@anne3 Maybe wearing very very good wigs but even my oncologist looked surprised to see my hairless state! The reason i havent worn mine is that i feel like it makes me look older and its also very hot. Ordered 2 of vinted yesterday that are closer to my real hair and only £10…new with tags. But I’m loving my multitude of hats right now. Hope you’re well xxx
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So from onco appointment, I asked about docetaxel. She said usually given as many doctors’ first choice taxane to patients who seem fit and healthy, but will switch to paclitaxel if not tolerated. Allergic reaction more common but will adjust dosage and speed of drip, give extra steroids. She says it has similar side effects as EC but some people find less and some more, no way of knowing who. Peripheral neuropathy more common. Must report this to red card. Permanent hair loss can happen but she believes it rare. She says any hair that i didnt lose on EC, will definitely go on docetaxel…she saud this when she saw i still had eyelashes and brows. I said i was still willing to give it a go, but nervous. She said chances are I’d be fine.
Still one more EC to go. I must try not to worry about it yet. Xxx
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Thanks for the info bluesatsuma really useful. Just finished up my steroids post third EC and am increasingly nervous about starting doxectaxel but got a similar message from the onco doc I spoke with last week, guess it’s just a see how it goes situation!
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@beckya I’m sure we will all be fine. Let us know how it goes when you get started…you’re half way there now though so relax and feel happy that you are going to be finished soon. Xxx
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Bless, sending hugs xx
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I know what you mean. If I eat something I swear it moves 
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@bluesatsuma I think my hats and scarves are easier to wear than the wig on the whole, with or without added fringe! The wig can be a worry! Also hat wearing is quite a novelty for me so I’m enjoying keeping my ears warm.
Good luck starting your next drug. I start ec on Friday and can admit to feeling nervous about it. I currently have about half of my hair maybe, in straggly patches, so feel the rest will disappear soon. Don’t know about you but I feel like I’ve had enough of this now and want to get back to some sort of normal!
I like the way your hospital replaced the two hour wait sign with one about leaks. Very topical and similarly downbeat.
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Yes my chemo nurse said the same about slowing down the dose if a reaction occurs, and that is the speed they use for the remainder of the cycles. Mine told me that if the reaction occurs it’s usually in the first 20 mg, and therefore they sit and look at you constantly!
Thanks ever so much for asking for information. I have had a delivery of compression socks today 
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@bigpickle good work on the compression socks. Very organised! I must look into that too. Hopefully it will all go to plan and we will tolerate the taxane equally well. Fingers crossed! Xx
@anne3 yes I like my cosy hats too. Got about 12! I keep buying new ones off etsy!
Need to keep off online shopping…our doorbell goes off constantly! I will be on half pay soon so I had better stop! I’ve found EC to be quite tolerable. A few issues but it has been ok. Hope it is the same for you. It will finish off your hair though, although I’m told docetaxel will finish off my eye brows and lashes. They are the only hair I have left now. Hope all goes well for your EC though xx
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@bluesatsuma Thank you! They’re also monitoring my heart more closely which bothers me too. I’m seeing the cardiac consultant next week and having a couple of extra echos. Just seem to be collecting issues!
Yes I keep buying odd hats and scarves here and there, bit of an obsession!
@bigpickle are the compression socks for possible peripheral neuropathy? I didn’t realise that helped and did get it in my feet. Just get a bit of tingling now and itchy feet! I have some socks with cold pack inserts which help although not sure if it’s recommended or not.
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Hi anne3
Yes, bluesatuma posted a thread recently and one contributor…sorry can’t recall who …advised on compression socks and linked a report into how they help with neuropathy. They recommend 20-30mmHG though. Got them off Amazon…if they help then it will be worth it 
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It’s offensive and ridiculous. If it didn’t result in stressing me out and wasting my time it’d be laughable.
My oncologist told me bluntly I would lose all my hair on docetaxel (I’m having it all 6 cycles, my cocktail is brutal I’ve been told), no maybe or anything. I normally grow hair like a monkey (comes back like 2 hours after I shave it) so I’m hoping that will help it grow back later. I’m going to double check with her before my third cycle I definitely have to stop cold capping. The chemo nurses might not want me to do it but they also said it didn’t cause/contribute to the reaction and didn’t explain why I had to stop.
@bigpickle thank you, must have missed it but will look into. Mine seems to be going now thankfully but have been told it can continue once it starts. It’s the itching that’s getting to me ńow. I had paclitaxel which seems to be less harsh than docetaxel. Hope you all get on ok with your next set of cycles!
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@sez at the end of the day it’s up to you if you want to keep cold capping surely? Definitely ask onco if you have to stop. I’d ask you oncologist to see if they can stop asking you to do pregnancy tests. They’ve only ever asked me and I’ve said no and they’ve took my work for it. Ridiculous how they’ve been with you.
It is the reaction you had to docetaxel that scares me. I can deal with hair loss but what happened to you sounded scary. Hopefully it won’t happen on 3rd round. Xxx
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I hope that’s going to be the case but the nurses may refuse to do it and I can’t force them (they almost didn’t let me do it from the off because I have a history of migraines, I had to fight for that).
My specialist (who is a breast surgeon/specialist, nothing to do with gynae, nothing to do with adrenal stuff) was the one who requested the CT today so he should have put it on my notes (apparently all he had to do was write “on chemotherapy, unable to get pregnant so no pregnancy tests required”), he didn’t because he’s awful and while he may be (and I bloody hope he is cos it’s the only way I’ll forgive him for his shoddiness) a great surgeon he knows nothing about this stuff and sadly I fear doesn’t care either.
I don’t think he should even be requesting the scans, I don’t understand why my oncologist doesn’t deal with everything else not breast surgery related. My oncologist is an actual doctor, he’s not, he’s a bloody surgeon and his title is Mr not Dr. Any future scans like that I will push back now I know he should have pulled his finger out and actually make an effort.
I felt bad having a strop, like I was having a tantrum or something, I’m an ex blood donor and have no problem giving blood at all but it’s the principle of it all. 4+ hours wasted when they could take my word (I offered to sign anything they wanted) and do it immediately, just nuts. Also I had to get up at 6am to get to the hospital, my parents drove me (cos I can’t drive) so they were also up early, my appointment was at 8:30, they didn’t call me till 10am and then started going on about this blood test… nope wasn’t going to happen.
I don’t know different from the docetaxel, I’ve not had anything else. I’m on that, carboplatin, pertuzumab and trastuzumab for all 6 cycles. I’ve been told it’s a particularly brutal cocktail.
The reaction was absolutely awful, I’m not going to pretend it wasn’t, I was terrified. Having said that the first time I had no reaction whatsoever and I believe they gave me more that time. Next time they’re going to administer it more slowly and observe me closer so it hopefully doesn’t happen again.
Gosh @sez sounds like an absolute nightmare. I hope they get it all sorted for you in time for next cycle. So hard with the early starts too. I always wondered why surgeons don’t use ‘Dr’ as a title.
Sending you love and luck. Xxx
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Surgeons do generally train as doctors first then do surgical training after that so they become Dr, then go to Mr when they qualify as a surgeon, as I guess they need that knowledge first! They are highlyvqualified. Having said that though you do seem to have had a nightmare at a very difficult time for you! You could complain to PALS so at least others don’t have similar bad experiences? Really hoping things get better for you as it’s bad enough without extra hiccups! 
Some surgeons are doctors I believe (I work with one at the GP surgery I work at) but my breast specialist/surgeon doesn’t appear to be one (if he was maybe I’d believe he knew what he was talking about)l, the majority of the time if you ask him about anything non-breast related he replies with he doesn’t know, or I’m going to refer you to “the team that knows about that stuff”, phrased like that, he admits he doesn’t know what he’s talking about).
I know he must be highly qualified but he has said he’s not a doctor to me directly and has been very open there are loads of things he’ll never be able to explain properly to me because he doesn’t know, which is why I don’t understand why he gets to take the lead in these things. My oncologist gets to boss him about re my chemotherapy but I think she should just be bossing him about in general until it comes to the surgery in the new year. He just slows things down and upsets me.
He also doesn’t help matters by always smirking smugly, my oncologist knows when a smile is appropriate.
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They have to do medical training first but suppose they’re not working as doctors as such. Seems you got the short straw! I know some don’t have a very good bedside manner and can be very abrupt. I witnessed a tantrum or two by a consultant when I worked in a hospital but suppose they’re under a lot of pressure. He’s now a professor (oncology) so was obvs working hard. It was weird having an MRI last week at the same hospital where I worked!
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I think mine is probably best at working with patients when they are unconscious.
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