I sympathise Fiona. I had really bad problems with constipation while taking the anti sickness pills with FEC. I drank gallons of water and that helped, but only after I stopped taking the steroids each time. District nurse has prescribed Movicol to take before the next round since they’ve quadrupled the steroid dose for when I start Tax next week.
Jan
Hi Jan,
Yes the steroid situation on TAX is severe, I wasn’t sick at all on TAX and found that I could drop the anti sickness 2nd day in. The steroids can make your stomach very tender and bloated, (always take them with plenty food) some people get diorhea a few days in. I think that’s why I was able to keep on top of things. I ended up on 80mg of omeprazole a day as had very bad reflux. And mouth problems were a bug bear too. If you have any problems with first one, try get them sorted out as will really help with no2. Think that’s why I have to rethink all my plan now as FEC behaving different to TAX.
Best Wishes
Fiona x
Hi there
I didnt get any constipation on FEC despite taking anti sickness and steroids but i did eat prunes in abudance. Got both problems with taxotere though, even the prunes didnt help…
I think your bowel gets sluggish after you have done a fair bit of chemo. I took some senocot last week to help. Seems fine now. hopefully all that a thing of past now.
Found out today that i am probably not going to start rads until end july so thats my summer holidays down the swannie.
I am not a happy bunny at the moment.
Linda
Aaah Linda,
Sorry your holiday has been stuffed. Is there any chance of you getting away even for a short one before your rads start? A bit of fun and R&R really makes a difference.
Jan xxx
Hi Jan,
Dont think so, I am a teacher and would be very unethical to take my kids out of school. However thinking about a couple of weekends away or might be able to squeeze a few days between year end and start of rads depending on the date they start. We shall see.
I really feel i need a break.
Linda
Hi Linda
Not on Taxotere but noticed your post. I really admire your sentiments but I also think you have an exceptional set of circumstances here and your whole family would probably benefit from getting away for a week or so. Don’t rule it out on moral grounds just yet, maybe talk it through with someone?
Really hope you can work something out that suits
Fiona
Hi Fiona,
I have worked out now that if School finishes on 17th July and they said the end of july which would/might be 27th, then theres a week there to be had. Will wait for my appointment to find out for certain but cautiously optimistic now … Solve all problems and mean i am about 5 weeks post chemo and should be fit enough.
We shall see.
Linda
hi all,
After 3 cycles of epi i am about to take taxotere on Tuesday.I am a bit nervous as ive just spent a week in hospital with an infection and neutropenia,the onc is going to give me injections in my tummy for five days following the chemo ?? also im having antibiotics the week after the tax for precaution just in case i get a reoccurance of last week.Does anybody else out there get sudden dizzyness of faintness ?? I cant seem to go out the house these days without this and its realy scarey.Just tried to pick some tiles in b and q and had to go and sit in the car instead 
sharon xx
Hello all,
I had my 3rd Taxotere last Wednesday with a reduced dosage. I feel much better, although the taste buds are not. That will be easier to go through than all the pain from the first 2 Tax. One more to go on July 8 and it will be the end of chemo!!! Almost looking forward to surgery and radiotherapy!
Best wishes to all
Sonia xx
Hi Sharon,
I believe the dizzyness and feeling faint is to do with your blood pressure dropping which chemo can cause. I had a few odd ones but not too many. You have to get up and down really slowly. Good luck with the tax, I have now finished that and waiting for rads. Cant say i am not pleased to see back of it but suppose its doing its job.
Sonia, I had my chemo after surgery but seems if you have it before you have four lots of each. Good luck with it.
i am now getting to end of SE’s of last taxotere although i still have the fatigue.
All the best
Linda
Hi Linda,
Yes, I am having chemo before surgery. I started in February and Tax is the last 4 ! I am a little bit scared of surgery (mostly because of lymphoedema) but will go through it and see.
Sonia
xx
Hi Everyone,
Just signing in to say hello. Another bad week following chemo, gets worse every time although I am advised it is more likely the carboplatin than the taxotere that is making it worse. Not sure yet if I have one or three more chemo sessions to go, makes it hard to plan for the school summer holidays but such is life at the moment. I will have a ct scan after session 6 (the next one) and then a decision will be made on whether or not to have two more chemo cycles or go straight onto just herceptin.
Sonia, good luck with your surgery.
regards,
Snoogle
x
Hi everyone,
just had my last dose of chemo this morning and although all went well I am not leaping for joy just yet until I have got the next two weeks out of the way (you all know what I mean by that!)
Sharon…I became neutrapenic after my first dose of Tax (which was after 4 doses of FEC) and like you have a week in hospital. For the next doses I was prescribed the jab that others have had as routine and touch wood it has worked. So all being well it should help you. I am also on antivirals until I come out of the other side of chemo. I have also found that as it goes on the SE’s in the first week get worse as the chemo builds up. This does have the advantage that whilst the WBC is very low I don’t go out and am at far less risk of picking infections up.
Sonia…like you and unlike many others on this site, I am having chemo before surgery.It the norm where I am but I think very much dependent on your health authority. I am now turning my mind to surgery and what that might entail (will find out after my third and final MRI scan in a couple of weeks).I will however be guided by the Doc’s recommendations but everyone says surgery is a breeze after chemo. That might be the case phyisically but not sure about the mental aspects. I am however reassured by the ladies on here, most of whom have already had surgery and seemed to have coped very well.
good luck to those coming through chemo and looking at rads soon.
Been a good site this one and good to see that although many of us have had hiccups along the way we have all been able to spur each other on.
Julie xxx
Hi,
I have a question about fingernails. After a couple of sessions mine started looking bruised and now some have gone white. Does anyone know if this means they are likely to fall off soon? At times they can be quite painful. I will be asking about this at my next chemo session, but wondered if any of you girls had experience of this.
Thanks,
Snoogle
x
hi everyone,my first tax today !! scareyyyyyyyyyyyyyy !!!
hope ur all ok and keeping the chins up
Positivity yay if i say that once more they will lock me in the local nutty home:-)
love sharon xxxxxxxx
Hi Sharon,
Hope it goes/went ok!
Good Luck
Snoogle
x
julie - well done for the last one!! My last was last week - now day 6 and feel like I’ve been run over by a truck - nothing specific just tired and vague and mouth/taste…hope to be better by day 8-10…well thats the plan…sharon - sending those positive vibes soaring after you kiddo!! mary x
Hi all
Snoogle, i am afraid it does mean they will fall out. Mine are like that and i asked my oncologist on Friday and she said they will fall out. Sorry to be bearer of bad news. I am postponing the inevitable by painting in hard as nails and they are a beautiful shade of dark cherry at moment. You should notice that they are coming away from the bed down the sides, presume when they get to bottom, off they come.
Good luck Sharon on your first.
Julie, article in mail today about neo adjuvant chemotherapy being the best. I had my op first and no use dwelling on what if’s. Just wish someone had told me. Oh well whats done is done. Surgery for me wasnt that painful, but after effects are hard to live with. (lymphoedema, trying to find comfortable bra’s, tops that dont show dent). However, i had full mastectomy and full axial clearance so that could have something to do with it.
All the best
Linda
Thanks Linda! Well I had kind of expected that to be the case. They are coming away at the sides, especially worse is the one on my right hand (peter pointer! forget the real name). Hurridly trying to get my son to do his buttons up by himself as it is getting quite painful. Every time I do anything I seem to catch it. My nails have lots of ridges so hopefully when they grow back they will be lovely and smooth. Well I can dream!
Best wishes to all,
Snoogle
x
Hi All,
I’ve had 4xEC and tomorrow I’ll have my 3rd Tax,but I’ve noticed that my stomach is really bloated,I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this.
I’m just over 8 stone so for me I look 3months+ I’m going to the loo and eating ok but really don’t like this!
Little H xx