Weekly Taxol group

Trvler

Karen, wait until tomorrow when you get the steroid high. You will feel great.

ThePrincess

Karen - Yes, I felt pretty human all throughout - just a little more tired thurs/early friday. Good luck, the time does go quickly!

StefLove - yay for being almost done!

Leighrh

YEAH JEN!!!!!!! 1 MORE!!!! You've made it!!! I am 2 weeks PFC and today is the first day I feel GREAT! I haven't felt this good in I don't know how long!!

Trvler

I am so happy to hear that, Leigh!

StefLove

Thank you Princess and Leigh!! SO glad to hear it Leigh, I was going to reach out and see how you've been feeling but you beat me to it! By 1pm Friday (hopefully) I should be running out of the treatment center with a smile on my face.

ThePrincess

Yes - 3 weeks PFC and I tried bootcamp again - my last one was around treatment 10 and it was MISERABLE. I felt awful doing it- today?! BOOM, done and done and it was so much easier and I felt so much stronger! I am really glad the ladies in the March group really encouraged exercise - it made a big difference in how I felt during treatment - so you ladies starting out, please get some exercise if you can tolerate it! It really helps, I promise!

MsBrompton

KarenAus weekly Taxol has a much shorter cycle: day 1 = taxol, day 2 = steroid high (feel OK but a bid weird), day 3 = feel horrible, day 4-7 = feel OK.

You'll be fine!

Trvler

Agree with Princess 100%. I read a stat that said 30 min a day of exercise helped people get through chemo easier so I made it a goal that I had never achieved before in my life. I aimed for an hour and made it most days.

Judi1952

I am on my first week of low dose Taxol. My infusion nurse said is I will lose my hair. What did you do? Did you have your head shaved before it started coming our in clumps? Cut very short? I am not worried anymore about losing it. I am so grateful not to be having the SE's I have had with other chemos.

Trvler

Judi,

I think many of us lost our hair on AC and had that before Taxol. A lot of us started getting our hair back on Taxol. I did around week 9 although it was very slow. It really started taking off and growing pretty fast about 3 weeks PFC. I am not sure how hair falls out on Taxol.

sweetrose623

Good Morning all.  I am new to this site (just signed up today).  I am a black female, stage 1 breast cancer and it had not spread.  I've already had surgery and completed the SAVI radiation.  I have to complete chemo because I have the HER2. I am on weekly Taxol/Herceptin for 12 weeks.  I have 10 more weeks to go now and then Herceptin only for 9 months. My question is to black women regarding hair cair.   I have pretty thick hair and my Oncologist and the nurse believe that my hair will possibly just thin out. I am prepared for that or it coming out in chunks.  So ladies if you are on the same treatment what has been your hair expierence so far and can you give me any tips on what you have done for your hair if it is just thinning?  I have a beautician who has gotten my hair in tip top shape and I have stayed away from perms for over 7 months now.  I would love any tips for myself or any I can give to my beautician for what products would be best for my hair.  I see her twice a month.  Thank you ladies.

Moderators

Hi sweetrose and welcome to Breastcancer.org! You've found the best place for support and answers to all of your questions.

You may also want to direct your question to our other black members on our African Americans with Breast Cancer forum. Also, you may find some good advice on our Hair, Hair, Hair thread in the Chemotherapy forum.

We hope this helps! Please continue to post to let us know how you're doing throughout your treatment. Looking forward to hearing more from you!

--The Mods

rainnyc

I started with Taxol, and it started falling out in clumps around the 2nd week.

Tresjoli2

So this is me after 12 weeks of taxol/herceptin. I had thick shoulder length hair before. So it's definitely thin and balding but I have hair. Sometimes I even wear a wide headband and that's it. I kept the back of my hair much more than the crown.

helplesslyhoping

Next week is Taxol #12!!!! Woo hoo!! I am so excited to have chemo behind me. I started in May with the usual 4 rounds of DD AC. Side effects for me have been minimal: no nausea or neuropathy at all, barely noticeable fatigue the second day, steroids keeping me up cleaning the house like a mad woman the night of...

The worst SE for me has been my fingernails. The nail beds all bruised, then suppurated (got pus-filled) before detaching halfway down the length of the nail. The onc said yesterday that I will probably lose them all (rather than the bad part just growing out). That's fine with me because they stink like rotting meat but are not infected, according to him. It's just fun times with Taxol!

My hair is growing back with a vengeance thanks to biotin supplements and Nioxin. The end is in sight!!

Trvler

Congratulations, Helpless!!! I am sorry about your nails.

Leighrh

Helpless... I am 3 weeks PFC and I have the same nail problem! Just 2 fingers on each hand. Mine didn't start until after I finished Taxol! It's so gross and annoying!! I use Tea Tree oil and it does help dry up that nasty stuff. I just keep trimming them back and it looks like they are growing out so hopefully I won't lose them.

justmaximom15

Heading in for Taxol #3 today, forgot my Emla cream so I'm hoping that my favorite nurse is not on break when I arrive! So happy for those that have finished. I'm using Tea Tree oil on my nails too, haven't noticed any changes but I'm hoping that helps along with the Biotin.

StefLove

yay helplesslyhoping!!!!

tomorrow is my last taxol too and to say I'm thrilled and emotional is an understatement. AHHH!!!!!! I might do a dance tomorrow in the treatment center

pennsygal

Congratulations helplesslyhoping and StefLove!

justmaximom15

#3 of 12 done!! Does anyone else have issues with the steriod in the pre-meds keeping you awake at night? I didn't have this problem when I was doing AC but now every week when I get my treatment, I'm in for an all-nighter. MO even prescribed Ambien and I took that last night but still couldn't get to sleep.

Leighrh

Just...I too practicly slept through A/C... But I could not sleep on Taxol, even the nights I didn't have steroids. I took Ambien! Tell the doc if your dose is not working and maybe he can up it!

tryn2staycalm

Hi Ladies,

I was a weekly Taxol myself this past summer. However had to stop (MO) took me off due to some allergic reactions. I said I would be back posting when I got back in treatment. Here I am, however its been a rough road. First I want to say that this Taxol shrunk both my lung mets and my liver mets but did not touch my bone mets that were causing the worst of my pain. I finished Bone Radiation last Wed. (gong moment to celebrate) thinking I would have a couple of months off treatment however it was short lived as Thursday at 1 am I was taken out of my home by ems workers as I had a terrible fall inside my home and then learned that it has spread to my brain so I started brain Radiation right away. I am told I was lucky this time however if I fall again I may not come back so well next time. Progression sucks but nobody gets to decide when and where it will hit. My time just wasn't here yet.Hope everyone is having good results with their Taxol.

Cathy

bluedog

Cathy, so very sorry about this development. Hope the rads take care of the brain mets. My thoughts are with you.

Trvler

Cathy, wow, you had a rough time. I am sorry. Hugs.

pennsygal

Cathy - I'm so sorry to hear about the progression. Thinking of you.

mama-bear

Hi my fellow warriors!!!! I will be starting taxol in two weeks. I have a question for you..... on the A/C I had really bad constipation so I am wondering for the majority of you how did the taxol affect your bowels? Just trying to prepare for going back to work while doing weekly treatments.

StefLove

mamabear, Taxol was a LOTTTT easier for me, including with constipation. It was hit or miss with me on taxol. I think out of the 12 sessions, I really only had constipation like 4 times, and only twice do I remember it being BAD. The day before I started taking dulcolax to try to help things along.

Trvler

I would try to avoid the laxatives. The only one that is not hard on your colon is miralax. I have had issues with constipation my entire life and what has worked for me lately (thanks to Theresa) is magnesium. It helps with a host of other issues as well. I am testing out a double dose (500 mg) now for hot flashes and sleep. I haven't been constipated on it either.

KarenAus

2nd lot of taxol yesterday and after all my problems with the AC and blood clot and breathing problems I feel amazing. I even managed to bring a horse in and do some ground work wit him. Life feels much more normal than it has done for months. Hope this lasts.

Karen