February 2024 chemo starters

Whatever gets us through @Vibby, whatever gets us through. :rofl:

Hey, well done @kitty77 - fingers crossed all is well and stays that way.

xx

1 Like

So glad you got through it. I canā€™t imagine how worried you were after reading your story. Youā€™ve got this :muscle: Hoping for no side effects for you x

2 Likes

@kitty77 good luck with your Paclitaxel! I hope it goes well! I had my last one of Cycle 3 today. I hope it will be an easy one. Iā€™ve booked my tickets to Canterbury to celebrate the end of Cycle 3! :partying_face:

My hemoglobin was 80 today and although we went ahead with the treatment, my doctor scheduled a blood transfusion for me tomorrow. Iā€™m actually a bit excited, as Iā€™ve always wanted to know my blood type but never had an opportunity.

The sound is finally coming out here in London and wisteria is blooming. I hope you all have a nice week!

6 Likes

Well done @kitty77.
I am having my bloods today and hoping everything is okay so can proceed to my first docetaxel on Thursday.
I have to take steroids pre-docetaxel due to risk of allergy.
I have spoken to my oncologist as well and discussed about radiotherapy after my 3 cycles of docetaxel. Lots to take in but time flies so quick and cannot wait for everything to finish.
Wishing everyone a good afternoon. x

1 Like

Thanks for all your kind words ladies. Iā€™m feeling good still so will just see how the rest of the week goes.

Good luck to everyone having treatment this week, letā€™s keep sharing our experiences Xx

2 Likes

Hi all, just a quick question re a weird side effect Iā€™ve developed after Docetaxel. My jaw is aching like itā€™s been banged and my teeth hurt, I also have a numb chin and mouth. I can only explain it to like having an anaesthetic at the dentist. When you canā€™t feel anything. Has anyone read or heard about this please?

1 Like

Worth checking with the nurse - sounds like a reaction from your nerve system. Nurses often ask me whether I get a tingling sensation in my fingers and toes, as Taxel may impact the nerve system and if left untreated it may lead to permanent nerve damage. I would take it seriously.

1 Like

Iā€™ve had my last Paclitaxel of Cycle 3! Feeling ok but needed a blood transfusion because of very low hemoglobin. I had a blood transfusion yesterday and for some reason I thought I would have more energy afterwards but instead it left me rather weak and a bit feverish. Feeling much better today after a good night sleep.

Ironically Iā€™ve got a stiff neck and this is actually bothering me much more than any chemo side effects! I can barely move my head and shoulders. Hopefully it will go away soon.

My wig is finally arriving today, will share some pics!

Seeing an ENT doctor today as I continue having nose bleeds. These come unexpectedly and have ruined some of my tops! Hopefully something can be done.

3 Likes

@tinatin My neck is always stiff, so I started doing the exercises in this video a few years ago and it helps a lot. If I donā€™t do it for a little while, I can feel the difference.

I can also see now that heā€™s got a new ā€œfollow alongā€ neck mobility session with 2 extra exercises here which feels really nice: https://youtu.be/9enAikPH_k8?si=1xwiX41ygDO85uke

2 Likes

Hi ladies,

I hope youā€™re all coping well enough with any side-effects and treatments this week.

Iā€™ve seen a few posts about bone pain. I had the most excruciating radiating and pulsating pain in waves through my spine and rib cage on Monday early evening.

I had first round of paclitaxel on Thursday and I only take 1 filgrastim injection the day after chemo. Iā€™m pretty sure it was this as I had similar pain on 1st round of EC but not as bad. (Think I had it a little round 2 but not 3 or 4).
This came in waves every 45 seconds at some stage and it didnā€™t matter if I was standing, sitting, walking or lying down. Literally stopped me talking -at least with contractions when theyā€™rethat frequent you know thereā€™s an end and a cute baby to meet.

I took loratadine and it did nothing. So added 2 ibuprofen and still nothing - just kept being more frequent and more intense - pretty violent really. I fully expect my white blood count to be through the roof next week!

So eventually drove myself to the gym somehow and the sauna sorted it immediately. Itā€™s my answer to everything. It even got rid of the cording that was starting to form again.

Pain did return 10 minutes after I came out but not as often nor as intense. I slept like a baby though. Pain came back next day but much better and less frequent so 1 more trip to the sauna then I knew I had to stop in case my skin peeling came back. Itā€™s happened max twice a day since then.

I did read that the bone pain was supposed to be worse with Paclitaxel and worse for the 1st round. Iā€™ll let my team know anyway though there doesnā€™t seem to be much that can be done other than some people ending up in hospital on morphine.

Otherwise I havenā€™t had any other side-effects from round 1 of paclitaxel. I wouldnā€™t have known I had chemo this past week were it not for the bone pain. EC chemo belly also seems to have gone.

Wishing you all less eventful days ahead xx

1 Like

I hope youā€™re feeling much better. Well done for getting through to the end

Sammybp yes docetaxol did that to me was like jaw was in a vice but do please mention to your team so they are aware of it :heart::two_hearts::two_hearts::sparkles::sparkles:Shi xx

@healing24 , thanks for sharing. I never thought about going for a sauna to ease the pain.
I spoke to my team yesterday about the bone pain following last weeks paclitaxel, I also only have one filgastrim injection the day after. The team diid think the pain was caused by the filgastrim, which is strange as I did not get that reaction during EC, which also included filgastrim the day after.
Anyway they are going to add additional pain killers to next weeks treatment to reduce the side effect. Not sure what kind, but as long as it helps I really dont care. I will update next week.
Apart from that that, I am the same no other side effects and I feel more awake and less fatigued. Cant say I could run a marathon but certainly my daily walks are easier and longer.

1 Like

Thanks so much @kartoffel - these exercises and a bit of yoga have really helped!

@healing24 now Iā€™m wondering whether I should go to sauna too - perhaps I can schedule it on my hair wash day!

My fever after a blood transfusion wasnā€™t getting better for a few days in a row. My husband and I were debating whether I should go to hospital but then my fever came down in the evening. Today is the first day when I finally feel back to normal again.

The weather is failing me so instead of Canterbury weā€™re going to Bath where we should catch a bit of sun :sunny:

Next week I start my final cycle of Paclitaxel before moving on to EC and it feels like a milestone.

1 Like

@tinatin oh good, glad it helped some. I always feel so much better after I run through that routine. Had a massive headache the other day and my neck just went snap crackle pop when I was doing the ears to the sky exercise and then my headache was gone. Hope you enjoy Bath and you get some nice vitamin D.

Just home from my first docetaxel + phesgo and that was a bit of a marathon session. Everything that could go slowly, did and it took about twice as long as scheduled. We discovered the cold cap had maybe been on a bit too tight and it made me feel terrible during the session, queasy and heachachy. As soon as it came off, I felt fine so thatā€™s a positive.

If anyone else is due to have phesgo, word of warning - it burns going in and no one warned me about that until I jumped as it went in so it was a bit of a shockā€¦ :joy:

3 more sessions to go!

1 Like

Hi all, just an update on the facial numbness after Docetaxel. The GP said no sign of infection and is baffled. My oncologist saw me today and he is also baffled. Heā€™s prescribed some steroids to see if that helps. If not heā€™s said I may need an MRI.
I currently canā€™t feel anything from my lower lip downwards and itā€™s numb.

Has anyone seen/heard of this in any other threads? Iā€™m really worried about it not returning or it being something worse. :weary:

That sounds really worrying. Iā€™ve been extensively trawling the internet for information about docetaxel side effects and not seen anything like that that I can remember. Hopefully the steroids sort it out. :crossed_fingers:

Hi guys
I had my first Paclitaxel and Phesgo on Thursday. I know the dose is lower because I am having it weekly over 12 weeks so am not expected to get so many side effects. However, this does mean cold capping 11 more times and I swear it is that, along with the only steroids that I have to take, being responsible for me feeling rubbish on the day I have chemo. I can honestly say that yesterday and today I have felt fine. I keep waiting for something to happen but it hasnā€™t. I pray this continues. Taste buds still rubbish and still tired but oncologist says this will be due to having about 20% less oxygen in my bloodstream than I would usually have. So all in all, this is much better than EC was for me. I am aware that this is cumulative so I wonā€™t get too over-excited.

@sammybp That does sound worrying. I wonder if this peripheral neuropathy can affect the face in some way? If it can cause numbness to your hands and feet then why not elsewhere? Although your GP and oncologist would know a whole lot more than me but maybe it is a rare side effect? I hope it goes very soon.

@tinatin Really looking forward to seeing your wig.

@kartoffel Thanks for the neck exercises. I always have a crunchy neck so this is appreciated.

I have just binge-watched Baby Reindeer and thought it was incredible. Brutally honest and brilliantly acted. Must find something else to watch now as I think a nice chilled afternoon on the sofa beckons.

Salbert
xx

@salbert Iā€™m the same. I felt rubbish during the treatment because of the cold cap but I came home and felt, dare I say it, normal?

@kartoffel I now see the benefits of doing Paclitaxel weekly. My only side effect is loss of taste again and mild heartburn.

Iā€™m so sorry to anyone who is really suffering; I promise I am not being smug, I just want to log and compare.

Conversely I am aware that weekly Paclitaxel doesnā€™t give much recovery time which means not being able to taste properly until after chemo finishes on 4th July. Will it stop me from eating chocolate and chips, I wonder? :thinking:

1 Like