Had my first doxytaxol (taxotere?) 3 weeks ago and have unfortunate feeling that my body is very good at killing the chemo in healthy fashion rather than having it sitting round blasting the cancer.
Symptons were 1 day tired, few days dry mouth, 1 week bad taste in mouth, 2 days upset stomach - all lumps and hair all still present and correct!
How long does it normally take before people’s hair falls out? Slighlty wondering why mine hasn’t (its medium short…). I’m 36 btw and generally v healthy bar the flourishing mets! I don’t WANT it to fall out, but it might be a bit more reassuring…
Hi Susie,
Hair can take a while to start falling out but usually once its starts its pretty quick.
However I have a friend that didn’t loose her hair it just got a bit thin round the hair line.
She was a complete mystery to her oncologist but saying that I am sure I read somewhere that only 80% loose their hair…I could be totally wrong as I have the ability now to make things up as well as forget them!
I have just had taxol and it worked very well for me.
I did have lots of side effects and I made sure I got help with all of them.
sleeping tablets for the steriod moments ,
Good painkiller and a good supply, I needed morphine at one point but I was never really uncomfortable because of it.
I need stuff for the good old bowel movement and lozengers for thrus.
My gp was a dream and we would email or talk on the regularly to see how I was getting on.
Don’t worry about the hair, stay strong and ask for help when you need it.
I wish you the best outcome of the treatment ever.
I’ve had 4 FEC and 4 Taxotere for primary bc. My hair fell out on the FEC but started to grow back as soon as I began the Taxotere and was an inch long by the time I finished it.
I think Tax is kinder to our hair follicles! Mind you, I did lose my eyebrows and lashes on it having kept them intact through the FEC.
My oncologist told me that the drug company claim that 50% lose their hair with taxotere, but in his experience it’s more like 90%. Maybe you’re in the remaining 10%!
I got relief pretty quickly after my first treatment but I was having herceptin and pamidronate at the same time. The most noticeable and welcome effect was the reduction in bone pain. I was given a manual exam at every clinic appointment, and a CT scan after the third treatment to monitor progress so maybe your hospital will offer the same - even if you can’t tell the chemo is working, they should be able to reassure you then.
I know what you mean about wanting some more obvious evidence that the chemo is working though - I had a relatively easy time on taxotere which was a relief, but I had this superstitious feeling that if I was having it easy, the blooming cancer was having an easy ride too!
My expereience was the same as justme’s. FEC knocked out my hair - but then it amazed me by starting to grow back on Tax. It was thick, but rather weak (easy to pull out) so I shaved it off and started afresh at the end of Tax anyway. If you have short manageable hair, and are gentle with it, you may stand a chance of hanging on to it. I too found that Tax (eventually) knocked out my eyebrows - and they have only partially recovered. Eyelashes came back fine however.
3 weeks is a bit early to pre-judge - I would 6 weeks is a better benchmark.
I had docetaxel for 6 treatments and it did completely wipe me out I am afraid! My hair is really thick and I am youngish (40) and it all went really quickly, not in dribbles like FEC but it took a while I remember…
I am sure that while on Tax, my hair is growing. Having a loss with lashes and brows and still managing to maintain the brazilian downstairs.
However, apart from that I have sailed through Tax. Yep there is a couple of days where my mouth tastes metallic and maybe 1 day where my usual energetic self retires to bed to watch daytime TV mainly from a touch of lathargy as opposed to the dreaded fatique. On the whole, it has not effected me and i really worry that the cancer isn’t getting a blasting. I was on the whole fit & healthy and rarely took medication in the past but when I did I never suffered side effects even when I was give Doxycycline for MRSA which surgeon said would knock me sideways.
I think I would feel better if i could just have some othre symptoms that it is in me, working
know what you mean. they will tell me on the 5th dec whether the doxy is making any difference to the cancer or not, so just a lot of waiting now… if not, then all up in the air again
(nails keep breaking is the new symptom!)
susie
I like your comments Positivethinker! I just had my 1st tax 3 weeks ago and my hairis growing back on head too but losing eyebrows and eyelashes fast…and the brazilian…also staying the same haha. I sure hope this means my hair is actually starting to grow in for good! 2 more tx to go.