Weekly Taxol group
Comments
-
Aff, that's awesome! Congrats! I know how you feel of being done as bitter sweet as I really like my infusion team too!
Jhodro, I think we should celebrate every triumph, no matter how small or big. Every piece of positive news in this cancer battle is worth celebrating! Hell, I do a little celebration after every infusion as it's one more down and that much closer to the finish line.
0 -
Congrats to all finishing Taxol
0 -
Agree- congrats to all on finishing Taxol!
0 -
Well, I've been having bone pain so my onc ordered a bone scan. To say I've been nervous about the results would be a vast understatement. Well my oncologist's assistant called me with the results and everything looks clean! I can't even begin to describe what a relief it is!! Guess I can chalk the pain up to the Taxol. I'll take it! Better than it being from cancer mets!!!
0 -
I had almost no pain during my treatment. Now that I am 4 weeks out I have had terrible pain, especially in my shoulders, hips and upper legs. From what I understand, this is a frequent Taxol SE. Not sure how long it will last but I am hoping for the best.
0 -
SarahSch-I has stomach trouble the first 8 weeks of travel then that decided to trade itself in for neuropathy. that last 4 weeks. Now that Taxol is done and my meds are working for the neuropathy I will be starting AC and I anticipating stomach trouble and mouth sores. My plan is to be very proactive with the mouth rinse, staying super hydrated and taking anti nausea meds as prescribe preventively. We might be in this together, what week are u on for Taxol? I start AC in June 12, biweekly.
0 -
hey xrayalli, I did 3 months of A/C and found fatigue to be the main SE. I too was very diligent with mouth care and had no problems. As for nausea..... I haven't opened any of the 3 different anti- emetics I was given! I never once felt sick, so maybe you won't need any either. Good luck with the next phase..... Only 2 taxols left and onto rads for me!
LIL
0 -
Alli- What medicines are taking for neuropathy? I just had my second Taxol (weekly) and I'm anticipating fatigue and neuropathy to set in at some point. Would love to know what medicines or supplements help with neuropathy. My MO pretty much won't let me take anything but its worth asking if it sets in...which I'm sure it will.
Good luck with AC- I finished dose dense at the end of April. As others have suggested- stay hydrated as much as possible and keep up on mouth rinses. I was surprised by the fatigue. I guess I had never really experienced fatigue like that before so the fatigue was hard for me. I also had really bad dry mouth and used the mouth rinse as well as biotine mouth wash and toothpaste. I found regular toothpaste to be to harsh during AC. Let us know if you have any questions!
Have a good weekend!
0 -
alli - ice pops.... suck on them during the entire drip of ac...totally preve ts mouth sores.
And if you are prone to head aches, especially sinus, ask them to slow down the Cytoxan drip.
Two best tips I got!
0 -
Holy fatigue today! Yikes! It was all I could do to get my weak ass into the shower! I was hoping to not get this bad but it's still not as bad as when I was on the Epirubicin and Cytoxan. I just hope it doesn't get that bad or much worse. I woke up this am and fed my kids and then laid down on the couch and slept more. I NEVER do that. Hope everyone is doing alright side effects wise!
0 -
Camp106- I am on Gabapentin, it takes about 3 weeks to start working. It definitely got rid of the severe pain, although it doesn't do much for the numbness, tingling or nail discoloration.
Thank you all so much for the AC tips! I have jotted them all down!
0 -
Cmp, I recommend icing your fingers and toes during infusion to help lessen the chance of neuropathy. I have had 5 Taxol treatments thus far and zero neuropathy and I've been icing mine. Good luck!
0 -
cmp-- I just finished my 12 weekly Taxol treatments on Thursday and did not have any real problems with neuropathy. At my MO's advice, I took B-12, B Complex and Folic acid daily. If I felt any kind of mouth sore forming, I took an extra folic acid and it would go away.
0 -
cmp, I'm taking b-6 and l - glutamine, both are supposed to curb neuropathy. Three treatments so far so good.
0 -
I finished my weekly Taxol on May 2. I am not taking any supplements and did not have any issues with neuropathy. I wish I had known about the icing because I am having issues with several nails lifting off but I think they will make it. They have improved in the last week.
Stay hydrated - I was not and still am not good at drinking water regularly. I filled my large jug of water every morning and knew that by the end of the day it had to be gone. Not sure that I would have drank enough water without that jug of water staring at me throughout the day.
Definitely use the ice chips during AC. I never had mouth sores during AC.
0 -
Ladies- Thanks for the supplement/medicine recommendations. I will definitely ask my MO about these if/when the neuropathy sets in.
I know SE's affect everyone differently but after which weekly treatment did neuropathy and nail issues start? I have treatment #3 coming up on Monday.
Have a great weekend!
0 -
Anyone experiencing crazy night sweats and hot flashes? I'm in menopause from the chemo and these night sweats are getting worse.
0 -
Hi, I am starting weekly Taxol June 4th. Just finished dose dense AC and found it extremely hard. I am hoping to have an easier time with Taxol. Does anyone know if it has the same terrible smell like AC?
0 -
cmp106, I started having tingling in hands and feet after the 3rd or 4th infusion. The chemo nurses suggested waiting to start supplements until I started having symptoms, because some make it through taxol without a problem. I started B6 (100 mg) and glutamine (30 grams divided into two "servings" per day) once the tingling appeared. It seemed to help; however a couple weeks after finishing my left big toe went numb and it still isn't completely back to normal. The nurse had recommended continuing on with the supplements for a few weeks after final chemo, but I ran out of glutamine and didn't want to buy any more. :-(
0 -
I am starting AC next week followed by 12 weeks of taxol. What are the worst side effects you have experienced? Trying to prepare myself for the worst.
0 -
Clarrn and Basia, welcome! It seems that those who underwent AC have had an easier time with Taxol. As to side effects, I can't say for AC as I had Epirubicin and Cytoxan before Taxol. But with Taxol, it seems the more common side effects are neuropathy, bone pain, fatigue, bad taste or loss of taste and fuzzy vision. Everyone is different though so not everyone experiences the same side effects.
0 -
My tingling, numbness, nail pain got bad around #8. Never had bone pain with Taxol. Welcome to the new people, hope your SEs are minimal.
0 -
Thanks! didn't have most of these with TCH…looks like loads of fun
0 -
Basia - I am about to have treatment 7 and have not had bone pain, numbness or nail issues. I'm hoping I can squeak out the last 6 sessions and avoid that. I've had plenty of acne, sleeplessness, D, heartburn, and chemo brain, but at least my nails are in tact and I still feel my feet and hands. I am doing physical therapy from numbness from the lymph node surgery, and that could be helping too. Best of luck to everyone!!
0 -
Anyone have nail problems without neuropathy? I've been religiously icing my fingers/hand since taxol #1. I will be getting #6 on Friday. I don't have any symptoms of neuropathy but my nails are starting to lift. I'm a little nervous that may mean neuropathy is soon to follow.
0 -
How do you go about icing your nails? Do you bring an ice bucket with you to treatment? I'm serious, don't mean to sound sarcastic, just trying to understand. And does this in theory stop the chemo from flowing thru to your fingertips? Kind of how the cold caps keep the skull too cold for the chemo to flow freely?
0 -
Hi Basia,
Sorry to see that you are going through this again and after a BMX!!!
There are many different ways people are icing their hands, I'm hoping others will chime in also to give some tips. Yes the theory is that the cold constricts the blood vessels of your hands and feet and the chemo doesn't reach these areas prone to neuropathy. on my MO's advice I use frozen peas. It isn't as complicated as it is to write out. I fill 4 quart size freezer bags with peas and put them into 2 gallon size bags (2 in each), I put my hands in quart size bags with bandanas wrapped around each (sometimes I can tolerate the cold without the bandanas), then put my hands into the gallon size bags in between the 2 bags of peas and usually sink my fingers in to one and let the other one rest on top and form around my hand. Doesn't work to well for your feet especially when you are in a lounge chair with them up, I usually end up icing my ankles. To be honest I haven't found a great way to ice my feet so I gave up on them. I almost always have to go to the bathroom during my infusion, I keep the bags on my hands all the way into the bathroom but obviously cant do that with my feet. And I am usually sound asleep from the benadryl I get before the taxol that I never notice when the feet ones slip. Elasto Gel makes gloves and booties for icing but from what I hear they dont stay cold throughout the infusion. Ideally you should ice for 10 mins prior to taxol and then through the infusion. I continue for a few minutes after while they run the plain IV "rinse".
HTH!
0 -
Basia, my infusion nurses provide the ice and bags for me to ice mine. They give me a big ziploc bag filled with ice that I just press my fingers into and then use Biohazard bags filled with ice and slip those on over my feet. It looks hysterical but I don't care because it seems to be working. LOL
0 -
Basia - I posted this on another thread. Hope it helps a little.
There is no "one size fits all" for chemo, both during and after. I
can only give you my experience, but please know that your experience
may be very different.For me, Taxol was a walk in the park
compared to AC. During AC I was nauseous, tired, irritable, and lost my
appetite and my taste for most foods. Those 8 weeks were very difficult
for me however, they passed very quickly and AC seems like a lifetime
ago now. Weekly Taxol was quite easy and I had very few side effects. I
was able to eat everything and taste again and that was very exciting
for me to the tune of an extra 10 lbs. I know that had a lot to do with
the weekly steroids. The worst thing about Taxol was the near loss of 6
fingernails. The nail beds became discolored and the nails began to lift
off the nail beds. They have hung in there and I am done with treatment
so I think they will make it. The best thing was that my hair started
growing back in around week 6.I am now almost 4 weeks post
chemo and am starting to feel some bone and joint pain, especially my
upper legs, hips and shoulders. I did not experience this during chemo
but have learned that it's quite common to feel this after Taxol.Jules - I did not have any problems with neuropathy but did have several nails lift. I never lost them and they seem to be on the road to recovery now. I never iced my hand or feet. I had no issues at all with my toe nails.
0 -
Hi Cannoli, I had 12 weekly taxols and have no neuropathy whatsoever. There was a little numbness in the fingers and toes by the very end but it was quickly gone when the treatment completed. They can adjust the dose and stop it altogether if you start experiencing serious side effects. You just need to listen to your body and voice all the concerns promptly.
0
