Weekly Taxol for Stage 4
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Springwatch so funny about being asked about your menstrual cycle. I think sometimes Drs don't think when they are asking there list of set questions.
Hope your blood cultures come back ok. I too had diverticula on my last scan. I wonder if it is a side effect of taxol.
I still can't seem to shake this cough although I feel ok and don't have a temperature. I have chest and shoulder blade pain associated with it now so we will see what happens at chemo tomorrow.
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Hi all!
Please, tell me something encouraging.I'm terrified - before the start of the new treatment (weekly taxol and Avastin) CA 15-3 was 180. A month later (today) - it is 360. Does this mean the Taxol and Avastin are not working ?
Christina
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Christina
When I started taxol my TM was 780 in July. After 3 taxol's it was 850. However my other blood work ( kidney function where the problem was ) improved. The TM's don't necessarily respond that fast and the chemo creates die off of cancer cells. My onc is more concerned about my other blood work then TM. The chemo has to have time to work. Initial TM doesn't reflect exactly what is going on with the chemo and the cancer. Give it a little time. They will look at other blood work and scans. Not just TM. After rads to my spinal met they waited a couple of months before scan because even after end if rads it was still working. The hard part of this is you want results and sometimes the results of treatment are later. Hard I know. But know that chemo is very powerful and kills these nasty cancer cells. Hang in.
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kiss can't say anything about tumour markers mine have always been 18 whatever is going on but Taxol has kept me stable for a year now with very few side effects. I know of several people who have got to,NED on it. Hang in there. It's early days for you yet xxx
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diana, Shazza,
Thank you so much for the encouragement and the quick response! I hope you are right.
Christina
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so that was Taxol no 50 down. Wonder how many more I'll get out of it. Do you think it's possible to have 100?
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Kiss, There are all sorts of reasons why your TMs maybe elevated, some of them not related to cancer. TMs are not accurate for everyone. The important thing is a trend and that is what your onc will be looking at. Even if your TMs continue to rise a clean scan would suggest there is nothing to be concerned about. Try not to get too worried, it is early days yet with your treatment.
Shazza, 100 weeks of taxol would be remarkable and given your history with this treatment I can see why you would want to keep on with it. I had a look around on the net awhile ago to satisfy my own curiosity and it seems that there are women out there who have been on it for more than two years so there is every chance you could be going for the 100.
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unfortunately - there is progression in the liver mets. One is bigger
with 4 mm and now there are more little mets than the last
ultrasound. Tomorrow I will discuss with my onc the next treatment. She
believes we have to change the taxol and avastin with something else.Christina
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I am so sorry that your latest scan has showed progression. If the taxol has not worked for you there are other therapies which may yield very positive results. I hope your next line of chemo is the one which makes all the difference.
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Thank you springwatch!
Christina
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Christina
Sorry to hear this news of progression in liver. It sounds like your oncologist is on it though. good onc did the scan. I have a few friends with liver mets and they are responding to their chemo. (Not taxol). Your oncologist will find something for you and those nasty liver mets that will work. Hang in there.
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Hi ladies, I just want to introduce myself. I'm new to this thread and this drug. I will read earlier posts later tonight. This is what I posted earlier to the brain mets thread:
Had scans on Fri., CT, MRI and PET. Saw Doc today. He said: good news first... So I knew this wasn't going to be good. Good news is no edema in brain and radiation appears to have worked. Bad news: lots of progression everywhere else. Much more on bones, now in liver too, on abdominal wall and more in lungs. Doc says to start chemo in the form of taxol and xeloda, I think, I'm a little overwhelmed right now. Said hair will fall out. I just cut it short last Fri for a change. So much for that. I'm honestly not feeling very hopeful right now. Since I was dx it has only progressed. I have more pain, so they're sending me to pain specialist.
Bah humbug. :'-(
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sky
Taxol is a good chemo, many people have positive results. I am fairly new, hair started to come out after 2-3 infusions. What is your schedule? I go 1x week for 3 weeks then 1 week off. Talked with oncologist today and I have the rest of sept and then into December (6 cycles...18 chemos) I had mets to belly around kidney function. Already chemo is working. Tumor marker has dropped 250 points. I hope this drug works good for you. It is fairly tolerable. If you get it weekly the 3 or 4 the day seems to be the worst. There are steroids involved ? Hang in
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Hi skylotus,
Sorry you have had to join us. There is plenty of information on this thread about taxol. Many have had a good run with it and some very positive results. It is a very doable therapy. I tolerate it much better than the chemo treatment I had for my primary.
Shazza, Sorry to hear that you have diverticula, too. Mine are not related to the chemo as they were found on the scan before I started treatment. About a third of people have it by the age of 60. My mother found out that she had diverticula when she was in her late 70's. It was an incidental finding on an US for stomach pain. By her age it can be found in two thirds of the population but most people don't know about it because they don't have any symptoms. I made the mistake of telling my mother that many people her age had the condition and she rounded on me and said, "Are you saying I'm common?!" That wasn't as bad as when she rang to tell me she had Plantagenet's Foot. It took a quarter of an hour of close questioning before I was able to say to her, I think the doctor said plantar fasciitis. But the name stuck and I think left her feeling a bit more royal than the rest of us.
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love Plantagenets foot. Most regal.
My diverticula only showed up on my last scan but not the previous 2. There are a significant number. I did take an awful lot of antibiotics before that scan when I had my implant infection. I know they are very common and don't at this stage cause me any problems. Skylotus welcome to the thread. I think most find taxol quite doable. I've been on it for a year and now have a reasonable amount of hair grown back but no eyebrows or lashes as yet.
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Bad news on my scans. I have had progression to my liver. Several small mets, largest is 2.2cm so they are changing me to Xeloda. The onc was surprised as my previous three scans had shown such a good response and he thought I was going to get a good run on it. My bones mets are inactive which is where the greatest volume of cancer has taken up residence so that was at least one bit of good news. Fingers crossed I get a longer run on the new treatment.
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So sorry to hear about your progression Spingwatch. Xeloda will kick the new mets to the curb!
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my MO spoke of starting me on xeloda next week, after about 35 weeks of abraxane
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Hmm, seems to be going around, as I started Xeloda a week ago. Good luck to you Spring and ADJ, its the name of the stage 4 game, I guess. I am sort of wandering on BCO as I no longer do Taxol but feel more connected to you all than the folks on the Xeloda threads. Maybe I can start one for us. Must think on that! Hugs to all, Mame
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Thanks all for your good wishes with the Xeloda. I always get a bit nervous starting a new therapy.
I got 20 weeks on taxol and should have had 21 today.
Mame, I hope it isn't doing the rounds but it does sound contagious with a cluster of us all at the same time. I am reading the Xeloda thread for information but like you I do feel more connected to the people here. If you start a new thread for people who move from taxol to xeloda I will post there, not forgetting the others I have met on this thread. Have you seen any improvement in your peripheral neuropathy since stopping the taxol? Mine is pretty bad in my left foot. What have you symptoms been like on your first week of new therapy?
ADJ, Why is your onc changing you to Xeloda? Have you had progression or did he have another reason for doing it?
Trying to work out how long people have had a good run on Xeloda at the moment.
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spring
Sorry to hear about liver situation. Hoping the xeloda will clear your liver up. Good news that there is another option. Hope side effects aren't too overwhelming. Keep us posted on your progress. Thankfully breast cancer appears to have many options and apparently sometimes you can return and try again when one stops working. The goal is to confuse the cancer which interferes in mutation. Our doctors are scientists working at being smarter then the cancer. Hang in there.
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hi Spring, Shazza and Diana, I start Mon, it will be 2 weeks on, 1 week off. So, an IV each of the 2 weeks, total 18 weeks, which is Feb! Who knows what can happen in all that time. I was told to expect total hair loss, my first go-round with CMF, your hair thins. So, this will be my first time bald. Any thoughts on head covers? From experience? I'm thinking knit caps? Any thoughts on ports? My right arm is wasted from getting poked for 16 years!
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Springwatch sorry to hear about your progression. Good luck with Xeloda to you and the other girls starting on it. I was highly allergic to it and only lasted a couple of days but that is highly unusual and I know several people who have had really good trouble free runs with it.
Skylotus I have a power port and every chemo I am so grateful for it. I can't imagine the veins in my hands would have coped with 50 chemos.
MameMe it's always great to hear from you. You're always welcome in the Taxol thread
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Hi, Springwatch,
Thanks for checking on me. My MO stopped my abraxane due to toxicity, and this week I had my quarterly scans anyway. My ct's have always been clear, bone scan, well, progression free for a couple of scans. Here' sot good news, blessings, and a good run on xeloda!
Love across the miles,
Anita
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skylotus I was bald for a while but mostly over summer. While I wore a wig to work for a while I mostly wore Buff head wear. It's not made especially for cancer patients but I know a lot wear them as they are so easy. They do have merino winter ones as well I think.
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sky
I wear baseball caps and buffs. No wig for me. It is hot here in the desert and head coverings are just too warm. Baseball caps look good with earrings. Buffs are really great. Google buffs. I don't mind the baldness as long as the taxol works. Also very easy to care for. A little soap. No product. Easy as pie. Lol
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Anita, Glad you are stable but I understand about the toxicity. Let us know what happens when your onc decides.
Sky, In common with Diana and Shazza I wear Buffs. I have a wig but only wear it when I am going out somewhere special. I had a Power (brand name) port fitted soon after I stated Taxol. I have had one or two problems when it has blocked but overall it has behaved beautifully. It was a bit sore for the first few IVs but I very rarely experience any discomfort when they put the needle in now. It avoids having to be stabbed multiple times while the nurses try to find a vein in your arm.
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@skylotus: Sorry you have joined us. I've had 6 taxols so far and I am trying to keep my hair using cold caps. I look like a nut in the infusion room, but I'm ok with that :-)
@springwatch: sorry about the progression- high hopes for the med change!
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I have a wig that I wear daily - until I come home. Then it is off and I wear a bandana or baseball cap. After the emotional shock of losing my hair, I'm actually enjoying it. The eyebrows and eyelashes and puffy red face from steroids - different story. I hate looking in a mirror, but I guess I'm just being vain. And I'm probably the biggest advocate out there for ports - no muss, no fuss, easy surgery to implant. I'm going to the grave with mine, happily. I know others feel quite differently but that's my thoughts.
FYI for those going on Xeloda. I was on it almost a year. It's a lot of pills to take, and the hand/foot syndrome is ridiculous at times, but other than that it was great. At least for those in the US, winter is coming and you can wear sturdier shoes. In the summer you want to wear sandals, but it kills your feet. You've got to have thickness and support. I know one metster who lived in her Ugg boots - with no socks - year round while on Xeloda!
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I am never going to get caught up here!
Springwatch - So sorry about liver mets. Have had them for about a year and they have shrunk on the Taxol and I believe on the Xeloda also though I was on that for such a short time. At any rate, they are status quo so far.
Shazza - Sorry your visit with your father was so confusing but I remember when you were looking for a place for him and it is good that you seem to have found it. At least that part must have been reassuring.
Diverticulitis is not the best news either. Uncomfortable at best and I hate diet changes.
Skylotus - Welcome (bummer for you) YES on the port. Love mine. Makes chemo so easy. I have always gone bareheaded at home. I never shaved my hair as I had very thin but mostly even coverage. Now it seems to be growing back. Little curly (sticks out) and very white. When I go to grocery store or somewhere casual I use a baseball cap. I have worn my wig about 5 times to places where anything else would draw too much attention. I am thinking of looking for some buffs for the winter as I know my head will be cold.
Mameme - Its in the mail ;-)
Benjinate - They have been doing the second cut of the hay this week and I love having the machinery and hay wagons dotting the fields. The cooler nights are beginning to effect the trees and I can see a little color. Took these photos last night. You can just barely see the hay wagon on the right in the first one. It was prettier in situ than it is here. I need a better camera.
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