Any Advice re Taxotere

Hi Ladies

I am starting Taxotere on Thursday and any advice would be appreciated.

I was diagnosed with BC in Dec 2006 had left mx followed by 6 Fec’s and Radiotherapy, then Herceptin, in May i had a few dizzy spells and told my Onc, who promptly snet my for MRI upshot was diagnosed on the 3rd June with Brain Mets, just completed 10 WBR, which wasn’t as bad as I imagined it to be, then on 10 days later Onc not happy with a cough that I had developed sent me for a CT scan, upshot is that now have Lung, Bone and Liver mets, all that in 6 weeks, I do wonder what the Herceptin has been doing, because I don’t feel like it has worked for me!!!

I never had a plan B so this has thrown me totally, but I am not going to let this beat me , so Taxotere on Thurs and Biphos injections, along with Herceptin, have read a few bad side effects for Taxotere, I tolerated Fec really well so any advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance I know how you fantastic ladies are at sharing information, I have only ever read discussions never felt confident enough to join in.

KarenA

Hi KarenA

I have posted a link below to a publication on our website about Taxotere. You can download it or order it to be delivered, all free. You can also call our helpline 0808 800 6000 which is open from 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday and 9 am to 2 pm on Saturdays. Our Helpline is manned by breast cancer nurses and trained helpliners who will be able to talk to you about any concerns you have and answer any questions you have.

breastcancercare.org.uk/docs/taxotere_jan_08_0.pdf

Wishing you the best in your treatment

AnnabelG
Facilitator

Hi Karen,

I am really sorry to hear what you are having to go through at the moment. I love the positive attitude though. I have had surgery x 3, FEC, radiotherapy, tax and herceptin so although I haven’t been dx’d with secondaries I think I can offer some of my experiences.
FEC was OK a little sickness but I was always able to return to work within a week of treatments. TAX was very different, the bone ache was the worse and after the first dose I told the ONC I wasn’t prepared to go through the fatigue and pain again. They did reduce the dose and things became a lot better. I was concerned about the reduced dose in case it didn’t work. They said there wasn’t an exact science on dose levels or any research to say if it is detrimental to lower the dose.

Anyway as bad as it was I got through it taking pain killers and resting whenever the need arose. I didn’t have blackened nails like some but they are still discoloured a year later and just beginning to grow out so to speak. The hair loss was rapid, more so than when I was on FEC.
I ate less during treatment but when ‘recovered’ I ate like a horse. I went off lots of foods and sadly I went off wine, something I did like a glass of after work. I still don’t drink so I guess that’s one bonus on the shopping bill.

I wish you all the best, take care

Carol

Hi Karen

I’m so sorry that you are going through this. I had 6 lots of taxotere with herceptin, finishing in early May. Like Carol I found it tough but got through it. And certainly for me it was effective, so I hope it will do the same for you.

I was diagnosed in Sept 07 with bc and a couple of weeks later following scans was told I had secondaries in my lungs and liver. I found out later that the liver 2ndries were large and extensive, although I had not had any obvious symptoms.

I had 3 lots of EC, the second of which found really tough. I had a scan after the third, because there had been a noticeable reduction in the breast tumour, but the results in liver were mixed. Some tumours were smaller but some new ones had appeared.

The first tax completely knocked out my wbc. I had no neutrophils and had to spend a week in hospital on antibiotics, although no infection. They reduced the dose of tax. After the third round I had a scan which showed very significant improvement in the liver and the lungs were much better. The next scan, after 3 more lots, showed no evidence of disease in the lungs and only 3 small tumours in the liver. I’m continuing with the herceptin and feel well apart from stiff knees and feet. Seeing the consultant on Monday so fingers and everything else crossed.

Side effects were fatigue and pains in joints and bones. This was bad day 2 to day 7 and tended to improve after that. I took Ibuprofen for the pain which took the edge off. I also had a couple of days when I felt really anxious and panicky (day 3 and 4). This really freaked me out the first couple of times but I knew to expect it and just told myslef it would go soon and it did.

I had already lost my hair, but lost eyebrows and lashes. These have already come back. Nails lifted a bit and looked disgusting but OK now. Occasionally got swollen feet and a rash. Also heartburn, stomach aches and watery eyes and stiffness in back, shoulders and hips. Generally 10 days of feeling really crap and then starting to feel better although by the end I felt tired most of the time and found it difficult to walk up the road. Once the tax finished I recovered pretty quickly.

I hope this helps. Looking back I can’t believe i got through the last 6 months but I did and I’m planning to go back to work soon. I will be thinking of you on Thursday and hope all goes well.

Laura

Thanks girls for all your positive responses, I know I wont sleep for the next couple of nights, but that’s the Dex’s as well as nerves, I will be fine once I have started it’s just the starting back again, I feel that I have watched everyone come through our unit and I am like the old and bold still sitting there waving every one off wishing the well, good job I work for the NHS, obviously not at the moment and no thinks I am going back, but hey after reading some of your replies, who knows I might!!

Thanks again for all your good wishes and support, I will let you know how I get on, possibly at 3 am when I am up wandering around the house like the mad woman my family thinks I have become, steroids eh!!!

KarenA

Hi Karen

Just wondering how you are.

I’m sorry to read that the Herceptin has not worked for you, however chemotherapy can be very effective and keep the cancer a bay. However I think we can all appreciate how you felt when being told that kind of news. Hopefully you can now focus on the positive and get on with the job in hand. I had 6 taxotere from February this year until fairly recently. The 3 worked really well, there was a slight growth of a millimetre on my next scan therefore decided to stop taxotere.

Taxotere has made the nerve ends in my fingertips numb and tingly and I don’t think this feeling will improve in time, I used to get my chemo on the Wednesday and by the Saturday I felt like I’d been hit with a bus. Just remember you get steriods the day before, the day of your treatment and the day after and they can make you absolutely hyper. Try and remember this a false energy and the more you do the more you’ll pay when you stop taking them, i used to clean the house from top to bottom and couldn’t sit on my bum for a minute but i shoom learned that I ached more on the saturday as a result of it. So I know it’s difficult but take it easy.

All in all in wasn’t bad and i managed to work full time throughout it, except for the week of treatment.

Hope it goes well.

Diane

xx