Weekly Taxol group

Leighrh

I haven't had eyebrows or eyelashes since around June!!!! I NEED them back please!!!!! LOL

Hair on my head is slowly coming in but hair everywhere else is ZERO. MO says I must have fast growing hairs..... Tell that to my head!!!

justmaximom15

There are days that I come home from work, take my scarf off and think DANG, my hair has grown a lot today LOL. It's very light so it's hard for others to see but I can tell it's coming in and that's fine with me. Eyebrows are kinda weird right now though. When I touch them, I feel hair all the way across but looking in the mirror, I only see half an eyebrow. Never thought I could have a bad eyebrow day but I do. I haven't shaved my legs or underarms in months and nothing down below, I would prefer if those areas just remained hairless.

27heart

I'm growing hair too, but it's so sparse, I think I look better bald! And yes, half an eyebrow is what I have now too and it looks really strange! Nothing we can't fix with some eyebrow powder though. Still deciding between shaving my hair off or just letting it grow. I'm only 4 into 12 sessions of taxol.

Back to neuropathy, my mom pointed out that I've been twitching / shifting my feet a lot when I'm seated, and I've noticed that I do that. I've been having some numbness in my feet and fingers for awhile now. Does anyone else notice that you twitch? I'm worried that it'll become a habit and not go away. Like.. I sit, and shift my legs every half a minute.

I'm also experiencing muscle weakness on my hands. Can't seem to grip hard when I do my relaxation exercises. Oh, and I struggled to put on my earrings today. Sigh.

sweetrose623

Thank you so much for the advice. I have very thick hair. It is shedding a lot. I will probably go ahead and cut it shorter. I just completed round 4 of taxol/herceptin today.

Trvler

27: Do you take any B vitamins at all? I was told to take B6 and I also take a multivitamin with B12. I think B vitamins can help with nerve issues like you are describing.

27heart

Hi trvler, yes I am taking b1, b6, b12. Didn't see much improvement though.. Boo!

Trvler

27: Have you asked your doctor? My MO kept asking me if I had any tingling/numbness. I usually said no or only a little. I wonder what she would have done had I said yes. She is pretty useless (which is why I just changed doctors).

27heart

Well I'm glad to know that you aren't having these tingles! I mean it's not as crippling as the AC SEs so I'm super thankful for that, but I hope this tingling isn't permanent!

Trvler

I know, 27. I managed to escape many SE's through chemo and I started having the tingling in my arms/ hands the other day and it's driving me nuts.

BBwithBC45

27heart - I'm like that with my legs, I can't seem to find a comfortable position and my legs are all over the place. I don't even have much tingling or pain most of the time. One part of my left foot is numb and this didn't happen until about 4 weeks PFC. Thankfully, my hands are OK.

justmaximom15

My MO keeps telling me that it's very common for the Benedryl that the give in my pre-meds to irritate any restless leg issues that you might have. I hadn't noticed any changes until last week during chemo. I was nodding off but having such a difficult time finding a comfortable position for my legs and feet. Make sure and mention it to your MO.

justmaximom15

Oh and just wanted to add that I "feel" my tastebuds changing. I was trying to explain this to SO and DS last night and I don't think either of them understood. I'll just suddenly feel like a lightning bolt of metallic taste in my mouth for no reason whatsoever.

27heart

Yes, I do have surges of metallic taste running through my mouth occasionally!

ThePrincess

ok, just for ladies that want to know, I'm 5 weeks PFC today and i have tiny baby lashes, a full set and baby eyebrows. This week the hair on my head is filling in - not just what I had getting longer, but it's like the rest of the follicles are waking up and filling in the bare spots.

My eyebrows, maybe Sunday, the skin on my face where they SHOULD be got really dark and today I can see the baby hairs all around where they go!

StefLove

Princess, great news! I have 3.5 more weeks to go! haha

Trvler

Your brows grow in FAST. I literally got mine in like 4 days. The bottom lashes look ok because shorter lashes on the bottom look more normal. Both top and bottom are about 1/16-1/8" I would say. But enough to not look like a cancer patient anymore so yeah.

Leighrh

I'll be 5 weeks PFC tomorrow..... Zero eyebrows or eyelashes.. Hair on my head is slowing coming in.. I can see a dark outline now but it's mostly fuzz. Fustrates me that everyone is so different!! I want mine NOW!!!! LOL

Trvler

Leigh: I think your eyebrows and lashes will come back after your hair, just like most of us. I know how hard it is to wait. You will get there.

KarenAus

I had my 3rd Taxol yesterday, yeh 1/4 way through. I am feeling more human than I have for months. SE are minimal and the tingling I had with AC has just about gone. Onc thinks I am strange, yep got to agree. :P

Karen

bluedog

7 weeks PFC, and I have sparse hair on top and eyebrow "stubble."

MamaBexar

Today is my first round of Taxol + herceptine.

27heart

I'm having the 5th of 12 sessions of taxol today! Praying for minimal pain for blood draw, and iv. Go go taxol, I hope you catch all the cancer cells in my body!

MamaBexar

My #1 chemo was totally lacking in problems. I know I am going to pay the piper down the road but for the moment I feel fine.

27heart

Hey mamabexar! Yay for a smooth chemo! We count our blessings for every day we feel fine, don't we? Hoping for more SE free chemo sessions for you!

MamaBexar

I am sooooooo glad I ask for weekly treatment. My chest wall hurts a bit more today than it did before treatment but nothing I can't ignore. I had the pre meds, 1 hr of taxol, and 90 minutes of herceptine so that 2 day old port got a work out. Hugs to every one.

pennsygal

Hello All

Seven weeks PFC and I'm at exactly the same stage, as ThePrincess. I am beyond thrilled to see eyelashes and eyebrows, no matter how nascent and sparse they are. Once those come in more fully, I will be comfortable without scarves, etc. and will go commando in public.

justmaximom15

I had my 5th of 12 taxol yesterday. 27heart, we are right there with each other for sure. Everything went fine and I got a great night's sleep after taking my 10mg of Ambien! I only take it on chemo nights and we had to up it from 5mg to 10 last week but that seemed to do the trick.

27heart

hello maximom! I'm having my steroid high now, was indulging myself with some colouring (check adult colouring books out, it's super therapeutic if you're into such stuff) - piano ambient music, lots of colouring, and lavender aromatherapy. Mmmmm.

I had to get my iv done twice today I cried and I think I scared the nurse who was trying her best. Tough job for them.. On and I realised that the chemo makes my.. Err.. Nether regions tingle really badly. Pins and needles. It comes, stays for about 3 mins, then disappears. Anyone else has the same sensation? It's really weird!

Anyways it's 2am where I am and I just popped a lorazepam.. Hoping for a good rest tonight. Another day of steroid high tomorrow to look forward to!

Hope everyone who reads this is doing well.

Yoshi12

I am 2 days PFC and just noticed that my big toe nail is loose and has a pus like substance oozing out from under it. My toes have been sore and I've had some neuropathy for the last couple of weeks but this just started. Anybody else have something similar? Calling treatment center later to find out what to do, I think it's an infection under the nail. It's nasty!

MsBrompton

Yoshi12, I had similar, wasn't sure what it was but found a thread where people were talking about it. Someone said it's a side effect of the chemo and actually although it looks infected, it actually isn't. Obviously I can't comment on your personal case but in the thread people were saying it's alarming but harmless. My own rotten-looking toenail settled down. It's a bit darker than the others but it's not oozing fluid any more. I didn't need antibiotics.