Weekly Taxol for Stage 4

Alexgram,

Wow and congratulations on NED!

I would love to be NED but I don't know if I will ever get there. I have two discreet lung tumours that have shrunk by about 50% after 7 weekly cycles of taxol. But as we are going to continue I will have to see where we end up with them.  I have read of some ladies who have got to NED with lung mets on taxol but they had diffuse pleural mets. 

BTW, with you on the bloody, snotty nose. Mine is being aggravated by high pollen counts at the moment. Can't stop sneezing!

Welcome Alexgram.  Wow good work getting to NED. Not sure I'll ever get there but it's a nice thought. Think I'm due for scans later this month. 

I had terrible nose bleeds initially but 35 taxols in they don't seem to feature that much anymore. After a visit to a podiatrist my feet aren't looking nearly as bad as they were, although I'm still pleased we are going into winter here and I don't need to wear open shoes. My two big toes are black and lifting off and a couple of the smaller ones have got a fungus in them yuck. I have been better looking after my finger nails and only have one starting to lift off after 8 months.

hi spring watch,

2 things I would like to apologize first about my cancer met to my liver sorry that I typed it wrong & I also was wrong when I typed her2 + I am her2 -. I started on taxol and have been in it the whole time. 

Great news on 7 infusions ! 

My doctor told me that bone mets are hard to tell if lesions get smaller the scans don't show very well but I guess they can tell if there are any new ones. And none of those !!,

However my 1st set of scan my lesions reduced 30% and again my 2nd set of scan the same result !! So I am off to a good start. The fatigue is my biggest side effect, I could take so many naps during the day. I am trying to stay active, so I began walking a couple laps around the track we have her in town. I"ve only done it 3 times  so far but it feels like it's helping. 

I think my nails are to long gone to try the chilling technique, but I will talk to my doctor about it THAMKS. 

SORRY AGAIN for the confusion, and thanks again for responding to me.

Terri

I've read on these boards how some of us get changes in our vision due to taxol; has anyone gotten floaters when they never had them before?

Called the MO as it put me in a total panic; getting scheduled for brain MRI and appt. with eye doc.  Want to make sure this is not mets to the brain!!  Ugh!

Thanks, Springwatch.  No flashing lights here, thank goodness.

Hi MameMe Welcome to the Stage 4 Taxol group. It is quite different knowing you're not going to stop at 12. I just had no 35.i have found that my fatigue has improved over time, guess I have just got used to it.  I have scans on Thursday and an oncologist appointment on Monday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for stable and Taxol 36 next Tuesday. 

Thanks, Syr and Shazz, its good to be with others who are in the same damned boat. I will be following this thread closely. Thanks for the kind welcomes.

good new about the brain scan Syr. Stage 4 means you worry about the slightest little change. It's so not fair. I have my 12 weekly scan today although it will be Monday when I get the results. I hate the way my brain works around scan time. I always start panicking about progression even when there's no reason to. 

That's right, Shazza.  I was a basket case until I got the report; think I reacted worse this time then I ever have.  Oh, well, too bad!!  I just hate the roller coaster ride.  Had eye exam today & everything is o.k., he told me what to watch for, etc., when to be concerned & if the other eye gets the floaters to come back for an exam in that eye too. 

I, too, get all paranoid around scan time; however, I had over 18 mo of progression, so it's not like I haven't been through it.  I'm often afraid to get too excited or comfortable when I get a "stable" report, afraid I'll somehow make up for it next time,  silly & sounds superstitious.  Next Monday I get the results on a F/U MRI of the total spine (had radiation to part of it in  2013), so far every MRI I've had since then hasn't shown much improvement.  However, now that I've been on the taxol, I'm hoping for the best. 

Hang in there Shazza &  ADJ with the scans & results; keep us posted.

Hang in there, Pat. Let us know if you get any useful explanation for the swelling and SOB. Its discouraging to feel punk from chemo. Its hard enough to organize one's life around the weekly infusions, let alone deal with predictable and random occurrences of side effects. Is there a pattern to when the swelling happens?

apparently the swelling/edema is another side effect from the taxol... gave me a prescriptioin for lasix...take 20 mg every other day for now... we'll see how it works.

brigadoon--my own experience with Taxol has been interesting.  I had three cycles (9 infusions) in 2011 and had a lot of strange side effects, like bone pain and shooting pains, some neuropathy and purple nails.  Had to quit due to a perforated bowel, but that was not due to the Taxol.

Then, I started Taxol again this year and have had three cycles (9 infusions) and this time, no bone pain, no shooting pain, very little neuropathy and no purple nails.  And I'm NED due to these three cycles. 

hi Brigadoon and welcome to our little group. I've found Taxol fairly easy and have had 36 infusions with no breaks. I know I'm very lucky to have so very few SEs and hope I can stay on it for a long time to come. I'm off now to get my scan results and keeping my fingers crossed for stable. 

Yay stable Mabel. Looks like I'll be posting on the Taxol thread for a while yet 

My grandson has gone back home with my daughter. We had a lovely week together. Playing in the paddling pool, riding on the new scooter (nana spoils him) and a kicking the ball around the garden. It is very easy to forget how demanding a 2½  year old can be. Happy but exhausted!!

I finally have some time to catch up.

Welcome to all newcomers:- brigadoonbenson, MameMe, ADJ, patsback and anyone I missed. Good luck to those with upcoming scans. Fingers crossed that taxol will do a good job on your mets.

Shazza, Congrats on being stable! So pleased it is still working for you. 

patsback, I always get asked if I have had any swelling when I go in for my treatment. So far I have not had any but I read that it is a complication of the treatment. I hope the lasix works and you get some relief.

I am having trouble with my port. Last week they were able to get the infusion in but couldn't get anything out, so they took blood from my arm. The chemo nurses think that the end of the line may be blocked by a sheath of tissue which is only allowing fluids/blood to pass one way. It opens when they push fluids but closes over when they try and withdraw any. A bit like a valve. I may have another trip to the interventional radiologist on the cards to see if we can get it sorted out.