taxotere side effects

Nope no disguises with the port

and yep slept 1am to 630am....hopefully will catch up tonight...if not oh well, someone told me something to take @ CVS....am going out, will check it out...

Thanks Websister. Part of the solution is probably to worry less about offending people. If I have to bare that thing for a few steps out to the water once in a while it's not the end of the world! And yes I find I am getting good use out of scarves that have spent most of their life in my drawer.

Maybe waterproof makeup will tone it down a bit.

It's good to know I may not be the only one with a super visible port! Is yours very sensitive too? I need a pillow for driving, as mine is on the left right where the shoulder strap hits.

Hi Girls!

I am three and a half weeks out from my fourth and last Taxotere/Cytoxan infusion.  On February 13 I go in for a radiation-planning meeting and will start 28 days of radiation a few days later.

I have had a very positive attitude through my mastectomy, recovery from that, and through most of my chemo, although physically I have suffered with many SEs.  

The fourth dose was the most difficult... I could barely walk from my bed to my sofa in my tiny condo due to the hand/foot syndrome, neuropathy, and swelling and pain in my legs. The pain from the hand/foot syndrome has gone away, leaving me with feet that shed skin everywhere I go (but I can live with that). But I am very weak and I still have difficulty walking and standing with pain in my legs, especially in the calves.  I gauge my day by whether or not I can stand in the kitchen to make breakfast.  Last week I was thrilled to be able to stand to cook breakfast for two days, but then it was followed by four days when I had to sit from my chair. (Thankfully I have a small kitchen!) 

I realized that I cannot get up from my sofa without pushing with both hands.  When I first stand up, my calves are so tight, it feels kind of painful like after having one of those really bad calf cramps in the middle of the night, except I didn't just have a calf cramp. I cannot lift my feet as high to slip them into the legs of my pants or to wash them in the shower. So I find myself resting quietly, as I do not hurt when I am resting. And, I have to rest a lot with my feet elevated to help the swelling. (Oh, I was put on a diuretic to reduce the swelling but then I got constipated from the diuretic.)

I just feel overwhelmed and completely unable to come up with a sort of "recovery" plan to get my life back.  (I used to work out at the gym three times a week, doing weights and 30 minutes on the treadmill or stairclimber.) I haven't always been so fit, but it was part of how I got myself through a very bitter three-year divorce process.  Since February of 2010, I have been to court several times for the divorce, had to sell the family home (lost money legally to the ex on that), reduced our possessions radically, moved to an apartment with my son, then found a fixer-upper condo, supervised renovation to make it livable for a month, moved again, and then had two plumbing leaks that resulted in my living in what was nicknamed "the construction zone."  Got everything fixed and repaired again, and a few months later, I found out I had BC!

I had been on anti depressants during the marriage but made it through all of the above without anti depressants; the exercise was key, as was my involvement in a divorce recovery workshop, at first as a participant and later as a volunteer.

I was able to visit the gym twice after chemo 1 and twice after chemo 2 and not at all since then.

One day last week I climbed a set of stairs to a doctor's appointment and I was so excited I could do it! That day was followed by four days when I could only sit to cook in my kitchen.

I just don't know how to approach getting better. I want to be more fit but my legs really hurt when I try to use them. And when I feel good it seems like I must be overdoing it since then it is followed by days of not feeling good. Or perhaps the recovery is completely non-linear or maybe I can only expect a few good days per week at this point?

Oh, I am on a generic Neurontin (it does dull the pain a little and surprisingly, it has helped cut way back on the dramatic hot flashes, as I lost my period during round 4 of chemo).  I still take a Percocet at bedtime.  I try to drink three quarts of water every day. I have been feeling very discouraged having passed the three week mark and feeling pretty bad and fatigued and plain old sad about still feeling bad and thinking about starting radiation when I am still feeling so weak. It's like a gargantuan task just to get up and start my coffee in the morning.

Is anyone else still having trouble getting your strength back? Pain in your legs? Still feeling weak?

And everyone seems to think that since I've had my last chemo, that life is just grand now. But it's not! I am just so tired, physically, emotionally, mentally (yes, I have brain fog... I have lost two sweaters and a set of earphones since I started chemo!) I have cried a lot this week. Is some of this a result of going into chemo-pause just about a month ago?

Thanks for listening, I hope someone out there had it rough like I am and can give me some encouragement or tell me your story. My oncologist just says, "every day will be better."  She says I am in a small percentage of taxotere patients who get a lot of muscle pain from it.

artpetals, I can totally relate!  I'm less than a week out now from my 6th and last TC and feeling pretty bad, but so happy that this is the last time going through this.  I was strong and fit before all this too, and I have had the muscle pain too, it really is a drag.  It is funny how everyone seems to have the attitude that "oh, you are done with chemo now, you are fine again, right?"  Uh, no, it's going to take awhile!  I do have a feeling that it will take longer than we hope, but I'm looking forward to it.  Eventually the pain will subside, our strength will come back, and the hair will grow.  I just try to be patient and optimistic.  Hang in there, it will pass, and we will feel good and be able to taste food again some day!   :-)

Hi girlz i m on taxotere. I had my 4 chemo on 31 jan.i had sever neuropathic pain. I tried diff pain killers. My oncologist wants to reduce my chemo dose 20 % because she said sometimes it takes years n years to recover. I want my chemo plus i need good quality of life to

I was feeling really desperate this morning due to my lack of energy. I wish I had seen these posts earlier and it would have saved me two crying jags-and I'm not a crier!  5 weeks post chemo. I'm ready to feel better now!! Does anyone else have intense groin and neck lymph node pain? What are some remedies? 

Hi artpetals and the rest of the ladies- hang in there!!! I promise you the SE's will slowly and surely get better. The problem with the last chemo is that you expect to get better quickly and your friends and family don't help in  this regard. They also think that it is over and you should be back to normal. This makes you feel depressed and weak- it is a common SE if I can call it that. 

The burning in the thighs is the first SE to slowly fade. My calves still give me a bit of trouble but are getting better and better. A good exercise for this is to hold onto the wall and stand on one leg. Hook the other foot behind your calf and slowly raise yourself up onto your toes. Do this a few times, and it helps with the cramping. Do it only about 5 times at first, and then slowly build up. Swop over and work the other calf.

The neuropathy will slowly get better. It will take a few months, but gets better all the time - you just don't notice it at first. I only get very slight neuropathy in my toes at night sometimes, and that very occasionally.

Keep moisturising the hands and feet. They will continue for a while. Four and a half months from my last chemo, and my fingers are still a bit iffy, but they are also much improved.

You will have a very short hair style by 14 weeks. The bald patches will have filled in by then. I finally ditched the wig and scarf last week.

My eyelashes are almost back to normal - just a bit short. The eyebrows are a mystery as they continued to fall out post chemo then suddenly grew with a vengence. One is falling out again I think - go figure - but I can take that.

The fatigue starts getting better slowly as well. I think it will take a year before we are all back to as normal as we are going to be!!!

blondiex46 - your nose gets very dry because it runs all the time. Put vaseline on an earbud and gently wipe around the inside of the nostril. This also helps with the bleeding. For those of you who continue with herceptin the runny nose continues running with slight bleeding, but the vaseline helps a lot. The vaseline also forms a barrier against dust and pollen that your nose hairs would normally catch. Hayfever sufferers can use it with good results.

As I said - hang in there - it is early days yet. Big hugs

Hang in there ladies.  Maddie is absolutely right, it DOES GET BETTER!  I keep stopping back here to offer encouragement to those going thru treatment.  I am 22 weeks pfc and have scheduled a hair cut for this week!  Granted it's just a teeny trim to get rid of the chemo ends, but I HAVE HAIR!  Get lots of compliments on my short cut too.  My co-workers have been the best during this garbage.
The leg pains were unexpected to me and I can still remember how happy I was when I carried 2 bags of groceries upstairs w/out having to take a break halfway.  My MO later explained that's what they mean when they say you will be fatigued.  If any of you are heading into radiation treatments, you will be exhausted after about the 2nd week.  I could nap anyplace, anytime--That's what I always thought fatigue was.  There were times I would go home from work and lay down for a nap that would last until the next morning!!  God bless my DH and son for never complaining that I wasn't much into cooking thru it all.  Hubby and I stopped for take-out so often we couldn't stand it anymore lol.  
Bless you all and may your SE's be minimal.

Quick check-in - have lots of errands to run today, limited energy -have to 'make hay while the sun shines'

Artpetals - re: fluid retention - it is better than it was, especially in the thigh area however I am also on Herceptin until September and just started Tamoxifen - I notice my hands are a little more swollen since starting the Tamoxifen and for several days post Hercptin infusion I am up a few pounds - which gradually resolves so I believe that is due to fluid retention



Thank you PAEagles and Maddy

@milkyway and those having pain from Taxotere.  I had three rounds of Tax and had a serious pain reaction and hand and foot syndrome, oncologist said they maybe gave me too much on my first round.  The pain was the worst I have ever felt and I have a very high tolerance, no pain killers even remotely touched it, and it started up on a friday, so I suffered through the weekend.  Mine was treated with steroids, and every treatment after the first one, I stayed on prednisone for a full week as opposed to just a couple of days, and found it really helped.  (that's probably already been brought up here).

I also lost all my fingernails and toenails and it messed up my tear ducts (something I still have trouble with).  While probably not the healthiest thing, I used glue on nails for a couple of special occasions after they fell off and were growing in. 

I saw someone mention vaseline, I was told by my onco nurse not to use anything like that (maybe it masks infection or something? I don't know).  The only thing approved for my nose problems during chemo was saline spray and a humidifier. 

Big hugs to all going through this stuff right now.

Chemical war, thanks for your info...i too had 3 rounds of Tax and have had exact SE's as you have.

My eyes are playing up a little, not too watery but like cloudy then I blink a few times and its ok. ! I will bring up with my onc in the next few weeks when I see him.

I have one nail left and they are all off my fingers.....they are growing out though as they only broke half way!. I have a party on the weekend and they look terrible, was thinking fake nails but worried the glue will weaken them more.....did you put any nail hardener on the actual nail bit still on tact at all ??? wondering if this might help them grow too ? they just look horrible as you could imagine!

Hi Blondiex46 - I am so glad to vaseline is working for the dry bleeding nose. I see Chemicalworld was advised against vaseline, but this was suggested by the oncologist, so I think it is safe to use it. Your nose will still run - there is no getting away from it, but it does slow it down and make it feel more comfortable. If your eyes are running, I found the corners of my eye got very sore. My Gp gave me a simple eye ointment, and this has helped, as thye also seem to have a vaseline type base, and it stops the skin there getting so wet.

Hi Traii - sorry can't help you with advise on the nails. I used an oil formula on mine, and they were fine -only a little brittle. This formula is also great for the hair when it grows. If you would like it PM me and I will send you a copy of the recipe. 

thanks so much for your advice, wonder if petroeulm jelly on the corners of my eyes would help, it does hurt.....yep nose does still run and blowing it AND of course it is bleeding, although not alot...

SE's suck as much as Cancer does, lol

Sandy

I used Aquaphor or A&D on the nose, in my nose with a q-tip, and corners of the eye.

Artpetals and others who have neuropathy: I am over 2.5 years out from last chemo, still have severe fatigue and painful neuropathy.  It is better, but not good enough for me to be able to return to work. For those who have been offered reduced dose, take it!!!! It can potentially save you from permanent neuropathy.  I have tried multiple meds for symptom relief, which gave me worse SEs and have had to discontinue them.  I am trying to force myself to move every day, walk every day, do strengthening every day.  Yoga helps some. Each time I succeed in being active, I am grateful.  I used to be very physicially active, cross-country skiing, backpacking, etc., worked 16 hours/day in a satisfying career.  Now I am up about 6-8 hours a day, find joy in surrounding myself with beauty, and when I am walking I have to remind myself to "slow down" so I don't hurt myself - have had achilles tendinitis from walking too fast, i.e. back to my more normal pace.  Some days have been filled with despair, and it has taken a long time to recover from that as well, but using mindfulness-based approach, one minute at a time, being present in the moment - all these help to get through each day with a few moments of joy and peace and hope.  I hope all of you who have early neuropathy do not progress and recover quickly.  If it takes a LONG time, remember that no one knows exactly what causes CIPN and how it resolves, just that some heal more quickly than others, so don't beat yourself up if you do not make rapid progress in the healing process.  Sorry about the long-winded ramble... past my afternoon nap time....