@salbert I had some pretty crazy heartburn last night - was thinking I was going to have to sleep sitting up if the gaviscon didn’t kick in soon but it seemed to eventually work and I got some sleep until the pup started whimpering to go out this morning. I love the little critter, but it would be nice if I could sleep in past 5-5:30 am… 
I imagine this is what he’s doing when I ask him to let us sleep in…
Hi everyone
Good to hear you all seem to be coping well with the taxal regime.
I’m not doing too bad but have had a couple of days in bed with this one which I didn’t really have with the EC, just felt a lot more fatigued and have fallen asleep randomly over the last few days.
Also a lot more aches but thankfully so far they’re not debilitating I can manage them with paracetamol.
The main issue for me is my tongue looks and feels like a snails foot 
swollen and coated in nasty stuff and my taste is all off too!! Again I’m managing the nasty mouth with all of the supplies I accumulated during EC so not too bad but I’d love to be able to taste something!
Also have had quite bad stomach pains and whatever I’m eating seems to be going through me quickly!!! Sorry if this is TMI 
.
I’m still feeling pretty upbeat though nothing really feels so bad that I need to check in with doctor or hospital team so fingers crossed it stays that way.
Sending positive vibes for the week ahead to you all 
Xx
I think Docetaxal is well known for the diarrhoea !!! I experience it anyways due to a pancreatic insufficiency, so sort of used to it, but currently much worse than normal.
I use loperamide frequently, and have also been prescribed extra ondansetron for it’s constipating effect rather than as an anti sickness.
Really important to keep up your fluids, I miscalculated this morning and nearly passed out on the loo !!! Tricky as I have low BP all the time.
The other thing I find on Docetaxal is lots of wind pain as well as the 
. Really uncomfortable.
Has anyone experienced much more pain in their operation site since starting chemo.
I had lumpectomy prior to chemo, and thought it was pretty much healed and pain free. Since starting chemo it’s really painful again.
I’m torn between thinking it’s psychological and it’s something getting re started in my operated boob.
Chemo for me does feel like pain everywhere!!! So maybe it’s that.
I can’t imagine my team would offer more imaging this early post op, but it does scare me as triple neg breast cancer.
Any thoughts or experience welcomed xx
I didn’t have an operation yet, but I’ve got a sharp pain in my boob when I touch it/press on it. My oncologist doesn’t seem particularly concerned, so I guess that’s a normal thing?
My pain seems to be where they inserted the clip during my biopsy, so I just assumed it was the chemo aggravating things in there.
I am doing the neo adjuvant chemo, meaning that my surgery is still far away, but I do have a bit of pain in my boob during chemo. I frame it as “chemo is working and burning the evil cancer cells 
”. I’ve got triple negative too and in general I’ve been having quite a bit of pain in my boob (I later realised that it must have been the tumor growing aggressively) which actually delayed my diagnosis, as every single doctor kept telling me that “it won’t be something bad, if it’s painful” and kept making assumptions that it’s just period pain / muscle pain / my heart playing up - you name it! I appreciate that having pain is indeed not a typical symptom for BC but in some aggressive cases of TNBC it actually is!
Sending some lovely Bath pics to the group. It was a great trip. A lot of sunshine and nice walks that I’m still recovering from.
Let’s not mention that I vomited my whole dinner yesterday for no reason…
Yeah, that’s why it scares me. My TNBC grew in less than 6 months from my normal mammogram, and the pain scares me and makes me think it’s come back already. It’s just so hard to tell as chemo makes everything in my body hurt !!!
Well, this is all pretty interesting. I, too, have had twinging pains at the site of my surgery. Nothing much to write home about but I chose to see it as the chemo and Phesgo doing their job. Interesting that we are all experiencing this. My cancer never showed up on any scans or mammograms and I used to get a buzzing sensation where it was. I actually got laughed at when I said what I was experiencing. Since surgery that has stopped. But definitely I am getting little pains with this Paclitaxel.
@kartoffel your puppy really does look like he is laughing! Gorgeous chap. My husband is hankering after another dog. I’m holding off at the moment as my 18 year old cat has dementia and won’t leave me alone. He’s enough when I am trying to work from home!
@kitty77 I love the snail’s foot analogy!! 
I described it yesterday as having a tongue coated in plastic but your description is way better. I can only taste sweet things. I usually live off humous but it tastes of absolutely nothing. I may as well be eating wallpaper paste.
@Vibby I am a veggie and eat lots of smoothies and salads but now that you and others mention it, I’m wondering if my frequent trips to the loo are actually even more frequent today. I think I will take half an Ondansetron. Good call.
@tinatin Lovely pic of Bath. I went to Sissinghurst Castle yesterday. Great to do something normal, isn’t it.
xx
@Vibby I comfort myself myself by saying that it can’t possibly grow during chemo, it can only shrink 
@salbert your trip sounds really great! My husband and I have now bought a two together railcard so we can travel more, let’s see how it goes!
I have definitely noticed more pain with the tax than EC and I have had like a burning sharp pain not where my tumours were but more along my WLE scars over the last few days but that does seem to be easing off a bit now.
Still feeling a bit worse for wear today and really tired still too, wonder if I get a week where I feel almost normal again on the taxal??
Am I the only one needing laxido after docetaxel?
My energy levels have crashed after my treatment last Friday. I think I may have overdone when I was feeling normal yesterday. Got up and felt great, so I did a weights session and a long-ish walk with the dog and now I’m just feeling a bit like a zombie. I might need to take a nap after I go get my PICC line flushed in a little bit so I can function on my work calls later today.
That’s interesting. That’s how I feel. It was pretty much healed and pain free but definitely aches again plus shooting pains.
It’s so hard to know what’s real and what’s psychological during chemo.
I’m definitely finding the Docetaxal hard going. The oncologist did warn me. I tried to get out this morning with a friend and finished up trapped in Costa’s toilet with diarrhea and vaso vagal episode.
My poor friend had to bring the car outside the shop and nearly got a ticket so she could retrieve me.
I rang the chemo hotline to see if it’s possible to have a couple of litres of IV fluid to rehydrate (the oncologist mentioned it at my last appointment) but surprise surprise admission is only via A&E. Rather be dead that sit there for hours and hours.
Fortunately I’ve got tonnes of loperamide and some dioralyte, so slowly re hydrating !!!
Hope you’re feeling better now @Vibby I’ve still got the painful scars again today and I’m the same never had any issues with them until this round of Docetaxal.
Unfortunately I spent last night in A & E and am now having an overnight stay in hospital tonight.
I’m ok just having some antibiotics for a suspected infection - no temperature but I noticed over the past couple of days that my resting heart rate was getting higher and higher and last night when I was lying in bed it was in the 90’s (it’s usually on the 50’s). I had a lot of aches too but put that down to the filgastrim - woke up through the night with sweats and pain in my back (left shoulder blade area) and heart rate in the 100’s so rang 111 and they ended up sending an ambulance for me.
They ran a trace on my heart and it was fine just really high suspected it was due too infection so fast forward to now I’ve had all sorts of bloods taken and tests and scans to check what is causing it, had chest X-ray and ultrasounds on my spleen, liver and gall bladder, had blood done to check for blood clot too - all came back fine but my liver function blood tests are really high again and my white blood cell count and neutrophils are also too high so I’ve no more filgastrim and had two rounds of antibiotics and heart rate is coming down.
They think this is my body reacting again to the chemo 
so I’m not sure if I’ll be having another Docetaxal or not. I’m due to see oncologist tomorrow I think so will see what they say. Hopefully I may be offered another alternative.
Can’t wait to get home - they said that might be tomorrow depending on my bloods 
.
Chemo really is kicking my ar$e at the minute, but I’m determined to come back fighting 
Xx
Sorry to hear that @kitty77 , I hope you‘ll get home safe and sound and there will be another alternative for the treatment!
I had my day one of Cycle 4 today - nothing to write back home about but let’s see how it goes in a few days time.
Thanks @tinatin let’s see how today goes, hopefully I will get home at some point
the hospital staff are brilliant but there is no substitute for your own bed in your own home is there!!
Xx
@kitty77 I’m so sorry, darling. I’m sending you all the positive vibes and prayers for you to pick up and get home soon. What a horrible thing to happen. I hope you can feel my virtual hugs.
@Vibby You too. I’m sending you my hugs from here and I really hope you never get stuck in the Costa toilet ever again. I don’t blame you for not wanting to wait hours in A&E. You would probably end up worse. I hope you are getting better too.
@kartoffel Yeah…you probably overdid it a bit with all that exercise. I’m guilty of trying to tell myself I’m absolutely fine as well. I keep power-walking to fast music and ending up having to suck in lungfuls of air with my heart beating like crazy. I have this mentality of refusing to be beaten, fighting with my body saying ‘Gimme a break, I’m having chemo!’.
@tinatin Good luck with Cycle 4. Keep us posted. I have Paclitaxel number 2 tomorrow. 24 hours until that hideous cold cap. However, I still have some hair. I was just on the HER2+ and Need Some Buddies thread and posted a pic of how I think I look now. I remind myself of Paul Whitehouse as an Old Git on the Harry Enfield Show. Pic attached by way of illustration.
Love to all,
Salbert
x
Thanks @salbert I’m just waiting for blood results and all being well I’m going home 
.
Your picture of one of the old gits made me chuckle 
I used to watch them and the naughty old ladies - think that was Harry Enfield and Kathy Burke 
I pictured myself as Gollum from Lord of the rings before I shaved my head
Xx
Just reached the episode of sex in the city where Samantha finds out she has BC.
Didn’t expect it to upset me so much, after all I knew it was there 
Hi @Vibby
Sorry to hear about the episode in Costa, not what you want when you want a treat with a friend.
I hope the loperamide and dioralyte are working. Drink lots of water as well. If you still get diarrhoea please call your helpline again. It’s such a shame the only entry was A&E where you are. My cancer centre like to have you in to observe or admit you in their own centre to prevent infection risks at other hospitals.
Take care 
