Who has started herceptin and taxol regemin in October 2016?

I finished my weekly Taxol/Herceptin about 6 weeks ago---started shedding hair after treatment # 9 and have about fifty per cent of my hair left at this point. Funny, the worst shedding occurred AFTER my treatment ended--the shedding has definitely slowed down but my hair is not growing (if it were I'd have a skunk line down the middle of my part as I haven't colored it for two months) so that can't be a good sign as to the health of my hair follicles. But we shall see. My eyebrows thinned but have started to grow back. I had the slighted bit of peripheral neuropathy in my left food but that seems to be almost gone too. Overall fared very well. Just finished 5 weeks of radiation and have a sore nipple but skin looks okay.

How soon after radiation did anyone start hormone therapy?

I have my last radiation tomorrow on Mon (4 weeks). I would especially welcome hearing from triple positive pre-menopausal women. During chemo, my most debilitating symptoms were migraines and very frequent severe hot flashes (every 30 minutes), attributed to menstrual cycle stopping during the 2nd and 3rd month of chemo. I stopped chemo on April 19, and my period came back a month later in May, which was welcome, because the hot flashes stopped then too, and all SE were gone (onco said all taxol leaves the system about 1 month after chemo ends). Unfortunately, while enjoying being back to normal, that also means I have more estrogen floating around, but I want to have as much time off as possible before going on hormone therapy.

About the hair thing... my hair started falling out at treatment #5. I did not shave my head. I cut my hair shoulder length, and when I pulled it back in a ponytail, the longer strands covered the bald and thinning spots, so it was never obvious until about the 4th week after chemo ended, which was the worst that it got - probably about 15% of hair left. Luckily, I had the heads up from Germagirl16 that hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes could come out in the month after chemo stopping, which is exactly what happened. I started taking biotin 10,000mg after chemo ended. I heard that your hair could come back in a different color/texture and was hoping for black/straight (I'm 1/2 Asian, 1/2 Northern European), but so far it's coming in curlier and white (white everywhere - private parts, eyebrows, head)! Short curly hair in humidity is ridiculous - it sticks out everywhere. I'm hoping once my liver clears out more, it comes in more dark. It seems to be growing back in all the wrong places first - private parts, nipples, and arm pits!

kellymoye - You finished taxol/herceptin 6 weeks ago, and just finished 5 weeks of radiation? You only took 1 week off between chemo and radiation? I got 4 weeks off between, purposely done by the treatment team for everyone to give them a rest/recovery after chemo.

danix5 - How has it been going at Prosperity Infusion for you? I've met some ladies at radiation with your same onco. In fact, in a very similar situation as you - one got a mastectomy/reconstruction at 44 and no other treatment, then got cancer in the same breast at 49! Ughhh, what bummer.

Hi l_brain! I see that you deleted your post online but I did receive a copy in my email box. Shall I go ahead and answer? I think getting through weeks #5-9 (where you are now) were possibly the hardest psychologically because it's unsettling to wash your hair and have long clumps come out. Like many here suggested, I started washing my hair only every 5-7 days and being very gentle with the shampoo and not scrubbing or rinsing as vigoriously as I use to. Weeks #5-9 was probably by volume when the most hair fell out for me, and then honestly I think it slowed down the rest of the time. I have fine hair and not a lot of it, so while there was hair on the pillow, shoulders of my shirt, and on the carpet, I didn't have to clean up as much as others may have. It thinned mostly on the sides in the front, and the largest balding spot was probably at the very top back, which as I mentioned was covered when I pulled the front long strands over it to form the ponytail. The hair that never fell out was was in the back, so that's the hair that is mostly in the ponytail, which "fools" people into assuming I have a full head of hair. I think my hair was always still growing, while it was falling out. So, I had the short hairs coming in to replace some of the hairs that had fallen out throughout the time period. It didn't just start growing back for me at one point in time, but has picked up pace about 6 weeks post chemo. I can try to get pictures to you later, but I'm off to infusion now.

Hi! Had my second of 12 treatments today. Taxol & Herceptin. I had some minor adverse effects. Hoping symptoms don’t get much worse. I have a 2 year old and work full time so I need to be as close to 100% as possible.

I'm on 12 taxol adjuvant because neoadjuvant CEF didn't work but taxotere did, but I had 2 febrile neutropenia from 2/3 cycles. I had my 1st cycle yesterday. Hoping for the best

does it hurt to have your nails fall of

not sure about the nails only people that have gone through the regimen tell me to keep them oiled