Taxotere and Carboplatin Treatment for my Mom

leac1188
leac1188 Member Posts: 4
edited September 2014 in Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After

Hello,

My mom is starting chemo next month (Taxotere/Carboplatin every 3 weeks 6x) and I'm worried about all of the possible side effects that it might bring. She's also taking other medication that she's going to have to continue taking during treatment and I'm concerned that her body might not be able to handle all the drugs. Her doctors say that they'll just have to keep an eye on her, but that's not a very satisfying answer. Has anyone experienced taking multiple drugs for other medical conditions while doing chemotherapy? The doctors mentioned having to keep an eye on the toxicity levels from taking all the different drugs.

Is there anyone else who also had the Taxotere and Carboplatin treatment? What side effects did you encounter during each cycle?

I'm trying to get everything she needs before treatment starts, we already got the wig and the sleeping caps and ginger candy to help with nausea. But I'm still anxious about how she'll handle the treatment. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. 

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  • ColdInCanada
    ColdInCanada Member Posts: 95
    edited August 2014

    Hi leac1188! Welcome to the boards.

    I finished up 6 rounds of Taxotere and Carboplatin on July 18, and I pretty much had every side effect and reaction imaginable. So I'm either the best or the worst person to respond to your question. :)

    I can't speak to the effects of taking drugs for other conditions along with chemo, but I can give you the run-down on the types of SEs your mom can expect. I had (in no particular order): nausea (the BIG one for me), muscle and joint pain, fatigue (lots and lots of naps), numbness and tingling in fingers and toes, hair loss, brittle nails, swollen sore mouth/taste buds (to the point that I couldn't eat anything expect mush), water retention (17lbs worth), constipation, diarrhea, stomach cramps, memory issues (i.e., Chemo Brain), watery eyes, and runny nose. Whew. I also had an allergic reaction to both the Taxotere (landed me in the hospital when my WBC tanked) AND carboplatin (in the last round). 

    NOW, let me just say that EVERYONE reacts differently to chemo, and not everyone has EVERYTHING like I did. My MO considers me an anomaly - I say I like to be different. :) In spite of everything, however, I made it through, and your mom will too. The oncology nurses in the Chemo Lounge are AMAZING and are FULL of information. They've seen it all, and I often find them more helpful than my MO when it comes to side effects. 

    I hope I've been a little bit helpful. You might have a look at this thread:

    https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topic/...

    Best wishes to you and your Mom!

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  • leac1188
    leac1188 Member Posts: 4
    edited August 2014

    Thank you for the encouraging words ColdInCanada! I guess we'll have to wait and see until the first treatment begins and continue from there. 

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  • Blownaway
    Blownaway Member Posts: 760
    edited September 2014

    Cold in Canada - I have to say I've had every SE that you mentioned for every infusion. I can count on which day after each infusion that each SE will kick in - like clockwork.  I dont think my onco takes me seriously when I give them my list every time I see him. My feet were so bad this last time, he reduced the amount of Taxotere. I have 2 more to go, total of 6 TCH treatments, then radiation for 6 weeks. Herceptin will continue to complete a full year.

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