Weekly Taxol for Stage 4
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the chemo nurse today thought it would probably just thin this time so here's hoping. I'll ask my oncologist when I see him on Monday what he thinks. I'm wondering if it was because I had that 3 week break. My body is readjusting to the taxol again. The middle of winter is no time to go bald and I can't go back to my wig as it's shoulder length and brown like my old hair.
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Oh No! Hair falling out again! Could it be anything to do with the stress of your infection and surgery a few weeks back?
Hope it just thins this time and you don't lose it completely.
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I've had bone mets for 3 years. I started out on Faslodex/Zometa and then on to Xeloda/Zometa for the last 8 months. Now (after tumor markers jumped from 70 to 100 & scans show tiny nodules in the lungs)I'll be starting Taxol on July 15th. This will be my first "real" (chemical) chemo and I'm feeling nervous about it. I'll get a once a week treatment for three weeks and then one week off. I'll get the Zometa every three months instead of once a month. Crappy cancer--it's a sneaky snake of a disease.0
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Welcome Aerial to our little group. I have been doing weekly taxol since September last year. My Onc doesn't give me a week off between cycles. It really is a doable chemo. I still work full time. It has kept me stable without too many SEs. I hope to stay on it for a long time to come.
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Aerial,
Sorry to meet you under these circumstances.
Weekly taxol is a very doable chemo. Everyone has different experiences with it. You won't get all the side effects and the ones you do get may be better or worse for you compared to others. I lost my hair after 3 treatments. Experienced diarrhoea for about 24 hrs. during my first 6 to 8 treatments, but that has now settled down. I always get a sort throat/palate on day 5 but it clears up quickly. I started developing neuropathy about 3 weeks ago but it's not bad - just tingling in my left hand. The worst has been the fatigue which hits me about day 3 or 4 after treatment, and lasts until 48 to 24 hours before my next one tx. You learn to cope and adjust your life around it. You find a new 'normal'.
Like you, I have bone and lung mets. This chemo has done a great job on both. I have two lung tumours which shrank from 4.5cm to 2.5cm and 3cm to 1.5cm after just 7 tx. I have had, according to my last scans, an excellent response in my bone mets. Some of them are now 'inactive'. I am carrying on with taxol for the foreseeable future and hoping I get further regression. I hope your taxol treatment gets you to a similiar or better position.
SW
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Aerial,
Welcome. I was terrified to begin IV chemo after being on aromasin inhibitors and faslodex since 2010. Began taxol at the end of last September. My schedule is 3 weeks on/1 off (considered easier to do than dose dense taxol). I have no other chemo to compare it too, but I understand it's one of the easier ones. At first the worse for me was dealing with the hairloss. I had beautiful natural hair and it was a real struggle with the self image, etc. I've learned to deal with wigs, better than nothing, for me. Everyone finds what they are comfortable with, weather to go "natural," scarves, turbans, whatever. I started getting some neuropathy approx. 20 infusions in; mainly numbness in areas of feet and some fingers. It's a concern because it can be permanent; however, my bone/liver mets are considered "stable" after 18 months progression with NOTHING working! The liver mets have been lessening in size, too, a real plus!!
I have chosen to ice my hands/feet during infusions (use bags of peas) to try and help offset neuropathy (may have helped to delay to 20 infusions, up to 30 infusions as of last Monday) and to try and save nails from lifting and falling off. So far, so good with the nails, they are intact.
I do have extreme fatigue & between 3-4 days post infusion can experience bone pain - this varies in intensity. Also, some change in taste.
Good luck with it & keep us posted, we all have our bag of tricks and ways to deal with this.
Springwatch - what is your infusion schedule?
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Aerial - I have done Faslodex (which was easy but not effective) Xeloda (which gave me Huber SE's but seemed to help.) and now Taxol. I get my first scans in two weeks. I have had muscle and joint pain, slight altering of taste for a day after infusion and gradual hair loss. I still have coverage but unless arranged just right my scalp is visible.
Today I am in the chair for #8 and the beat goes on.
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Welcome, Ariel!
Springwatch and SyrMom, I felt reassured reading your overviews of the Taxol experience. Have been ready to quit this week, and am encouraged to hang in there another round or two.
Brigadoon, I'll be at chemo today also, here's to an easy week ahead. Less heat and humidity would also be nice!
My best to all.
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Mameme - Just starting infusion. Sounds like you had a pretty bad week. Hope this week is better.
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MameMe, I hope things get easier for you. They did for me but it took awhile.
SyrMom, I am on weekly infusions. Next one tomorrow.
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OK, then, I went to #13 Taxol yesterday, and after explaining some increased foot numbness and painful finger and toenails to the nurse, the oncologist said to skip this week and next week's chemo. I am thrilled to get time to feel better and stabilize my energy.
I went to the retina specialist today for the monthly eye exam and he was able to measure a bit more regression of that met. I am very happy about that, and the oncologist will take that into consideration when I see her again in two weeks.
Also, she is trying to get me seen at Dana Farber in Boston, which is all set up, but for Anthem BCBS authorization. DF has a breast cancer center and can evaluate the scans and such that I have had so far, and might lead to further ideas about treatment planning. I so hope this can get paid for by insurance. It is so discouraging to have important pieces of the tx process determined by people whose understanding of patient needs is limited. My PCP office at one center has to submit the request, and yet its the oncology dept. at another facility that has the details and rationale for this.
Anyway, I am appreciating the break from chemo, and looking forward to seeing my three sisters, niece, nephew, grandnephew and others tomorrow at a family shindig. My sister has hired a bagpiper to waltz into the party at 2:00, in honor of our other sister's 40th anniversary. I am making a three tier lemon cake decorated for the occasion, with either thistles or a jaunty plaid, done in colored frostings. Should be interesting!!
Best wishes to all for the long weekend, and hope that Canada Day was fun for all. Hugs, Mame
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MameMe,
Enjoy your chemo break. It sounds as if you are going to be very busy! I am guessing you have some Scottish connections what with the piper and the decoration on lemon cake. Hope you and your sisters have a lovely day.
Infusion yesterday was not without problems. I am having port problems again. We couldn't get the blood draws but were able to get the infusion running OK. I have more scans on Wednesday. Fingers crossed it shows further regression in the lung mets and less activity in the bones. I have less bone pain than I did at my last scan so I am hopeful.
Have a good weekend everyone and a good 4th of July to everyone celebrating this weekend.
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MameMe hope your family get together is a hit and you enjoy your chemo break.
Springwatch bugger re the port problems. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for good scans for you on Wednesday.
My hair is falling out everywhere and I'm feeling a bit down about it. It's taken 9 months to get it to a non cancer looking style. If it all comes out I'm not sure what I'll do for work after ditching my should length brown wig sometime ago I can't really go back to it. I don't own any scarves etc it's not really my thing.
I've also started getting nose bleeds daily again. I haven't had those since cycle 6. It's really like I've started all over again.
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Shazza, So sorry you are going through this, it's got to be discouraging. Hang in there.
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shazzI was getting nose bleeds when I first started taxol but thought it was caused by dry weather they have stopped for now .in fact I had to get both sides of my nose cauterized because I could not get the bleeding to stop .so maybe it was the taxol .sorry to hear you are going thru this . I hope things get better for you .
love chris
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I've learnt the hard way that even a 3 week break is like starting again. Still I'm a lot luckier than a lot of people so once the weekend is over so is my pity party. It's onwards and upwards. No more moaning. Well at least for a little while
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Moan away, Shazz, its really hard to lose hair and have bleeding problems, especially after getting past those earlier. Its good to be honest about the ups and downs of this predicament we are all facing. I trust your report on things all the more because of your candidness. Most of the time you are demonstrating amazing levels of positive coping.
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oh yes, here I am joining weekly taxol group. Three weeks on , one week off. Repeat. Lol. My first taxol is July 8.
I kinda skated for two years on letrozole and monthly Zometa. Clear Pet/ct scans 5 x most recent clear scan was jan 2014. Had scan July 3 and found peritoneal and reptroperitonal mets. SUV of 2.8. Also non metabolic 1.8 spot on liver. From what I have read taxol is a pretty good chemo and the 3 week on and one week off is doable. Kidneys may need stents as the cancer is blocking the pee from getting from kidneys to bladder. Guess I will be walking around " packing". Urine bags😱.
Well I have always liked a good challenge. Been doing cancer on some level for 12 years. Port placement coming up too at some point.
Still plan to work out even with the bags. No road bike for now. Bags might get in the way. 💃💃😬😬
So, saddle up and keep on. Yep. Best to all.
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one question. When/if the hair falls out. If it thins weird I am going to shave it off. I live in the desert and the summers are good for baldies.
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Shazza, I was hoping to hear that your hair had stopped coming out. I think you may have hit the nail on the head with your comment re: " a 3 week break is like starting again". Like rebooting your computer and having it go back to it's default settings. I have a wig but only wear it if I am going out somewhere special Most of the time just wear a buff. I have been growing some scrappy fuzz for the last few weeks but there are bald patches as well so I don't think it will ever be as good as your hair looks in your photo.
Welcome Diana. I hope the taxol works well for you and it shrinks your peritoneal mets enough so that you don't have to have stents put in or use a urine bag. Great that your onc is prepared do 3 weeks on and one week off. Nice to get a break from tx when you can.
Started out with some energy this morning and got on with cleaning the kitchen. Things have gone down hill since and I am now rooted to the easy chair and channel surfing between Wimbledon men's final, British F1 grand prix, and Tour de France which is in the UK for the next few days. I can tell that the French are getting the same of coverage of this last event as we are here. Buttertubs Pass in Yorkshire came up captioned as Col de Buttertubs and yesterday we had Chateau de Skipton, which sounds less like Skipton Castle and more like a very dodgy wine to me.
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Welcome Diana I hope you get as good a run on taxol as I've been getting on it.
I saw my Onc this morning and he said that yes the 3 week break could cause all those early SEs like hairloss, nose bleeds etc to start again. He hoped that they would settle sooner this time. But he didn't want to make a call on whether I would lose all my hair again. Otherwise he is ecstatic about how I'm going on Taxol. My dose rate, bloods results and weight are all exactly the same as they were when I first started 14 cycles ago. I've done the longest run on taxol the hospital has had. Long may it last.
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ShazzaKelly - Losing hair again sucks BUT the rest of the news is GREAT!
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Shazza, great news that you're doing so well on taxol. I'm on taxol every three weeks and my hair has grown back so hopefully yours will again soon. Btw I've started having having nosebleeds again for no reason, haven't changed my routine. Anyway good luck and fingers crossed about the hair. xx
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i so appreciate the postings on taxol. thank you. i will be following the posts and posting once i get started. (july 8. first one)
it will be three weeks on and one week off; and repeat...etc. hope this stuff knocks the cancer out cold. best
diana50
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Shazza,
Losing your hair again is going to suck if it happens. But
to the taxol still doing it's job. How many weekly treatments are you up to now? Must be over 40 now. Diana, Good luck with your first treatment tomorrow. Hope it goes well.
I am starting to get nervous about my scans on Wed. I may have the results on Thurs but they are usually available after 48 hrs. Half hoping the onc has them when I go in for tx on Thurs morning because I hate waiting around for news.
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Shazza, fantastic news!! I'm so very happy for you! I believe your taxol experience may just make the Medical Journals. Your experience continues to give me hope.
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Springwatch, if there is a way to let the onc office know that you will find waiting for scan results to be extra stressful this time, maybe they can facilitate getting them back sooner. I hope so for your sake. Let us know how it goes...
l like your response to Taxol, Shazz. A lot. I am in my second week without chemo, feeling better and with more stamina each day. But I wonder if three on and one off might give me the same benefit as weekly chemo with no breaks. With chemo its always bad news and good news: its working, keep going can be viewed either way!
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I'm in the chair for number 40 now. It's like a well oiled machine at this stage. Two other people in the chairs next to me are here all day getting chemo and then back every other day this week for half day treatment. We really are quite lucky with weekly Taxol.
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I met with my oncologist to decide what to do next. I am currently NED after 3 cycles of Abraxane. I wanted to quit then and there, but decided to have another cycle.
I asked the onc whether she thought I'd recur after a while with no continuance of Abraxane. Probably. (I had recurred before after a chemo holiday of a little more than a year)
Then, I asked her if she thought I'd recur if I did Abraxane forever. Maybe not. She did seem to think there might be some chance of not recurring, but who knows. But she didn't think that I was up for Abraxane forever routine, which I agreed with.
So now, we're just talking about how many more cycles are optimal. The only rule she could come up with is what is used in lymphoma--2 cycles after NED. OK--I'm not going to become Abraxane resistant in one more cycle. Then, take a month off, then do Pet/CT and re-verify that I'm really NED.
Not exactly the most scientific approach, but then my crystal ball is definitely cloudy.
I am influenced by wanting to save Abraxane for future use, since it has been very effective for me twice. That doesn't mean something wouldn't be just as effective, but again--who knows.
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Hi Ladies...may I join you? I'm heading to round 3 chemo on Thursday. I did Taxol first round but didn't tolerate it that well so now am on Abraxane. I'm told the hair loss could begin after round 3?
Any words of advice for a Taxol/Abraxane beginner? I'm finding this week to be a roller coaster. Two days of not feeling too bad followed by two days of having zero energy. I do have shortness of breath from the pleural effusion so I'm sure that doesn't help...
*hugs to all*
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