Taxol Chemotherapy

Kelley, I thane also had a hard to describe stomach issue. I took Pepcid for acid reflux during AC. It was horrible and the nausea was unreal. Since starting Taxol my appetite is back (weight gain to prove it!) but my stomach feel like it's tied in a knot. Doesn't hurt or burn....just feels "heavy"......I'm Not sure that make sense, but I'm assuming it is related to Taxol. If it continues I'll talk to my Onc about it.



Today's treatment went well. I'm hungry as a horse tonight! My Onc and I discussed my ovaries (I'm premenopausal, age 32). Since I was progesterone negative and only 2% Estrogen positive she does not feel oophorectomy and hysterectomy. She said that there are divided studies on removing the ovaries. If I was highly estrogen positive she would give it more thought, but she feels the side effects and health risks outweigh any benefit I may receive. I find this interesting because she still feels I should do Tamoxifen for 5 years even though my estrogen receptors were practically negative. John Hopkins advice was they would NOT do Tamoxifen based on my 2% score. My Onc feels I should do whatever I can to stop those 2 out of 100 cells from having a chance to grow. Guess I'll start looking at the Tamoxifen boards and research!

Compared to some other chemos.taxol and all the premeds can bind u up. I know i can still go on taxol but still be constipated. Try the smooth moves poo poo tea a couple nights (key word take at night) and some high fiber toast and cereal. It really does help.

Q

Thanks, I'm counting the days now just two tx to go, i looked up the Bao He Wan and the symptoms are exactly how my stomach feels the week of tx, wow!

hi all,

I haven't posted in a while, just soldiering on through this and have 5 taxols to go. My hair appears to be growing back in...which is SO encouraging. But I meet with an  RO today and I'm nervous about that already.

This is kind of OT but I feel that I know most of you better than any other group on this discussion board.  I've been having nightmares--awful ones about dying, listening to people at my own funeral talking about me, reading an obituary about me...two nights in a row.  Luckily at the end of the dream I come back alive and everyone is very emotional and happy. But they are awful, horrible dreams, terrifying and disturbing.  Anyone have nightmares?  I'm quite an active dreamer, but  this is the first time I have had these kind of dying dreams and I've been obsessing lately about dying, leaving behind my daughter, husband, what will happen to my things, my pets...you know. But this is the first time I've had actual nightmares about it.

Claire

I am having trouble sleeping too

Claire-  oh you poor thing!  I have not had these nightmares, although as I finish up active treatment I am scared to death about this crap coming back somewhere else and me not knowing it..I think that is normal though.  I'm so sorry you are dealing with such an emotional thing..it's not like we sleep well as it is!  Best of luck at the RO

FLislander- hope you are doing better today. Try the anitdepressants..I was a hot mess 4 weeks ago..could barely function and very frightened that I was truly losing my mind. I started antidepressants then and they definitely helped..although now I cant tell if my change in mood is because I am done with this nightmare next week.

Q- so you dont think I have major tumor growing in my stomach?  I will look this up per your request but I think the tumor sounds more likely..lol!! 

Hi ladies,



Had my first taxol of 12 yesterday. Only 11 more to go woohoo! Lol.



So far ok. My leftover SEs from AC are rash, which I think the steroids fripom yesterday's tx actually helped with and my extremely high pulse. Worries me and leaves me feeling weak. Resting it's usually close to 100 . Onc doesn't even want me exercising. I'm really worried since my muga was really at the low end going in.



Claire I'm sorry about your bad dreams. I literally pray before sleeping for peaceful dreams. If you are not religious than perhaps a meditation of some sort? You need peaceful sleep.



My onc and family want me on an antidepressant/anti-anxiety. I barely leave the house anymore other than for a dr appt. Can anyone share what theyve taken and their experience? She is prescribing lexapro. I just don't want to have to watch for even more SEs. It isn't as though we don't have real issues of concern, but I may consider if it helps.



Thanks for listening ladies,



Laura

I had my last Taxol yesterday!  YAY!  I did 4 A/C and then 4 Taxol every two weeks.  Now I can look forward to a weekend of miserable joint and bone pain.  And yes, I have trouble sleeping with Taxol too.  I sleep for a couple of hours and then wake up.  I take ativan so that helps sometimes.  If I get up and take it and then read in bed for a little bit I can go back to sleep.  Also the last couple of Taxols really made me moody.  Very sad and just plain angry.  Hopefully that won't happen again.  It is very disconcerting for me and my family.  They tend to start tip toeing around me.  They don't want to set me off - It's like "Oh Jeepers here we go again".  LOL  I don't have to get radiation, so the only thing left for me is to get these damn tissue expanders out and replace them with the implants.  I am looking forward to that.  I see the oncologist next week.  In the back of my mind I am scared she's going to say well maybe we should do more chemo or something else.  She's never given an indication that she will do more, it's just a fear of mine.  I want to be done!

Hi -- I also have Taxol nightmares, or that's what I call them, since I never had them before. They're bad, and I thrash around and talk in my sleep. I don't like it, but it's clearly something in my head that needs to come out one way or another.

 I take Zoloft now, a low dose, for anxiety/anti-depressant and it's a big help. I won't take it forever, but I need to get thru now with as much sanity as I can cling onto. For me, it sort of slows the anxiety response -- I think a bad thought but the negative feelings don't come as quickly and I can better fight them. it's good.

 I also started seeing a therapist who deals primarily with cancer patients -- during and before. She's a social worker who came thru a referral.  (Many hospitals have this, but mine is unrelated, largely for convenience.)  I think that helps too with the nightmares and generally coping. She's able to "normalize" physical and mental symptoms, which is a big, big help. 

Peacock- glad to hear you have found the zoloft and therapy helpful. I feel bad for those of you having nightmares..it sounds awful! 

Claire, I really think it's the Taxol. Diagnosis, BMX, recovery, AC..nothing!  Then panoramic surround-sound nightmares that started a few days after Taxol #1.  It's weird, I agree. I'm also trying to write down scraps of the dream when i wake up, not to remember it, but to sort of get it out my system another way too. I'm also pretty careful about what I watch and read in the pm.

 As SEs go, I can live with this

Claire- that seems to make sense..that's a pretty traumatic experience to go through, and then to have to go through all of this BC crap..no wonder you have nightmares.  The effexor may be just what you need for the time being. Remember this is all just temporary and you will come out on the other side of it.  Everyone kept telling me "just go with it"..so much easier to say than do..just remember that you have sister here that are cheering for you!!

I've been on Lexapro for about 2 yrs now. I don't mind it at all. I am not experiencing se's from it  (that I know of). The only I don't like about it is the expensive copay, but it's worth it to me. It might be worth trying.

Laura- I found the fatigue from taxol to be much worse than on A/C.  Also the pain tn the pelvis and ovaries also happens to me about day 3 after taxol treatment and my TEs are tight as is my sternun..sounds like you are having the same SEs as I am ...

Seacret

Drink drink, my liver enzymes went up, I'm drinking fruit zinger flavor herb teas with lime or lemon. It seems liver is working hard to detox, trying to flood everything out. I'm running out of drinks that I don't associate with AC.