Weekly Taxol for Stage 4
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Hi Alexgram (and everyone else!),
Thank you for all your encouragement. I got my port placed on Tuesday and my first Abraxane, also. I can't seem to find a discussion board for people on Abraxane, so if any of you know the discussion board link for this, can you help? My oncologist keeps telling me that Abraxane is very similar to Taxol so I hope you all don't mind me reading along. I felt really achy and twitchy the evening I got my first dose but otherwise OK, save some fatigue. I have felt fine to work yesterday and today and hope that continues. My husband, daughter and I are going to an Iowa Hawkeyes football game on Saturday and my daughter turns 13 next week, so we are gearing up for that. Thanks again,
Loz
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Liz
Glad you got your port placed and started chemo. Your chemo is like taxol so yes, join on in. Are you getting weekly? Hope side effects are ok for you. Just remember the chemo is killing cancer.
I have to tell you I am a HUGE Iowa hawkeye fan. My dad, brother and me all graduated from Iowa. Been waiting for football for a year. ⚡️👍. Have so much fun at that game. Your daughter is becoming a teen. Fun stuff coming up. Enjoy.
Keep us posted. I start 3rd round of 3 weeks on... 1 week off next wed. I noticed last chemo ...it was my 6th.. Fatigue really visited me. My counts were low. This week off to "recover ".
Hope all are doing ok. With minimal SE.
Hang in there
Diana.
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I had my 33rd dose of Abraxane yesterday and did fine, first dose without decadron pre med, my request as I have quite a bit of edema. My nurse practitioner told me that any steroid induced swelling takes a while to go down, but I am willing to try.
How is everyone? Praying you all are keeping cool,
Anita
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Loz,
I don't know if anyone has said this to you before but Taxol and Abraxane are essentially the same thing. Both contain paclitaxel, the generic name for our chemotherapy drug. Taxol and Abraxane are trade names. The difference is that taxol is a mix of paclitaxel, modified castor oil and ethanol, while abraxane is paclitaxel bound to the protein, albumin. Abraxane is a newer development intended to overcome possible reactions to the modified castor oil used in taxol, which is believed to be the real culprit in cases of severe allergic reactions to taxol chemotherapy. Abraxane comes off patent in 2016. I suspect that many more people will be given a generic form of abraxane when these cheaper alternatives come to the market. Your oncologist is right in saying they are very similiar. Both have the same 'active' ingredient. It is just the carrier for the drug which is different.
Still very busy on my week off treatment. Taking my grandson to the zoo later. I am hoping we can wear him out and get him down for an early night when we get back but I suspect it will be me that gets worn out. I may be in bed before him.
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Hi Diana,
It's great to hear that you are a Hawkeye fan! They won their game (against University of Northern Iowa), but they didn't look sharp. UNI had 16 or 17 penalties (no joke) and that's the only thing that probably saved the Hawkeyes.
My brother and I both are Iowa alumni, as well. Anyhow, my port incision seems to be healing nicely and the bruising is nearly gone. The Abraxane seems to have given me some muscle and joint pain off and on. It was terrible on Wednesday (24 hours after my infusion) but seems to have settled down. I did get very tired after the game on Saturday, but napped and woke up better. I was able to work my normal schedule all of last week.
I'm also having some abdominal pain that I intend to ask about at my appointment on Tuesday. This isn't new, but seems worse this week.
Have any of you had muscle/joint pain on Abraxane or constipation?
Thanks again!
Liz
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Hi Springwatch,
Yes my oncologist did explain the taxol/Abraxane similarities, though not in as much detail as you did.
I think I am doing pretty well, at least better than I expected. I assume that the side effects build up the longer I'm on this? I am getting weekly doses for 6 weeks, then reducing back to the 3 on/1 off schedule.
How long will it take for my hair to fall out? Sorry, I feel a bit uneducated on what to expect and when.
Thanks again,
Liz
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liz
I have problems with consitipation also; the day of chemo infusion they are probably giving you antinausea med, benedril, maybe a steriod ( i get it on taxol) and something for acid stomach. ask the nurses what is in your pre chemo cocktail. i drink about 6 oz of prune juice the day before chemo and day of chemo. seems to help. some people get Big D. but i have had constipation. also, the meds they give you to relax with port can also constipate you. prune juice works really well and it took me a few times to figure it out so i knew how much to drink.
my hair fell out after -2-3 infusions. your scalp will feel prickly, like a sunburn...first. then you will notice strands falling out. once i could grab hair and it came out in my hand i had my head shaved. with taxol it is uneven loss; so there are areas on my head where there is hair but thin. other areas where i am bald. for me, shaving it all off is the best. i wear scarves; baseball hats...no wigs for me. you may beable to keep your hair short and if you don;t mind thining that might work for you. it is different for everyone i think. also, think one of the side effects of this chemo is aches and pains.. i feel stiff and need to stretch.
i figured the game with UNI was a messy game; i have been watching them forever...and it seems the last few years they don't play with intensity and make errors that cost them the game. i hope they have a good season; i watch them on national tv and on big 10 when they are on. my flag is out. not a lot of hawkeyes in palm desert. hah
anyway. hang in there. track your side effects on a calendar or journal; as weeks go by you will know what to expect if you write down daily your side effects. you will know when to expect what on some level. i did that in 2002 when i was on chemo; and i do it now . it helps me to understand what is coming and also that i felt it before.
diana
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Liz,
Most of my hair fell out after about 3 weeks. My hairdresser clipped off the rest. I have had some patchy regrowth since but it has grown back white, fine and straggly. I have noticeable bald patches.
Regarding joint and muscle pain, this is a known side effect of taxol chemo. It can last several days so when you are on weekly treatment it can seem as if you never get a break from it. Take pain killers. If you are not getting sufficient relief from over the counter pain meds, speak to your doctors about getting something stronger. You might also like to try a warm bath. It relaxes the muscles and may give you some relief.
I had terrible diarrhoea over several days when I first started taxol. It did eventually settle down and it is only a an issue on my 4th day after treatment. I have had some constipation but adding more fibre to my diet has helped. Also, drink plenty of fluid on the day of treatment and for the next couple of days after. It may be your premeds causing the constipation. Check with your medical team. I get Aloxi, benedryl (diphenhydramine), ranitidine and dexamethasone. As you are on abraxane, you may not be so heavily pre-medicated.
My grandson and daughter went home yesterday and this morning I slept until 10am! A lot of cleaning and washing to do before my sister and her family come in about 3 weeks. Before that I have my next scans on 12th Sep. I am hoping that all the preparation for my sister's visit will distract me from worrying about the results.
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I've had Abraxane two different times and had vastly different SE experiences. The first time, I had all these strange shooting pains through my legs and constipation, yes! I took stool softeners and that solved the later SE. Over time the shooting pains just went away.
The second time, I had neither of the above SE.
Both times, I was fatigued and got purple nails and had some mild neuropathy (but not so much I couldn't keep playing the piano). Both times I lost my hair around the 3rd infusion.
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Taxol 48 today. Uneventful as usual and back to my usual time. No one mentioned my scan results and I didn't ask. Pretty sure that means they were fine. Will know for sure Monday at clinic when I see a doctor but doubt they would have kept me waiting that long if there was progression.
I have the usual winter sniffles that are going around and have a pretty impressive cough, but as usual my bloods were completely normal nothing seems to change them. They are exactly the same as they were a year ago when I first started taxol.
Hope everyone else is going well and SEs are mild.
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thinking about all of us taxol peeps. Shazza great blood work is stable. Mine are all over the place.
Spring sounds like great family visits. Woot. Alex... Purple nails? Yikes. Haven't seen that yet.
I get taxol number 7 Wednesday. I asked my onc how many and months. She said 12...4 months then scan. That would be end of oct. I am curious as to others protocol. Maybe it is all based on how it is working and scans. ?
At any rate hang in there. Best.
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Today is my 3th Taxol. I have hair but already bought a wig and eyelashes and am ready. I have an appointment with dermatologist to make eyebrows(permanent makeup). No SE's here and I'm wondering if Taxol is working.
Hope all are doing ok with minimal SE.
Christina
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Shazza, No news is good news, as the saying goes. Fingers crossed that everything is stable when you go in on Monday and get your results.
Diana, I did 15 weekly taxol infusions and then switched to 3 weeks on 1 week off. Just had my week off and going in for my next infusion on Thurs. I have plenty of energy at the moment and I am not looking forward to feeling blah again by the weekend.
Christina, I have never thought about eyebrow tatts. I don't think I could be as brave as you to have permanent ones done. I have read that they can do semi-permanent and I might have considered that if my eyebrows were not trying to grow back. They are very white and fine but there is just enough of them to give me a guide when I pencil on fake ones. Now if I could just get some regrowth on the eyelashes .....
Alexgram, Ditto on the purple nails. Just toes thankfully. Finger nails still look normal.
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kiss....the taxol is working; you may start noticing the prickly scalp which means the hair is getting ready to fall out. it is an uneven loss though. by the way kiss; i have been to sofia, bulgaria. back in 2000. we did humanitarian work in romania for three three years; and basically eastern europe; and i loved sofia. best beer ever. spent time in ukraine too; i am sad to see all the fighting going on there. makes me angry and sick to see so many people suffering.
spring; i think about eyebrow tats, then i think it would be too painful. my eyebrows have never been the same since 2002 when i was on TAC. and i used to have great eyebrows. now with the taxol;' bye bye to the few strands i did have. lol still not noticing anything going on with the nails. i just had my week off too; chemo tomorrow. boo. just when i start to feel pretty good; it is Bam...here we go again. as long as taxol is killing cancer; i am tolerate it. for me; kidney improvement means it is working on some level; and i am still dodging those evil kidney stents. woot.
everyone take care. keep on. yep, keeping on
diana
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Hey friends, I just heard from my oncologist that she is d/c'ing the Taxol due to increase in tumor markers and no further improvement in the eye met. She consulted with the oncologist that I saw at Dana Farber, and they want me to take Xeloda, an oral chemo that I would take daily, now. My insurance may not authorize this, in which case it will be back to the infusion room for some other IV drug. I have really appreciated the vigor and care that everyone on this thread has shown! I will miss you! Wishing eveyone the absolute best possible treatment paths. Hugs, Mame
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Mameme,
I shall miss you but will follow you wherever you end up on these boards.
I hope your insurance company comes through on the Xeloda and the new chemo zaps that eye met!
Hugs, SW
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mame.
Wishing you the best outcomes. Thank for your help on taxol.
Hugs
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Mame wishing you all the best with your future treatment. My oncologist really wanted me on Xeloda it keeps a lot of his patients stable for along time.
Everyone in my house has the flu. We are all coughing and snuffling. I'm the only one not running a temp at the moment. As a rule we never get sick in our house. I think going to work and keeping as far away from the kids is my best plan of attack.
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diana, thank you for the kind words for my country :-) Beautiful country with bad politicians.
mame, good luck with the insurance company and Xeloda.
Hugs
Christina
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kiss
We have bad politicians here too. I think it is the Nature of the world right now.
Shazza hope the flu in your house subsides and you can stay temp free. Fluids and more fluids.
Got taxol number 7 yesterday. Had the leg thing going on all night from the steroid. I felt like my bottom half was Beyoncé and couldn't keep my legs quiet. lol. All I needed was some music. I see my surgeon this morning and I hope my stitches can come out from my second port placement. Have had stitches in my chest since July 14. Ya think I am sick of that ? At least this port works thank God. 🙏
Hope everyone is doing ok and hanging in.
Keep on!
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diana50 - My onc gave me a muscle relaxer to take when I get the post-treatment leg thing going. I also have one of those small electric lap blankets that I wrap around my legs when I go to bed and it does help. Just thoughts.
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Thanks for all the support. I don't get any pre-meds with Abraxane. Should I be asking for something? I did get a prescription for zofran which I need this week. The nausea and D have hit me this Wednesday (1 day after my 2nd infusion). Yuck. I stayed home from work today, which is rare for me. I hope this all settles down. I am happy to report that my blood counts were still normal but lower.
Take care all!
Liz
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Liz
They may be giving you something in IV before they start the chemo. When I go in they hook up fluids, draw blood to check counts. Then if blood is good they give me the pre chemo cocktail before starting the taxol. Maybe with your chemo you don't need steroid , stuff for nausea or upset stomach. You can always ask the chemo nurses if you are getting anything IV before chemo. I use pepto bismo when I have the big D.
Brigadoon thanks for the tip on hearing pad. I take a xanAx once the legs start. It is only day of chemo that night.
Everyone hang in. Yes !
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I was on weekly Taxol treatments for six months, and Honestly have to say I felt best on that treatment compared to any other I have been on since 2010! I unfortunately have had progression, and have been taken off the Taxol and placed on Falsodex that I am NOT so keen on! I too, have tried the Xeloda, but it did not work for me. I wish you the best of luck with that treatment. I'm sure your insurance will pay for it! As far as your eye mets, what symptoms did you have?0 -
Thanks for all the good wishes!
Crazylife, I found out about the eye met when I had a shower of floaters and then a shadowy. veil over half the visual field in my left eye this past April. I thought it was a detached retina, and went in to see the eye doc right away. He sent me to an opthalmologist that afternoon, who confirmed it was a tumor on the back of that eye, identical to metastatic breast cancer. Then he referred me to some retina specialists and I began monthly measurements/ultrasound and photographs to gauge the effectiveness of chemo. Before that happened, for years I had difficulty with that eye drifting out of focus when I was tired. Thanks for sharing your experiences with chemos.
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MameMe,
Has your insurance company approve payment for the Xeloda? There was a question mark over it last time you checked in.
I had #19 yesterday. All good except for the diarrhoea last night... but that may have been the take out Indian I had for dinner.
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Spring watch, Yes, it went through and I just heard this a.m. from the pharmacy that it will arrive next week. Only have a copay of $10 a prescription. Phew! They went over all the side effect warnings with me, and it sounds a lot like Taxol's but from reading the threads here, people seem to have less trouble with it than the other chemos. I am hoping for that, along with hoping I can get a nice long ride out of it in terrms of it stabilizing mets.
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That's great news, MameMe. The $10 copay sounds like a very good deal. I have a sister who lives in the US so I have heard a lot about medical insurance over there.
I too hope you get a very good run on Xeloda.
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Great News MameMe. Hope Xeloda does a number on those mets
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Crazylife - I had Taxol #10 today but had the PET/CT first and the Onc said everything is practically gone except for some spots on the liver. I've found Taxol to be the easiest med for me, except for light fatigue. Thank goodness it's working, I love this stuff! The time committment is a pain though.
Quick question, anyone dealing with low blood counts? Not low enough to not get treatment. My second question with that, is anyone dealing with lymphedema while being treated? I'm putting a connection together that the lymphedema got worse when I started IV chemo. I'm totally wrapped up in layers of bandages from fingertips to armpit Aaannd, quite humid right now and I'm off to watch my senior son play football tonight - between the wig and the wrappings I'll be wishing for a breeze all night.
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