Taxotere is a nightmare

lago

I not only ate yogurt I also had acidopholus capsules. I would open them up and put the powder on my yogurt.

Momine

Iago, I do find that exercise and drinking lots of fluids help.

lago

I still find exercise and drinking lots of fluid helps with fluid retention and I'm almost 1 year pfc!

Momine

I have been taking acidophilus al the way through chemo as well. I am convinced that it really helped ward off stomach troubles. But with the Tax, I stil ended up with some problems, diarrhea specifically. However, I discovered that eating a raw clove of garlic daily took care of the problem. Twice I forgot the garlic and those were the only two days I had stomach problems.

Momine

For fluids I drink nettle tea. It is mild-tasting and helps purge excess water.

Linda-n3

belleast, glad you saw the doc!!  and I hope you are beginning to feel a little better.  Some of these drugs take a coupld of days to work, but you should at least not be feeling any worse right now!

Also, you can request the neulasta.  My MO said she did not usually use it because it caused a lot of pain and most people didn't need it, but I have other health issues that predispose me to severe problems if I get an infection, so she did request it for me and got it covered by insurance.  It is incredibly expensive, but my WBC never dropped below 3.5. (of course, maybe if it had dropped, she would have changed therapy so I wouldn't have neuropathy..... sorry, just had to grumble a little).  The nuelasta itself did not really cause me much more discomfort than the taxotere did, I don't think.  Of course, it is tough to sort out which symptoms came from which drug, and it has been 13 months since last taxotere and 12 months since last chemo + neulasta, and the memory is a bit tricky these days...and each treatment brought increasing difficulty.  In any case, you CAN request it, and you CAN refuse or delay chemo if you feel like you are at risk for another infection if he won't prescribe it. My gut sense is that he will prescribe it to prevent this from happening again if you request it.  Don't be shy!!!

belleeast

thanks linda, mouth feels lot better. skin cellulitis is not spreading, still painful but i think i see a small clear patch.

i am going to request to be given the neulesta shot after the next treatment. i only had bone pain for 1 day with the first shot,no side effects with the rest.

Reality

I finished chemo Aug. 30. I was so glad that the neuropathy in my toes was not bad - just a tingle. Now that winter has hit the northeast (a fairly mild one, thank goodness), wool socks have become a part of my body. The cold temps have made the neuropathy so much worse. It's okay though, as I sit by my propane heater, with my 16 year old cat, soaking up all the heat my feet can stand. 

BellaJean

Hi all,,

 I'm on FEC-T with my last FEC this coming Monday, then three weeks later start taxotere. They put in a PIKK for me to have the FEC. Wondering how you all got the infusions and if you had a PIKK. I'd like to have mine out right after my last FEC but not sure that is the smart move.

Would appreciate your thoughts/experience. Thanks so much for any help or advise.

SpecialK

BellaJean - I had a subclavian port implanted during my BMX.  Because I had 6 TCH, but then additional Herceptin for the remainder of the year a port was necessary.  How many Taxotere will you be receiving?

BellaJean

Thanks for answering. I will be having three Taxotere infusions three weeks apart. the vein specialist says it is my choice. The chemo nurses say keep the PIKK as they have seen problems with the veins. But I wonder if that is a real issue or more what is convenient for them. So off I go to ask the specialists. You women....thoughts on getting the PIKK out.

Omaz

BellaJean - I also had a port but I have read that taxotere can be hard on the veins.  If the PICC is not bothering you I would suggest keeping it in.

mebmarj

BellaJean- Keep the PICC. Chemo, if it goes outside of a vein, can be pretty darn serious. With how fast they tend to run things in, yes the PICC is easier for them, but also easier on you in the long run. Labs can be pulled of it, should you get dehydrated or need hospital care, all the easier with a PICC. Best wishes!

kisxxoo

Taxotere is just awful! my lower back feels like jean claude van dam round house kicked me in the spine! but i just finished my third round and only have one more left!! WOOT WOOT! i am going to bake cupcakes for my treatment center for my last day and wear a party hat! 

momof3boys

Ughhhhhhh my lower back is killing me. I'm day 6 from from 1st TC treatment. I was doing pretty well until about one hour ago (no nausea, just achiness that Tylenol could handle). Now, I'm in a lot of pain w lower back. Is this the Neulasta?

SpecialK

momof3 - could be either Neulasta or Taxotere, hard to tell.  If it is the Neulasta note that the first expansion of the bone marrow is usually the worst.  The bigger the bone, the more the marrow expansion, so pelvic girdle (feels like lower back), large leg bones and hips often hurt the most.  Subsequent Neulasta may not be as uncomfortable since this first expansion has already happened.  Did you take Claritin an hour before your Neulasta injection?  And have you continued it for the days up until now?  I always found a very warm, but not too hot, bath to really help.

momof3boys

Hi SpecialK

I did not know about the Claritin. Is it too late? I took a percocet (left over from BMX) about 20 min ago and I'm using a heating pad.

bdavis

PERCOCET!!!! Just use the claritin next time and you may not need the Percocet.

momof3boys

Thanks bdavis...definitely will try the Claritin next time. Do I take it the day before Neulasta shot? After chemo? I have not had pain like this since labor! Percocet is working, thank God!

bdavis

I took the Claritin for like 5 days... but I take allergy meds anyway, so I just switched to Claritin for those days... starting the day before the neulasta... regardless of whether the chemo is one day or two days beforehand....

momof3boys

Will do... Never want to experience this again. Thank you!

bdavis

For the record.. I had my worst aches the first time, but each time had some aches and flu-like feelings, but the body aches were definitely worse with round one.

momof3boys

Well that's good to hear. What a nightmare.

Terry71

Bella- I had my picc out the day I had my last treatment Nov 17th..... I get herceptin every 3 weeks also and its no big deal a small IV on the inside of my right arm.... but keep it for the tax for sure it is very very hard on the veins

Linda-n3

Bella, I had all my taxotere by peripheral IV, and my veins are pretty shot.  Now with post-MX and ALND and risks of lymphedema, it is difficult for the IV folks to get a vein for labs. If you have the picc, and it's not bothering you, hang onto it for now! (I don't regret not having a bigger line in for chemo, but would certainly keep it as long as needed if it had been in!).

SpecialK

momof3 - take the Claritin an hour before your Neulasta injection.  Take the 24 hour kind, not the Claritin D, just regular.  I used the kind that dissolves on your tongue because I was sick of taking pills!  Then keep taking it for 24 hour intervals for at least a few days.  You should check with your MO about doing this but I haven't heard of one that said no to it.  I forgot to do this on Neulasta #3 and had much more pain so I really think it works.  Treat your pain with pain meds this time and try the Claritin next time.  The antihistamine in the Claritin helps treat the edema in the marrow that occurs with expansion, thus helps the pain.  Good luck!

momof3boys

Thank you, SpecialK! I will try it

SpecialK

momof3 - happy to help - anything to make all this easier is all good, right?

lago

My backpain was so bad after the 1st treatment I coudn't stand up straight. I was from the Nuelasta. The first Nuelasta is the worst. Next time it should be as bad. I found Aleve took the edge off but do check with your onc because it can thin your already thinned blood. I took it for 2 days. I was already on Zytec (throughout chemo) so I didn't take Claritin.

Highly recommend a pik line or port. A friend of mine didn't have one and her viens look like crap. One of them may be shot. She had 6 tx. I still have my port. My onc likes her patients to keep it for a total of 3 years. I'm 15 months down. To be honest, since I have LE in one arm and the other is at risk I like the idea of having it. It can be accessed for blood tests if I need it.Once it's gone I'm going to have to fight to get them to access my foot.

tracie23

Just checking in on the ladies trying to get through taxoterriable hell. I hope you are feeling ok and are managing your side effects