cold cap method but decided to let my hair go. My sister and i went shopping for wigs and we found one curly and one wavy. The wavy one is the one i wear. Headcovers.com is where i got the beanie caps i wear most often. When my sister an i came home that day, a week after my hair cut, i asked her to cut it 2 inches all over. Little by little over the next week and a half it came out. I did not have the big clumps in the shower, just pieces, until it was all gone in late October. I felt like the grandpa that has wisps here and there. I must say my acceptance really came also in February. I let go of the image i had of 40 years of long red hair in my mirror. The new face looking at me now has 1/2-1 inch of a color i am not sure of. My new normal. I am ok.
Chemo done one treatment at a time is manageable. See the first, 2nd and 3rd infusions what become your side effects. They will be unique to your body. ASK your infusion nurses if they have ideas for those side effects. I got relief and good ideas.
Thank you for listening. Once my fingers start typing, they keep going.
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I finished Taxol last week! Still have a lot of side effects, I imagine it will just take time to recover.
I lost my hair during AC, and it started growing back in during Taxol but it's super patchy, like male-pattern baldness. I had tons and tons of hair before, so I'm pretty sure I'll end up with at least a normal amount when all is said and done.
I kept my eyebrows and lashes during AC, but lost them during Taxol. I have one eyelash and three eyebrow hairs left. Honestly, the lack of eyebrows bothers me more than losing my hair. I would definitely get them microbladed if it's feasible. I had never filled in my brows before, I'm terrible at it, and I am very self-conscious of my lack of brows.
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Hi AlleyCat.
I did 12 weeks taxol and Herceptin for triple positive breast cancer. No AC. I did lose my hair- I finished chemo Dec 8th and was very bald by Christmas. My hair grew in quick though. At four months post chemo I have enough hair to pass as an elective hair choice. Lol. It came back thick but much more grey (I’m 40) and I think very curly. I started out curly so I’m hoping I didn’t lose my curls as it was one part of me I really liked.
Anyways, back in the dayI started this thread when doing it, which might be helpful:
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics/881007?page=6#idx_52
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So I posted a question almost 3 months ago about bloodwork after finishing Taxol. Today I went for my Herceptin and was surprised to be given tubes for bloodwork when I checked in with the tech to be weighed and have my BP taken. I had a visiting nurse assigned to me today and asked her why and she said she had looked at my chart and noticed that I hadn't had any bloodwork since chemo finished and thought it was past time, but that we didn't have to if I didn't want to. I was like heck yeah, bring it on, I've been wondering for awhile. She took two tubes so I'm assuming the metabolic panel is still pending overnight, but the CBC numbers have indeed resolved and I'm no longer anemic. Crit, hemoglobin, RBC, ANC have all bounced back to normal levels.
Add this to the list for my next MO appointment, though. Why hadn't I had bloodwork in almost 5 months and what is the schedule going forward?
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Hi all! Took a bit of a break from reading/posting on here, but I do appreciate your replies so much. 1982m that thread is amazing! Thanks for sharing!!
I just got home from my first chemo treatment. Got Herceptin for 90 minutes and then Taxol for 1 hour. I'm having it weekly for the next 12 weeks. Then the Taxol ends and I continue on Herceptin every three weeks for the next year.
First treatment was piece of cake!!! No side effects at all from either drug. I didn't even know when the meds were going in, no difference between that and just the regular saline IV drip. I did get a port. I hadn't planned to, but a couple of my RN friends who work in oncology said I should definitely get one. So glad I did. The surgery to get the port was last week was a bit rough after and I had more pain with it than with either of the lumpectomies or node biopsy, but I think it was my body finally deciding that three surgeries in a month was enough. Accessing the port was easy. The only thing I noticed today was when the Benadryl went in, I got sleepy for a few minutes, but that went away. I tolerated the steroids well too.
My RN friends said just like with pain meds don't chase the nausea with meds. They said go ahead and take thyyem as soon as the doctor allows and keep taking them for a couple of days before trying to come off to see how I do. So I'm going to try that and hopefully it won't be too bad.
I did use the ice gloves and socks during Taxol. No one at my cancer center seemed to think it does anything or but they didn't discourage it anyway. I'm going to do them and cross my really cold fingers it keeps neuropathy away.
I had the dip powder removed from my nails and gel polish taken off my toenails and I had both repainted with regular polish. That way if they get sore, no big deal to take it off. If they're sore, I can't imagine how that grinding drill they use for gel and dip powder would work for me at all.
I did find a really great wig that looks just like me and my regular hair. At this point I'm probably ready for it to go ahead and fall out since that's what it's likely going to do. Again the waiting on it and wondering how it's going to go is stressful.
Heading out in a bit for a walk around the neighborhood. Decided I will try (weather permitting) to do that every day as well as getting out and watering my flowers. Just want a goal that no matter how I'm feeling, to do something that takes my mind off of it and makes me feel better.
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Finished my 12th Taxol treatment last week -- I called them Tuesdays with Taxol. Followed it up with an MRI and the 3 tumors are gone! Feels a bit weird, but I remember that my oncologist said that the chemo would wipe out the cancer. I guess I was skeptical. It also feels weird to work a full week. First time in a long time with no appointments. Now onto surgery, radiation, along with additional chemo every 3 weeks. I'll let you know if I regain any energy -- I'm SO looking forward to that.
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Blinx - So happy for you that the tumors are gone! That truly is amazing! Sending support and hopes all goes well moving into surgery and radiation.
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I just had my 2nd of 12 weekly taxol, plus herceptin (although I am actually on kanjinti, which is a biosimilar) and perjeta. So far my side effects have been very mild but I know that might change. I am icing my hands and feet but not my head. My WBC is still good, so I feel safe to take my daughter to her final dance competition this weekend. She is graduating high school soon and I was worried that she would have to miss out on everything. Her graduation trip to Disney World has already been cancelled
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Has anyone used acupuncture for neuropathy in their feet? My nurse suggested in and I got a referral from my MO. Have not heard of any success from this group. I've been on Taxol for 8 months so I have been on it longer than most. Thanks
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I was on nab-paclitaxol for 15 months, with severe neuropathy in my feet. I did 4 rounds of acupuncture with a well known chinese acupuncturist. I don't believe it did anything for it other than remove $ from my wallet. My GP & MO have suggested possibly trying a TENS machine. I am on 4x 300mg of gabapentin per day which helps a tiny bit. I was just taken off nab-pac so I am hoping for some improvement over the next few weeks.
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Hi Alley, Thanks for sharing your detailed information. By reading your course of treatment, I understand it's almost similar to my case. My first chemo will start from 1st August.
Surgery 6/27/2022 Lumpectomy (Left) 3 lymph node also removed during breast surgery.
Chemotherapy planned on 8/1/2022 Taxol (paclitaxel)
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Hi all,
I’ve just had my 10th of 12 Taxol infusions about 12 hours ago and I noticed a change in my skin color. I normally have a very pale pinkish complexion, but tonight the skin on my torso and upper legs look like all the pink has been removed and I’m left with a pale complexion with warm (yellowish) undertones. Has anyone experienced this?
Thanks for any input
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Kathryn, what do the whites of your eyes look like? If you feel like you are suddenly a bit yellow I would call your oncologist right away, it could be jaundice or something. Taxol does affect the liver.
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gamzu710, the whites of my eyes are still very white. I was worried about it being liver related, but it seems to have resolved now. I’m back to my pink complexion again. I guess I’ve just never been “pale” before. At least not when I could see it for myself.
I’m getting more fatigued with these last few treatments. At least the nausea has been very mild compared to the AC infusions.
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