Hi Pinkrose. My next poison is the same day as you. My feet are not too bad but hands are peeling and tingling. I have a family wedding on Saturday so I hope hands will stop shedding skin all over the place by then. I’m using diprobase cream but 10 minutes later they look bad again. I’m wearing Michael Jackson style cotton gloves around the house. I’m going to try the moonwalk in my comfy slippers.
The face rash doesn’t sound like much fun. I bet smiling is the last thing you feel like doing. No rash for me, but pink watery eyes.
I’m with you on the hair too. I did have some fluff growing but can’t feel much of it now. BAH!
Moaning is good therapy lol x
hi all
yes yes heavy leaden legs and a horrid weighted down feeling that just will not go - thats been me been post TAX, each time, right up until ther next treatment and yes i want to know it will go away too.
i am still grappling with digestive system DAY 4 post TAX3 and embarrassingly have a very sore “rear end” - this chemo is such joy
however, i went for a walk today or rather a stagger i should say- i am 45 and like some of you have said pre this lot i was running around like a mad woman after my 3 kids who i am on my own with. now its a very different story i’m afraid and i would just like a little bit of energy back at some point.
hugs
claire x
Hip hip hooray! Not tired today!
I’m just going to enjoy the few days before TAX 2 Monday. I would have been having it on Thursday but have an extension for a family wedding. That means though I would only have had 3 or 4 days feeling relatively normal this cycle. Hopefully the dose reduction next time will make a difference. Hope everyone is OK and SE’s are being kind x
Claire, I’m 45 as well and at 6 days post Tax 1 I feel about 90. I’ve managed a short walk for the past few days but my legs feel as though they don’t belong to me and until yesterday I was aching so much I could barely get up off the sofa.
Snap as well with the rear end problems - my digestive system has finally reasserted itself today and I now feel as though I’ve just given birth! It’s a real relief to have finally got that “out of the way”. I was taking codeine for the pain which worked brilliantly but didn’t help with the natural progression of food… I had a similar problem with FEC1 but not early as bad. Send in the prunes!
I was to go back to work on Monday for a week and a half before my next cycle as I’ve done with FEC2 & 3 but at the moment I’m really not sure I’ll make it. Just trying to put off going to half pay if at all possible but I might have to take some leave to make it - got plenty left as they carried over some I didn’t use last year and I haven’t used any yet this year - I’ve got about 34 days to take!!!
Jane xxx
Hi all,
I’m finally back online after having spent a week in hospital with neutropenic sepsis, and very scary that was too! I ended up in ITU and at one stage had a temp over 40oC but was finally allowed home yesterday. I still feel exhausted and my left arm is a mess from numerous cannulations/bloods, so much so that I’m now scared that one of those sites will turn septic and start the whole thing again as I am now mid-cycle. . . sigh, chemo really and truly sucks! 
They never did work out the exact source of the infection just that my first TAX completely decimated my immune system to the point that it was almost non-existent. My onc is now going to reassess how much TAX I am given for each treatment (still have 3 to go) and I may have a delay before the next one to give my system some time to recover. I’ve been told that for the time being I have to stay at home because although they are happy that my neutrophyls are recovering, I can’t take any risks from catching something from someone else.
I really want all this to be finished now!
Hope the rest of you are having a better time of it!
Nymeria xx
Nymeria, you poor thing, that sounds awful, sending you a hug and glad you are home now. I bet it was very scary indeed, chemo is bad enough without you having to go into hospital for a week.I bet you cant wait for it to all be over. Im day 13 after tax 2 (had 4 FEC before that) and have terribly sore fingers and nails, ibuprofen and paracetamol not helping at all. Ive had such sore feet too, when I phoned the hospital they just said take painkillers but nothing has helped. tax is rubbish isnt it. I have 2 more to go and crikey I cant wait for it to be over. hugs to everyone having tax this week and suffering side effects. ness xx
Nymeria. Poor you! I shall not moan now about feeling tired and my sore feet.
I work in a secondary school and usually on my good days I’ve been going into work, but as my WBC was on the low side just before tax 2, I’ve steered clear of anyone who is ill - which is quite difficult as my daughters and hubby all have colds and sore throats!
Hope you feel better now you are home Nymeria - take it very easy from now on!
Rachelx
pinkrose - don’t stop moaning about your se’s after all they are horrible for you! 
I think I’m going to need to be extra vigilant about sources of infection from now on - thank goodness the children have grown up and left home!
nessp - I have tried paracetamol and nsaids for the aching fingers, toes etc and I have to say that neither really help that much. I think for stuff like this basically we are expected to grin and bear it!
I am *so* looking forward to the end of may when hopefully chemo will all be finished!
xx
Nymeria! That’s terrible! Hope you have a dose reduction next time. mine will be a 20% reduction. That must have been really scary for you. Rest and recovery time for you now. This TAX is lethal stuff x
Hi janipi, yes I think there will definitely be a dose reduction, although the downside is that I might have to have 5 in total instead of 4. Also I think they need to keep a better watch on my weight because I was so shocked when I was weighed at the hospital - 6st 12lbs! Whilst I’m not a big person anyway, this is far too thin and maybe the dosage was just too much for my body to take. . .
They have case meetings on thursdays, so I’m assuming that someone will be in touch after that to tell me what happens next.
Meanwhile I am enjoying being at home where I can get the rest that I really need without all the background noise of a hospital.
No one ever said chemo was going to be ‘fun’ but I have to say that this experience really does take the biscuit!
nessp I also have really painful feet and my GP gave me Co-codamol and Ibuprofen to take together. I also put my feet in cold water in a foot spa sometimes with ice cubes in as they burn so much. Youer GP should give you something stronger for the pain.
Polly x
nymeria - hope you recover from your hospital ordeal soon
feeling tired today, just a bit yuk i think- hoping to take my son to the running club that we belong to tonight for an hour - running feels like a wild dream at the moment - cant believe i could ever have done it but i ran 8 miles last august before all this started -now i am scared i will never feel well enough to do a full day at work again.
hugs to all
claire x
Hey all you lovely ladies… I had 3 doses of FEC followed by 3 of Tax and yes it’s hideous BUT I had my last dose on 2nd December and today I started back at the gym! I probably could have gone back sooner but wanted to give my body the chance to heal. Keep going girls, I promise you WILL feel like your old selves again and will soon be running around after everyone.
Good luck,keep strong you’re all doing well
Saz xxx
Saz, thanks so much for saying that! I was feeling like I would never have my old life back. I’m sure it will be different in lots of ways but I just look forward to having some energy. I am enjoying a “few” good days at the moment, but I expect you will all hear snoring for a few minutes this afternoon as I can’t get through the day without a little nap. Wouldn’t go down very well at work , would it lol. I salute everyone who manages to work while on chemo. You are all superwomen!
Hi saz
Thanks for that - makes me feel much better, although I have to say that today (5 days before next tax) am feeling ok. No SEs. Will have to cram in some good things before next Monday.
Have found out today that it’s up to me whether I have radio or not (5 weeks of it) when I’ve finished chemo. I was really hoping the oncologist would say I didn’t need it rather than it’s up to me as for me that’s a definite well I’d better have it then. My dad said go for it it’s free! (he is a yorkshireman afterall!). Well radio should be a doddle compared to chemo??? (for me anyway - no offence to anyone who has had radio and found it difficult, I hasten to add).
Rachel.
hi everyone, well day 14 after tax 2 and crikey my fingers and nails are driving me crazy. they are so painful, been taking codeine, ibuprofen etc and nothing seems to help, been waking in the middle of the night in so much pain and just cant sleep, Im phoning the hospital today to see if there is anything I can do.
Saz, great to hear you are back to the gym, Im looking forward to going back once Im able to, nice to hear a positive story.
hugs to everyone out there suffering with tax side effects, it stinks doesnt it! Ness xx
Nessp. day 14 I was still having pain! It did pass though and I did manage to have some pain free days. Tell hospital though. I think they like to know about painful hands and feet because peripheral neurapathy can set in and people are left with it after TAX. I was a bit worried but my hands and feet feel normal now (day 21) hjust some peeling skinI’ve escaped TAX until Monday so I need to clean the house, shop and run around organising everything before the TAX truck hits again.
Hi nessp
I had really sore feet last week and have one very, very sore big toe nail which is starting to go black (so disgusting). I’m not sure what you can do or put on them to help? My oncologist just nodded sympathetically when I told him about my feet and nail. Today (day 18) my finger nails are tender. Tax 3 on Monday so not much respite from SEs this time … be interesting to see what you find out from the hospital …
Rachelx
hi, I spoke to the oncology unit which suggested pyridoxine, I then had to contact my consultant about the pain who said dont take pyridoxine, take codeine, or ibuprofen and paracetamol alternatively so am going to take codeine now as the pain is unearable. Im seeing him MOnday anyway so he said we can discuss it then and whether the next does of tax will be reduced or not. good luck janipi running around before next tax, that will be me at the weekend too before chemo in a weeks time, at least with Fec I had a good 2 weeks but have had a bad 2 weeks solid so hoping for a good few days now before next thursday xx
Hi Pinkrose… Just read your thread re the rads. Go fo it. I was fortunate enough to sail through the rads compared to the chemo. It’s a pain having to go to the hosp everyday, but at least you know you’ve done EVERYTHING to ensure all the ‘nasties’ are blizted!
Take care
Saz