Anyone out there on Docetaxel who could give me an insight of how you got on with it.I start in two weeks after not getting on with Fec and LThanks.etrozole not working now.
Hi Bill-Ben
Docetaxol is not an easy chemo, I won’t lie to you. However, I was pretty ok on it & seemed to tolerate it well. Side effects for me were weak nails (I painted them a dark colour which has stopped them getting too bad or falling off), tiredness, hair fell out a week after the 1st cycle. I didn’t suffer with nausea thankfully. Sucking ice cubes whilst having the chemo prevented any mouth ulcers - a tip I picked up form Nicky08. Some diarrhoea on occasions & have some Sudocrem handy! I had 6 cycles & worked at home throughout (I do admin for a school). Not everyone gets all the side effects listed - we’re all different. I am also on Herceptin, Denosumab & Exemestane (bone & liver mets).
All the best with your treatment & take care of yourself, rest when you need to.
Helen x
Hi
I had 8 rounds of Docetaxel in 2013. Similar side effects. I also had no sickness and managed to keep working throughout the 6 months of treatment. X
I’m on docetaxal - had my first round last week. Had a few niggles for the first few days but touch wood things have settled down x
Hi bill Ben, I saw your other post about going onto docetaxel after letrozole has stopped working. Have just got back from holiday so haven’t replied sooner.
I see you will be on a dosage so that you have it every week so I don’t know how that will affect you overall, maybe similar to the ladies on taxol who are/have had it weekly?
However I had the 3 weekly dose of docetaxel last year and, apart from the first cycle, found it OK, I’d say ‘better’ than FEC which I had 7 years ago. The first cycle floored me with really bad aches and shooting, nerve like pains so much so I was prescribed oramorph for the next cycle, but didn’t need it. The big fear for me was nausea which I had badly on FEC but I didn’t have any at all on docetaxel. The steroids floor you a bit as you come off them, and keep you awake whilst you’re on them but that seems the norm. I did have a gradual build up of muscle fatigue over the four months, especially leg muscles but this eased once I’d finished the course. Mouth ulcers were terrible the first cycle but as I learnt from reading some threads in the main section of the forum about chemotherapy, sucking ice cubes whilst actually having the infusion worked and I didn’t get another one. It’s meant to help like the cold cap does for hair in case you wonder why it works. Hair will no doubt fall out, but maybe a bit further on as your dose is lower each time. I didn’t paint my nails dark, as is suggested to do, and I had about 3 damaged ones but the rest held on although a lot thinner that they were. Hope this helps and ask any other questions. There’s also other (primary) ladies experiences and tips in the main part of the forum that I found useful to read as there’s not so many of us secondaries on these chemos at the moment. Oh, and make a diary of your days that you are affected by the side effects, it will help you to know what to expect each cycle.
Nicky x
Thanks to all of you who have got back with your tips. I am dreading the nausea as I was really rough on Fec and didn’t eat for 6 weeks losing 3 stone in two months. Weight that really needed to go but not the right way to go about it! Unfortuneatly most of it has gone back on. It seems that having “the trots” is a very common side effect with Docetaxel, at the moment I am suffering the complete opposite and have to take this foul tasting stuff called Laxido which states it is orange flavour but I have never tasted an orange like that. When I go for my treatment I shall make sure I take a flask of icepops or ice cubes with me. On the Fec I suffered from a white furry mouth and had to have some stuff of equally foul taste to clear it up. I know your taste changes dramatically on chemo but why do you get given stuff that tastes awful when you are well let alone why you are feeling rough! I was given several meal replacements when I stopped eating, soup, yogurt and a drink which looked bad smelt bad and tasted unbelieveably disgusting. My family would nag me to take it and it wasn’t until I made them try it that they realised why I couldn’t !! Hopefully as the onc said having weekly treatment will be a bit easier on the system I won’t be quite so bad. It was so embarrassing before to be in deep conversation with someone and fall asleep while talking. Thanks everyone again.