Weekly Taxol group
Comments
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Re nose bleeds. I'm not really getting pouring blood nosebleeds, but I do get awful dry and crusty, and when those crusts get dislodged they bleed and then crusty and scabby.
I tried some nasal spray gel, which helped a little, but its so dry here ... Latterly I've been applying liberal quantities of Vaseline, morning and night, and although I get very stuffed up with big plugs of bloodstained mucus to clear each morning, (sorry, TMI?) I am not getting the dry crusts, and so bleeding is much reduced!0 -
Bless all you ladies. My wife is 4 weeks out from her 12th Taxol after AC. Her hair probably started growing in as white fuzz in her 8th week of Taxol and continued at a snail's pace... But maybe 2 weeks ago (and 2 weeks after last Taxol) the hair growth REALLY kicked in. It's growing in faster now, with the top lagging behind a little. It's ashen grey (normally reddish blonde). Her lashes are stubby and you could count her brow hairs on 1 hand still, probably.
She iced during Taxol only (fingers and toes) with frozen peas. She has essentially no neuropathy. She also used tea tree oil and dipped her nails in white vinegar. Not sure of her schedule for that.
I want to come back and cheer you on. My wife just keeps moving forward in her recovery. You all just keep moving forward, putting miles between you and your Dx date on the way to recovery...
You can do it.0 -
Thanks for the encouragement Colt
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Colt45~~Great to hear from you! Thanks dropping in to encourage the rest of us.
I finished weekly Taxol last Friday. My hair started growing during Taxol and as you said, "At a snails pace."
I pray you and your wife are doing great, and getting on with the rest of your lives.
Please keep in touch.
Blessings
Paula0 -
Morwenna, my nose behaved very similarly to yours while on Taxol - no overt nose bleeds, but sometimes bloody crusty nostrils in the morning.
Colt, your description of your wife's hair matches what mine is doing. One week out from last dose dense Taxol, I can finally see lots of little white hairs coming through all over my head - but there's next to nothing on top, which kind of concerns me - have quite the shiny dome at the moment. Glad to hear your wife's is starting to come in more rapidly.0 -
Colt & Caitlin~~I've been having that same growth. Not much on top. I hope I don't end up with Dr. Phil hair. Lol
Colt~~I'd love to know...How is your wife's energy level 4 weeks out? That's been my biggest complaint. No energy!
Blessings
Paula0 -
Just got a call from my oncologist office and pretty much ruined my day. I'm in tears and scared. She says since I'm switching from AC to Taxol for my next treatment on Tues that there are premeds I have to take. I was blown away at the amount of decadron (5 pills night before & morning of) I'm going to have to take. Plus something called Zyrtec. I'm just having a freak out imagining how horrible I'm going to feel all hyped up like that. Meds scare me. Feeling out of control scares me.
And what's worse is I cried in Front of my kids. ARGH I HATE THIS!! And I'm mad cause I'm using the word hate cause its an ugly word! Sorry gals, I just need to vent to someone who gets it. And I know y'all do.0 -
Rosina, most all of us have had the same or similar pre-meds. Mainly they're to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction to Taxol. I had my steroid in my IV pre-meds, instead of pill form, but I would imagine the amount is similar. After the first couple of treatments with no bad reaction, my oncologist reduced the steroid dose in half. The effect (for me) of the steroid is to make your face flush the next day (made me look very healthy!), increase energy the next day, and make it difficult to sleep the night of treatment. Zyrtec is an allergy med - I had Benadryl in my IV for allergy med. I also had an antacid and an anti-nausea med. It may seem like a lot, but really it didn't bother me. I think you will get through this just fine!
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For my first 2 Taxol treatments I had IV Benadryl and steroids. After those 2 treatments since I had no allergic reactions, I didn't have to get pre-meds anymore.
Paula0 -
Rosina, I had the exact same experience as Patin. I was anxious about the possibility of having an allergic reaction, but the nurses watched me like a hawk, especially for the first round. After getting through the first one without problems, I had less anxiety. Try to relax. While I wouldn't say Taxol has been fun (I had bone pain and neuropathy near the end), it was still way better than AC. Hope everything goes well for you on Tuesday.
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Rosina- I get dex, benadryl and pepcid the day of taxol every time and that's it. Nothing to take before or after. It warrants a discussion with your MO. I'm not sure why tx meds differ so much between all of us for the same regiment. And they do worry about a reaction for the first few taxol. They watch you very closely. I mean VERY closely. I would have flipped if I had to take all those steroids for days before and after. I hated them. Your MO probably just uses that regiment and hasn't wanted to change. Sometimes we can help them see new ways of doing things. It's worth a shot. Good luck!!
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Rosina,
I only had to do steroids the first time. And after that I never had to do it. As others mentioned the chemo nurses will watch you. I got the pepcid, and dex, and benedryl in my pre taxol drip. Never had problems other then sleepy and restless leg during them.
Best wishes to you.
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Rosina,
'Night before and morning of' is not an extreme or old regimen. What's more important in the inquiry with your oncologist or chemo nurse would be the dosage strength of the steroid.
Zyrtec is an allergy med. I take Zyrtec-D for seasonal allergies and it's a Godsend. It is the ONLY med that works when my sinuses go haywire. But that's Zyrtec-D which used to be prescription strength and is held behind the pharmacy counter because of all the assanine meth makers.
Always have to understand if we are comparing apples to apples. So first, is your onc switching you to WEEKLY Taxol or DOSE DENSE Taxol? If the latter, then we (the collective 'we' of this thread) aren't on the same page where dosage or experience is concerned.
For what it's worth, these were my meds (to be taken an hour before my weekly infusion):
Dexamethasone (steroid) 4 mg - 3 tablets
Claritin 10 mg (antihistamine) - 1 tablet
Tagamet/Zantac 300 or 400 mg - 1 tablet
After/at home:
Compazine 10 mg (as needed for nausea) - didn't need this
Lorazepam/Ativan (for sleep due to steroids) 0.5 mg 1-2 as needed at bedtime. Definitely needed this.
Tylenol (as needed for pain) - didn't need this
My chemo nurse angel, Abbie, sat with me specifically to watch for any allergic reaction and be on hand if one occurred, for about 10-15 minutes or so during that first infusion. That is standard protocol at my oncologist's. We had such a great relationship and often visited at great length during my AC that this did not seem overtly different.
One more thing - it might help, when you are lamenting taking a number of pre-meds, to remember that there are millions of people who take a heartburn medication or an antihistamine on a daily basis without a doctor's order. These are safe over the counter meds. So try to keep that perspective for the OTC meds. Then you may be able to mentally subtract 2 pills from the 5 pills :0)
Hang in there Rosina!
Diana0 -
So glad you have come here, Rosina. Many of us have now had several Taxol treatments. I have completed 9 with 3 more to go. All the pre-meds prevent you from having unpleasant, and/or dangerous reactions to the Taxol. I receive a steroid, anti-nausea med, Benadryl and anti-acid med before receving the Taxol and then my Herceptin. I have tolerated all these really well and for the most part, other than fatigue, have felt relatively well.
I am experiencing the nail-lifting on my hands and some on my feet as well as very thin eyebrows and thinning lashes No pains in hands or feet probably because of the 100 mg. of Vt. B-6 taken 3 times per day to prevent neuropathy.
I was absolutely terriifed when I showed up in January to begin chemo, but each time has gotten easier and the fear has left. I still face a modified radical mastectomy and lymph node surgery becuase I have recurring regional breast cancer which went under my right armpit. My current treatments are to shrink my large tumor and destroy whatever cancer cells remain.
We face this horrible disease a day at the time. Coming here together helps us realize that we are not alone. Sending you a big hug.
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@Soteria205: It's hard to gauge my wife's energy as she keeps pushing the envelope. She did her exchange 3 weeks after last Taxol, which I guess means she was feeling pretty darned good at that point! The ambitious pace she chose scared the crap out of me. If she gets wiped out (and she does get tired) it's hard to say if it's lingering effects from the Taxol or the body recovering from the exchange surgery, from which she is just 1.5 weeks out.
@caitlin61: My wife calls her hairdo 'male pattern baldness'. But the truth is that it IS growing in on top---- it's just lagging behind. 3 weeks ago, the sides and back were precisely where the top is now... and the top was still a pretty shiny dome. It will come. And each day out, it seems the pace picks up. If we clipped the sides and back today, we would all say by comparison: "Ooooh, look at the TOP coming in!". You will all get there.
Holding hands with you all as we march right through this garbage.
God bless you all.0 -
Colt45: I finished taxol on Monday. Yay!! I am finished!! I am also getting my reconstructive surgery 3 weeks from my last treatment. Can I ask how the recovery was after that surgery? I have a 7 and 3 year old and need to know how long before your wife starting feeling better after surgery.
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@Imcclure447:
What is the exact recon surgery you're doing? Is it exchange to implants? Let me know. This way I'll know what information would be most helpful to you.
Congrats on finishing Taxol! You're awesome!0 -
I have tissue expanders in and it will be exchanging them for implants. Thanks so much for your help!!
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Colt,
My top was slow coming in too. And now I have short little bangs. Tell your wife to hang in there. B- complex and Skin, Hair and Nails vitamins might help.
Oh surgery is so exhausting. I had The BMX and direct to implants done Feb. 2nd. I had my revision done in office almost 2 weeks ago. The revision was not bad. I wish all those going for exchange surgery well. I opted not to do it that way. I went smaller so it was good to go this way for me. I am pleased except I hate my scars. I will get the 3 D nipple tattoos in the fall. I need a break from medical crap. I start working full time this week. I am fighting a sore throat etc, tiredness and cough. If it warms up at all I will try water country monday. LOL
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@Imcclure447:
My wife did some fat grafting at the time of her exchange. They took from the tummy @ 3 different entry points. The 3 holes were similar in size to the holes left by drains. She also had a cyst from an ingrown hair/ blocked gland surgically removed while she was under (sent to pathology and benign).
The part that hurt least was the exchange! The soreness from the tummy lipo is in part due to it being at your core for so much movement. Couldn't bend at all. The underarm cyst removal was just in a sensitive area. My wife said if it was "just" the exchange, it would have been markedly less taxing and painful. Nonetheless, drains were out in 6 days. She wears an abdominal binder, but the pain from the lipo is much less. She was driving locally in about a week. She sleeps horizontal in a recliner, with strategically placed pillows under her arms so as not to not be taxing on her pectorals. She needed a lot of help easing in and out of the recliner the 1st 5-6 days. She iced her chest 20 minutes on, at least 20 minutes off for several sessions per day for about a week. No more ice now, no drains... Just gauze to pad sutured areas. Gauze is clean when I change it. It's just friction protection. She is wearing Spanx garments intermittently instead of abdominal binder. Getting looser and less sore and stronger by the day. Bending over is still a challenge. Just take it slow, it will come. We have 2 girls, 8 & 4, so I hear you with the little ones. Feel free to ask anything. I'll help if I can.0 -
Thank you everyone for your experiences! I feel privelaged to recieve info from such steadfast women like yourselves! Going in for round 3 this week..I felt agitated during the last treatment. I'm not sure if it's the Dex or Benedryl..Instead of falling asleep, I kinda thrashed around irritated..If this happens again I will tell my Onc..Hard to tell what Meds are doing what! I ask myself "is it the Steroids, or the Benedryl, the Herceptin or the Taxol? soooo confusing..Some fatigue body aches and headache day's 2 and 3. BTW what is dog ears?
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Thank you Colt! My PS said the exchange surgery has a pretty easy recovery. He said my first surgery is worse because they had to stretch the muscles and skin. I was just curious what others thought who already went through the procedure. Thanks for all of your help!!
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@Imcclure447:
No question, for my wife, the exchange was a piece of cake next to BMX with TE placement.0 -
Can anyone tell me how long it takes after your last taxol treatment until you start feeling more energy and back to normal? I am one week out from my last dose dense treatment. I felt good Saturday, Sunday and most of yesterday. But today I feel exhausted and a little achey. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
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imcclure,
Congratulations on being done with Taxol. It took me about 2 months. THen I had 2 surgeries to recover from. I started working in April. I am tired. I start full time today. I am fighting a cough. Best wishes to you.
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Hello,
Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. All of your suggestions and experiences have me a lot to think about over the weekend. It really called me and gave me strength. I had my first DD Taxol treatment today with the dreaded premeds. Everything went very well. I feel so good compared to a day 1 AC treatment. But I do need a nap. So going to close eyes and hope dinner magically cooks itself.0 -
Less than 5 weeks post 12th Taxol and the pace of my wife's hair growth has really picked up... and the top is starting to kick in. Every time I look at her, I swear I see more growth.
Hang in there, everybody.
God bless.0 -
Oh I wanted to ask about pain regarding treatments. My doc said pain in a SE. I said ok I have Motrin 600 if I need it, she says you may want to take something stronger. WTF. She said it could be in my back, legs, hips, etc..Have any of you experienced body pain? Does it last long??
I do take the the Nupegen shots days 3-9 post chemo and by the last couple shots my back gets achy but it's manageable.
Doc also gave me direction for taking guiollamene. ( sp wrong) to help mimize Nuropothy.0 -
Rosina~~That's L-Glutamine. Get the powder at a vitamin store. You'd have to take like 40 pills per day to get enough of it.
Use 30 grams per day, but do it 2 or 3 settings. I mixed mine in a tiny glass with cranberry/grape juice.
Paula0
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