Weekly Taxol group
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for me 3 days out from 7 . day 1, 4 and 5. day 1 the treatment, days 4 and 5 just tired without energy..........no pains. maybe a little muscle pain . but I work days 2, 3 and 6 ( just max 4 hours)
good luck
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Yeah- I was able to do the 5 day work week no prob on the AC.
I went in today and lasted from 6-2 despite 2 hours of sleep from the steroid rush. I'm beat now.
I'm playing it by ear as the days go by.
Thank goodness I have an awesome boss who is extremely understanding and completely fine with the cancer schedule even though i ran half the workplace.
and I have a great assistant who takes the reins with the work end of it so I can spend time at a computer and not on my feet wrestling with garments and an embroidery machine all day.
It's so much less stress having those 2 folks getting my back
so grateful 0 -
This is my first post ever. I have had 2 taxol following the other chemo. Both Taxol sent me into intense pain by day 5. both times could not walk for two days, had no integration/stability. Then it went away during Taxol #1. Taxol # 2, I have still not gotten out of bed after 8 days. Diarreha, stomach pain and complete fatique. So understanding Sissydi.
I am excited to actually be a part of a group! Will put more info about me when I am feeling better.
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Elizabeth, welcome to BCO - we're glad you found this group too!
The Mods
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Thank you so much for starting this group. My mom got diagnosed a few weeks ago; and has just started weekly Taxol (for 12 weeks).
She's on day 3 of the 1st dose, and so far she has experienced alot of dizziness, and mild- moderate fatigue through out the day. her fatigue seems worse today compared to yesterday.
Is there anything that any of you could recommend for the fatigue?
Also, will her symptoms improve past the 3rd- 4th day?
Will the symptoms get worse/ accumulate after each dose?
Thank you so much for sharing all of your experiences, it has helped alot in keeping me and my mom prepared. There is only so much that the doctors and nurses tell you. It helps alot more when you get to see and share what other people in the same situation are going through.
Much to love to everyone here. Big big hug.
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Srf- welcome. There isn't much I have been able to do about fatigue except rest. I rest for a couple of hours and then I am able to do a few things, then rest again.
Elizebeth- I have horrible GI issues to. I am only able to eat food that has salt or sugar and absolutely no spice in it. I used to love Mexican, Thai and Indian food. It has been 7 weeks since I went anywhere near those.
Ladyfighter- did you fever go down. I do hope you get Tx 10 tomorrow.
Sissydi- did Tx 11 go fine. Next week you get to ring the chemo bell. Do keep posting about Herceptin once you are done with Taxol.
I do think Taxol is more stretched out in terms of SE with fewer real good days. AC side effects were more intense but I had good weeks in between. Chemo is chemo nothing easy about it. My mantra- others have done it I can. Please remind me of this when I complain next time
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hopeful and others, is it really complaining? I would suggest that it is sharing and when you share this intimately, you ALLOW others to give you the gift of helping. When someone offers you a gift, it is a blessing, when you accept it, it makes two blessings.
Not to mention that this is a primarily women's disease with very little mainstream information. By talking together we get real work done. We educate ourselves and others about a very critical issue. You are not, we are not complaining.
By the way it is so hopeful, hopeful, that you are having bigtime GI issues with Taxol as I have not been able to find it as such a big problem in the literature.
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Elizabeth. perfectly said.
Susan0 -
umm I just realized that this is a weekly taxol group. YOu have helped me so much. But I get taxol every other week, should I bow out? Is there a different group to recommend, or is this just as well. You really have helped.
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srf, I found the on of best things for my fatigue was to stay active. If you mom is able- walking outside helped me, and if she works, i actually did better working than not. Everyone is different though. I did find some cumulative effect but it wasnt bad. The other thing that was important for the fatigue was sleep and that was hard to do on steroids. I used ambien and it helped me a huge amount for the first few days after the infusion.
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hello ladies!
I have a question......how often did you have yours cancer markers checked since the diagnose.
thanks a lot. mine weren't checked ,and they told me we do not need this before finishing the chemo. is this right?
I'm very upset because of this.
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Ashley, mine are checked once a month. for some tumor markers are a good indicator of progress, for others they are not. for me they were good, following the decrease in tumor size based on scans.
Elizabeth, I'd say your welcome here. Taxol is Taxol.0 -
thanks gritgirl. they didn't explain me why they are not checked.........I'll try again to ask my mo next week.
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To the doctors we're just patients so we have to push 'em when we want something :-)
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Elizabeth- thanks, I agree it does help to be able to talk about these and more importantly feel the people here actually get it.
Ashley- they checked my markers every month. They actually have caused me some worry. Mine went from 25 to 32 (ca15-3) gradually increasing. My doctors tell me not to worry and small increases like this are seen with chemo. But I can tell you this is worrying me. I am stage I and have BMX so no tumor to cross check, scans we all negative in the beginning. So as grit girl says it works or some and not for others.
Grit girl- I like your new avatar. You hair looks great.0 -
Up late because of steroids at infusion today. Of course I slept for 3 hours when I got home and off and on during treatment.
Taxol #11 with one more to go on August 8th. SissiD - you and I are going to ring the bell next week.
My ANC count was only 1080 and they told me it should be 1500 to give the Taxol. My doctor is on vacation but doc on call agreed I could continue. I've been really good about avoiding people/places so haven't even had a fever during last 4 months. Maybe that's why they agreed. I was feeling so draggy going in that I knew it had to be low counts. H&H not low enough for blood transfusion but RBC was low too. Guess I'll feel even more fatigued this weekend when I crash. Bad days for me vary on this weekly Taxol rather than every other week Taxol. But mostly on Day 3-4 which is Saturday and Sunday. I get to work the other days, lucky for my job.
I did ask about getting neulasta shot again to prevent this but nurse said that was only given with 14 day Taxol. If it got really low, they would try neuprogen which I know some have had. At this late stage, maybe I just get through without it. I also have never had markers done but will ask when I see doctor on 14th after all treatment done. She did say she wants me to start radiation right away when rad onx said I would have a 4 week break. I wonder if that's because of all the delays and stops with Taxol because of the counts. I will try to visit my Dad at the Nursing Home in Houston during that week and they gave me a lot of masks to wear on the plane and at the Nursing Home. Even thought I'd be done with chemo, I know the Nadir for Taxol is 15-21 days (or is that just for the two week stronger dose).
Let's all have a good weekend and hugs to those in the chair this week!
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Thank you so much hopeful123, ipmomof3 and others. My mom's fatigue comes in bouts and seems to disappear and she's fine in between. She is a very active person, not in the sporty sense, but in the sense she can NOT lie in bed and do nothing. Which i think is a good thing. Like you said, ipmomof3, being active does help.
I was wondering if all of you are getting the chemo through a peripheral i/v line? Or do some of you have ports/ PICC lines? My mom's veins are fine and not difficult to find; plus i don't think the low- dose taxol is vein- damaging like the other chemo drugs.. I figured if there is trouble w. the veins by the 3rd - 4th chemo, we'll consider a port then, otheriwse it's too early to get one now?
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Good luck PKate, only one more to go, I'm happy for you.
Hugs
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hello Pkate.
I am done with 8 taxol, and my white counts were always 1200. not lower or upper , but it is OK and they told me it will be stable during 12 treatments. I 'll start radiation after 4 weeks of finish chemo. they told me I need the recuperation.
thanks about the markers....I'll ask again in a week
have a nice day
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Just had to post to say thanks to everyone for replies. Getting prepared for the fatigue this evening or tomorrow but am so psyched about the last treatment that I think I'll make it. My first treatment was April 4th and it seems surreal that it will finally end. Thanks Ashley2 for telling me that you had low counts all along. Surely don't want to delay this last one!
So question, if anyone knows, what is nadir for weekly taxol? I've heard that it is day 15-21 for every two week Taxol. Could it flucuate with a lower dose? I'll be getting on a plane in two weeks to go see my Dad so have plenty of masks to wear during my travels just to be sure.
Take care of yourselves, lovely ladies, this weekend!
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Hi you all! Wow new comers! Hello!
Yesterday, finally my temp is back Normal and WBC good enough and went on taxol/herceptin #10 yippee! I felt so much better yesterday after almost 2 weeks of low grade fever and flu like symptoms!
Of course last night insomnia! Couldn't sleep till 5am and up 8am (3 hrs) all from steroid infusion! when I woke up I was so flushed red cheeks from steroid. Right now I'm in my bed with my iPad writing this. Im so ready to crash and sleep 12-16 hours like I did every after steriod crash! Oh by the way my dizzy came back this morning after 2 weeks of dizzy-free
booo .
My hair seemed to be growing nicely I think little more than half inch but still toooo soft. Eyelashes and eyebrows still nothing.
Sissydi, I think I saw you in other thread about issues with your port? What happened? Hope all ok!
((((hugs)))) to all of you xoxox0 -
Ladyfighter- glad you got Tx 10. Only two more to go.
My eyebrows are down to just a few left, and I have one eyelash hanging in there. No hair growth as yet in my head. I will be doing tx 8 this week. I am very fatigued. Really can't do much. I hope my RBC isnt very low again.0 -
Hopeful123 - know how you feel about the eyebrows and eyelashes - still don't know why Taxol did them in when A/C didn't. My hair did start growing around tx #10 and is about 1/4 inch now.
My husband and son have been gone two days now - off on a camping trip to New Mexico for another 11 days. Its so quiet here but it has finally given me the freedom to go topless around the house for the first time. Very liberating.
Good luck to everyone this week with their counts!
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srf22, I don't have a port. I had more vein pain with the AC- this stuff is easier. I switch sides every week and drink tons of water and have the nurses give good flushes between everything. The nurses drooled over my veins at my initial oncology visit like vampires. lol. they said I had nice fat ones.
My taxol 3 is tuesday this week. Losing my eyelashes a little bit every day - eyebrows too. Thankfully I am Italian so I have no shortage of eyebrows to lose. lol. there are plenty to go around, taxol goblins!
I am also going through menopause finally.
Not sure if it's the menopause, but holy moly- I had a serious emotional rollercoaster week this week. This stuff messes with your head so much I find. So much. I had a few raging episodes of screaming and yelling which I know is not healthy- but I think I just was keeping a lot of things in this entire time and it all came out. I scared myself. Things feel brand new now after I had a good cry and yell and glass of wine.
It feels way more psychoactive than the AC ever was. Eek.does anyone else get this?
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I am Taxol number 2, due for another in 1 day and have not recovered this time. Crazy emotional mandalab. Helps so much to hear it from you. I need to remember that this is not who I am. This is Taxol This is Taxol This is Taxol. Right??????
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I've only ever been on Taxol so I don't know if being on it is more emotional. I know having cancer is emotional. For the first several months, every week I'd have one bad, bad day, usually the day I was most fatigued from chemo. This is an incredibly difficult experience and usually I'd have to cry to a friend before it got better.
Mandala, I don't see screaming and yelling as unhealthy, unless it's calling a loved one by nasty names. This is a screaming experience and sometimes I get so angry I just want to hit something. As long as I don't hit someone, that's ok. :-)
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tx #10 day 5, fagitue as usual. little achy. I was feeling great thurs, fri and sat. but yesterday felt shitty with flu like symptoms. Today feel just little achy and upper back right side muscle sore.
Mandala, Taxol didnt give me any crazy mood swings or anything, i think my effexor helped? not sure if that is how it works? but I have been taking effexor faithfully for over 7 years for anti-anxiety. But dont get me wrong, I do get 'bitch' sometimes. I have been menopause since Oct 2010 (before a year before BC). With very little hot flashes, but then again i think effexor helped! I am only 49. I wish I have your eyebrows!! I overplucked my eyebrows when I was 15 years old and it stays thin ever since! and I am Italian
lol I didnt lose eyebrows or eyelashes during AC only hair. Then on taxol, BAM eyelashes and eyebrows went bye bye. And at same time my hair started to grow during taxol. Right now it is about little longer than half inch. Top hair is too soft and fuzzy while the sides and back a little thick. Before chemo I had really thick brown hair. I sure hope to have that back! but who knows.
Hopeful, my RBC is very low too throughout taxol treatments. My MO didnt seem to be worried. I was concerned too. But I have to have faith with my MO
It is rainy down in Florida, so I am staying in and do nothing maybe go through all the old pictures and organize them into shoes boxes because I got two BIG boxes of photos, I would separate them by items into shoes boxes and sort them away. (I said this to myself all the times and never did, eek)..
Hope everyone is having a good day and no or little minimal SE..
Hugs to you all xoxox
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Updated my avatar, was taken yesterday. sides looks long but the top still looks like chia pet
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Wow you have a lot of hair ladyfighter, looking good!
Best wishes taxol ladies! I am 6 weeks post taxol. Things get better fast. I am just starting to grow back my eyebrows but just on my right side so far. The hair is about an inch long now and I am going topless all the time. My big toenail that I lost is growing back. I see about three eyelashes growing back but I think I see the same fine clear hairs on my eyebrows and lashes that grew back on my head when it all started sliming back there. Hopefully that means the brows and lashes are revving up to grow!0 -
Ladyfighter and jpmom- your hair is grown quite a bit.
Pkate and Sissydi- this is the last one, doing the happy dance for you guys.
Emotions- don't get me started on this. Taxol makes me cry for everything. I cried and cried when they played the national anthem at a soccer game! I cried watching the mom Olympics ad on tv. Well good news I know this is the chemo and that I am not really depressed, because I am fine right after the crying, and This was not how I was during AC.0
