Taxotere?

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topic/697783?page=195#idx_5821

adom -- this thread is devoted to Taxotere and Cytoxin.   I had 6 cycles, 3 weeks apart.  Everyone is different in side effects.   Have your mom keep a journal and report side effects to her oncologist -- most have effective treatments to lessen the effects. 

Hugs to you and your mom.  

I pray your mom will be one of the gals (and they are in the majority) that felt Taxotere was a walk in the park after AC.  Unfortunately, I was not one of them.  I had a nasty time with each taxotere (and Neulasta shot day after).  I finished my last of 4 three weeks ago this coming Thursday, and I am just getting back my taste buds, thrush has gone, mouth sores gone, etc.  I am not myself yet, but this seems to be how it went for me each round - side effects took almost three weeks before I began to feel better.  Make sure she gets vicodin or oxycodone and begins it BEFORE or at the onset of the aches and pains begin (if she gets any).  I could not have done 4 of these nasties had it not been for the drugs - made such a huge difference.  I did manage to work after each Tax which I had on Thursdays - hit by Saturday and lasted through Monday (Monday much easier).  Please remember, and I hope some of them come on board this thread, most gals had nothing like I did on the taxotere.  Good luck to mom and the best of wishes.

Linda

I had Taxotere for three rounds three weeks apart (and I am triple positive). It was much better than the previous three rounds with FEC. The oncology clinic provided ice booties and mittens to avoid damage to fingers and toes and that seemed quite successful. I had some joint pain which was resolved with Tylenol.

The clinic provided steroids for the day before, during and after the treatment to avoid some of the side effects including possible allergic reactions. Other than being very tired for the first week afterwards, it wasn't like some others have reported at all - further confirmation that we all are different. I think that remembering to try to move myself and walk a bit helped as did remembering my multivitamin - of course remembering anything was pretty tricky!

I am now 4 weeks out from the last treatment - hooray!! - and am beginning to feel very much like people. I hope your mother does all right too.

Hi Adom--I had Taxotere and Cytoxan for 4 cycles, 3 weeks apart starting this past April. The first one was the worst for me as far as nausea, heartburn, diarrhea and fatigue. (Fatigue probably due largely to the diarrhea & lack of proper nutrition. For the week following, my blood pressure was down into the 70's). As others have stated, each person is different. I'm also noticing that treatment plans can vary greatly even among the same diagnosis.

 For each cycle, I took steroids the day before, day of, and day after chemo. I was also given steriods thru the IV before they started the chemo drugs-. Because of the steriods, I always felt great for a few days afterwards!  I only had a very slight case of nausea the first treatment. I took the anti-nausea medicine the INSTANT I felt queasy & it worked great. Only had to take a total of 4 pills, never having to progress to the stronger one either.  Again, that was only for the 1st treatment.  The other 3 I never had nausea.  However each treatment brought on a different side effect.

I had a very mild case of thrush (mouth sores), and had some sort of allergic reaction (itching, burning, rash) over my entire body, which I had to take steriods for 7 days. (That was the worst side effect I experienced--the itching & burning drove me crazy for 2 days). Of course there was always some fatigue with each treatment.  But I found out that by going on a high protein diet about 4 days before the treatment and keeping it up for the following week, that I was able to keep the fatigue to a minimum.  With just a short nap in the afternoon I was able to pretty much keep up with everything. I was also drinking 10 glasses of fluid a day.  Because I'm not a big eater, I would try & get some of my protein thru the fluids such as Ensure (high protein), V-8, etc. The 10 glasses of fluid a day are very important to keeping up your energy! 

 For each of the side effects I had, there is medication to combat it.  I was fortunate that after the problem with the 'allergic' reaction, my onc wrote me a prescription for everything that could happen and then told me to fill what I needed when I needed it. It was great because I could be already taking the meds to make me feel better instead of suffering thru it while getting ahold of her office & having them call in a script to the drugstore.

Of course her hair will fall out. I had very thick hair and decided not to shave it all off as most people will advise you to do. Glad I didn't listen to them.  While my remaining hair was extremely thin and sparse in places, at least I had some hair. For me (and everyone is different), I felt better seeing some hair on my head as opposed to looking at a bald head. Of course if your mom has thin hair to begin with, it's pretty certain she'll lose it all.  

While going thru chemo my nails looked great. However that all changed about a month after my last treatment. I'm still trying to get them to grow without breaking off before even getting to the top of my fingers.  

With the Nulasta shot, I did get some bone pain, but Tylenol (extra strength) relieved it. But you have to take it as soon as the pain starts and continue to take it every 4 to 6 hrs or as soon as you start feeling the pain coming on again.

I wish your mom the best.  She'll get thru it. Proper nutrition, lots of fluids and proper rest will make it easier.  Also it's really important that she rinse her mouth with the salt water solution at least 4 times a day. I didn't keep up with the schedule for my 3rd treatment and thats when I got the thrush. Fortunately I caught it early and only had to use the meds for a couple of days and then it cleared up.  

My onc gave me a lot of info on all this and if you'd like a copy, let me know. I've got a scanner and can send it all to you.

Egal - Yours is the only post I have seen on this entire forum that seems to have had the exact same side effects as I had with the taxotere.  I am three weeks out tomorrow from the last one, and I still can't taste things well and what I do taste is disgusting.  Please let me know how long it was before you could eat/drink things normally?  I would take the aches and pains over this tasting/drinking situation any day, this is horrid. 

Linda

Adom, I am so sorry for your mom that she has to endure this a second time, and for you too, as I know it's never easy on the children, no matter what the age.  I wish your mom every success in the continued battle of this freaking, horrible disease.

Linda

Hello,

First, my best wishes to your Mom and you.  I hope the chemo works.

Second, I started Taxotere in April and it damn near killed me.  The fatigue was terrible.  I slept 18-20 hours per day and couldn't function.   Plus, my immune system was very compromised and I was sick for days.  We then tried a different approach with the Taxotere.   Instead of one treatment every three weeks, I would receive lower doses weekly for three weeks and then one week of.  It required bloodwork weekly, but otherwise I tolerated it well.

My biggest side effect was neuropathy in my toes/feet.  This began around June and has gotten worse over the summer.  The fleshy pads of my toes are numb and it makes my walking a bit difficult in the morning.  As the day progresses, my feeling returns slightly, but there's still a noticeable numbness.

I was on Taxotere through July and was restaged.  My scans showed improvement in July, but now, here we are two months later and its evident Taxotere is no longer working.  Today I started Doxil.   We'll see how things go from here.

I wish your Mom well.  I agree with some other posters on here that she needs to keep a journal of side effects/incidents, etc.   

Best wishes,

Kim 

I had one dose of Taxotere after 3 doses of FEC (became neutropenic after first FEC dose but tolerated doses 2 and 3 well) and within days had a lot of the side effects posters before me have spoken about -- tender nails, tastebud problems, extreme joint and abdominal pain, extreme GI upset (painful and difficult BMs), and neutropenia. My original treatment plan was 3 FEC then 3 taxotere, with each treament 3 weeks apart. After the taxotere fiasco, my oncologist immediately switched me to a weekly lower-dose Taxol regimen for 9 weeks, and as much as I dreaded the weekly treatments at first, and resented the expanded treatment regimen, the lower dose was easier on my system, and my life was easier overall. The taste problems and fatigue continued until I finished treatment, but all the other side effects abated or stopped together. I'm glad that Taxotere works so well for others, but it was a non-starter for me. The Taxol DID work for me, though, and I've been cancer-free since my bilateral mast on 6-19-09.