hi everyone,
1st good day today…actually been up all day!
thanks for eyelashes tip waitingangel, will definitely get myself to wilkinsons, bottom eyelashes very thin!
Chris, I find myself clenching my teeth at times, esp when i wake up in the night, s’pose tenion shows in many different ways.
I’m wondering how long it will take to get all this out of our systems aswell. I’ve been off work for almost a year and have to start to think when in the future i may have enough energy to go back! Also bit concerned that periferal neuropathy has been worse after each tax and this time my fingers are starting to feel stiff when I try and bend them, spose must be swelling.
Sharon I sympathise with you, i just am really aggitated with the steroids and cant relax at all, find myself dashing around…not always achieving much and certainly not getting much sleep for first few days!
starfish, pleased tax is finished for you and hope side effects get less and less.i must admit though I’m really keen to finish tax I do feel slightly strange that that will mean all my years treatment is finished !
Hope everyone has a good weekend
best wishes
Smiler
x
I have just been told I am to have 3 more Taxotere. had 3 and 3 Epirubicin.
I have secondaries.
It is working - tumours reducing.
I have hair coming back - hope I don’t loose it again.
Nails ok so far, a bit thin. I am oiling them.
4th one next week.
Hi Everyone,
Last tax for me today!!! Actually did feel like celebrating but boys had swimming and footy so couldnt go out so instead have had a lovely family evening watching Kung Fu Panda and eating chocolate and haagen Daas!!!
Seems very strange that after a year my treatment has finished, apart from tamoxifen. Trying to think of next steps to keep myself as healty as poss. how’s everyone else doing? Hope you are all ok. Chris I seem to think it’s your last tax tomorrow, good luck and hope they manage to get a vein quicker than last time.
Take care everyone
best wishes
smiler
x
Hi Smiler
thanks for remembering, yes it is my last tax tomorrow. One more dive under… Congrats on finishing yours. One more lot of s/es and then lots of good things, healthy nails, hair, oh and hair and … maybe some more hair/Had my steroids tonight and another 8 tomorrow and then that is THAT!!! Then maybe all the water retention etc can slowly drain away…
hope you are not too wound up to sleep
take care
Chris x
Hi,
Chris hope today goes well for you…last one! I have that ‘tomato look’ today and am talking ten to the dozen and ofcourse not getting much sleep, but keep thinking in a weeks time se’s should have disappeared and no more tax! I take 8 steroid for 1st 3 days then 2 each morning for 3 days and piriton cos after tax 2 my tongue swelled up so to avoid that happening again they gave me extra steroids and piriton. actually think the 3 extra days of 2 has helped with the tiredness. no sign of hair growing back yet, and I have to say I was pleased that my eyelashes are ok, other than a few gone on the bottom but apparently they can drop out weeks later…oh the joys!
Hope they get a vein ok, I read somewhere on here that drinking lots of water helps veins’plump up’ tried that and they got a vein straight away yesterday!
take care
Smiler
x
Hi Smiler
all done and dusted. They got needle in first time, yipppeeeeeeee. I only have 12 steroids. 4 last night, 4 this am b4 chemo and 4 tonight. Then anti sickness for 4 days after this. I get oral thrush approx day 4/5 yuck but have loads of liquid and gels to apply asap, usually lasts about 5 days or so… one more time next week and then no more!
Most of my eyelashes have gone but still have faint eyebrows. My hair has just begun to peep through, head looks like a gooseberry!. I cant quite tell what colour it has decided to be…
Gill, really glad that tax is doing its job for you. it is good stuff. As for nails, mine have just gone a pale orange but so far are handing on. Only time will tell as chemo is in the body for approx 6 months so I have read.
take care all,
Chris x
Hi everyone, I’m new the the forums.
I’ve had 3 FECS and 1 Tax so far. It’s going pretty well, the tumour is shrinking considerably.
Did not have much side effects with the FEC, no sickness or vomiting, but felt tired and a bit nauseous. However on the 2nd FEC, some of the fluid leaked out into my left hand and caused a painful swelling for weeks - an error on the part of the nurse who inserted the canulae - who seemed more concerned about me getting a picc line at the time than doing her job properly. All that caused clotting in the hand and since mid Sept, I’ve been on clexanne daily injections. Not happy about that…
Anyway, had the 1st TAX on Oct 31, the pain in the joints, muscles, bones and back after day 3 was almost unbearable which lessened coniserably around day 6. It was also compounded by terrible constipation and indigestion. Eventually got prescriptions from the doc to alleviate them. Felt much better after that and was able to to go about as normal.
Should have received my 2nd tax last Fri but my WBC was too low, plus I had a sore throat which turned into a major deal over the weekend, by Mon I had to be on antibiotics with a chest infection. Hopefully I should be ready for the 2nd tax come Mon.
In response to smiller11, my eyelashes are almost all gone, I have to get them out of my eye, sometimes two to three times a day, which is so annoying…the joys…
take care
das
Hi
Chis great that you have finished Tax and that they got a vein first time!!! Hope SE’s arent too bad for this last one. Do you know any dates for the next part of your plan? I had 6mth check up with surgeon on Monday, they are happy with how things feel but will follow up with mammogram and hopefully mri (as my cancer didnt show up on mammagram, one of reasons for original misdiagnosis!) I also have to start on tamoxifen in nxt couple of weeks.
Dionne pleased that your tumour is shrinking and that the chemo is obviously working even though you seem to have had quite a few probs, hope you are feeling much better and that you will beable to get tax 2 on Monday.
Take care.
Smiler
x
hi anyone out ther on Tax ?.as anyone had achy legs insomnia and terrible thrush, at least i think its thrush. i have never suffered with it if anyone as or had it what did you do ? caneston or go to the docs please help i really cannot cope with another sleepless night Marysia x
Hi Marysia,
I have just finished 4 x tax so know what the s/es are for a lot of us.
Yes I do hav achey legs, careful as I go downstairs as they dont feel too strong. Hopefully will get back to ‘normal’ over time.
The end of my fingers / nails are quite sore now and I struggle to use my fingers to open tight things ie can tops although I haavnt lost any nails yet. My toes are quite sore too, especially the little one, some sort of fluid retention, feels like it wants to pop!!! ouch, but again hopefully will begin to go as last tax over. I have also had thrush, v white tongue after every tax and perscribed nystan and daktarin to apply several times a day. Luckily the thrush didnt go through my body to other areas and cause I believe terrible itching. It went within a few days. My sense of taste is still v poor and things taste yuck although it hasnt stopped me eating, except for the first 8 days or so.If you have thrush I would advise that you go to your docs today and get something for it aswell as caneston as our bodies need all the help we can give them.
take care,
ring docs
Chris x
Hi Marysia
I even had thrush in my stomach. It affected my mouth, and I had a burning sensation in my gullet, bowels and my little bottom when I needed a poo (sorry for the slang term) which was frequently as I had constant diarreah.
I was given antibiotics for this stomach thrush and thankfully all those horrible symptoms quickly disappeared.
Now, 9 weeks after last tax it seems like an almost distant memory.
Hang on in there girls
Pxx
Hi Marysia
I was given oral medication to help with this.
I was also given (but you can also make it up yourself) bicarb solution for thrush. Like you, I had it everywhere - and it’s the pits, isn’t it?
I used to rinse my mouth out with it, drink it and wash down below with it, too. I also used to wear no knickers and loose skirts/dresses round the house!
I also used to take a hot water bottle filled with chilled water to bed and found sleeping on my stomach helped a little, too.
Hope some of this helps…
X
S
ANYONE FIND THEY ARE BREATHLESS ON TAX AND THANKS GIRLS FOR ALL THOSE TIPS DECICED TO GIVE DOCS A MISS COULDNT FACE SITTING IN THE DOCS SURGERY FOR 3 HRS I GOT CANESTON ANF WORKS THANK GOD, THE BICARBS SOUNDS GOOD WILL GIVE THAT A TRY. ALSO HEARD ON THE FORUM THAT SOME ONE WHO HAD TAX DIDNOT GET HER HAIR BACK 3 YRS ON APPARENTLY THE MAKER OF TAX SAYS THAT THEONCOLAGISTS SHOULD TELL THE PATIENTS THIS COULD HAPPEN , AS ANYONE ELSE HEARD THIS . THIS AS FREACKED ME OUT MARYSIAXX
Hi Marysia
Yes, was breathless on Taxotere, and still am, as have only just finished it.
Glad Canesten is working for you, it didn’t help me much. But I did find the bicarb soothing.
I lost my hair on Taxotere - it is very, very slowly coming back - try not to worry too much about that now (easier said than done, I know)…
X
S
Hi Marysia
I think I am aware of the person whos hair hasnt grown back, it is apparently about 8 p.c. if that. My hair fell out with ac and approx 3rd tax it began to grow very slowly. As I am fair it doesnt show up much yet, it looks like a gooseberry!!! Good you have some relief with the thrush, nasty thing. Take one step at a time, you cant rush this and dont panic with what ifs. Just try to deal with what is.
Hi Smiler, how are you doing? Op booked for 2 Jan so hope to feel good for xmas and eating!!!
Chris x
Hi All,
Just been to get a new wig for Christmas today as there’s no sign of my hair growing back yet, still it’s only just over 2 wks since the last tax so maybe I shouldn’t expect it to have started to grow yet?
Chris,pleased you have a date for your op, how are you feeling? I was really so much more tired after last tax took me about10 days to get some energy back! Still ok now and back to Christmas shopping! I’m having trouble opening jars/ cans as well, had to ask my 8 yr old to open a couple of things for me this week which he did easily and made me look like a real weakling!!! Not as hungry, which is great! But still feel I have a bit of a moon face after all those steroids.
Hope everyone’s SE’s are getting better in time for Christmas!
Best Wishes
smiler
x
I have the oral thrush, using Corsodyl Daily and Difflam MW several times a day.
My hair is growing quite well. It nearly all fell out with Epirubicin. No on told me it might not grow back - hope it stays!
Am on day 5 of 5th Docetaxol (Taxotere) and feeling delicate. Started GCSF injections today, hate them but hey seem to work.
One more cycle to go then MRI scan and talk about what next. At Ultra Sound Scan a few weeks ago it seemed to be reducing the Tumours in my Liver, so here’s hoping for more reduction and time off the chemo.
I get breathless going up a longer than house size staircase and lifting things. Does this go?
Good luck with the wig smiler, I have never found one I could wear and people have got used tome now. I used scarves, but others find wigs easy.
best wishes everyone
gill