Taxotere is a nightmare

I iced my fingers starting the second treatment.  I have acrylic nails over my nails, and I don't have any pain or anything.

However, I didn't ice my toes, and while they look normal at #5 they started hurting..so for #6 I'm putting a bag of peas over my socks!

No one ices at my cancer center that I've seen, so they all think I'm a little looney.  I don't care...I'm doing it.

Dread losing the eyebrows, but already have gaps so I know it's coming...

Just repolished my nails...if I can call them that....there are several ugly looking nails under the polish....so far only one has lifted off and there are 4 others that are dead....but they seem to be growing out without lifting...so we will see. Guess they don't tell you this just in case it doesn't happen...mine were red, like they had bled underneath...then turned dark...then a dead white looking color....not nice...good luck with the icing...had not heard about that.

n3ypb if your fingernail beds are sore then it doesn't sound like neuropathy it sounds exactly like what I had/have… and if you get it as bad as I did it sucks. This is sign that your fingernails will lift possibly fall of and ooze.  I don't remember if I posted links to pictures on this thread. If interested let me know. The toe one is gross.

Has anyone heard from Tracie?

I think Tracie is on a 5-day vacation - I think her last post was on the 12th, so she should be back tomorrow or the next day.

Tracie - hope you enjoyed your R&R!

TonLee - I'm surprised they let you keep your acrylics on.  They had to be removed for surgery and treatment here.

I am recieving Taxotere in combination with my AC, I have had 3 rounds, tomorrow in #4.  My nails look ok, but I feel like I have a million little paper cuts, but skin is intact.  Anyone else experience this?  No numbess in fingers, but back of heels, with burning too.

Thanks Linda,

I have 6 cycles, so tomorrow I will be 2/3 done.  I mentioned my heels to him this week and he said we will watch that, but my fingers were not sore at that time, so I will tell his nurse before we start.  I usually get the taxotere last.  All the meds just make me worry like crazy, steriods don't help that crazy feeling either.  Just keep telling myself I will be done at the end of April.  Did you have TAC, any lasting SEs?

N3,

I love love LOVE the cammo idea.  And would really enjoy pics

I took that sort of approach in a way.  Every chemo, I dress well, wear all my tinkling silver jewelry, my heeled boots.  Chemo took my hair, and now I'm getting sun spots!, and gave me chemo vajayjay, but I refuse to give up anything else without a fight.

On my sicker days, when charity is beyond me, I wonder if all these young men (RO, Onc, BS, etc) actually enjoy watching vibrant attractive women be torn into sickly looking old women.  I wonder when they meet us if they don't already imagine how we're going to look bald, with age spots, rashes, breastless, without nails.  And if they wonder to themselves how our sex life is now because it's all downhill from here.

Then I come out of my chemo fog and feel bad for thinking about the men who are working to save my life that way.

But I kept my acrylics.

bdavis - I have kept polish on my toes without a problem and just kept painting the hardener on my fingernails.  I do polish with dark on tx day but then remove it when I get home.  I am jealous of you in St John!  I have a picture of Trunk Bay as the background on my phone and my daughter and I encountered a 5 ft barracuda while snorkeling there!  I touched my daughter's flipper and pointed at the barracuda and she took off like a bat out of hell and left me to be eaten!  She redeemed herself by spending the night in the hospital with me during my BMX. 

Hi ladies it's been a while since I've posted I hope everyone is doing well, lately tax is kicking my butt, I'm a lot more tired than before. I've been taking neaulasta as well and WBC were 7.3 last treatment which was Friday the 11 th on Sunday I got my neaulasta. I was ok on the weekend on Monday when I woke up I had a bit of sore so decided to take a nice warm shower...as soon as I got out of the showe the whole room was spinning, my heart felt weird, I felt like I was going to pass out. I really though I was going to call 911, out of all the times was alone, it really scared me. So I don't know if is taxotere or neaulasta. My home nurse was coming to change dressing on piccline she checked bp it was 105 she though it may have just dropped. I think neaulasta drops my bp and I get fast heart beat so I'm thinking of skipping last needle.....I mean with the numbers I have I'll be ok I think and my mastectomy is not 5 wks after last chemo I'm praying it's enough time to get back WBC to normal or close to it. My throat feels like I have something there, sometimes it's sore and burns..soo tired but just one more and I'll be done....

I see my NP in 6 weeks (3 months after last chemo). I could ask then. Not sure when I see my onc again. I might be scheduled to see the NP because my onc will be out of town or now that I'm finished with chemo or they just alternate for the first year.

Tracie it is typical to see your onc every 6 months and your BS every 6 months alternating. This would mean that you would be seeing either your onc or BS every 3 months I think for 1-3 years. I'm still doing Herceptin so I will see the onc/NP I think every 3 months till Herceptin is done. My BS still wants to see me every 6 months.

Granted every case is different. We have a very different diagnosis so it may not be the same.

I did echo before but didn't do muga... Last chemo my bp was 80/ 35 and heart 120 they didn't seem concern either??? told them about dizzy and lighthead they didn't seem concern. One of the home nurses said maybe I need it hydration called pdn she said no....I've notice that after neaulasta my bp drops soo screw it telling onc not this time it's last one and I don't even go out so I can get sick....

I'm just scared of fainting or something... But just one more that's all i keep telling myself...