Taxotere side effects?

daphne, I had 6 TAc treatments. Taxotere Adriamycin Cytoxin. the treatments were cumulative. I felt that the side effects were stronger on the last 2. but bearable. I wasn't working during my treatments because I had 1 every 3 weeks and the 1st week was bad the 2nd I would start to come around by the third it was time to start all over. my counts were low, red and white. I work with public and just couldn't be around people, it was during the winter and people would always come in with colds and I was afraid I would get sick. I know everyone is different but i did experience different side effects each time. towards the end I felt weaker and exhausted.

Jean - pain in the rib cage could be the Neulasta or bone pain from the Taxotere. I had a lot of strange aches and pains after my lumpectomy, too. I wouldn't panic unless it gets much worse or very painful. I'm sure your new onc will answer any questions you have. If they want blood work, it sounds as if they're better than the one you have now.

Cynthia

Hi Daphne,
I only had 4 Taxotere (dd). I'm now on Carboplatin (4 of those scheduled). Started this roller coaster ride back in February with 4 AC (dd).

Hi Twink
Thanks you for your reply. I do appreciate it. May I ask if you take 4 courses of Carboplatin alone, not in combination wirth other drugs and if yes do you know the dose ?I have heard that Carboplating has minor side effects, is it true ? Also from some research papers I read it seems that platinum agents work well only for triple negative BC that have BRAC mutations, or at least they have dysfunction of the BRAC pathway, even if proper BRAC mutation of the familiar phenotype are not present. I guess this research is not well established in correlation with the clinical findings and the apparent lack or objectively measurarable histopatholopgy biomarkers. I would appreciate if you tell me more about your experience of if you have more relevant info.
My best wishes for your fight with BC. I really hope it will go well. It is a hard rollercoaser, but hopefully there is light at the end of the chemo tunnel. Warm regards
Daphne

njsyb - thanks for your concern. I still can't really wrap my mind around it, but like my nurse said, it happens. Well, I'd been waiting for the other shoe to drop, so maybe this was it and I can relax now. Geez, I hope so.

Hives? Ugh! I hope the benadryl helps. That must be miserable.

Traci - how was your blood work today? I hope your back pain is letting up. I hear ya on the brain challenges! I can't believe the stuff I've been doing in the last couple of days. And I have so much fatigue. I know I'll get through it, but I want to feel better now! lol

Cynthia

Cynthia,

I remember that you said you had the numb, tingling fingers, etc... but it was at first, right after the tx? Well, I am getting it NOW, almost three weeks later, when it's time for my ntext tx. This concerns me, since you said that it went away, after a few weeks. I wonder if it means that for me, it will be a permanent se... Gosh, I sure hope not!

HARLEY

I mostly get the tingling in the first few days after tx, but I did get it later as well. I used l-glutamine the first 2 txs, but stopped when it seemed it wasn't going to get worse. If you haven't tried it, it's worth a shot. You can buy it in powdered form and the recommended dose is 20-30 grams daily. I've also been taking the B6.

Cynthia

SueW46,
For the thrush 2 things. Ask your doctor for Diflucan. Don't wait until the thrush starts. Just start taking it a day or two after treatment. Also get pro-biotics. Larger grocery stores with health food sections or health food stores carry it. It's about $30 a bottle but well worth it. Get the stuff that has to be refrigerated. It's the most potent.
God bless
Dorothy

Pam,

Congrats on almost being done! My nails have been tender since my 3rd tx, but they haven't discolored or lifted up so I don't expect that to happen. My onc said the tenderness is a common se. Hang in there, you're almost finished.

Hugs,

Cynthia

I finished Taxotere May 24th. My baby toenails fell off in June. Several of my fingernails became discolored (two with black marks, the others orangey) in July. Several fingernails and toenails are lifting and I think the big toenail is coming off. In my case the SEs didn't occur during Tx. As with Traci, my hair started to come back during Tx.

Quote:

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Oh, the joys of chemo...it just keeps on giving.

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Oh, so true...giving and giving and giving...like an Eveready battery... blah.

Good luck Cynthia.

Hi ladies,

I've had sore fingernail beds since my second of four taxotere treatments. I've had 3 treatments total and one more to go. The nail beds are becoming more discolored. The nails are tender when trying to untie shoes.

Cynthia, if you didn't have any of this, you may not lose any nails. That's a good thing.

What's maybe a bit frustrating to me is that I don't notice any of this with my toenails yet. I wouldn't care if I lost them because I can wear shoes and socks to cover my toes. However, the rate I'm going with the sore fingernails and discoloried nail beds, I'm likely to lose all my fingernails.

I have one more taxotere treatment on September 7.

As for my hair, I've head the stubble on top since my hair fell out but no new growth yet.

It's always interesting to compare and share what we are going through.

Debbie

HI: I'M TRULY SORRY IF I'VE SCARED ANYBODY ABOUT NAILS COMING OFF MUCH LATER AFTER TAX CHEMO. I NEED TO CLARIFY. THIS DOES NOT HURT BECAUSE THE NEW NAIL GROWS UNDER THE OLD ONE. WHEN IT'S TOTALLY GROWN, THE OLD ONE COMES OFF. I, TOO, IMAGINED NO NAIL AT ALL AND PAINFUL.....NOT SO. MORE OF AN INCONVENIENCE, THAT'S ALL.

ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE PM ME.

SENDING MANY HUGS,

ERIKA /CANADA

Hi ladies, hope you all can help me. Just had my 1st taxotere treatment on Tuesday and am wondering what to expect. I only need 2 because I switched from Taxol. I'm having some tingling in hands (already had some), sore throat, muscle ache, nasty taste in my mouth (had hoped that was gone when done with AC) and hoping that the worst has kicked in already.

Do I have anything else to look forward to? I've done great so far, and with only 1 treatment left really no reason to complain. It's just that there's something new all the time re SE's . My head always seems to be out in never-never land and I used to be such a creature of routine. Oh well............

Get the right information for you and your body from medical team, and seek as much opinion as needed on viable alternatives. Get your family, friends and any psych support on board too - and don't forget you've got us!! What works for others may not work for you. I have got through with Neurontin for muscles, and Diazepam for the eye twitch (plus other stuff) - all from my general practitioner, who worked in oncology as an intern. Always remember that this is YOUR body and YOUR cancer. We can support, but everyone reacts to a lesser or greater degree to every chemotherapy drug - after all, look at what they are designed to do~!! xx