Thankyou soo much for your encouraging responses about how I am feeling on TAX I thought I was going out of my mind!!! The aches are unbelieveable!! I have been having pains in absoutely everywhere, and been freaking myself out as have been getting them in my right breast/armpit where I had my lumpectomy/ANC and in my left breast, neck, back, ribs, spine you name it… some of the pains feel like bruised spots in these places hope thats normal?? I am seeing my Onc on Thurs so will mention it.
hi donna, yes snap, - aches everywhere including breast and armpit after ANC and yes very frightening - whatever this stuff is it certainly travels everwhere around our bodies playing havoc.
Hi everyone i have finished my fec x 3 and iam due to start my 1st tax which will also be 3 nxt wk on fec i really have got off easy with se just feeling really tired and abit of heartburn but iam starting to worry about tax as it sims the worst of the two
hope everyone is doing ok
maxine xxx
Hi Maxine, I had fec before and found it not too bad for se’s. I have only had one tax so far and have found it harder but manageable, worst being stomache problems. Everyone is different though and although we can all tell you our experience yours might be completely different, some people say they found it easier than fec. I think starting any new regime is a dounting prospect but once you get the first one out the way you kind of know what to expect.
Hi everyone, thank you all for writing about your SEs while on TAX (which I assume means docetaxel?). I have had 3 FECs and now I will have three cycles of docetaxel starting this Friday. Reading about how you felt has helped me prepare psychologically for the possibility that this will be harder than FEC. I think I got away with FEC quite lightly so I’ll make the most of the next two days before Friday!
Hi Barbwill, yes, Tax is short for Taxotere which is just a brand name of Docetaxel (the generic name) but the name Taxotere is often used instead of the generic name (as in FEC-T chemo where the T is Taxotere)
If you’ve got your first Tax on Friday you probably won’t start to feel rough until Sunday as most people find the SEs don’t kick in for at least 24 hours. Then, unfortunately, the Tax truck hits…
My first Tax was truly awful, my second was really pretty good and my third has been closer to the first again, although not quite as bad. I’m on day 7 and still have a temperature all over the place and very achy legs. I’m sleeping badly and having to take painkillers in the night. The hot flushes are an almighty pain in the backside and my leg and arm muscles are weak to a quite debilitating extent and I now need to use a walking stick to get up hills or walk any distance over about 50 yards. From what I’ve read only about 6% get this SE badly though, so I’ve just been unlucky there.
Hi everyone, well I am 4 weeks post last tax (had 4 fec and 3 tax) and still have very achey legs and now have swollen ankles and feet, has anyone else had this? I have my op on Tuesday, WLE and removal of some lymph nodes, do getting a little nervous about that. Then radio after that. Hope side effects are kind to everyone this week have chemo. Had my last tax cancelled due to neurothapy, they didnt want me to be left with it after and as I had already had 7 chemos they stopped. Hugs to everyone and will be on again once I have had my op. Ness xxxxxxx
I’ve had swollen ankles since about 10 days after Tax 2 (I’m now 9 days post Tax 3). It varies in how bad it is, depending on how much I can get my feet up during the day, but some days my right ankle is truly awful. By the time I go to bed most evenings my entire legs are puffy but they’re a lot better by the morning.
I’ve read that the steroids and Tax both have the potential side effect of fluid retention so it’s a double whammy.
The SEs of Tax seem to be very long lasting but I don’t know how long we should expect the fluid retention to last. Migh tbe worth asking your onc? I’ll be seeing mine again in July so if I’ve still got swelling by then I’ll ask about it. I’m hoping the fluid is responsible for some of my weight gain and I’ll just gradually pee it away!
I agree with Jane’s comment about the SEs from Tax being very long lasting. My fingernails did not start to fall off until a month after treatment finished and now at six weeks I’ve noticed that I’m going to lose some toenails too. Plus my taste buds are by no means back to normal and my tongue is still very sensitive (like it’s been burnt) too and that’s not taking into account the general exhaustion, achy limbs etc.
I asked my BCN about how long it would take for the effects to wear off and she said that it’s hard to tell on an individual basis but that it can take a few months for all the chemicals to work their way out of your system.
Like a lot of people, I fell into the trap of thinking that a few weeks after treatment finished I would start to feel a lot better, when the reality is that you have to give your body time to recover from everything.
Hi,
I’m 8 weeks past last Tax and am finally feeling really well in myself - for the first time since the first chemo. Still some aches in the muscles - which didn’t start until 3 weeks after last tax. Eyelashes which had hung on, came out this week - at the same time those which fell out ages ago are just showing through! How weird is that? Mouth still a bit odd, but much improved. I feel comparatively lucky.
Sorry to hear about your nails Liz, they sound really painful
Mine have been OK - they have horizontal lines across them and are ridged, but no pain. I did take frozen peas with me to put my fingers and toes in when I had Tax, In the US they give you ice mitts and ice boots - it minimises nail and neuropathy problems. I don’t know if I was just lucky or if it was the cold from the peas.
Hope your nails improve soon.
i never used ice or anything during chemo, and i did think i had got away with just the ridges, but alas no, they feel like they have been hit with a hammer,
nymeria and dancing girl how strange is this stuff eh? - i feel more achey than i did before and the aches n pains have been worse since last tax which for me was 4 weeks ago.
nessp n alto - i also have fluid retention post chemo which is horrid (didnt really have it during chemo either) -by the time i got to bed last night my legs were swollen and my toes were so swollen that they hurt too.
i also bought in to the belief that “you will feel immediately better when you finish chemo” and i just don’t.
i went to my GP yesterday just to see what he thought about the ongoing side effects.
He said it could be many months before we feel “back to ourselves” - he said the aches and pains and fluid retention, and also my twitchy eye/face muscles are all chemo related. They should gradually and slowly get better. i came away with a packet of water tablets to try to help the fluid retention but for the rest it is just is seems a matter of being patient.
i think the sad thing is that when people say to me oh you’ve finished chemo, you must feel so much better?, i just cant give them the answer that they want which is “yes i feel great” cos i don’t but maybe im being impatient cos im pleased you feel better 8 weeks later Stella - are the aches bearable now?
have got yukky nails wi wih ridges like you Liz but hoping they stick on - sorry some of you have probs with nails coming off post tax.
little angel i finished chemo 8 weeks ago and the first 4 weeks after chemo finished i had muscle aches which i didnt have while chemo. Onc told me its a long time getting out of your system which i recon is good as it keeps the protection going. I have had axillary node clearance this week and the muscle aches etc have gone so im sure it wont be long before you are feeling much better.
A most informative thread.
I’m two weeks post last Tax- have lost two toenails and all the skin off the soles of my feet. But my feet are not as sore as they were after Tax 1.
I have sore/numb fingertips and it looks like I will lose a few fingernails.
My tongue feels burnt, taste is still pretty awful and I’m still really tired.
The worst for me is the blurry eyes- can’t read the bus numbers until they are much closer than before Chemo. and watching television is not as clear as it used to be. I haven’t seen mention of blurry eyes on this thread- is anyone else having problems? I was warned that it could be a problem but I’m wondering if I should ask my GP for an opthalmic referral.
Any information gratefully received.
Hi taxers,
Just to say hang on on in there. It is so hard but you will get better really quickly. I had my last tax at the end of Feb and felt well again four weeks later. I have had my surgery since the tax finished and I can say honestly that whilst it is hard now a few weeks and months down the line you will feel better.
Sending lots of love and hope everyone is back to normal soon.
Sue x
My vision has been blurry on both FEC and Tax - not as bad as yours. I read somewhere that it’s not recommended to have an eye test until six months after chemo to allow eyes to settle down.
Hope all your SEs settle soon - it seems to take so long, but you will get there.
